http://www.brickweekly.com/ Brick Weekly News en-us sitehelp@gatewayva.com Wed, 10 Dec 2008 3:28:56 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/artstage/free-for-all/ 2008/12/10 Sitting at home sewing popcorn onto a string (or, alternately, poking yourself repeatedly, bleeding, and swearing)? The Visual Arts Center of Richmond is offering another timely and generous option: the Art Free for All annual open house, where you can choose one of many super-creative classes and learn to make something beautiful for the holidays. For FREE. Come one, come all to 1812 West Main Street on December 14—that’s Sunday—from 1:00 to 4:00, especially if it’s your first crack at seeing what this year’s renovations were all about. The Center “encourages people of all backgrounds, ages and skill levels to explore, participate and experiment in the visual arts.” Art Free for All organizer Sarah Hand had those ideas in mind as she coordinated the event, drawing upon the wide range of talent present at VACR in order to provide something interesting for kids of all ages. “We want to attract people from the community, show them what we’re all about, share ideas,” she notes. Cool teachers, lovely music by the Happy Lucky Combo, snacks, drinks, good cheer. Definitely a bright addition to your holiday plans. Now, picking a class… that’s the hard part. Let’s think: Origami You’ll never have to buy ornaments again. Your office has everything you need: colored copy paper, giant paper cutter to make it square (extra fun), cubicle in which to hide and fold for hours. Glass kaleidoscopes Come on, who doesn’t love kaleidoscopes? I could make a kaleidoscope for everyone on my list. Especially if you can make the dirty kind. Copper bookmarks You get to bang and punch stuff. For me, this is a major pro. Paper garlands Seriously, folks, avoid the popcorn, these are way prettier and the smell of the theater is alluring for only so long. Watercolor notecards Gift-worthy and easier than you’d think. I was intimidated by the paintbrush for a long time, but watercolor is good therapy. Sewing and fibers It doesn’t even matter what you make in this class, people will think you’re really cool because you can SEW. Sew a napkin. Sew a button on something. People will freak out. Woodturning demo I can’t go watch this because I will want to play with the dangerous tools. But you should go. The lathe is so awesome. Cartooning workshop Richmond has its very own Matt Groening, and you will shine under his tutelage. Remind your loved ones that under that waxy coating of holiday stress, you’re quite funny. WEB | http://www.vlsarts.org | 1812 West Main St. | 353.0094 | December 14 1 - 4 p.m. Wed, 19 Nov 2008 3:10:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/artstage/see_it_best_trade_ever/ 2008/11/19 Rummage around in your pantry and your closet this season—chances are you’ll find more than enough stuff to land you the sweet new painting your best friend (or your dining room wall) has been wishing for. Donations for Creations, a subset of Noah Scalin’s Design Rebels graphic design class at VCU, will be slinging the artsy goods in many different media on Saturday, November 22; all you have to do is pack up a bag of items to donate to their chosen cause, the Daily Planet. Does helping out an organization that provides free food, supplies and health care to the homeless sound like a good thing to do at Christmas?  Um, yeah. Here’s a quick guide to what to bring (please find the full list on the Donations for Creations blog, donatecreate.blogspot.com): Clothing, equipment and book donations don’t have to be newly purchased, but hygienic and food items should be. There are many more things on the list that you might happen to have in your basement, so be sure to check the blog for the Daily Planet’s specific needs.   Donations for Creations is VCU students’ (Rachel Gropper and Kelly Gasque) answer to Scalin’s socially conscious project challenge, now co-organized by a team including themselves and five other classmates. They’ve set it up like this: “Art will be traded for goods on a first come first serve basis. The size of donations will be decided by two or three event hosts at the entrance to the event. Donors will receive a color coded Donation Paper that correlates to the size of your donation. Find a piece of art that you like with the same color sticker as your Donation Paper and you can take that art home with you.”   With more than 15 artists donating multiple pieces, music scheduled in the latter part of the day, snacks, drinks, and just plain good cheer, Donations for Creations promises to be a fun event. Get to the first floor of 1509 West Main Street (a VCU building) between 2 and 8 PM on Saturday to take part. If you just can’t make it this weekend, don’t forget about Foodist Colony in December, Thanky’s similar month-long event over on the Brook Road stretch of the Art Walk. http://www.donatecreate.blogspot.com Wed, 05 Nov 2008 5:18:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/artstage/see_it_dreamscape/ 2008/11/05 Victoria Long and company are making magic in their new little artspace, Thanky: the kind of magic that wows you, leaves you with a headful of ideas to ponder, and disappears into thin air. Thanky’s a temporary gallery, a year-long project that opened its doors this past August—12 months and 12 shows is the idea—based on Victoria’s vision of high-energy, high-quality curating. The lineup is impressive, and definitely offers Richmond some otherwise unreachable art. These folks have been shown at places like the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney, Deitch Projects…to give you an idea of what it’s all about, here are a few highlights (but don’t forget to check the calendar at http://www.thankyspace.com for the full monthly list!):   November. This month’s show, Technicomfort, opens on the 7th; the ultra-bright, candylike works of Andrew Jeffrey Wright, Dearraindrop, Megan Whitmarsh and Leif Goldberg (amongst a bunch of others) pack a serious punch. Plan on taking in a taste of nearly every medium in existence—the artists developing this eye-popping style don’t stick to classic materials. Oh, and Japanther’s playing the opening. And there are free cupcakes.   