Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 12, 2012 

Hasan Elahi: Thousand Little Brothers
January 24 – March 23, 2013

Opening Reception: Thursday, January 24, 6-8pm

Maryland Art Place (MAP) is pleased to present the work of one of Maryland states most prominent and internationally acclaimed artists, Hasan Elahi in the solo exhibition, Thousand Little Brothers.

Interdisciplinary media artist Hasan Elahi, a former subject of an intensive FBI investigation post 9/11, developed an ongoing self-surveillance project to disclose every bit of information about him. Thousand Little Brothers is comprised of over 50,000 images collected over the course of a year along with screenshots of his financial data, communication records, and transportation logs. This multimedia exhibition builds on a series of installations, performances, and websites that use Elahi’s self-surveillance to critique contemporary investigative techniques. A second innovation in this work is its embrace of surveillance for its subject’s own protection; Elahi has protected himself from unwanted scrutiny by making his entire life and whereabouts publicly accessible.

Elahi’s work examines issues of surveillance, simulated time, transport systems, and borders. The Thousand Little Brothers exhibit employs the use of multiple cameras, televisions and audio - immersing the viewer pseudo-voyeuristic behaviors and observational obsessions. The exhibit is a complex circuit of output and input. Elahi also draws inspiration from each space that he exhibits in; there is a consideration of surrounding buildings and infrastructure. MAP is located in a highly touristic area of Baltimore and is also adjacent to the Baltimore Police Department and “The Block,” Baltimore’s red light district. This location will play a role in the exhibition outcome.

Terrorism and technology are tightly linked. Advances in technology have made it possible for people to enter other’s lives without our knowing. Elahi’s work addresses the experience of citizenship and boundaries through his artwork. His work has been presented in numerous exhibitions at venues such as SITE Santa Fe, Centre Georges Pompidou, Sundance Film Festival, and at the Venice Biennale. Elahi was recently invited to speak about his work at the Tate Modern, the American Association of Artificial Intelligence, the International Association of Privacy Professionals, TED Global, and the World Economic Forum. 

Elahi’s awards include grants from the Creative Capital Foundation, Art Matters Foundation, and a Ford Foundation/Phillip Morris National Fellowship. His work is frequently in the media and has been covered by The New York Times, Forbes, Wired, CNN, ABC, CBS, NPR, and has appeared on Al Jazeera, Fox News, and on The Colbert Report. In 2010, he was an Alpert/MacDowell Fellow and in 2009, was Resident Faculty at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. He is currently Associate Professor of Art at University of Maryland where he is Director of Digital Cultures and Creativity in the Honors College and lives outside of Washington, DC – roughly equidistant from the CIA, FBI, and NSA headquarters.

Connecting artists with communities since 1981, Maryland Art Place (MAP) is a Baltimore-based nonprofit contemporary art center. MAP energizes the region’s cultural environment through dynamic exhibitions, interactive events, educational programs and public art projects. Information: mdartplace.org | 410 962 8565. 

Press Inquiries contact: Sofia Rutka, Program Manager sofia@mdartplace.org OR Amy Cavanaugh Royce, Executive Director amy@mdartplace.org

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 26, 2012 
Contact: Maryland Art Place 410.962.8565 | map@mdartplace.org

Maryland Art Place presents LUX: November 9 @ 7pm
Hosted by Ray Lewis & Juliana Childress 

Baltimore Chefs to donate time and resources to culinary students 
as part of MAP’s Annual Fall Gala.

Friday, October 26 – Baltimore, MD: Maryland Art Place (MAP) is pleased to announce the participating chefs for the organization’s Annual Fall Benefit Exhibition & Gala, LUX: Chefs Jerry Edwards (Chef’s Expressions), Jerry Pellegrino (Waterfront Kitchen), Barry Fleishman (Innovative Gourmet), Gregory Rhoad (Chef’s Expressions), and Jason Jackson (Tatu). Student teams will pair with these local chefs to present a variety of dishes throughout the Gala. Represented schools include Stratford University and the National Academy Foundation High School. Each student station or “culinary kiosk” will have a diamond drop competition. The student team with the most diamonds at the end of the evening will be acknowledged at the Gala. 

