Washington Post, March 30, 2012
On display at MFA & *a pop-up project’s show DC NOW, opening Wednesday 4/4/12 at Gallery B in Bethesda. Including artwork by MAYA FREELON ASANTE, BILLY COLBERT, ROSEMARY FEIT COVEY, LAUREL HAUSLER AND VICTORIA SHAHEEN.
Where? Gallery B, 7700 Wisconsin Ave, Suite E, Bethesda, MD 20814
When? April 4th – April 29th, 2012
Hours? Wednesday-Sunday 12pm-6pm
OPENING RECEPTION: FRIDAY, 13 APRIL 2012, 6pm-9pm
*in conjunction with the Bethesda Art Walk
March 22, 2012
Posted by Chief Artinista
Artinista: Juanita Hardy, Co-Founder of the Millennium Arts Salon, Small Business Owner, Silver Spring, Maryland
AAA: How long have you been collecting?
Juanita: Since 1985.
AAA: What was the first fine art piece that you purchased?
Juanita: A Romare Bearden lithograph from his Odyssey Series.
AAA: How did you become interested in collecting fine art?
Juanita: A small piece I purchased from a street vendor in 1985. It [depicted] an African woman with a basket on her head, colored with paint and butterfly wings in hues of yellow. I had it beautifully framed in a gold frame and it felt good to hang it on my wall. The spirit of the piece warmed my heart and space. Then I decided to that I wanted to collect more art- have it around me, nurturing me.
AAA: What is the best thing you like about collecting art?
Juanita: The joy of hanging the work on my walls and experincing that feeling described in my answer to question #3. Talking/exchanging with the artists. Encouraging artists to continue painting by being a patron. Another joy is collecting/preserving history, which is what many of the artists, especially those who have made their transition, represent.
AAA: What is your advice to women who are interested in starting a fine art collection?
Juanita: Do some research – go to galleries, read books, catalogs, talk to others that are collecting. Develop a plan, [identify] artists whose work you want to purchase and what the price range may be. Then implement – purchase what you like.
Interested in starting a fine art collection and not sure how to start? We can help! Contact us today to schedule a consultation or for more information!
March 22, 2012
Photo credit: Jessica Farley
March 16th marked the launch of a new solo exhibition at Morton Fine Art Gallery, located on Florida Ave NW in DC. “Veils and Transparencies” by Choichun Lueng is a must-see for all of DC’s art aficionados!
This past Friday, March 16th, the cheese and crackers were out, the wine was chilled, and the latest artwork from contemporary painter Choichun Leung were on display in a new exhibit- “Veils and Transparencies” – featured at DC’s own Morton Fine Art.
A Glimpse at “Veils and Transparencies”
And, as the attendees of the exhibit launch would surely concur with, Leung’s work was nothing short of a striking visual experience.
Owner and chief curator at Morton Fine Art, Amy Morton, was busy days in advance preparing for the exhibit launch, by “[doing] outreach to Choichun’s collectors, press and art enthusiasts.” Leung, who is on Morton’s roster of regularly displayed artists, first worked with MFA and Morton in conjunction with *a pop-up project’s exhibition “Ritual: Form, Script, Gesture” in Bethesda in 2010, and then again in March of 2011 with a solo exhibition entitled “The Memory of Water.”
Described by Morton as “rhythmic, subtle [and] yet extremely rich in coloration and texture- timeless, atmospheric and deeply personal,” “Veils and Transparencies” left attendees of the exhibition opening in awe of Leung’s undeniable gifts as an artist and visual communicator. A departure from Leung’s signature “scripting” past works the paintings on display full of raw emotion and energy despite the lack of literal wording.
In fact, Leung describes her process as “purely emotional…governed by the materials, colors, and energies of the piece.” This was all too apparent at the “Veils and Transparencies” launch; Leung’s emotions were practically palpable as her pieces decorated the walls of MFA.
“Veils and Transparencies will be on display at MFA until April 11th. As for what MFA has planned for the rest of the spring season, Morton described the gallery as being “very busy!” with two more solo exhibitions and one large group exhibitions.
If Choichun Leung’s “Veils and Transparencies” was any indication, MFA’s upcoming displays are a definite must-see!
Click here to see upcoming events being held at MFA!