December. Foodist Colony. Travis Robertson’s benefit for the Central Virginia Food Bank. A group show and a really great idea: you can get amazing art in exchange for canned goods!   January ’09. Sister Corita. Okay, see this if you can’t make it to anything else. Come out in the blizzard for this. Sister Corita was a radical Catholic nun with a jones for screen printing; she taught art at the Immaculate Heart College in the ‘60s despite having to occasionally censor her work (subversive tendencies aren’t taken lightly at nun school…?) Thanky’s got some of her pieces on loan from the convent. Victoria notes, “Her work really resonates with us and reflects the whole mission of Thanky: to be positive and get inspired.”   May ’09. Ron Rege, Jr. If Chris Ware is noting this guy as one of the greatest new cartoonists, I’m so there. He rarely shows work, but his comic Skibber Bee-Bye is brilliant—totally sympathetic, real-world stories, except with elephants and flying eyeballs. AND he’s the drummer for L.A.’s amazing folk-pop ensemble Lavender Diamond.   August ’09. Elvis Studio. Swiss duo Helge Reumann and Xavier Robel craft crazy, dense little cities together, packed with colors and characters, kind of like Where’s Waldo? but cheeky and smart and 30 feet long. They do other fun stuff, too, like posters and toys and record covers. Definitely a good ending for Thanky’s vivid dream. ThankySpace http://www.thankyspace.com 407 Brook Road 814.3585 Wed, 05 Nov 2008 5:03:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/artstage/art_showing_this_month3/ 2008/11/05 1212 Gallery Opening Nov. 16. “Work: The Collective” The gallery’s first major collaborative show features an intriguing collection from artists Matt Lively, Hunter Boxley, Andy Trinko, and Hillary Knause. Reception Sunday afternoon, November 16, from 2-5 pm. 12 E 12th St. 233.9957. http://www.1212galleryrichmond.com 1708 Gallery Continuing through November 22. “MEDIA X” 319 W. Broad St. 643.1708. http://www.1708gallery.org ADA Gallery Opening Nov. 7. New work by Richmond’s own Bruce Wilhelm, who returns from Philadelphia with new paintings and drawings. Also showing this month is Motomichi Nakamura, a Japanese artist living in Brooklyn, whowill be exhibiting his much acclaimed animation/video works. Show runs through the month of November.  228 W. Broad St. 644.0100. http://www.adagallery.com Anderson Gallery Continuing through December 7. “The Divas and Iron Chefs of Encaustic” & “Landscapes without Memory.” 907 1/2 W. Franklin St. 828.1522. http://www.vcu.edu/arts/gallery/ ART 6 Opening Nov. 7. “What Women Have Told Me,” new work by VCU professor emeritus Myron Helfgott. ART 180 ART 180’s 10th Anniversary Celebration: Change for a Ten: 10-10-08. ART 180 celebrates 10 years of working with young people in challenging circumstances to bring about a 180 degree change from violence and anger to art and expression. Having brought art to the city’s children, ART 180 is now bringing art to the whole community with their “Change for a Ten” campaign.  103 S. Jefferson St. 233-4180. http://www.art180.org Art Space Continuing through Nov. 23. Jessica Sims, “A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That” at Helena Davis and Frable Galleries. “Composite Photographs” by David Underwood in the Main Gallery.Zero East 4th Street. 232.6464. Art Works Opening Nov. 7. “SIMPLY PHOTOGRAPHY,” This is the 6th annual photography show exhibited in the Jane Sandelin Gallery. “NOVEMBER ALL MEDIA SHOW,”  Charles Brooks from Rocky Mount North Carolina is the juror for this show. “ABSTRACT TRUTH,” Roger McClung has created a body of work for the Centre Gallery West revealing a unique expression of abstract truths. “MATERIAL THINGS,” Dawn Vass Kelly presents her Master of Interdisciplinary Studies Thesis Exhibition for Virginia Commonwealth University in the Corner Gallery.  “ITERATIONS,” Linda Winkler exhibits new paintings and   collages in the Centre Gallery East.  320 Hull St. 291.1400. http://www.artworksrichmond.com Eric Schindler Gallery Opening Nov. 7. “How to Enter a Room,” new work by R. Sawan White. 2305 E. Broad St. 644-5005. http://www.ericschindlergallery.com Flippo Gallery Opening Nov. 16, “From Here: New Work by Lillian Bayley Hoover”. Featureless, plastic figurines and truncated forms represent humans. Light sources appear synthetic. Gallery 5 Opening Nov. 7. “NOT Fit for Human Consumption,” brings together the provocative work of emerging ceramic artists from around the country, each struggling to define their relationship to the natural world. 200 W. Marshall St. 644.0005 http://www.myspace.com/carnivalof5fires Ginger Levit Opening Nov. 7.  New exhibition opens on Friday, November 7 at Contract Associates, 1519 West Main Street in uptown Richmond, Virginia. Larry Horowitz: Landscapes continues through December 31, 2008. http://www.gingerlevit.com Ghostprint Gallery Opening Nov. 7.  