Chef Jerry Edwards from Chef’s Expressions is coordinating the culinary aspects of the evening. Pompeian Olive Oil Company is participating in partnership with its chef Jerry Pellegrino from Waterfront Kitchen and contributing olive oils and vinegars to the Student/Chef teams for the evening’s competition. Guests will have an opportunity to sample the student creations featuring Pompeian products as well as leave with a sample of Pompeian Olive Oil in their swag bags. The Gala event will include music, a live auction of ‘LUX’-ury items directed by auctioneer Jeff Heisey, a silent auction of featured artists, a strolling magician & mentalist Dick Steiner, with signature cocktails courtesy specialized recipes by Kettle Hill restaurant and beer provided by Flying Dog. The evening will exude ‘old Hollywood glamour’ with every guest receiving a ‘LUX’-ury swag bag to complete the evening’s festivities. Original Ray Lewis prints will be also displayed as guests enter this world-class exhibition and include lush imagery from his “Sun Diaries” series. Aaron Henkin of WYPR/NPR Baltimore will be the evening’s emcee, as well as acknowledging the winning culinary kiosk.

Tickets are $250 each and can be purchased through MissionTix.com until 5PM, Thursday, November 8, 2012. Tickets can also be purchased by calling MAP at (410) 962-8565. 

The Gala will take place Friday, November 9th at 7:00PM in the MAP galleries located at 8 Market Place Baltimore, Maryland within the Power Plant Live! complex.

The Fall Benefit provides crucial revenue for MAP's year-round programming and operations. Connecting artists with communities since 1981, MAP is a Baltimore-based nonprofit contemporary art center. MAP energizes the region’s cultural environment through dynamic exhibitions, interactive events, educational programs and public art projects. For more information please visit: mdartplace.org

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 24, 2012 
Contact: Maryland Art Place 410.962.8565 | map@mdartplace.org

Maryland Art Place is pleased to announce the appointment of Dawn Gavin as new Board of Trustees President. 

Dawn Gavin is the Associate Professor in Drawing and Foundations and Honors Program Director at the University of Maryland College Park, and a professional artist. Originally from Glasgow, Dawn Gavin received an MFA in Fine Art and an MSc in Electronic Imaging from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, in Dundee, Scotland. She currently lives and works in Baltimore, Maryland. Her studio work investigates issues of identity and displacement, employing a range of media from collage and installed drawings to digital video. As an artist she has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally. Her work has been shown at the Baltimore Museum of Art, The John Michael Kohler Art Center (Sheboygen, MI), Maryland Institute College of Art, Meyerhoff Gallery (Baltimore, MD), The Philadelphia Art Alliance, The Washington Project for the Arts (Washington D.C.) and the A+D Gallery (Chicago, IL).

Gavin joined the Maryland Art Place Board of Trustees in June of 2010 and has been a member of the organization’s Program Advisory Committee (PAC) since 2008. She served as chair of the PAC for the 2012 season. For the past several years Gavin has been deeply involved with MAP and worked closely with the staff and board on numerous projects. She has helped plan several MAP fundraisers sitting on both Fall Benefit and Out of Order Committees. As a PAC member, she has dedicated a great deal of time towards MAP’s exhibitions and is the curator of MAP’s current exhibition Bike Show. 

"I am excited and honored to have this opportunity to work on behalf of such a important organization. I share the vision and commitment of an energized Board, Executive Director and staff, dedicated to the growth and vitality of contemporary art within Baltimore and beyond," says Gavin. 

Gavin is replacing MAP’s current President, Barbie Hart, who has generously donated her time and efforts over the past two years. Barbie Hart will remain on the Board of Trustees.

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 5, 2012

LUX
Maryland Art Place’s Fall Benefit & Juried Invitational Exhibition
ARTISTS SELECTED
November 9 – December 15, 2012

Friday, October 5 – Baltimore, MD: Maryland Art Place (MAP) is pleased to announce the selected artists for LUX, the 2012 Annual Fall Benefit Gala and Juried Invitational Exhibition, highlighting Maryland state artists working specifically in photography and digital media.

The following artists will be featured (all artists working in photography unless otherwise notated) Michel Anderson, Kelley Bell (digital media), Lynn Cazabon, Tamara Cedre, Larry Cohen, Deepak Chowdhury, Edward DeWitt, Jill Fannon, Matthew Fishel (digital media), JM Giordano, Vin Grabill, Ryan Hackett, Joshua Haycraft (digital media), Joseph Hyde, Tiffany Jones, Matthew Kern, William Knipscher, Nate Larson & Marni Shindelman, Jati Lindsay, Kim Llerena, Brandon Morse (digital media), Elle Perez, Joseph Parra, Barry Schmetter, Alan Sislen, Graham Slaughter, Christopher Saah, Sylvie van Helden, Tobechi Tobechukwu, and Alex Wein. 

