Public Field Art Trip: Tenchi Nage

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Tenchi Nage (Heaven and Earth Throw), 1996 by Rodney Carroll

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Illustration by Precious Blake

Fifteen sculptors from across the country who were alumni of the Rinehart School of Sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) were invited to create new works of art for an Artscpae exhibition planned by the city for the summer of 1996 to mark the centennial of the founding of that graduate program. This  sculpture by Rodney Carroll(’83) was one of the pieces commissioned for that exhibition, Celebrating Rinehart, and is one of five that has remained on site.

Carroll’s choice of this site determined the scale of this piece. Most of Carroll’s sculptures of the time had a verticality that would not have worked in front of MICA’s Main Building on Mount Royal Avenue. So, Carroll began a new series of sculptures that would deal with the dynamic relationship between teo people and two elements. For inspiration he turned to Aikido, a Japancese martial art that focuses on using one’s own energy to gain control of an opponent in order to throw that opponent away from oneself, but to never permaently harm him or her. Tenchi Nage is one such throw. Literally translated as ” Heaven and Earth Throw.” It was so named because during the throw, one hand travels upward toward the heavens while the other hand travels downward toward the earth.

Here the  arcing element in the front represents the figure that is lifting and throwing his opponent, who is represented by the figure behind it. The energy exerted between the two elements, or opponents, is represented by the central curving tubular form. The three elements are bolted together and mounted on a circular concrete base. When the piece was first installed, the uncoated steel had a silver color, which today has weathered to a rich reddish brown.

To see more of Carroll’s work, visit his website at www.rodneycarroll.com

Want to know more about Baltimore Public Art? Pick up the book Outdoor Sculpture in Baltimore: A Historical Guide to Public Art in the Monumental City by Cindy Kelly.

 

Gallery Visit: Sondheim Finalist Exhibition at the Walters Art Museum

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Don’t forget to stop by and view the Sondheim Finalist Exhibition at the Walters Art Museum! The exhibition is on view until August 17th.  The Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize: 2014 is organized by the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts in conjunction with Artscape, America’s largest free arts festival.  Now in its ninth year, the Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize recognizes the achievements of a visual artist living or working in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia and Southeastern Pennsylvania. The winner of the $25,000 Sondheim Prize will be announced at a special ceremony and reception at the Walters Art Museum, Saturday, July 12, 2014 at 7 p.m.

Finalists (from top down): Lauren Adams, Kyle Bauer, Stewart Watson, Marley Dawson, Neil Feather,  Kyle Tata and Shannon Collis

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Public Art Field Trip: Nut and Bolt

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Nut and Bolt by J. Arthur Benson, 1982

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Illustration by Precious Blake

Art Benson lives in Baltimore where he was on the faculty of the Maryland Institute College of Art for three decades, from 1972 to 2002, serving as the head of the undergraduate sculpture department. He recieved this commission in 1981 from James Pettit, the project architect for Ayers Saint (today Ayers Saint Gross), who designed the new addition to the Mount Royal Elementary/Middle School.

The artwork was to be developed as part of an elevated two story pedestrian bridge connecting the new building to the older one. The walkway is clad in metal panels that were painted yellow, white, and red arranged to emphasize the mechanical nature of the bridge. The bridge functions as a visual anchor but also hides structural colomns that turned out to be needed to support the bridge above the plaza area. Two large L brackets, one designed for each side of the elevated passagway, appear to have been fixed in place by four nuts and bolts.

The architect and artist collaborated to produce a work of art that would be fun, colorful, and visually related to a tinker toy. After all, this was a school for young children and Nut and Bolt would be installed near where these students would play every day.

See more of Art Benson’s work at www.arthurbenson.com

Want to know more about Baltimore Public Art? Pick up the book Outdoor Sculpture in Baltimore: A Historical Guide to Public Art in the Monumental City by Cindy Kelly.

Baltimore Gallery Roundup: July 2014

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Openings and activities in and around Baltimore- July 2014

Area 405
Macricrocosm
Reception: July 11, 7-10pm
Exhibition: June 20 – August 15th

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Area 405 is pleased to present Macricrocosm, featuring the artwork of Sondheim Prize 2014 applicants and others.  These works can be perceived as both cosmic and cellular placing the viewer in the position of being either omnipresent or insignificant.  This mixed media exhibition runs through Summer 2014.