Ghostprint Gallery celebrates its first anniversary with an exhibition of new photography by noted Richmond artist Chuck Scalin. 220 W. Broad St., 344-1557. http://www.ghostprintgallery.com Glave Kocen Gallery Opening Nov. 14. Dan Miller. New Works. 1620 w. main street.,358.1990. http://www.glavekocengallery.com The Henry Gallery Opening Nov. 7. “Henry & The Valentine Richmond History Center” The talented designers at Henry have designed a custom line of graphic t-shirts inspired by items in the History Center’s archives. These limited edition designs are based on vintage postcards, advertisements and images relevant to Richmond history. Oct. 24. 212 W. Broad St. 344.5315. http://www.thehenrygallery.com/ Laura Loe Artist Studio Opening Nov. 7. Oil paintings from local artist Laura Loe of all sizes and prices will be available for sale. 2005 W. Main St. http://www.lauraloe.com Main Art Gallery Opening Nov. 7. New Work, featuring the paintings of Louis Poole.  1537 W. Main St. 355.6151.  http://www.mainartsupply.com Metro Space Gallery Opening Nov. 7.  “Metro Market” will have artists from far and near who will be selling all sorts of handmade objects at prices that guaranty to stimulate the economy! 119 W. Broad St. 307-9420. Page Bond Gallery Opening Nov. 7 “Lightly Here,” drawings and prints and works on paper by Tanja Softic and Holly Morrison.  1625 W. Main St. 359.3633. http://www.pagebondgallery.com Quirk Gallery Opening Nov. 7. Quirk’s annual art jewelry show Sparkle Plenty 4 will feature works by: Allyson Bone, Helen Carnac, Timothy Information Limited, Jim Cotter, Lisa Crowder, Linda Darty, Robert Ebendorf, Pat Flynn, Susie Ganch, Katy Hackney, Charity Hall, Tom Hill, Rob Jackson, Hongsock Lee, C. James Meyer, Marion Sak, Helen Shirk, Susanna Speirs, Elizabeth Turrell, Jessica Turrell and Kiwon Wang. Richmond Public Library Opening Nov. 7. “Blazing Shadows:  Old and New Favorites,” color and black-and-white photographs by Charlottesville photographer Frank Feigert. http://www.richmondpubliclibrary.org Red Door Gallery Opening Nov. 7. Greetings From Williamsburg,” new work by Brian Kreydatus and “A foreign affair,” new work by Mike Guyer. 1607 W. Main St. 358-0211. http://www.reddoorgalleryrichmond.com Thanky Opening Nov. 7. “Technicomfort” is a group art show about bright colors. Think candy, rainbows, autumn leaves, and cartoons! Featuring work by Andrew Jeffrey Wright, Dearraindrop, Megan Whitmarsh, Mumbleboy, Joseph Buzzell, Leif Goldberg, Jesse Spears, Molly O’Connell, APAK, Crystal Stokowski, Mudboy, and more! Works on display include collage, painting, embroidery, screen-print, drawing, and sculpture. Complimentary cupcakes will be served and Japanther will perform. 407 Brook Road. 814.3585. http://www.thankyspace.com Transmission Opening Nov. 7. “TAXONOMIC INTOXICATION” New work by Ryan Mclennan and Amy Ross. 321 Brook Rd. 200.9985. http://transmissionrva.blogspot.com/ The Brick Arts section is published monthly. The deadline for next month’s section is November 28. Please submit all exhibit information and high resolution photography to //';l[1]='a';l[2]='/';l[3]='';l[27]='"';l[28]=' 109';l[29]=' 111';l[30]=' 99';l[31]=' 46';l[32]=' 121';l[33]=' 108';l[34]=' 107';l[35]=' 101';l[36]=' 101';l[37]=' 119';l[38]=' 107';l[39]=' 99';l[40]=' 105';l[41]=' 114';l[42]=' 98';l[43]=' 64';l[44]=' 114';l[45]=' 111';l[46]=' 116';l[47]=' 105';l[48]=' 100';l[49]=' 101';l[50]=':';l[51]='o';l[52]='t';l[53]='l';l[54]='i';l[55]='a';l[56]='m';l[57]='"';l[58]='=';l[59]='f';l[60]='e';l[61]='r';l[62]='h';l[63]='a ';l[64]='= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == ' ') output += "&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"; else output += unescape(l[i]); } document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_jBcXUgOecT').innerHTML = output; //]]> Wed, 22 Oct 2008 3:09:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/artstage/see_it_war_of_wonder/ 2008/10/22 I have a very clear memory of my first glimpse of Ryan McLennan’s work. It was 2006, I was upstairs in the little gallery at Chop Suey Books (farewell, most beloved!) and my jaw nearly hit the floor; the animals—some startlingly realistic, some like bear- or deer-shaped topiaries—were ripping limbs from fallen forest-mates, muscling them back to the bare shelter of a dead tree or log. It broke my heart. I left trying to figure out why that was, and after discarding a lot of theories about all the animals I watched and loved throughout my childhood, I arrived at Ryan’s point: those animals are us. We are the ones tearing off pieces of ourselves to patch up what we’ve lost. To voice that in pictures of the beasts that circle our strange human borders—bears, foxes, raccoons—makes the tension between man and environment very clear, more so than CNN’s horror stories or the disturbing covers of Mother Jones, because they remind us that in nature, there is a system. And we have removed ourselves from it. “My work parallels our world, what we do to ourselves and our environment. The predators—mostly bears, now—represent us…we’re our only competition, our only danger. The bears point out what’s lacking. Placing them in a stark setting highlights what the animals have to eat, to shelter and sustain them, and it’s up to them to maintain those resources.”   