March 17, 2012 Posted by Chief Artinista | 0 Comments
Welcome to our second interview of the “She’s A Collector” blog series, in recognition of Women’s History Month and as a count down to our upcoming panel presentation “The Art of Collecting: From A Woman’s Perspective” that is scheduled for Sunday, March 25, 2012 at Morton Fine Art in Washington, DC (now SOLD OUT).
The purpose of this series is to profile women who collect original art and share their perspectives of their interest and passion for fine art. As this series will demonstrate, anyone who has the interest, discretionary income and a passion can start collecting at anytime!
We asked each of our “Artinistas” in this series 5 questions about their experiences collecting art. Each of the ladies we interviewed are at various stages of developing a collection. We hope you will find some inspiration to start your own collection as a result of hearing from these passionate collectors!
Artinista: Maureen E. Doallas, Writer/Editor, Poet and Small Business Owner, Arlington, Virginia
AAA: How long have you been collecting?
Maureen: I began cultivating an interest in creating an art collection while in college in the early 1970s. I first began collecting graphics, because of their affordability. I have some paintings and sculpture. I also have a number of artists’ and fine press books, which are a special interest of mine.
AAA: What was the first fine art piece that you purchased?
Maureen: The first purchase I made was a work on paper by the marvelous surrealist artist Leonor Fini.
AAA: How did you become interested in collecting fine art?
Maureen: In the early 1980s, I was introduced to a local gallery owner who published four works on paper annually; the artists were primarily European, and the editions were limited to 100. I became one of the 100 lucky members of the gallery’s print club and over a period of years was able, for relatively little expense, able to acquire some wonderful graphics. I also used to spend a weekend afternoon in the gallery just “talking shop” with the owner, who also was a passionate collectors and the U.S. representative of some significant artists. His deep art interests and knowledge fueled my own.
AAA: What is the best thing you like about collecting art?
Maureen: The best thing about collecting is getting to live with the pieces of art I love.
AAA: What is your advice to women who are interested in starting a fine art collection?
Maureen: My advice to anyone interested in starting a fine art collection is, look at as much art as possible, and in all media. The more you look, the more you train the eye to see and differentiate good from better to best. Figure out what you like and concentrate on that.
Don’t buy any piece of art because someone tells you it’s a good investment. Collect because the artwork moves or inspires you, makes you laugh, makes you think, or simply fills you with joy whenever you look at it. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about an artist, how a piece was made, who else has owned it, and deal only with reputable galleries, which will never pressure you to buy and will take time to learn about you and your interests.
Do some research on the artist or gallery you’re interested in and then visit whenever opportunities arise. Attend openings and artist talks (there are many excellent lectures in the D.C. area at museums and galleries) to cultivate what appeals to you. And if you really love a piece but could not afford it except by making small payments towards it every month, don’t be afraid to say so; you may find the artist or representative willing to make arrangements that will work for everyone involved.
Interested in starting a fine art collection and not sure how to start? We can help! Contact us today to schedule a consultation or for more information!
March 12, 2012Posted by Chief Artinista
Today we launch our “She’s A Collector” blog series, in recognition of Women’s History Month and as a count down to our upcoming panel presentation “The Art of Collectiong: From A Woman’s Perspective” that is scheduled for Sunday, March 25, 2012 at Morton Fine Art in Washington, DC.
The purpose of this series is to profile women who collect original art and share their perspectives of their interest and passion for fine art. As this series will demonstrate, anyone who has the interest, discretionary income and a passion can start collecting at anytime!
We asked each of our “Artinistas” in this series 5 questions about their experiences collecting art. Each of the ladies we interviewed are at various stages of developing a collection. We hope you will find some inspiration to start your own collection as a result of hearing from these passionate collectors!
Image: Katina Lett poses next to one of her first original artwork in her collection, entitled “Angel” by Litha in her home outside Atlanta, Georgia. Photo courtesy of Katina Lett.
Artinista: Katina H. Lett, Esq., Atlanta, Georgia
AAA: How long have you been collecting?
Katina: I have been collecting since my husband and I finished law school and landed our first jobs in 1997. That is when we could do more than buy prints.
AAA: What was the first fine art piece that you collected?
Katina: Our first piece was purchased at an art show in North Atlanta. It is a painting by an African America woman named Litha.I call the painting “Angel” which frankly, I cannot recall if she named the painting that or I did. I see an “Angel” in the paint roles and colors.
