Maureen Doallas, a patron of Migration and a fellow blogger, has written a wonderful piece on one of my favorite artists, Randall David Tipton. I’ve reprinted the article below or you can read it here at Maureen’s blog, Writing Without Paper.
Landscape Become Image
By Maureen Doallas
Throughout my career the [...]
In the art world, you'll often hear that the key to success is not what you know, but who you know. Well...
Last night, Laura and I spent the evening touring a few artists' studios at McGuffey Art Center's Holiday Art Show. Quite honestly, our main goal was [...]
As the annual American art orgy known as Art Basel Miami Beach kicked off last night, the lion share of news is not about the economy, the art, or the galleries. Instead, the big news item is how twelve US Marshals and police officers approached the booth of Swiss [...]
As Black Friday approaches, I suggest every artist re-evaluate their holiday gift wish list and add this studio to it.
Last weekend, Laura and I received a wonderful invitation to visit Tom Clarkson's and Cindy Hammond's newly finished pottery studio. We knew they had been putting [...]
Naoshima is a small fishing island off the southern Japan coast on the Seto Inland Sea, between Honshu and Shikoku, and a short ferry ride from the city of Takamatsu.
During the 1990s, the Benesse Corporation, a Japanese textbook publisher, partnered with architect Tadao Ando to create the Benesse [...]
In yesterday's Parade Magazine (a Washington Post Sunday insert), Susan Fine writes an article titled "Can Art Save a Mall". Naturally I read it. And, I'll admit, I initially thought, "Hey, this could be good."
Ms. Fine reports how some large scale mall owners have responded to filling the [...]
For those of you who missed it last night, you can play your own encore of Charlottesville's CBS news report regarding artPark as one of the top three "Wired-In Businesses." Click here to go to the video. And go here for the web' [...]
Our local CBS affiliate (WCAV) has chosen artPark as one of this area's three "Most Wired-In Businesses." A feature story will run on tonight's 6 o'clock news. Yes... I'll be on TV tonight! Tune in.
As part of Sweeps Month, our CBS station (channel 16) [...]
I am thrilled to announce that Brian Mallman, a Migration mainstay and close friend, is featured in the Long Beach Museum of Art's winter exhibit Sweet Subversives: Contemporary California Drawings. The show is currently up and runs through February 12,' [...]
There's a reason why we find it easier to "get" modern art than avant-garde music, and it's not just about our natural conservatism and love of Mozart. >>>
Are Liberals smarter than Conservatives? An interesting discussion. >>>
In what is perhaps the first project of its kind, the Van Gogh [...]
In September 2008, we posted about the sale of a particularly nice Alan Dehmer photograph ("Low Country", pictured right) that we made to Michael Danoff. Mr. Danoff was the curator and buyer for the famed Neuberger Berman-Lehman Brothers Collection. This story focused on [...]
Here is an interesting way for an artist to pre-sell his work prior to a major exhibit:
Tim Tate (a Migration favorite artist) is exhibiting again this year at SOFA Chicago (a Migration favorite fair). During the week leading up to the November 5 Preview [...]
Street artists add color to our life – and ask little in return. Here is a slideshow of photos of an artist (who goes by Cristophe) and his dog in Paris. He created a pastel self portrait with his dachshund in front of the Pompidou Center.
The photographer who took the [...]
October, November and December mark the height of the art fair year. It all starts in London at the Frieze Art Fair and culminates with December’s art-fair-orgy in Miami, Florida (featuring over 20 art fairs in just one week). Needless to say, every gallery’s bean counter has their eyes [...]
I am a big fan of public art. Anything expressing creativity and beauty that is displayed in the open air is all right with me. But I have a head scratcher...
You know when a massive tree meets its premature fate and has to be cut down; sad to see something [...]
I'm sad to report the passing of modernist sculptor Ruth Duckworth at age 90. Ms. Duckworth is best known for her abstract (and not so abstract) ceramic sculptures. Her career spanned over six decades. She worked daily, and her reputation as one of the foremost' [...]
Attention art readers: There's a new art blog in town. Second Street Gallery, Charlottesville's 36 year old not-for-profit art space has launched a blog. They call it Second Look. Read it here. As an art space that is dedicated to bringing contemporary [...]
