People were curious to find out What's Important Now

On Thursday, What's Important Now? opened to a big crowd eager to learn all about what sixteen local artists had to say about the world's current situation.

This is how it started...

The artists were present and happy to engage with their audience and each other.

Artist Ellyn Weiss and poet BRASH, who recently wrote a couple of poems inspired by Ellyn's previous works, exchange words. Behind Ellyn, you can also see artist Groover Cleveland (unless I'm mistaken) and poet Carol Beane.

Two of the artists catching up: Aziza Claudia Gibson-Hunter and Michael B. Platt

Sondra Arkin and Judy Byron's online project, What's Important to You?, went live! TV monitors set up in the gallery and in an adjacent "party room" displayed the responses submitted by visitors to the website over the past month, as well as those being submitted by guests during the opening. One of my favorite responses comes from Gretchen from South Dakota: The intangible ring of laughter, the warmth of real love, and hope for tomorrow.

Guests submitting answers to "What's Important to You?" website

Thanks to everyone for coming out despite the stormy weather and making the night such a success. And a special thanks to the friends that helped make our guests feel taken care of: Beth, Cheryl, Anya and Alaina.



The show runs through December 12...plenty of time for you to stop by.

An Important Preview

Here is a sneak peek of some of the works featured in our upcoming show. The artists have created pieces that act as their very own personal statements regarding the question "What's Important Now?" sometimes by identifying current issues that resonate throughout our society.


Scott G. Brooks, "Patience," oil on canvas, 36" x 24"

Aziza Claudia Gibson-Hunter, "Cheney-Bush-Rove," acrylic mixed media, 35" x 26" (each)

Rosina Memolo, "W. Ellington & Tobias," color chromira print, 16" x 20"

Renée Stout, "The Real Chess Game (American Style)", detail, mixed media, 3 1/2" x 16 3/4" x 12 1/4"

Ellyn Weiss, "You Get What You Need", detail, encaustic on board, 12" x 12" (each)


“Zeitgeist II: What's Important Now?” runs from November 19 through December 12 with an opening reception on Thursday, November 19 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm.

Upcoming Show: "Zeitgeist II: What's Important Now?"

In October 2008, the Nevin Kelly Gallery hosted the first "zeitgeist" show, titled Under Surveillance. Curated by Ellyn Weiss and Sondra N. Arkin, it presented the responses of twelve artists to what Weiss and Arkin saw as one of the most important elements of the then-prevailing ethos: "the increasingly diminishing zone of personal privacy available to any of us as we are constantly under surveillance by a growing array of government, corporate and media technologies." As a follow up, Weiss and Arkin are asking a group of local artists to reflect upon an uncertain future and respond to the question: "What's important now?"

Participating artists include Sondra N. Arkin, Carol Beane, Scott G. Brooks, Judy Byron, Groover Cleveland, Richard Dana, Anna U. Davis, Thomas Drymon, Aziza Claudia Gibson-Hunter, Deb Jansen, Rosina Memolo, Michael Platt, Renée Stout, Tim Tate, Ruth Trevarrow, and Ellyn Weiss.


Show runs from November 19 till December 12. Opening Reception to be held on Thursday, November 19 from 6-9pm. You can RSVP on Facebook.

Also, remember that you can still help participating artists Sondra Arkin and Judy Byron complete their collaborative project for the show. Simply go to www.important2you.com and let them know what is important to you at this point in time.

Poems inspired by "Dark Matter"

Local extemporaneous poet BRASH visited the gallery during the closing celebration for our recent show, "Dark Matter," and created two poems inspired by Ellyn Weiss's work.

Alchemistry
To Ellyn Weiss’ Lost Continent


The luminous bowl
That is the skull
Scoops the elixir of thought
From the synaptic clot
Of emotion,
Transmutes its graygold matter
Of alchemic fits and starts
Into the wordless patter
Of the heart’s Impatient motion.

© October 17/21, 2009, BRASH


Dreams
To Ellyn Weiss’ Cladocera


At night the brain
Uncouples itself from its mooring
Follows its own bright train
Through the wilderness, seeking, touring,
A restless conductor’s scoring.

At night the brain derails
From crisply ordered thought
To follow the wisp of trails
Unbound, unbordered, hot
With organic combustion wrought.

At night the brain cracks
Free of relentless time’s elapse,
Leaves the faintest spoor of tracks
On the crackled surface that maps
The sharpest etchings of synapse.

Oh to leave behind the shoddy
Hovel of durance mater, — why but for a night? —
To ever escape this grim and earthen body
For the burn of passages deep and bright
Dark and pure as anthracite.