AAA: What got your interested in collecting fine art?
Katina: I like anything that is original. I’m also a visual person. Fine art encompasses both of those aspects and it is something you can keep and pass on to your children.
AAA: What is the best thing you like about collecting art?
Katina: I enjoy the memories of where we were when we purchases the art, how we felt when we brought it home and finding the right place for it. There is also meaning to us for the selection- whether it’s a familiar face in the work or we feel it is just beautiful
AAA: What is your advice to women who are interested in starting a fine art collection?
Katina: Ladies, do not be in a rush to just cover a wall or fill your rooms. Buy items as you encounter them and buy what YOU like- not what you think everyone else likes
Interested in starting a fine art collection and not sure how to start? We can help! Contact us today to schedule a consultation or for more information!
FOR INFORMATION PLEASE CHECK OUT THE ARTINISTA HERSELF: http://theartinista.com/blog/shes-a-collector-series-part-1-interview-with-artinista-katina-h.-lett/
by Allison Keyes for NPR
February 21, 2012
President Obama spoke Wednesday at the formal groundbreaking for the Smithsonian’s newest museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. The museum, Obama said, has been “a long time coming” and will serve “not just as a record of tragedy, but as a celebration of life.”
Harriet Tubman’s hymnal — with her name written on the inside cover — “is one of the great treasures of the museum,” says director Lonnie Bunch.
Harriet Tubman’s hymnal — with her name written on the inside cover — “is one of the great treasures of the museum,” says director Lonnie Bunch.
Obama said he hopes visitors will see the artifacts of the African-American experience and understand that “ordinary Americans could do extraordinary things” — whether they are inspired by Louis Armstrong’s trumpet, the plane flown by Tuskegee Airmen or Harriet Tubman’s shawl.
Museum director Lonnie Bunch remembers seeing a photograph of Tubman wrapped in the shawl two days before she died. The shawl was a gift from Queen Victoria, who had heard about the escaped slave who had freed so many other African-Americans that she earned the nickname “Moses.”
The museum’s collection also includes Tubman’s hymn book, which she had for 50 years, using songs to alert slaves that it might be time to flee. “The rivers and creeks and streams played a vital role in the Underground Railroad,” says historian Charles Blockson.
References to those waterways were coded into spirituals: “Wade in the water. God’s gonna trouble the water. … The water, the underground, the flow … her spirit is flowing into the National African American Museum,” he says.
When Tubman died in March 1913, her friends gathered at her bedside to sing her favorite spirituals. Blockson says he was touched by the hymnal of this spiritual woman: “They said that she was illiterate, but she attempted to write her name in the book.”
The collection includes artifacts ranging from Tubman’s homemade knife, fork and spoon to photographs from her funeral.
Visitors to the museum, which is expected to open in 2015, will also see shards of brightly colored glass from the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., where four little African-American girls were killed in a Ku Klux Klan bombing. But the items the museum has been collecting since 2005 also include Louis Armstrong’s trumpet, funkmaster George Clinton’s iconic stage prop the Mothership, a Jim Crow railroad car, and a Tuskegee airman bi-plane from World War II.
“That’s the greatness of this museum,” says Tony Award-winning actress Phylicia Rashad, who was the master of ceremonies for the groundbreaking. It is important to know that the sum of the history of African-Americans is not encompassed by bondage and segregation, she says. “African-American people have contributed much to American culture: in medicine, in education, in art, in music, in dance. Name someplace where we have not been!”
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama attend the museum’s groundbreaking ceremony. “This day has been a long time coming,” Obama said.
The museum’s collections, exhibitions and programming are being designed to showcase the richness of the African-American experience. There will be theaters where films and documentaries are screened — and also live interviews with scholars and history-makers. Director Bunch says almost every moment of major transformation in this nation has been shaped by issues of race. The African-American experience is central to the American experience, he says, so the stories this museum will tell are for everyone, of every race.
“The time will come when few people remember drinking from a colored water fountain, or boarding a segregated bus, or hearing in person Dr. King’s voice boom down from the Lincoln Memorial,” Obama said at the groundbreaking ceremony. “That’s why what we build here won’t just be an achievement for our time, it will be a monument for all time.”
Morton Fine Art: curator's notes 