Is a 25 year old observation still relevant? Or is it stale? You decide.
What are the arguments about right now? There are arguments about whether it is still OK to paint, to make painted images. There are arguments about the possibility of feeling. There are arguments about what images mean... [...]
This is a short lesson in how not to present your work to a gallery for representation.
On a daily basis, both Migration and artPark are approached by artists seeking representation. I thought I had seen all the crappy ways artists choose to do this. But this morning I got [...]
John Grant
Fairy Tales & Reveries
October 2-31, 2009
Remember when Michael Phelps won 6 gold medals and 2 bronze medals in the 2004 Olympic Games? The world was in awe. Then in 2008, he wins 8 gold medals! Phelps took an absolutely incredible 2004 performance and [...]
I give thanks to my good friend and artist Michael Fitts for hooking me up with this video.
The folks at Creature Comforts have an incredible knack for expressing man-on-the-street opinions regarding challenging subjects. Here they tackle the question of "what is art?" The talking animals cover it [...]
I had the pleasure of attending a reading and book signing (and open discussion) by author Amy Whitaker at New Dominion Bookshop. Amy has written her first book Museum Legs. Museum Legs - taken from a term for art fatigue - starts with a [...]
Who can tell me what collection of art the University of Virginia Art Museum is best known for? What area of art highlights their collections? You know... The Williams College Museum of Art is best known for it collection of modern American art (Hopper, Homer, Prendergast, Warhol); The [...]
The Piedmont Council of the Artssupports access to and awareness of the arts as an essential part of life in the Charlottesville area. It is a membership based organization open to the general public and specifically to area artists. PCA has begun a series of interviews to highlight certain [...]
The Piedmont Council of the Arts supports access to and awareness of the arts as an essential part of life in the
Charlottesville
area. It is a membership based organization open to the general public and specifically to area artists. PCA has begun a series of interviews to highlight [...]
I subscribe to and read (more or less) a number of the "art" magazines – Art in America, ArtNews, Art & Antiques, Art Papers, Artforum, etc. It's always a thrill to see an artist you know personally (or their work) in those pages. I would consider it a career highlight for' [...]
Having good friends – who are talented artists – has some special rewards. Last weekend, Laura and I were invited by Rob Tarbell (and his wife Anna von Gehr) for dinner and a preview of his newest work which will be exhibited at Gallery Imperato. [...]
This Friday, September 11, the Ackland Art Museum - on the campus of the Univesrity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - is hosting a talk by photographer (and Migration favorite) Alan Dehmer as part of its Out of the Studio program - [...]
I will apologize (but only a little bit) for posting another video of Arturo Mallmann. But having Arturo sit down and talk about his work is fascinating and a must-see for both collectors and artists alike.
For the years we have represented [...]
In a new video, we are treated to some insight on experiencing an Arturo Mallmann painting. Arturo, the ever quiet and modest artist, gives us another peak into the personal motivations and methods of his work. Enjoy.
Arturo will be opening an exhibition of his newest paintings at [...]
From "Do One-Night Stands Lead to Permanent Relationships?" by Richard W. Walker (Summer 1984):
Before the museum directors took the podium, Bess Myerson, New York City’s commissioner of cultural affairs, opened the conference with a report on the impact of the arts on the city's economy and a rousing call for' [...]
In my vigilant perusals and reviews of new work, I think I just found a real gem. I recently came across the photography of Nicole Gagner - specifically, her body of work called "The Houses" or (what I prefer) "Disposable Houses".
I found the visual narrative of Nicole's photos to [...]
The Independent reports that forgeries of Russian Avant-Garde paintings and drawings are on the rise. More and more fakes are appearing on the auction blocks, and unsuspecting (i.e. uninformed, nouveau riche) are spending millions on them.
I got a little treat in the mail today: the inaugural issue of a new magazine called Visual Overture. Some background info about the publication (pulled from its website and pages) is:
Visual Overture Magazine promotes and empowers the emerging artist, and connects that artist with galleries [...]
Although I live in Charlottesville, Virginia, I have never intended for this blog to be about the Charlottesville art scene. My general goal has been to give exposure – through my eyes - to the art (and art related issues) from around the country. However, I do live in Charlottesville, [...]
This is a rare treat for all of us... Arturo Mallmann has cracked the door to his studio and given us a glimpse at his mystical painting technique.