Artist were selected through a two-tiered process. In early summer 2012, MAP sent letters to Maryland state art leaders, gallery owners and educators soliciting nominations of a single artist for consideration by the LUX jury: Elliott Landy (freelance - NY state & official photographer of Woodstock 1969); Lynn Silverman (instructor - Maryland Institute College of Art); Joshua Yospyn (freelance - Washington DC); Colby Caldwell (instructor - St. Mary’s College of Maryland); and Josh Sisk (freelance – Baltimore, MD). After careful deliberation the jury selected 31 artists and 46 pieces for the LUX exhibition this fall. 

The LUX exhibition will open as part of MAP’s annual fall gala on November 9 and will be on view until December 15. On the night of the gala, all of the artwork in the LUX exhibition will be available for purchase in a silent auction format. There will be a closing reception on Thursday, December 13 from 6p - 8p, which will be free and open to the public. 

The LUX gala is hosted by Baltimore’s own Ray Lewis. Tickets for the Gala are available at missontix.com 

LUX is a measure of the intensity of physical light, as captured in a photograph or digital image, and is a metaphorical reference to the spiritual and intellectual light that is created by contact with fresh, exciting works of art.

The Fall Benefit provides crucial revenue for MAP's year-round programming and operations. Connecting artists with communities since 1981, MAP is a Baltimore-based nonprofit contemporary art center. MAP energizes the region’s cultural environment through dynamic exhibitions, interactive events, educational programs and public art projects. For more information please visit: mdartplace.org

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 6, 2012

Maryland Art Place presents LUX: November 9 @ 7pm
Fall benefit hosted by famed Baltimore Raven, Ray Lewis, and his fiancé, Juliana Childress 

BALTIMORE, MD (September 6, 2012) - Maryland Art Place (MAP), and the extraordinarily talented Ray Lewis, along with his fiancé, Juliana Childress, are pleased to announce MAP’s Annual Fall Benefit Exhibition and Gala, LUX which will be held Friday, November 9, 2012 at 7:00 PM. The exhibition will remain on view until Saturday, December 15, 2012.

The exhibition will highlight artists working in photography and digital media. Selected artists were nominated by art leaders in the Maryland region, with finalists selected by a renowned and respected panel of jurors including: Elliott Landy (freelance - NY state & official photographer of Woodstock 1969); Lynn Silverman (instructor - Maryland Institute College of Art); Joshua Yospyn (freelance - Washington DC); Colby Caldwell (instructor - St. Mary’s College of Maryland); and Josh Sisk (freelance – Baltimore, MD). All works are for sale in a silent auction format and will be available for preview beginning on October 1st, 2012 at www.mapauction.org. 

"I once said that effort is between you, and you, and nobody else. The same can be true between an individual and their camera. What you’re shooting is between you and you, and nobody else. Outcomes are for the audience. The action is yours alone." ~ Ray Lewis

The Gala event will include music, a live auction of ‘LUX’-ury items, a silent auction of featured artists, strolling magician & mentalist-Dick Steiner, a culinary competition coordinated by Chef Jerry Edwards of Chef's Expressions and signature cocktails provided by Kettle Hill restaurant. The evening will exude ‘old Hollywood glamour’ with every guest receiving a ‘LUX’-ury swag bag to complete the evening’s festivities. Original, limited edition Ray Lewis prints will also be displayed as guests enter this world-class exhibition and include lush imagery from his “Sun Diaries” series.

Tickets are $250 each and can be purchased through MissionTix.com until 5PM, Thursday, November 8, 2012. Tickets can also be purchased by calling MAP at (410) 962-8565. 

The Gala will take place Friday, November 9th at 7:00PM in the MAP galleries located at 8 Market Place Baltimore, Maryland within the Power Plant Live! complex.

The Fall Benefit provides crucial revenue for MAP's year-round programming and operations. Connecting artists with communities since 1981, MAP is a Baltimore-based nonprofit contemporary art center. MAP energizes the region’s cultural environment through dynamic exhibitions, interactive events, educational programs and public art projects. For more information please visit: mdartplace.org 

Contact: Sofia Rutka, Program Manager p) 410.630.7044 email) sofia@mdartplace.org

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 28, 2012 
Contact: Maryland Art Place 410.962.8565 | map@mdartplace.org

Making Sense of Philip Guston
MAP Speakers Series with David Kaufmann

Saturday, October 6: 1pm 

Maryland Art Place is pleased to present David Kaufmann, the final lecture of the year in MAP’s 2012 Speakers’ Series. David Kaufmann, Professor of English at George Mason University, is most recently the author of Telling Stories: The Late Works of Philip Guston (U of California P, 2010). 