© October 17/21, 2009, BRASH

Artists ask the public to participate in communal art project

Local artists Sondra N. Arkin and Judy Byron have teamed up to create a collaborative work of art and they need your help to complete it. The work is to be included as the artists’ contribution to our upcoming group exhibition entitled What’s Important Now?, which is set to run from November 19 through December 12.

Arkin and Byron are asking the public to answer the question “what’s important to you?” (in 10 words or less) by logging onto www.important2you.com. People can answer as many times as they want, subject only to the 10-word limit per response. Follow the project on Facebook and on Twitter @important2you. The final product will be revealed at the opening reception for the exhibition, which will take place at the gallery on November 19 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. More info about the show to come soon.

TONIGHT: Support a good cause, leave with some art

"True Beauty - D.C.": Group Exhibition & Fundraiser
The Fridge From Thursday, 15 October 2009 - 7:00pm To Friday, 16 October 2009 - 1:00am
A one-evening group exhibition of photographic artworks from the "True Beauty - Young Womanhood in D.C." photobook by Sardar Zaib, Jim Tretick, and Richard Chu. Signed limited-edition print of the artworks will be available for sale and a raffle will be held for portfolio-quality photo sessions with the photographers All proceeds from this event go toward the funding of a medical vehicle that goes to underprivileged communities to provide free breast cancer screening. Exhibited alongside the photos will be tribute artworks from the photobook by DECOY, Anna U. Davis, Randall Holloway, and Graham Jackson. Info on the True Beauty project and sample photography and verses from the photobook are on our website: http://www.TrueBeautyDC.org ++++++++ There will be a after-party from 10PM to 1AM DJ'd by the inimitable Cheryl DJ Breeze spinning her groove thangs and dance music from the 80 's and 90 's - David Bowie, Blondie, Devo, B-52 's and such. Also featuring naked sushi, a rousing catwalk modeling/burlesque show, and a live auction of donated paintings (artist Eve Hennessa will create a full-lenght portrait on the spot), antique/vintage items, and high-end designer clothing & accessories. For more info, visit the Facebook event page.

Quick Reminders

• Closing Reception for "Dark Matter": Saturday, October 17, 2009 from 3-6pm

Stop by the gallery for your last chance to take a look at the innovative works created by local artist Ellyn Weiss using tar as medium. The artist will be in attendance to partake in the celebration.

You can RSVP on Facebook.

• Joan Belmar's new show

The Chilean Embassy presents: Migrations, Selected Works from 1995 to 2009. The exhibit opens today and runs through November 27.

• Express' Best of 2009!
  

Voting ends this Friday, so if you haven't done so already please vote for Nevin Kelly Gallery as the best gallery in DC. You can find it under the Arts and Entertainment category.

Recent works by John Adams on exhibit next week

Recent Works: John M. Adams, Elaine Florimonte, Kim Basinger, Debbie Glakas, and Rory Marcaccio-Schaffer

October 16th, 4-10pm
October 17th, 11am-3pm

Fairfax Station Railroad Museum
11200 Fairfax Station Road
Fairfax Station, Virginia

Featuring recent drawings, paintings, prints, photographs, jewelry and sculpture by these five artists.

John M. Adams will be exhibiting paintings from the artist residency this summer. Visit www.thefullempty.com for more info or call 202-557-9495








Element 1 -John M. Adams
oil, acrylic and graphite on birch
6"x6" - 2009

Talk with Ellyn Weiss

Saturday afternoon Ellyn Weiss stopped by to share with a curious audience the story behind her new collection of works, "Dark Matter."


The talk became an interactive show-and-tell session when those in attendance sat in a makeshift circle passing around old and recent prints, while Weiss explained the progression of her overall oeuvre.

After a short introduction explaining the motivations behind her new work, a dialogue emerged between the artist and her audience. One of the attendants mentioned that these new paintings seem more expressive than her previous work, richer somehow, even though the color palette has been reduced to brown hues and an almost all-encompassing black. The play on texture developed through technique, the application/removal of tar on canvas, gives way to unique paintings; images that appear to be "living things, swimming up from the primeval darkness."

"Dark Matter" will be on exhibit until October 17. A closing reception will be held that Saturday from 3-6pm.

NKG presents...

We are holding two more events to showcase "Dark Matter," Ellyn Weiss's new work in tar!

Please join us this Saturday, October 3 for a talk with the artist between 2-3pm. Weiss will discuss her process of creation, as well as the motivation behind her paintings.

You are also invited to a closing reception on Saturday, October 17, where we will be holding a final celebration between 3-6pm.

Take a look at our newsletter for this and more.