Migration has been proud to represent Arturo and his work on the east coast [...]
In a beautiful marketing scheme to promote the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s recent art bikes exhibition called STAGES (hosted by Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin in Paris), Lance Armstrong pedaled a Damien Hirst decorated bike (one of the exhibit's entries) down the Champs Elysees during the final stage of this year's Tour [...]
artPark is devoted to the exploration of the visual arts. It's what I know and am qualified to talk about. There are times, however, when I dip my toe into the various other forms of artistic expression. Indulge me as I do a bit of that now.
It's no secret that [...]
Not that Catholic kind. Just a little truth telling:
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Please don't think less of me… but I confess… I enjoy some reality tv. Not the crappy ones like Survivor, The Bachelorette, Real Housewives, Big Brother, Real World, and Wipeout (although, in small doses, it's hilarious). I enjoy the artsie fartsie ones [...]
Despite being utterly idiotic, I thought this impotent idea deserves a little mention (mostly for a good end of the week laugh).
ArtInfo and London’s Guardian report on Brit artist Billy Childish’s launch of "Art Hate Week" in London. Here is the short report:
LONDON—This [...]
Albeit sad news, thanks goes to Jill Weiskopf (Communications Coordinator for New York magazine), for getting this news out quickly:
Today, hard-living, police-dodging artist, photographer, and graffiti writer Dash Snow has passed away at 27.
In 2007, New York contributing editor Ariel Levy wrote a feature on [...]
During these long, hot July nights with slim pickings on tv, I’ve been tuned into the Tour de France. Thanks goodness I like to cycle and have a general appreciation for what these guys are going through. Not to mention the sheer beauty of both the landscape and the peloton. [...]
In this time of downsizing, becoming small is hip. But what does it mean when you are already working with something tiny? Are you uber-cool? That's the feeling I've been getting about Kate Daughdrill and Sam Bush who created, curate and maintain The Garage - the tiniest exhibition space [...]
Okay, okay. We've got it. Times are tough. We've all been suffering through this recession one way or another. But as bad as you've got it, imagine being an artist. Now imagine being an artist and suddenly losing the use of both your hands. Yikes! That's exactly what has happened [...]
Last summer, I had the pleasure of being a member of the ArtInPlace panel of jurors. As a reminder: ArtInPlace is an annual selection of sculptures presented in public spaces (mainly along roadways) throughout the city of Charlottesville. Read my 2008 review here.  The deadline for submitting [...]
I'm often asked where I get the abundance of content to write about. Sometimes I wonder myself – especially now as we enter art's summer doldrums. But having done this for a number of years, I know there is always a story just around the corner. It happened today.
While walking [...]
I'm all for making art accessible to the most people, but I have to categorize this as "a sign the apocalypse is upon us"....
Today, I got myself a little over hungry. Desperate for a quick caloric fix, I jumped into a McDonald's®. As I sat down and unwrapped my burger, [...]
Richmond based and legally bankrupt electronics merchant, Circuit City, recently announced it found an original Alexander Calder tucked away in one of its corporate office closets. It is now being sold on eBay and is listed as "Famous Artwork found at Circuit City." Go [...]
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["Agnes" by Tony Cochran. Distributed by Creators Syndicate. May 12, 2009]
[...]As a fan of Chuck Close, I got a double chuckle out of this one.
["Get Fuzzy" by Darby Conley. Distributed by UFS, Inc.]
[...]
After a week of exhibiting at the Affordable Art Fair in NYC, Laura and I returned home late yesterday. Whew. What a week!. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that working one of these art fairs is like one long, glamorous cocktail party. After five days of setting up, [...]
The Affordable Art Fair is off to a good start. Wednesday was the Private Preview Opening Reception and yesterday was the first full day of the show (with another Preview cocktail reception in the evening). So far, the crowds have been great. There's a lot of enthusiasm. Plenty of' [...]
The stock market is rising. Consumer confidence is up. And the art is hot! This promises to be a great week at the Affordable Art Fair. May 7-10.
AAF NYC is the place for new and established collectors to discover and buy paintings, drawings, sculptures, video, photography and limited edition [...]