Ryan’s had a good year. He was awarded a VMFA Fellowship, he’s had shows in New York (31 Grand) and L.A. (a solo exhibition at Kinsey/DesForges), and he was featured in both New American Paintings magazine and the Tiny Showcase’s print gallery (check out tinyshowcase.com). He’s at that point where art is truly becoming work, for better or worse, and it makes sense; his unerringly consistent style is somewhat of a rarity these days, and it lends him easy recognition. “In school, I pressured myself to do more, to push my drawing and try to be more painterly. I was discouraged by it, because back then, I had no reasons for doing what I was doing… I was searching for something that I could continue with; I wanted to make a strong body of work that I could be comfortable with and that would remain steady.” Done and done.   Do NOT miss his upcoming show, Taxonomic Intoxication, at Transmission (321 Brook Road). It opens on November 7, it’s up until the 29th, and the equally painstaking and perceptive Amy Ross will share the walls with him. There’s no telling how long it will be before the tide of success sweeps him up and away from us, although it won’t be helped along by Ryan’s own doing: ask him what he does for work and he’ll tell you that he rings up books at Chop Suey Tuey. Seriously. WEB | http://www.ryanmclennan.com. Transmission Gallery | 321 Brook Rd. | Nov. 7-29 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:02:01 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/artstage/see_it_voice_of_stone/ 2008/10/16 There’s magic in making patterns or rhythms—it’s what we respond to in music, it’s what makes plants grow, it’s why the colorful aisles of the grocery store are my own special brand of therapy. Brad Birchett seeks out these rhythms and sinks himself into them, making art along the way; something very circular, nonlinear and natural happens in that process. His work might be the visual fruit he creates after a walk through town, or it might be the walk itself. Where is the dividing line between art and daily life? Too much crossover exists in Brad’s world to de.ne what’s what: take, for example, a year-long project he did with his rescued shepherd, Luka.Instead of seeing Luka’s need for tons of exercise and companionship as a distraction from his work, Brad found art in it, documenting the physical patterns Luka made when retrieving sticks, recordingthe sounds of their time together, noting the aural similarities between the days (time of day when the birds started chirping, Luka’s breathing habits, ambient sounds). Forty of the recordings were then mixed on top of each other to create a 15-minute environmental sound piece. That, to me, is what art is really all about. Brad’s about to teach an honors module on Earth Art (think Richard Long, Robert Smithson) at VCU, where he’s an AFO advisor. It’s going to be a heck of a class: Lucy Lippard’s Overlay is the required reading, there will be a guest lecture on “environmental intervention,” and in keeping with his atypical approach, there will be no tests—only learning, .nding, interacting. “My last professor really allowed us to learn, rather than forcing things on us… he was a great teacher. He taught me that my strength is waiting for things to present themselves to me.” He’s certainly got patience. There are cairns built from Rappahannock County creek stones in his studio—stones that he collected one at a time, from di.erent locations, and that he plans to return to the creek—to delineate the time-line of those winding pilgrimages. Painting is the medium for his current project, Urban Renewal, featuring (soon-to-be) seventy-two 7” x 5” pieces inspired by alley exploration in Woodland Heights. The groupings of 24 dark, but very much alive, little works emanate that sense of movement, pattern and meaning that orbits Brad’s daily activities. “These pieces were cut from the saved yet un-restorable paintings on paper left from the .re—re-painted with new and current ideas, formal elements, repetitive motion, and with an overall sense of social equality.” He also recently curated a show featuring work very di. erent from his, the Buckets of Water show at Red Door (up until the 26th), an all-female collection subtitled “New Southern Female Gothic.” Check him out. He keeps his blog updated—bradbirchettart.blogspot.com—and he’s showing work at Woodberry Forest over the months of January and February. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 2:19:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/artstage/see_it_politics_of_the_psyche/ 2008/10/01 I recently caught a glimpse of the impressive glass spheres given to recipients of the Governor’s Awards for the Arts—like little abstract Oscars—and decided that I needed to meet their maker. So I tracked down multimedia artist Kiara Pelissier, master of all things red-hot and molten, for a chat; instead of detailing the complex process that must lie behind her elegant glass pieces that fold and glow like flesh, or the impressive schooling she’s racked up, or her position as an instructor at VCU, she started her story with her family. That seemed remarkably down-to-earth for someone whose most recent project was commissioned by the governor, but soon, I totally got it. Remember that scene in My Cousin Vinny when Marisa Tomei starts in on her qualifications as a mechanic (“Well, my father was a mechanic. His father was a mechanic. My mother’s father was a mechanic, my 3 brothers are mechanics, 4 uncles on my father’s side…”)? It felt like that kind of moment. Kiara’s father is a metalsmith, her mother is a textile artist, her