Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Nevin Kelly Gallery bids the public farewell...for now



With a little bit of sadness and great appreciation for your support over the years, we wish to announce that Nevin Kelly Gallery will close its permanent gallery space effective January 31, 2010 in favor of a different approach to exhibiting art. For the past seven years or so, we have tried to bring a fresh perspective to offerings of contemporary art in the Washington, DC area. We have featured work by established Polish and other European artists and showcased works by talented local artists. Along the way, we have made some great friends and have had the pleasure of being surrounded by some really fine art.

The past year has been exciting. After six years on U Street, we moved to the Highland Park Building in Columbia Heights. We are grateful to Chris Donatelli and Bozzuto Management for their support of our efforts and for the use of public space in the building to display art. We also made a second trip to the Affordable Art Fair in New York City and received a heart-warming nomination for Best Gallery in DC courtesy of the readers of Express Newspaper, owned and printed by the Washington Post. In the last year, we hosted two solo shows featuring works by H. Wesley Wheeler and Ellyn Weiss, respectively, and staged two group exhibitions that reflected the issues of the day. The first, Stimulus, was meant to stimulate the mind and the economy by offering all works at $500 or less. The second, Zeitgeist II: What's Important Now?, a follow-up to 2008's Under Surveillance, presented the participating artists' views on the most important issues we currently face as Americans.

Although we are closing our retail space, we hope to continue our participation in DC's vibrant art scene. We will seek opportunities to host shows in pop-up locations and will continue to gather artists together to talk and showcase their ideas.

So, stay tuned by checking out our blog or by receiving updates via our newsletters. Thanks for being part of our community during the last few years!

Thursday, December 03, 2009

Holiday events around town

We are back and rejuvenated from Thanksgiving break. Now, preparations for the holiday season begin. Here's a small list of upcoming events in which some of the gallery artists are participating:


TONIGHT: Thursday, December 3
Holiday Open House
105 N. Union St, Alexandria, VA
Free Event 6-9pm

The Torpedo Factory Art Center is transformed into a glittering spectacle of holiday spirit for this annual bash! Shop for one-of-a-kind gifts as live music and refreshments get you into the holiday spirit. Guests will enjoy refreshments as they wander from studio to studio stocking up on affordable, original artwork for everyone on their shopping lists. From $20 mugs to $200 earrings; $40 scarves to $4000 paintings, there's something for every taste and budget.


Friday, December 4, 6-8pm
Opening Night of WPA's Holiday Shop, Icebox
2023 Massachusetts Ave, Washington, DC

The shop will feature artworks and products for sale by WPA artists.
Small works, photographs, hand sewn brooches, notecards, ornaments, jewelry, candle holders, accessories, apparel and more- made by hand by WPA member artists. Items range from $4 to $250 (most under $100, many items under $25)

Participating member artists: John M Adams, Beth Baldwin, Tom Block, Maureen Burns-Bowie, Cynthia Connolly, Charles Farmer, Sandy Gold, Alex Goldschmidt, Julie Hart, Linda Hesh, Rebecca Kallem, Kathleen Kelley, Erica Orgen, Project Dispatch, Susana Raab, Lisa Rosenstein, Amy Carmichael Smith, Jerry Svat, Claudia Vess, and Robert Weiner.

The Icebox will be open till December 21. Hours are 11am-5pm and by appointment. Special shopping event December 21, 6-8pm.


Saturday and Sunday December 5 and 6, 11am – 6pm
Studio 4903 Holiday Show
4903 Wisconsin Ave, NW 2nd Floor Washington, DC

This highly-anticipated annual show features the fabulous residents from Studio 4903, who specialize in jewelry, graphic design, and painting. They have also invited a few artists to join them, including Ellyn Weiss. She will be displaying some of the “virus” prints she made this summer, along with some new encaustics and perhaps a tar piece or two.


Thursday, December 10, 6-8pm
Opening of Pandora's Box
The Target Gallery @ Torpedo Factory Art Center
105 N. Union St, Alexandria, VA


Target Gallery presents Pandora’s Box; an exhibition that had artists create a visual interpretation of the Greek Myth and express how it relates to modern times. The exhibition is a visual interpretation of Pandora’s act of releasing woe (and hope) upon humanity. On December 10, there will be a reception to meet the artists from 6-8pm and to hear the juror’s remarks about her selections at 7pm. The show closes on January 10, 2010. The juror for the exhibition is Landria Shack, former curator with Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Silver Springs, MD. She chose 37 works out of approximately 150 submitted for her review. Keep an eye out for "Stimulus" artist J. Ford Huffman's piece.

Friday, December 11, 5-8pm
Reception for Friend Request: Mid City Artists + 12 Friends
Art 17| Coldwell Banker| 1606 17th St, NW, WDC

Participating artists include: Sondra N. Arkin, Chuck Baxter, Jim Cassell, Robert Dodge, Thomas Drymon, Bill Harris, Harriet Lesser, Charlie Jones, Doris Kennedy, Bridget Sue Lambert, Lucinda Murphy, Juan Palomo, Mark Parascandola, Zade Ramsey, Ron Riley, Fabian H. Rios Rubino, Deborah Saks, Nikolas Schiller, Nicolas Shi, George Smith-Shomari, Clara de Soto, Isabelle Spicer, Trish Tillman, Ellyn Weiss.
Show runs from December 7, 2009 - January 29, 2010.

Saturday, December 12
, 2-6pm
Fine Arts and Crafts Holiday Show at the Gateway Arts District
3814 34th St, Mount Ranier, MD

Support local artists and crafters and get your holiday gift shopping done in one spot during Gateway Arts District's Arts and Crafts Holiday Show. This show will feature a diverse array of fine art and spectacular crafts...sure to put a smile on the face of any gift recipient. Multiple locations.
The Sinel/Stewart/Weiss studios will be among the many in Mt. Ranier, Brentwood and Hyattsville open to the public, including the Washington Glass School, Red Dirt, Flux and pretty much everybody in Ellyn Weiss's Mt. Ranier hood. Sinel/Stewart/Weiss Studios is at 3706 Wells Ave, Mt. Ranier, in the back building of our complex. We’re just two blocks from the DC line, so suburb-phobes have no excuse...unless you're on your way to the OPEN HOUSE at NKG (noon-6pm)!

Video from the opening

Thanks to Vince Brown, the man behind The Boulevardier View blog, for his video trip to the opening of Zeitgeist II: What's Important Now?



Our show Zeitgeist II: What's Important Now? will be up till December 12. If you can't stop by before then, make sure you come to our OPEN HOUSE/closing event that afternoon. For more info, you can go to Facebook and RSVP while you're there.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

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.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

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.

Monday, November 02, 2009

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.

Friday, October 23, 2009

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

Thursday, October 22, 2009

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.



Thursday, October 15, 2009

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

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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.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

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.