Do you ever wonder why people pan for gold? Seems like a lot of time and effort, right? But when those few nuggets are found – eureka! - all that work pays off. This helps explain why I keep looking at students' artwork. So much of it isn't promising at [...]
If one is fun, and twice is nice, then three must be the charm.
First, Randall Stoltzfus was the featured artist on ArtistADay.com. Then, a Migration fav, Susan Jamison, was featured. And now, Joachim Knill, Migration's Polaroid photographer extraordinaire, is today's ArtistADay. We have reason to be [...]
I went to the Ruffin Hall Gallery on the University of Virginia campus to see the first of this spring's weekly student shows. Since last year's closing of the Off-Grounds Gallery, I've been looking forward to these shows.
First up are the Aunspaugh Fifth Year Fellows (fifth year students) James [...]
Knock, knock. Who's there?
Knock, knock. Who's there?
Knock, knock. Who's there?
Knock, knock. Who's there?
Knock, knock. Who's there?
Knock, knock. Who's there?
Philip Glass.
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Those are the words famed artist Chuck Close uses to describe the music of Philip Glass. So much truth can be found in [...]
Piedmont Council of the Arts, the leading arts agency of Charlottesville and Albemarle County, seeks candidates for the Communications Manager position. PCA offers programs and services for artists and arts organizations, educators, and young people and also serves the community at large by coordinating arts-related initiatives with area [...]
Some of Migration's favorite artists are feeling the love from ArtistADay.com. Last week, the site featured the work of Randall Stoltzfus. Today's artist is Susan Jamison. Take a look at both. Vote. Comment.
Based on reports from Randy, this one day exposure gave him a huge bump; and [...]
In this week's edition of the C-ville magazine, Brendan Fitzgerald writes a nice cover article on Warren Craghead. As you may remember, Migration exhibited Warren's original drawings and collages in January, and we will be exhibiting [...]
Out of the collection of artists Laura and I represent and follow, I can't think of any who have been busier than Washington, DC glass artist, Michael Janis. In addition to him co-directing and teaching at the wildly successful Washington Glass School, Michael has [...]
Spring is getting off to a roaring start in the art world. Here are some shows featuring artists near and dear to our heart:
at Limn Art Gallery (San Francisco, CA)
April 18 through May 30
[Image: "Late" – oil on linen]
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ArtInfo, the website for all things Art, has launched a new Art Jobs Board for jobs, internships, residencies, and artist calls for entry. There are categories for nonprofits, museums, artist's assistants and arts administration, as well as consulting, editorial, and curatorial. There also are sections specifically for artist' [...]
There's a nice and simple website that promotes artists and their work. It's called ArtistADay.com. Today, the site is featuring the work of Migration artist Randall Stoltzfus. Give it a look. Rate the work (give it a 5). Read the [...]
Tonight, Laura and I will be headed to Piedmont Virginia Community College to enjoy the opening of Vessels featuring the pottery Tom Clarkson, Kars Marshall and Kevin Crowe (in the North Gallery). The show will run through April 23.
Laura and I have returned from a week in Seattle. We covered a lot of ground, saw a lot of beautiful things (landscape and art), ate a lot of food, drank gallons of coffee, and had a terrific time with my brother and his [...]
The art scene in Charlottesville is suddenly looking up… or should I say it is looking overseas. Currently on exhibit at Second Street Gallery is a show of six internationally renowned artists curated by our own Warren Craghead (and co-curated by Pedro Moura) [...]
Friday, Laura and I spent a fantastic night out on the town soaking up some art. Our first stop of the evening was to see Russell U. Richard's exhibit at the McGuffey Art Center titled "The Arts and Innards of [...]
Why Photography Matters as Art as Never Before
By Michael Fried
$34.65
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IÂ think the title of this book speaks for itself. Buy it. Read it. Believe it.
Description: From the late 1970s onward, serious art photography began to be made at large scale and for the [...]
Hot on the heels of his new found fame as the Republican great off-white hope, Bobby Jindal took a critical jab at President Obama's $50 million of federal stimulus money dedicated the National Endowment of the Arts. During an interview on Larry King Live, among other things' [...]
As part of the recent artPark re-design, I will be shining a spotlight on a single artist each month. For regular artPark-ers, you will recognize some of these artists but others will be completely new to you. Consider it a virtual exhibition of sorts. As always, the work we [...]