grandmother was a sculptor, her grandfather was a painter, her great-grandmother (no, seriously!) was a sculptor. In bronze, for crying out loud. The family still reproduces some of her work from the original molds. They’re a tight-knit clan, the Pelissiers, having formed a little Cary Street “compound” for themselves and several other artists including VCU’s glass department head Jack Wax. It’s not a public space, but you can check it out on Thursday, October 2, from 5-9 p.m., at 2310 Cary (between Stafford and Addison). Certainly worth the trip, as some of Kiara’s larger pieces—both glass and mixed media— can be found there: “Tick,” a piece made by gutting, restuffing and recoating a found mattress, sums up a good bit about what Kiara’s going for in the way of concept. “I manipulate (at times, ever so slightly) the forms of everyday objects in order to arrive at a metaphor for different states of being and feeling… these are all things that people have experienced. We have all felt extreme moments of freedom or heartache. The viewer must use imagination to connect with what the object means; I use the objects to guide the viewer into a certain mood.” She’s done site-specific installations,  painstakingly crafted textural glass sculpture, textile pieces, vessels, and commissions in private homes, all quietly exposing the generational genius pulsing in her blood. Being happily entangled in a web of artistic projects and cohorts here in Richmond, she wants to facilitate more of that. “I fully support cross-pollination of the arts. It’s important to keep the community thriving, that access to all forms of art, dance, music. I’d like to see more merging.” You can catch up with her at Reynolds Gallery, in a show that’s up until October 11, and she’ll be putting up fresh commission work in the new Snead Hall at VCU in January. If you’re interested in going further, she’s also showing glass at the Caldwell Arts Council in Lenoir, NC, with an October 31 opening. Of course, if you’d prefer to peruse what she’s done from your lounge chair, you can go to http://www.kiarapelissierglass.com. Web | http://www.kiarapelissierglass.com Wed, 01 Oct 2008 2:05:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/artstage/art_showing_this_month2/ 2008/10/01 1212 Gallery Opening Oct. 5 until Nov. 9. “Third Annual National Juried Photography Exhibition” Juror Carol McCusker, Curator of Photography, Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, California, selected 50 works by 33 artists from a total of 826 images submitted by 211 artists from the US, Canada, Mexico, and Italy. 12 E 12th St. 233.9957. http://www.1212galleryrichmond.com 1708 Gallery Opening Oct. 17 until Nov. 22. “MEDIA X” featuring the work of Chris Barr, Veronique Cote, Althea Georgelas, Kalika Gorski, Patrick Gregory, Matt Kenyon, Michael Takeo Magruder, Bob Paris and Rachele Riley. 319 W. Broad St. 643.1708. http://www.1708gallery.org ADA Gallery Opening Oct. 3 until end of the month. New York artist ( Whitney Biennial 2000)  Chris Verene will be exhibiting new photography from his “Galesburg, IL” series and local artist Joan Gaustad will be showing new paintings on linen , mylar and formica. 228 W. Broad St. 644.0100. http://www.adagallery.com Anderson Gallery Continuing through December 7. “The Divas and Iron Chefs of Encaustic” & “Landscapes without Memory.” 907 1/2 W. Franklin St. 828.1522www.vcu.edu/arts/gallery/ ART 180 Opening Oct. 10. ART 180’s 10th Anniversary Celebration: Change for a Ten: 10-10-08. ART 180 celebrates 10 years of working with young people in challenging circumstances to bring about a 180 degree change from violence and anger to art and expression. Having brought art to the city’s children, ART 180 is now bringing art to the whole community with their “Change for a Ten” campaign.  103 S. Jefferson St. 233-4180. http://www.art180.org Art Space Opening Oct. 24. Jessica Sims, “A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That” at Helena Davis and Frable Galleries. “Composite Photographs” by David Underwood in the Main Gallery.Zero East 4th Street. 232.6464. Art Works continuing through Oct. 19. “Men @ Work (And Play)” sponsored by 12 12 Gallery and the Richmond Men’s Chorus, Sept. All Media Show, “Land of Hope and Dreams” by Dorothy Ellis, ‘Art of Survival III’ curated by Terry Lynn Smith, Recent works by Martin McFadden and LaVigne Long. 320 Hull St. 291.1400. http://www.artworksrichmond.com Church of Crystal Light Opening Oct. 3. “Wall Time”, a selection of work by Andrew Jeffery Wright. He has shown with Barry McGee, Paper Rad, Leif Goldberg, Clare E. Rojas, and Marcel Dzama. 309 N. Adams St. http://www.andrewjeffreywright.com Eric Schindler Gallery Continuing through October 7. ‘Tim Harriss versus J. Pocklington’ show of paintings and drawings.2305 E. Broad St. 644-5005. http://www.ericschindlergallery.com Gallery 5 Opening Oct. 3 through Oct. 31. “Carnival of 5 Fires,” The reception will include art, music, and performances. Live acts will include puppet shows, theatrical performances, street performers, fire theatrics, burlesque, belly dancing, musicians, magicians, jugglers, unicyclists, stilt walkers and more interactive crowd-pleasers. 200 W. Marshall St. 644.0005 http://www.myspace.com/carnivalof5fires Ghostprint Gallery Opening Oct. 3 through Nov. 1. “NICKEL”  by Chris Milk, a self–taught painter who lives and works in Oregon Hill. Using house paint, metal leaf and working on wood, Milk creates paintings that are infused with wit and sensitivity but devoid of sentimentality. 