Artists: Helen Elliot, Lisa Marie Jakab, Paul Jeanes, Jarah Moesch, Brandon Morse, Julia Pearson, Dan Perkins, Ginevra Shay
Curator: Stewart Watson

Baltimore Threadquarters 
Generative Presence
Reception: July 12, 4-7pm
Exhibition: July 1- August 31

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This exhibition showcases fiber and mixed media installations from two 2014 Sondheim Prize applicants.

Artists: Rania Hassan, Mihaela Savu
Curators: Allison Fomich, Marlo Jacobson, Matt Saindon

Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower Gallery
INSIDE/OUT
Reception:  July 11, 5:30-7:30pm
Exhibition: July 11 – August 30 (Open Fridays 1-7pm and Saturdays 11am-4pm)

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The yin and yang of the artists Vincent Carney and Matt Klos’s works reflect not only the interior versus the exterior, but the pristine versus the derelict– yet their work is so cohesive (as is visible by the hues used by both artists), you may think they shared the same palette.

Artists: Vincent Carney, Matt Klos
Curator: Betsy Stone

Center for the Arts Gallery, Towson University
Artscape 2014: Home:Human = Cage:Cockatoo
Reception: July 12, 2-4pm
Exhibition: July 10 – August 9

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The artists in this year’s Towson University Artscape exhibition define home through different approaches to discomfort.  For David Page, home can be threatening and torturous; for Ben Marcin, it is abandoned memory; for Katherine Sifers, it is postmodern vanitas; for Margaret Rogers, it is fantasy; for Avi Gupta, it is familiar but alienated; and for Mary Beth Muscara, it is fusion.

Artists: David Page, Ben Marcin, Katherine Sifers, Margaret Rogers, Avi Gupta, Mary Beth Muscara
Curator: Cheryl Harper

C. Grimaldis Gallery
SUMMER  ‘14
Reception: Wednesday, July 16, 6pm-8pm
Exhibition: Wednesday, July 16 – Saturday, August 23

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The C. Grimaldis Gallery is pleased to present “SUMMER ’14,” a group exhibition featuring works by selected gallery artists and Sondheim Prize applicants.

Artists: Chul Hyun Ahn, Grace Hartigan, Hidenori Ishii, Dimitra Lazaridou, Eugene Leake, Ben Marcin, Neil Meyerhoff, Raoul Middleman, Bernd Radtke, Zhao Jing & others
Curator: Constantine Grimaldis

Creative Alliance
Glue & Glitter: Skeletons, Flowers,& Jellies- A Retrospective of Tommy Tombo ODea
Reception: Thursday July 10th 6-8pm @ Amalie Rothschild Gallery
Exhibiton: July 5-26th
Gallery hours: Tue-Sat, 11am-7pm

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Self-taught, visionary artist Tommy O’Dea is a third generation longshoreman and until recently a life-long resident of Fells Point. To aid in his recovery from drug addiction, Tombo (as he is known on the waterfront), started making artwork.  Over the next 18 years he created a vibrant series of images crafted out of unique media. Tommy referred to himself as a “glue artist.” He painstakingly layered glues and epoxies, many bought from a marine store, creating richly textured surfaces.  He worked in series, carefully framed the work, and often gave it to his friends and family. Fish skeletons, sunflowers, pineapples and jellyfish were his favorite motifs.  Vibrantly colored with acrylic paint, magic markers and glitter, these pieces remain treasured gifts.

Gallery 788 
Gallery 788’s Fifth Annual Photography Show
Reception: July 3, 7pm
Exhibition: July 3 – July 26

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Gallery 788’s Fifth Annual Photography Show will exhibit of all things photography-related, highlighting some of the best photographers from the region, and beyond.