    Let's try this correlation on for size: I'm thinking that fostering the discipline of creative thinking could lead to a thinner and healthier population. As funding shrinks and schools balance their tightening budgets by cutting art classes and art related resources for our children, [...]
This one goes out to artists in the central Virginia area...
Charlottesville's Art in Action (not to be confused with Virginia Artists in Action) is sponsoring an afternoon of art and advocacy on the campus of the University of Virginia here in Charlottesville. They are seeking donations of original art to' [...]
It would be okay with me if we just carve the month of February off the calendar. Go from January (when we are still giddy after the Holidays and New Year celebrations) straight into March (when the daffodils start to pop and spring is in the air). February just doesn't seem' [...]
I read a Letter to the Editor in my local paper yesterday. The headline caught my eye: "Arts essential to a solid education." Right on, I thought. After qualifying herself as a college student (major in English and a minor in education), the author went on to report that some [...]
Again this year, Migration will be exhibiting at the Affordable Art Fair in New York City (May 7 -10 at 7 West 34th, NYC). Laura and I had such a wonderful time last year that we are thrilled to repeat again this year. We [...]
Rappahannock County, Virginia artist, Jeanne Drevas, has set out to transform Charlottesville's Second Street Gallery into an indoor forest with her site-specific installation of bamboo culms called Grove.
First a little description: Grove is a site specific installation made exclusively of stalks of bamboo suspended from the ceiling of' [...]
Laura and I are getting ourselves ready to attend this year’s American Craft Council Show in Baltimore (Feb 27-Mar 1). There will be over 700 of the country’s best high end craft artists exhibiting again this year. Unfortunately, we will only have one day to take it all in [...]
Regular followers of artPark have probably noticed a few changes here. After a couple of weeks of digging things up and redesigning the site, the dust has settled and I hope you find your visits to be more informative and entertaining. As always, I will be [...]
This time last year, I reported on a group of artists I saw exhibiting at the American Craft Council's Baltimore exhibition who caught my eye (out of the 700+ artists exhibiting at the convention center). I highlighted a handful of them with a
A little while ago, I attended and reported on the Piedmont Council of the Art’s Creative Conversation regarding the Marketing of Charlottesville as a Creative Community. Now, Sean Tubbs of the Charlottesville Podcasting Network has produced and narrated an excellent 45 minute condensed version of the 2 [...]
Thirteen months after unceremoniously dismissing its long time director, Jill Hartz, the University of Virginia Art Museum has finally filled the vacant post. Bruce Ambler Boucher left his position as curator of European sculpture at the Art Institute of Chicago and will assume his new job as director [...]
I can't say I would have predicted this - although it doesn't surprise me. Regardless, I'm a little shocked at how quickly Brandeis University's president, Jehuda Reinharz, has changed direction. As reported in the Boston Globe by Geoff Edgers (read it here), now Brandeis is not deaccessioning its Museum's' [...]
John Hechinger of the Wall Street Journal reports today of Brandeis University’s decision to close its Rose Art Museum and sell more than 6,000 artworks from its collection. The University blames its decision on undisclosed endowment losses. A little reading between the lines tells me that some Madoff-related [...]
If you haven’t already, please come by Migration this weekend, before we close our exhibition of drawings by Warren Craghead and Brian Mallman called The Dot and The Line.
This show features the work of two contemporary masters of the pencil. The original pages from Warren's book, How To Be' [...]
Laura and I made the pilgrimage to DC yesterday and attended Barack Obama’s Inauguration. Simply put, it was an event I have never experienced before.
The ceremony ushered in a sense of change, hope and optimism, and Obama’s speech marked a clear separation from the past eight years.
I took a few [...]
Famed American artist Andrew Wyeth passed away in his sleep today. He was 91. Although the art world will sorely miss him, his paintings portraying the hidden melancholy of the people and landscapes of Pennsylvania's Brandywine Valley and coastal Maine will live on.
Wyeth's artwork has been a personal favorite of [...]
Laura Parsons, art editor for The Hook, has written the following review of Migration's current exhibit, The Dot and The Line – drawings by Warren Craghead and Brian Mallman:
It's rare to visit a gallery and receive a parting gift. But as Migration prepares to empty its walls and take [...]