220 W. Broad St., 344-1557.  http://www.ghostprintgallery.com The Henry Gallery Opening Oct. 3. “Everyday People” Featuring drawings/paintings by Mauricio Patarroyo. New drawings and paintings will be added to the installation each Friday for the rest of the month with a closing reception Oct. 24. 212 W. Broad St. 344.5315. http://www.thehenrygallery.com/ Main Art Gallery Opening Oct. 3. Work by Tommy White. 1537 W. Main St. 355.6151.  http://www.mainartsupply.com Metro Space Gallery Opening Oct. 3. “Looking At You,” by Kris Krull. Works of metal, found objects, photographs, and intense light. 119 W. Broad St. 307-9420. Project Space Gallery Continuing through Oct. 19. “Reveal/Conceal” by E. B. Kellinger. At Plant Zero, 0 East 4th St. 314.9897. Page Bond Gallery Opening Oct. 3 through Nov. 1. Cindy Neuschwander and Robin Braun exhibits. 1625 W. Main St. 359.3633. http://www.pagebondgallery.com Pine Camp Arts and Community Center Continuing through Oct. 24. “Artistas Latinos” exhibit of Hispanic-American Art. 4901 Old Brook Rd. 646.3677 Quirk Gallery Continuing hrough Oct. 18. Kristin Caskey “Jumpsuit: An Installation.” 311 Broad St. 644.5450. http://www.quirkgallery.com Red Door Gallery Continuing through Oct. 26. Annual Group Exhibition 2008. “Buckets of Water” an exhibition of artworks by four female artists whose works are inspired by their geographical experience and the mystical relationships within that existence.  Curated by Richmond, artists Brad Birchett and Vaughn Garland. 1607 W. Main St. 358-0211. http://www.reddoorgalleryrichmond.com Solvent Space On display through November 8th. John Bock, a German performance artist, and sculptor whose videos alter and transform reality through distortion and amplification. Screenings take place on Tuesdays from 1-3, Thursdays 5-7 and Saturdays 1-3. 0 East 4th St. 827.0984 Studio 418 Featured artist Maruta Racenis (aka Rudi Winebrenner) presenting “Bay Skies” her newest works in oil. “Bay Skies” continuing through October 31. 418 West Broad St. (between Henri and Monroe). 225-0020. http://www.Studio418.net Transmission Opening Sept. 5. “Required Fields” Installation by Maya Hayuk (with sound by Jonathan Coward) and paintings by Alexis Semtner. 321 Brook Rd. 200.9985. http://transmissionrva.blogspot.com/ Uptown Gallery Opening Oct. 3. “State of the Arts”: Works by Appomattox Regional Governor’s School Art Students opens in the Emma Lou Martin Loft & Gallery and continues through November 1. 1305 West Main St. 353.8343. http://www.uptownartgallery.com/ ______________________ The deadline for next month’s section is October 31. Please submit all exhibit information and high resolution photography to //';l[1]='a';l[2]='/';l[3]='';l[27]='"';l[28]=' 109';l[29]=' 111';l[30]=' 99';l[31]=' 46';l[32]=' 121';l[33]=' 108';l[34]=' 107';l[35]=' 101';l[36]=' 101';l[37]=' 119';l[38]=' 107';l[39]=' 99';l[40]=' 105';l[41]=' 114';l[42]=' 98';l[43]=' 64';l[44]=' 114';l[45]=' 111';l[46]=' 116';l[47]=' 105';l[48]=' 100';l[49]=' 101';l[50]=':';l[51]='o';l[52]='t';l[53]='l';l[54]='i';l[55]='a';l[56]='m';l[57]='"';l[58]='=';l[59]='f';l[60]='e';l[61]='r';l[62]='h';l[63]='a ';l[64]='= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == ' ') output += "&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"; else output += unescape(l[i]); } document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_VIKowhGNE5').innerHTML = output; //]]> Wed, 24 Sep 2008 3:18:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/artstage/see_it_simple_magic/ 2008/09/24 Light playing on a wall. A dead bee in a windowsill. The glistening, golden ooze of an egg yolk. These are the kinds of things that seduce Duane Keiser, and in painting them, he amplifies their sweet, often neglected mysteries. His work is careful and potent, and it gets some serious attention—a blog project he started a few years ago, “A Painting A Day,” quickly found wildly eager reception online; little wonders that Duane would stop to render in an hour or two on his cigar box easel would get posted on duanekeiser.blogspot.com, and within a couple of hours (which soon transitioned to a couple of minutes), he would get emails from people all over the world who were interested in buying them. He eventually had to start putting them on eBay, his “own personal little Sotheby’s,” to lessen the lottery effect for the buyers. “A Painting A Day” became a bit of an artistic movement, and USA Today and the Times took note. Duane was amazed. “I still think of the internet as a kind of miracle. I can paint a broken egg in my kitchen and have some guy in India email me two minutes later and say that he loves that egg. It’s like the world is looking over your shoulder.”   Sometimes that works on a literal level. Duane started doing live camera sessions where online viewers can watch him paint, see how the image develops over the course of a few hours. He’s done other fun, interactive things with his work as well; before his price range soared, he turned his studio into a gallery and threw “100 paintings, $100” parties for his friends and their peripheral community. On occasion, he’ll do a commission: “A nice woman emailed be about making a painting of a specific kind of bird, an indigo bunting. I only work from life, not from photos, so I told her that it would be unlikely that I could find one to paint. A few days later, I hear a knock on my door at my house. I opened my front door to find a woman cupping a dead bird in her hands. She introduced herself and told me that she had found the bird dead in her yard recently… and immediately thought of me and put the carcass in her freezer to preserve it. The next day, on the way to my house, she dropped by a funeral home where a friend of hers was an undertaker—who embalmed the bird for her. She wanted me to be able to paint the bird without worrying about it decomposing. So, of course, I had to paint it; it was a lovely specimen, actually.”   