Artists: Katherine Sifers, Jing Zhao, and others
Curators: Eduardo Rodriguez and Charles Hofsommer

The Gallery at CCBC, Catonsville
Spectrum
Reception: July 11, 6-8pm
Exhibition: July 11 – August 31

Without light, art does not exist.  The visible spectrum of light through the human eye is what allows us to perceive beauty, thus making it an appropriate medium for these artists to express themselves.  Similar to the process artists like Itten, Rothko or even Newton used to explain color theory.  The artwork in this show uses light not as a mere consideration for their work, but as a medium in and of itself.  Their individual sculptures combine to create one environment where the visible spectrum of light and its role in the spaces they create is the main focus.

Artists: Tommy Bobo, Melissa Burley, Laure Drogoul, and Stephen Hendee
Curator: Kevin Cook

The Gallery at CCBC, Dundalk
Imaginary Friends
Reception: Thursday, July 17, 6pm-8pm
Exhibition: Thursday, July 17 – Sunday, August 31

Delving into the abstract fantasy world of imaginary friends, this collection embraces the subtle and strange.  With tiny worlds existing in each palette, patrons can fill in their own blanks, recalling their own imaginary friends and placing them in each abstract environment.  With colorful fantasy, nostalgic innocence is conjured in these delightful works.

Artists: Pam Rogers, and others
Curator: Liberty Carter

Gormley Gallery, Notre Dame of Maryland University
Contested Divisions 
Reception: July 11, 6-8 pm
Exhibition: July 7 – July 26

Contested Divisions presents images made from the materials of photography and that employ mixed media to explore the medium’s indexical mode.

Artists: Elizabeth Crisman, Amy Finkelstein, Todd Forsgren, Muriel Hasbun, Kyle Tata, and Ding Ren
Curator: Geoff Delanoy

MAXgallery
Dissolution and Transformation
Opening Reception: June 26 (time TBA)
Closing Reception: July 31 (time TBA)
Exhibition: June 26 – August 2

Creation arises from the dissolving of forms and concepts. The artwork in this exhibition represents the dissolving of contemporary beliefs through a diverse array of subject matter. Dissolution of belief establishes the foundation for Transformation. This exhibit establishes the strong correlation of end to its counterpart, beginning. This forges an alternative way of seeing for the viewer.

Artists: Kini Collins, Jessica Damen, Megin Diamond, Michelle Dickson, Annie Farrar, Cianne Fragione, Pat Dennis Giroux, Artemis Herber, Daniel Herman, LaToya Hobbs, Ruth Pettus, Maxine Taylor, Sandra Wasko-Flood Curators: Jessica Damen, Pat Dennis Giroux, and Maxine Taylor

 

The Windup Space
Logical Magic
Reception: Wednesday, July 16, 7pm-10pm
Exhibition: Wednesday, July 9 – Thursday, July 31

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The Windup Space is pleased to present “Logical Magic,” featuring new paintings by Se Cho.  The subjects of Cho’s work are based on geomorphology, engineering, modeling, and general scientific concepts like accuracy vs. precision, optical illusion, etc.  Cho says of her work: “My paintings are a representation of what I learn and experience in my life, most importantly subjects of my scientific research.”

Artist: Se Jong Cho
Curator: Jason C. Hoylman

Public Art Field Trip: Holocaust Memorial

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At the corner of Lombard and Gay streets in downtown Baltimore is the Baltimore Holocaust Memorial. Having driven by it many times, we decided to stop and investigate the installation and do a little research about this memorial.

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From the Monument City blog:

One of the more ominous spots in the city, the Holocaust Memorial sits just a few blocks north of the Aquarium and takes up an entire city block. In the 1970s a ninth grade Baltimore Hebrew class told their teacher, Alvin Fisher, they didn’t believe the Holocaust occurred. Mr. Fisher promptly took a proposal for a memorial to Charm City’s Jewish Counsel, hoping to erase the unfortunate misconception. They granted his wish and the site was chosen, an area downtown owned by the Baltimore City Community College.

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The memorial consists of a monolith resembling a train with a   steel gate symbolizing the internment of Jews in concentration camps. On the ground leading up to the large structure is a series of railroad tracks, tall grass growing from between the rails. At the southern end of the park a statue was erected, in 1988, that has since become the center-piece of the memorial. photo 8

Two Baltimore businessmen and philanthropists, Melvin Berger and Jack Luskin, donated funds for the monumental flame. Dedicated in memory of the Night of Broken Glass, the 1938 destruction of Jewish homes, communities and synagogues by the Nazis, the sculpture is the creation of artist Joseph Sheppard and displays the bodies of victims engulfed in fire. Sheppard also sculpted the Pope John Paul II statue near the Basilica of the Assumption.

