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The 20th Annual Critics' Residency Program Critics' Picks: MAPPING The Alternative

For Immediate Release: June 1, 2006

smARTalks

Wednesday, June 7, 6-7:15pm
Brief talks by artists Andrew Cook, Elizabeth Crisman, Jessie Lehson, Maggie Michael and Julia Kim Smith

Wednesday, June 21, 12-1:00pm
Brief talks by artists Timothy App, Lesley McTague, Zachary Thornton and Cory Wagner

The free smARTalks are part of the exhibition, MAPPING the Alternative
curated by Lilly Wei, MAP’s 20th Annual Critic in Residence
Exhibition remains open until Saturday June 24, 2006

Baltimore, MD –MAP’s Critics’ Residency Program turned twenty this year, having been launched the same year as Mikhail Gorbachev introduced the world to “Glastnost”, our attention turned to Chernobyl, Halley’s Comet made a rare appearance, and the nation first celebrated a holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Simply put, the Critics’ Residency Program has contributed significantly to the increasing vitality of area arts communities, taking place throughout the year, and culminating with an exhibition, catalogue and public forum engaging a dialog about issues relevant to contemporary art.

Since summer 2005, New York-based curator and critic, Lilly Wei has been MAP’s 20th Annual Critic in Residence, who curated this exciting exhibition featuring artists Timothy App, Andrew Cook, Elizabeth Crisman, Jessie Lehson, Lesley McTague, Maggie Michael, Julia Kim Smith, Zachary Thornton and Cory Wagner, while mentoring Justin Gershwin, Brooke Lampley and Lauren Pennell, emerging area writers. During autumn 2005, Wei visited the artists’ studios, selected work for the exhibition and conducted workshops for the writers. Since that time, all participants have prepared for this exhibition, which will be accompanied by a color catalog. Visitors will have a chance to see MAPPING the Alternative between May 16 and June 24, 2006. The public is invited to join Wei and the participating artists and writers on Saturday, May 20, 2006 for a Forum discussion moderated by artist Cornel Rubino at 2pm, and a reception starting at 3pm.

About the Critic in Residence: Lilly Wei is a New York-based independent curator and critic contributing to many publications both in the US and abroad. Since 1982, Wei has written for Art in America and is a contributing editor at ARTnews and Art Asia Pacific, and has written for Asian Art News, Art Papers, Sculpture Magazine, Tema Celeste and Flash Art, among others, while writing essays for many exhibition catalogues and brochures on contemporary art . Wei has curated numerous exhibitions, including, The Invisible Thread: Spirit of Buddhism in Contemporary Art, at Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Staten Island, NY (2003) that was part of The Buddhist Project, a consortium of exhibitions exploring Buddhist influence in contemporary American culture; the first International Biennale of Lodz in Poland in 2004. Most recently, Wei curated, Glass, Seriously, at the Dorsky Gallery Curatorial Program in Long Island City, NY, the Crits’ Pix at Black & White Gallery, in Williamsburg, NY, Karl Jensen at the Cue Foundation, in Chelsea, NY (2005) and On Locations, an exhibition of emerging artists for Aljira, in Newark, NJ (2005). Wei holds a MA in Art History from Columbia University in New York, NY.

For more information about this exhibition, and for specific images, please contact Lisa Lewenz at programs@mdartplace.org

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Maryland Art Place (MAP) is a non-profit center for contemporary art established in 1981 to: develop and maintain a dynamic environment for regional artists to exhibit their work, nurture and promote new ideas and new forms, and facilitate rewarding exchanges between artists and the public through educational leadership. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11am to 5pm. There is no admission charge to enter the gallery or to participate in MAP’s regular programming and events.