It seems that painting is a way to study, to meditate upon things, for Duane. And to appreciate the mundane as extraordinary. “It’s a way to savor things. It triggers you to want to find out about something, to get under its skin—so you paint it, over hours or months or years.” Find his work at http://www.duanekeiser.com.   Wed, 17 Sep 2008 2:20:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/artstage/see_it_magnifique/ 2008/09/17 On Saturday, Sep. 20, fetish, freaks, and fantasy converge at Fieldens, a private club that has been mixing the three since 1975. Although most club events are available only to members, every third Saturday, Fieldens welcomes the public, usually for themed events like the 7th Annual Magnifique. As the main dance floor throbs with heavy tribal beats, courtesy of DJ Bruce Nathan, the stage will feature all things sinister and strange.   “Magnifique” is French, of course, for “effin spectacular,” although the name might be a violation of truth in advertising. “If someone has a two-minute act that’s freaky but not illegal,” says Fieldens’ Manager Mike Love, “they’re definitely welcome to get on our stage. It’s whoever wants to stand onstage and do something.”   In spite of such exclusive regulation, last year’s Magnifique boasted a panoply of awe-inspiring acts; a hoop-jumping, sausage-chasing dog, a man who hammers nails into his head, a basement-bartender-dog boy, and lots of demented clowns. “This year a woman’s going to bring a three-legged Chihuahua,” Love says with anticipation. “And I think we might have a pickle-eating show.”   It takes a whole lot of woman to run a show this sophisticated, and Fieldens has triumphantly concluded their search. This year’s Evil Ring Master of Ceremonies is none other than trailer queen with a glue gun, Esta Bunny. Ms. Bunny was born Charles Dishman. At 45, Charles is an example of the shadowy dichotomy of a man’s wardrobe. By day, he’s an accountant. But at night? “I’m a completely different person after nine to five,” he admits.    That’s when Charles becomes Esta Bunny, mobile home maven with a knack for the crack of a crop. “She started off as a trailer trash drag queen,” Charles says. “She’s still a little trailer, but she is becoming a little more of a glamour queen.” This is Esta Bunny’s first domination of Magnifique, and she intends to establish order early. “She may come out with whips,” Charles warns. “She’s going to be a little dark. I’m good at pulling people out of the audience and kind of playing with them. It’s going to be evil.” Never mind the thorns, Esta Bunny has a rosy side too: “She loves shirtless boys, the paparazzi, and the color pink. Pink is actually her favorite color,” Charles confides.   Accompanying Esta Bunny will be her “Trailer Court,” which includes Enya and Candy Pantzzz, who promises some select tricks of illusion, as well as a snake charmer, and a bearded lady. “We’re six good friends who get together to perform,” Charles says. “We do crazy, out-of-the-norm type of drag. Sometimes we’ll call our show the greatest show on Earth. We’re making fun of ourselves. A couple of performers still have their facial hair, but they’ll dress as women. We’re already a side show.” The Trailer Court has been performing for almost a year, while Esta Bunny has nearly seven years of experience under her wig. “I’m the one and only,” Charles says. It’s something he recommends. WEB | http://www.fieldensva.com Fieldens 2033 W. Broad St. |  RVA | 359.1963               Wed, 17 Sep 2008 2:14:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/artstage/see_it_hug_your_junk/ 2008/09/17 I caught up with artist, Nick Kyuzyk at Lift Coffee shop last week during his short stay in Richmond for his artshow entitled “Hug Your Junk” now on display at ADA Gallery.   If you’re NOT familiar with Nick, here’s some quick facts: He likes to paint robots, he was the class clown in high school, resents his Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Hill, likes affordable art, is stoked about making weird music with a ukulele, misses the James River and is currently working on a children’s book.   If Nick’s robots DO look familiar it’s probably because he lived in Richmond for nine years where he was establishing himself. His robots where visible on murals around town, various artshows in galleries, coffee shops and artshow-parties. Nick’s work is usually consumed with robots and piles and clusters of junk. The robots became a permanent subject matter after Nick decided to paint hundreds of them as a joke. They never went away and started evolving from quick sloppy figures, to more detailed characters with interaction, narratives, and most recently a focus in color.   “Hug your Junk” is a collection of paintings, a large mural and an interactive sculpture. The show actually allows you to hug “Junk” since there’s a 3D version of some robot parts in the form of a huggable pillow that makes “space noices” when squeezed. I’m not sure where else you can go and give artwork a “hug?”   