Works in Progress: A Juried Romance in Three Basmajians

Alissa Adams, Best Screen-Cap Ever, 2011, Macintosh
Grab Utility, "Found" DCCA Website art

Wait...that didn't come out quite right.

A couple of posts ago, I reminded you wonderful people that two DCCA exhibitions are coming to a close in the next week or so. While it's always sad to see a well-loved piece of art leave the DCCA, these departures herald new art and new exhibitions for all!

In fact, starting May 6th, three new exhibitions will be opening at the DCCA. Here in the back office we've heard rumblings about Chris Basmajian's new installation, the results of the Annual Members Juried Exhibition, and a brand, spanking new piece of video art by Claire Folkman. It's going to get a little crazy here at the DCCA.

Chris Basmajian will begin installing his interactive video work, I need Some Space to Think, on the 26th of April. If you're lucky, you might be able to peek into the Hennessy Project Space and see him at work in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, our DCCA preparator will be closing books and hanging pieces selected by the juror of this year's members show, Daniel Belasco, in the Bieber/Ham Gallery.

And, in a deceptively anti-climactic installation process, someone (probably our overworked preparator) will switch Jayoung Yoon's DVD out for a DVD of Claire Folkman's video, Young Love: A Romance in Three Acts. You can watch the romance-novel-inspired video in our Moving Media Hall, adjacent to the Dupont 2 Gallery.

A Special Event: From My Collection to Yours

I should probably mention right off the bat that the "my" in this post's title doesn't refer to things that belong to yours truly. Trust me though, this is a good thing; if you're a contemporary art person you probably aren't interested in a collection of Napoleon figurines and well-loved copies of Jane Eyre. Even if you were interested in the above-mentioned items, you'd have to beat me at a game of Risk to get them. 


*Ahem* Right.  Where were we?


"From My Collection to Yours" is the DCCA's Spring 2011 Fundraiser, and it's happening tomorrow night from 6 to 9 in the evening. There will be live music, a truly mouth watering menu (which I've pasted onto the bottom of this post in case you don't want to take my word about the "mouth watering" part), and gently used modern and contemporary art for *extremely* reasonable prices. Area collectors have donated items from their collections to the DCCA specifically for this fundraiser. These pieces, along with some truly fancy international trips, will be lots in a silent auction that will be held in the auditorium of the DCCA. Food, music, and maybe even dancing will happen in the lobby. 


DCCA Members: $40
DCCA Future Members: $50


I'll see you there!






The mouth watering menu from...

Jeffrey Miller Catering

Hors d' Oeuvres

Micro Cheeseburgers

Served On Mini Brioche Buns With Honey-mustard Ketchup and Micro Fries
 

Baby Lamb Chops

Dijon, White Wine And Rosemary Encrusted Baby Chops Cut Straight From The Rack
 

Sashimi Tuna Cones

Spicy Ahi Tuna Blended With Ginger And Cilantro In A Crisp Shell
 

Endive Fingers

Spread With Herbed Cheese And Sprinkled With Alfalfa Sprouts
 

The Love Note

A Phyllo Envelope Of Asian Pear, Goat Cheese And Caramelized Shallots
 

Indonesian Chicken Satay

Skewered And Served With Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce
 

Slow Cooked Duck

Juicy Slow-cooked Duck Served On A Fresh Corn Pancake Topped With Grilled Pineapple Chutney

Chow Fun
Choice Of Duck Or Shrimp

-Raw Bar

Iced Canadian Oysters & Top Neck Clams Hand-shucked To Order And Served With Lemon Wedges Cocktail & Mignonette Sauce

-Blini Bar

Buckwheat Blinis Are Pan-fried To Order And Offered With Sour Cream, Minced Chives, Melted Butter, Chopped Purple Onions And Fresh Salmon Caviar
 

-Creme Brulee Station

Ginger, Chocolate, Lavander And Vanilla Flavors

At the Horizon Line: Brain Fruit II and The Book

Sometimes the shiny and new exhibits make me forget about things that are already happening at the DCCA. Or, as in this case, they make me forget about the exhibits that are about to end. This past Friday, one of the DCCA staffers invited a few of her friends to the museum for Loop Night. While I was pleased to meet these delightful people, I confess that my pleasure in meeting them was of the selfish kind. Even if an exhibit is only up for a few months, seeing it everyday can deaden the impact of the art therein. Walking through the galleries with the staffer's friends made the exhibits seem fresh and new.

It had been a while since I peeked into the Constance Hennessy Project Space, but when I visited it with the DCCA newbies I was reminded again of how much I enjoy Jackie Brown's off-beat organic forms and spidery, vaguely sinister orange rods.  It had been less time since I'd visited the Carol Bieber and Marc Ham gallery to peruse the book show, but taking the time to stroll around and see the books through new eyes reawakened by initial wonder.

Unfortunately, just as I realized (for the second time) how much fun these exhibits were, I remembered that they were closing in less than two weeks time.

Enter this blog post. If you haven't seen Brain Fruit II or The Book: A Contemporary View yet, I highly recommend visiting the DCCA and checking them out. Both exhibits close April 17th, so your last chance to see them here is fast approaching. While The Book will appear at Towson University in September, Brain Fruit II will be gone forever after it leaves the DCCA. Well, sort of. Jackie Brown reassembles and reconfigures the piece, essentially creating a new piece altogether, in each location that shows her sculptures. So, you'll still be able to see the sculptures; it just won't be the same.

So, carpe diem! Carpe ars!  ...Or carpe whatever the Latin direct object form of "art" happens to be.

Jackie Brown, Brain Fruit II, 2010

Susan White, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, 2010

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