It was constructed in 1980 at a cost of $300,000 and consisted of a grassy mound and two 80 foot blocks of  concrete. The stark scene became a haven for the city’s homeless and a plan to re-design the area was presented in 1995. Architect Jonathan Fishman was commissioned to create the empty rail yard that exists today. A plaque, it’s inscription written by author Deborah Lipstadt, was dedicated in 1997 upon completion of the project. Several Holocaust survivors attended the ceremony.

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Sight Unseen Hosts Handmade Emulsion Workshop

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Sight Unseen is excited to announce a new series of workshops that will focus on various filmmaking techniques. With support from the 2014 MICA LAB Award and Robert W. Deutsch Foundation, Sight Unseen has developed a new workshop series that will host national and international filmmakers, visiting Baltimore to facilitate these workshops at the Current Space Darkroom.

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Presented by Kevin Rice and Andy Busti of Process Reversal Film Collective

TIME
Saturday July 12 & Sunday July 13th 12-8 pm

LOCATION
Current Space Community Darkroom
421 N. Howard Street
Baltimore, MD 21201

DESCRIPTION
In this two day workshop, participants will study the craft of producing black and white, silver gelatin emulsion by formulating, mixing and coating emulsion onto cellulose acetate and various other materials. Theories concerning emulsion chemistry and emulsion production will also be explored in this workshop, providing participants with a foundation to develop their own processes and methodologies.

REQUIREMENTS
Previous experience working with film is not required for attending the workshop, though some film processing experience is recommended — In any event, we will do everything possible to clarify questions that you may have before, during or after the workshop.

Additionally, participants are encouraged to bring in film negatives or positives for contact printing, or objects for photogramming.

COST
$30

REGISTRATION
Please pre-register by July 8th via Paypal

The workshop is limited to 10 people.

PREREGISTER HERE

Media Preview for Sondheim Artscape Prize: 2014 Finalist Exhibition

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The Walters Art Museum and the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts previewed the Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize: 2014 Finalists Exhibition this past Friday, June 20th.

The Sondheim Artscape Prize is a $25,000 fellowship awarded each year to visual artists living and working in the Greater Baltimore region. M&T Bank has partnered with BOPA to establish the M&T Bank Sondheim Finalists’ Awards, which provide a $2,500 honorarium for each of the remaining finalists not selected for the fellowship.

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Organized by the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts in conjunction with Artscape, America’s largest free arts festival, the Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize: 2014 Finalists Exhibition will be on view at the Walters Art Museum  June 21 – August 17, 2014. Now in its ninth year, the Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize recognizes the achievements of a visual artist living or working in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia and Southeastern Pennsylvania. The winner of the $25,000 Sondheim Prize will be announced at a special ceremony and reception at the Walters Art Museum, Saturday, July 12, 2014 at 7 p.m.

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2014 FINALISTS:       

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 Lauren Adams (Baltimore, MD)                               Kyle Bauer (Baltimore, MD)

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     Stewart Watson (Baltimore, MD)                        Marley Dawson (Washington, DC)

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      Neil Feather (Baltimore, MD)                              Kyle Tata (Baltimore, MD)

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   Shannon Collis (Baltimore, MD) 

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The Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize is made possible through the generous support of the Abell Foundation, Alex. Brown & Sons Charitable Foundation, Baltimore Festival of the Arts, Charlesmead Foundation, Ellen Sondheim Dankert, France-Merrick Foundation, Hecht-Levi Foundation, Legg Mason, M&T Charitable Foundation, Henry & Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg Foundation, John Sondheim and The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company.

The exhibition and opening event at the Walters Art Museum have been generously supported by the Talkin Fund of the Columbia Foundation, Time Group Investments, Rachel and Joseph Rabinowitz, The Zamoiski, Barber, Segal Family Foundation, and the Greif Family Fund.