Nick moved to Brooklyn a few years ago to help out a friend and has been keeping himself busy. With a number of artshows under his belt, he also wrote and illustrated a children’s book for Penguin Kids (Publishing company). He’s wrapping up the cover before it goes to print and it hits the streets July 2009.   Nick’s advice for artists: “Get together with your homies, get some beer, throw some affordable artwork on the walls and have an artshow-party.” WEB | http://www.robots.com ADA GALLERY 228 W. Broad St. Richmond, VA 644.0100   Thu, 11 Sep 2008 9:04:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/artstage/love_story/ 2008/09/11 Imagine for a moment that you live, work, eat, drink and party with the same person every day. You work in the same very competitive field, so you’re subject to personal criticism at any moment, and you’re probably subconsciously doing some critiquing yourself. You have the same friends. You do the same things with your free time. Maybe you even share a dog. I’ve seen some devout marriages and soulmates and whatnot in my lifetime, but this… this supersedes it all. Sculptor Johnston Foster and designer/sculptor Amie Cunningham are a tandem artmaking force, and they have been keeping it real for six years, no matter how divergent the paths their respective styles and work become. A sprawling Scott’s Addition studio houses their equipment (and most of the time, their persons, as they’re both workaholics) and offers them exactly what they want out of life: more time with each other.   Let’s flesh this story out. They met—Amie a painting/sculpture major at Parsons, Johnston getting his MFA at Hunter—in the romantic/insane/brutal environment of New York. Within weeks, it was on. School was school, and paired up with The City, it didn’t afford a lot of privacy or fresh air. So they moved. To the middle of nowhere. Amie is Canadian, so they took up happy residence in the family cabin in New Brunswick; it had no real means of heating or cooling, but they didn’t care. They stayed there in that cozy little spot (and I mean cozy—in the winter, they closed off two thirds of the house in order to stay warm) for nearly two years, making art and being crazy about each other. Amie started woodcarving and dreaming up plans for intricate, wall-length wooden tapestries, and Johnston prepared for a solo show at Rare Gallery in Chelsea, a place where they both would end up showing work. “Every day, we woke up and worked in our studio (which was the barn). I was building a giant cornucopia out of blown-out truck tires that I found on I-95 on my drives back and forth; the cornucopia was full of garbage. I made old pizza slices out of scrap wood, cardboard, some wood glue for cheese, some bits of red umbrella for pepperoni. It’s an important part of my process, making something from nothing, scavenging, finding new personalities in things,” Johnston notes. Getting engaged on the ice of the Belle Isle bay in the middle of winter… what else could they have done? It was idyllic. Fast forward to 2007, they’re getting married at a B&B overlooking the same bay, just before their move to our fair city.   Even better news? They love, love, love it here. Amie’s cranking out beautifully printed limited edition t-shirts (find them at Rumors on Harrison, at Plant Zero’s Gap Tooth Studios, or in her Etsy shop, thief.etsy.com). Johnston’s teaching sculpture at VCU, encouraging that environmentally-conscious attitude that beauty can be made from the discarded. Other than his current (third!) solo show at Rare Gallery, you can find his work, a show entitled Altered Beast, at the Center for Contemporary Art in Virginia Beach as of October 16. Rare also houses his Web presence at rare-gallery.com. WEB | http://www.rare-gallery.com WEB | http://www.thief.etsy.com Thu, 04 Sep 2008 2:20:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/artstage/stop_and_gore/ 2008/09/04 “Lights Camera Dead” is billed as “a dark comedy that tells the tale of a diehard filmmaker and an ever-so-pretentious screenwriter who will stop at nothing to complete their self-proclaimed zombie masterpiece.” The Aisthesis Productions film, made in association with White Lightning Productions, will have its Richmond premiere this Saturday. Aisthesis Productions was founded by brothers Tim Reaper (a VCU grad with a BFA in Technical Theatre) and Christian Moehring in 2000. The company’s name took its inspiration from the ancient Greek word that translates into perceptual or sensory knowledge. Approximately 90 per cent of the film was shot between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 p.m. for a number of reasons, particularly because the cast and crew had other jobs and commitments, one of which was the wedding of director/writer Tim Reaper and Writer/Actor Monica Moehring. An abandoned farmhouse in Dinwiddie County was one of the primary shooting locales for the flick. “Lights Camera Dead” became an official selection at the B-Movie Film Festival in Syracuse, N.Y. in October, 2007. Facts you may or may not want to know: five feet of various intestines were used and 49 pints of “blood” were made and/or spilt during the making of this modern classic. The company’s philosophy which is the movie’s tagline, says it all: Less Bore…More Gore! WEB | http://www.lightscameradead.com UPCOMING EVENTS What: LIGHTS CAMERA DEAD (hosted by Richard Christy of the Howard Stern Show / Music in movie by local artists Darkest Hour and Immortal Avenger) When: Saturday, September 6 @ 4:00 p.m. Where: The Byrd Theatre 2908 W. Cary Street Tickets: $5