Author Archives: Matthew Smith

Highlights from (e)merge: the Gallery Platform

(e)merge kicked off with a preview and poolside party on Thursday evening. Featuring two platforms, one for galleries and the other for unrepresented artists, the fair occupies the first three floors of the Capitol Skyline Hotel as well as the lower

Highlights from (e)merge: the Gallery Platform

(e)merge kicked off with a preview and poolside party on Thursday evening. Featuring two platforms, one for galleries and the other for unrepresented artists, the fair occupies the first three floors of the Capitol Skyline Hotel as well as the lower

D.C.’s Fair Share: Q&A with the organizers of (e)merge

The Capital Skyline Hotel, site of the (e)merge art fair. Image courtesy of (e)merge. The (e)merge art fair (September 22 – 25, 2011) — founded and organized by Conner Contemporary Art co-directors Leigh Conner and Jamie Smith, as well as by Helen Allen, founder and former

D.C.’s Fair Share: Q&A with the organizers of (e)merge

The Capital Skyline Hotel, site of the (e)merge art fair. Image courtesy of (e)merge. The (e)merge art fair (September 22 – 25, 2011) — founded and organized by Conner Contemporary Art co-directors Leigh Conner and Jamie Smith, as well as by Helen Allen, founder and former

Strokes and Stencils: Maggie Michael at G Fine Art

Gestural abstraction perseveres, and in Washington, D.C. few artists have been as attuned to its provisional potential as Maggie Michael (NAP #94). With There is No Rising or Setting Sun, Michael’s fourth solo show at G Fine Art, the artist has largely left the drips and splatters behind in

Strokes and Stencils: Maggie Michael at G Fine Art

Gestural abstraction perseveres, and in Washington, D.C. few artists have been as attuned to its provisional potential as Maggie Michael (NAP #94). With There is No Rising or Setting Sun, Michael’s fourth solo show at G Fine Art, the artist has largely left the drips and splatters behind in

Size Matters: Chris Martin paints big at the Corcoran

It’s easy to see Chris Martin’s interest in outsider art. In fact, it’s often written directly onto his work. A close inspection of the collaged paintings in his monumental installation in the Corcoran Gallery’s atrium yields, among other things, a newspaper clipping noting the death

Size Matters: Chris Martin paints big at the Corcoran

It’s easy to see Chris Martin’s interest in outsider art. In fact, it’s often written directly onto his work. A close inspection of the collaged paintings in his monumental installation in the Corcoran Gallery’s atrium yields, among other things, a newspaper clipping noting the death

That thing you do: 10 questions for Nudashank

If Paddy Johnson calls you a star, you must be doing something right, and lately it seems like Nudashank can’t miss. Most recently it was Out of Practice, a group show artist-run gallery curated at the temporary Art Blog Art Blog exhibition space in Chelsea, which gathered a

That thing you do: 10 questions for Nudashank

If Paddy Johnson calls you a star, you must be doing something right, and lately it seems like Nudashank can’t miss. Most recently it was Out of Practice, a group show artist-run gallery curated at the temporary Art Blog Art Blog exhibition space in Chelsea, which gathered a

Material Crescendo: Frank Stella at the Phillips Collection

Frank Stella doesn’t play second fiddle, but for Wassily Kandinsky he’ll play second harpsichord. Well, sort of. Currently on display at The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. is Stella Sounds: The Scarlatti K Series, a subset of the painterly sculptures the artist originally exhibited at Paul Kasmin

Material Crescendo: Frank Stella at the Phillips Collection

Frank Stella doesn’t play second fiddle, but for Wassily Kandinsky he’ll play second harpsichord. Well, sort of. Currently on display at The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. is Stella Sounds: The Scarlatti K Series, a subset of the painterly sculptures the artist originally exhibited at Paul Kasmin

Capitol ideas: Heiner Contemporary opens in D.C.

With a few exceptions, most art galleries left the DC neighborhood of Georgetown ten years ago in search of cheaper rent. Many of them settled on the 14th Street corridor and the 1515 building before gentrification and skyrocketing rents recently pushed some of the bigger players toward

Capitol ideas: Heiner Contemporary opens in D.C.

With a few exceptions, most art galleries left the DC neighborhood of Georgetown ten years ago in search of cheaper rent. Many of them settled on the 14th Street corridor and the 1515 building before gentrification and skyrocketing rents recently pushed some of the bigger players toward

The Shape of Things to Come

NUDASHANK’s progressive bent can make most local commercial galleries seem downright uncouth. Arguably the crown jewel of Baltimore’s thriving DIY artist-run spaces, NUDASHANK routinely showcases emerging artists that are on a firm upward trajectory, like Nick Van Woert, Matthew Craven, Alex Lukas, and Benjamin Edmiston. Currently

The Shape of Things to Come

NUDASHANK’s progressive bent can make most local commercial galleries seem downright uncouth. Arguably the crown jewel of Baltimore’s thriving DIY artist-run spaces, NUDASHANK routinely showcases emerging artists that are on a firm upward trajectory, like Nick Van Woert, Matthew Craven, Alex Lukas, and Benjamin Edmiston. Currently

Well Hung: Q&A with Sam Gilliam

Sam Gilliam’s most celebrated accomplishment — the suspended painting — made its debut at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in September 1969. While other artists like Richard Tuttle and William T. Wiley were also experimenting with the unstreched canvas during the same period, Gilliam’s sculptural approach was revolutionary in that

Well Hung: Q&A with Sam Gilliam

Sam Gilliam’s most celebrated accomplishment — the suspended painting — made its debut at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in September 1969. While other artists like Richard Tuttle and William T. Wiley were also experimenting with the unstreched canvas during the same period, Gilliam’s sculptural approach was revolutionary in that