About the Lecture: In 1962 Philip Guston was the first person to be given a one-man show at the Guggenheim Museum. At that time he was one of the most important Abstract Expressionists in America. By 1970, he turned his back on abstraction and the whole New York art world, spending the last ten years of his life blazing out enormous, sometimes ferocious, often bleakly witty figurative canvases. By the time of his death in 1980, critics called him the most important painter of that decade. David Kaufmann will describe the logic of Guston’s career, explaining why his reversals make sense, and why Guston remains a painter of crucial urgency. 

The 2012 Maryland Art Place Speakers’ Series launched a new program consisting of a small group of lectures given by distinguished critics, artists, and historians on topics related to contemporary and modern art. 

All Speakers Series events are free and open to the public. Space is limited, to attend please RSVP to sofia@mdartplace.org. 

The Speakers’ Series is sponsored by The Robert Lehman Foundation.

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 16, 2012 
Contact: Maryland Art Place 410.962.8565 | map@mdartplace.org

Bike Show

September 13 – October 27, 2012

Thursday, September 13, 2012, 6-8pm: opening reception

Maryland Art Place (MAP) is pleased to announce its fall exhibition, Bike Show. Co-hosted by Bike Maryland, the exhibition’s intention is centered on the relationship between people and their bicycles. Bike Show will kick off with an opening reception on Thursday, September 13 at 6pm.

For more than 150 years the social and cultural history of the bicycle has paralleled the innovations and shifting paradigms of the modern world. At once simple, yet complex, the bicycle has served a myriad of functions ranging from the utilitarian to the playful while embodying freedom, exhilaration and the physical extension of the body. The artists in Bike Show explore the bicycle as a vehicle for a range of ideas and imaginative possibilities.

With philosophies on transportation in the US ever changing, fuel prices increasing and the topic of energy front and center, MAP’s Program Advisory Committee (PAC) has shaped the vision for this show based on the creative submissions received from our public call for entry. The PAC is comprised of artists, teachers, and other arts professionals in Baltimore generating new ideas, formulating exhibitions and programs, and creating a dialogue to better serve the community. Dawn Gavin, MAP’s Program Advisory Chair is leading the curatorial aspects of the exhibition. Dawn is the Associate Professor in Drawing and Foundations and Honors Program Director at the University of Maryland College Park, a professional artist, and avid bicyclist.

The exhibit will include a variety of artists presenting everything from bike-based installations to more traditional portraiture photography of people with their bikes. Artists: Chris Bishop, Faith Layla Bocian, Dan Perkins, David D’Orio, Eric Dyer, Ryan Humphrey, John K. Lawson, Joshua Wade Smith, and Jean Francois Rauzier.

In conjunction with Bike Show, Laure Drogoul, director of The 14 Karat Cabaret, a performance program she founded in 1989, will present “Bike Shorts” an evening of short films in late September at The 14 Karat Cabaret, located in MAP’s sister building at 218 West Saratoga Street.

Bike Show is sponsored in part by: Race Pace, Bike Maryland, and the Department of Transportation, Bike Baltimore.

Maryland Art Place (MAP) inspires, supports, and encourages artistic expression through innovative programming, exhibitions, and educational opportunities while recognizing the powerful impact art can have on our community. MAP creates a dynamic environment for artists of our time to engage the public.

Race Pace Bicycles has been serving cyclists in the Baltimore area since 1978. Visit their newest location on Key Highway in Federal Hill. Get out and ride your bike! Visit: www.racepacebicyles.com

Bike Maryland’s mission is to promote bicycling, increase safety, improve conditions, and provide a voice for bicyclists in Maryland. Visit: www.bikemd.org 

Upcoming Bike Maryland Events:

Larry’s Ride: Saturday, September 22
Location: Spring Meadow Farms in Baltimore County, MD.
Larry’s Ride and Run is a Bike Maryland fund raising event to raise awareness of bicyclists and bicycle safety issues. On April 6th, 2010, Larry Bensky was tragically killed while riding his bike on Butler Road, near Falls Road in Baltimore County. This event was created by his wife, Tami Bensky, and a group of Larry’s friends to remember and honor Larry’s life while bringing attention to the need for increased driver awareness on our roads. All are welcome to join in supporting this great cause. Register online at: http://bikemd.org/page.php?id=494

Tour du Port: Sunday, September 30 2012
Location: Baltimore City's Canton Waterfront Park
5 completely NEW Tour du Port routes have been developed. All routes include the Aquarium rest stop and enter Fort McHenry for an option of a walking tour! Experience Baltimore's premier bicycle tour, Tour du Port! Routes range from 12 to 65 miles and travel through historic neighborhoods, charming port areas and beautiful city and state parks throughout Baltimore City, Anne Arundel and Baltimore Counties. After the ride, enjoy a celebration including live music, exhibitors, lunch, and more! Register online at: bikemd.org/page.php?id=495

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 28, 2012 
Contact: Maryland Art Place 410.962.8565 | map@mdartplace.org

Crate and Barrel Does Not Have To Curate Our Art
MAP Speakers Series with Scott Burkholder
Saturday, July 28: 1pm

Maryland Art Place is pleased to present Scott Burkholder as part of its 2012 Speakers Series. Mr. Burkholder is most notably known for his role as Executive Director of the Baltimore Love Project and his advocacy work connecting the technology and enterprise industries with Baltimore’s robust artist community.

“My parents have never spent $200 on a single meal, yet my wife and I have. I imagine this is true for many of my peers. What changed? Is it possible that art could see a similar shift? Does the future hold ‘arties’?” Scott Burkholder will explore the wine and food industry of the past 30 years and suggest how the art market might enlarge and intensify its audience.

To accompany the talk, V-NO owner Mark Bachman is thoughtfully selecting wines for a special tasting to heighten the experience. The wine selection will focus on young and aspiring vintners syncing up with Maryland Art Place’s current exhibition, Young Blood, a show highlighting recent MFA graduates. 

The 2012 Maryland Art Place Speakers Series is a new program consisting of a series of lectures given by distinguished critics, artists, and historians on topics related to contemporary and modern art. 

All Speakers Series events are free and open to the public. Space is limited, to attend please RSVP to sofia@mdartplace.org.

The Speakers Series is funded by The Robert Lehman Foundation.

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 14, 2012 
Contact: Maryland Art Place 410.962.8565 | map@mdartplace.org

Young Blood
Work by recent MFA graduates
July 18 – August 25, 2012 

Wednesday, July 18, 2012 
6-8pm: Reception

Maryland Art Place (MAP) is pleased to present Young Blood, an annual exhibition of works by recent Baltimore-area Masters of Fine Art graduates. Celebrating its 5th anniversary, Young Blood will include a diverse range of innovative, emerging artists from the Maryland Institute College of Art, The University of Maryland College Park, Towson University, and The University of Maryland Baltimore County.

The exhibition is curated by MAP’s Program Advisory Committee, which is comprised of artists, teachers, and other arts professionals, providing the graduates with connections that bridge academic training and the greater art world. 

Young Blood showcases dynamic projects that include: large scale installations by Jonathan Latiano (MICA), Gary Kachadourian (UMBC), and Grimm Lee (MICA), sculpture by Peter Karis (UMCP), photography and video by Liz Donadio (Towson), multi-media collage work by Steven Riddle (Towson), a series of prints by Kim Llerena (MICA) and paintings by Carly Witmer (MICA) and Brian Conaty (MICA). 

Please join us Wednesday, July 18, 2012, 6 – 8pm for a reception and chance to meet the artists.

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 29, 2012 
Contact: Maryland Art Place 410.962.8565 | map@mdartplace.org

MAP SPEAKERS SERIES
“ARTOMATIC” 
June 2, 2012
1-2pm

Artomatic is an artist driven event designed to create community among artists, generate an audience for artists and the arts, and expand economic development through an event featuring the creative works of hundreds of artists in a multitude of art forms, including the visual arts, theater, music, film, poetry and more.

Founder George Koch will be joining MAP on Saturday, June 2nd to discuss the inception of this hugely successful, multi platform, artist run event along with colleagues, Jim Tretick and Eduardo Rodriguez. Jim Tretick is a photographer and six year Board member of Artomatic. He has spent the past twelve years working with Artomatic, mostly as the site and program manager. His recent move to southern New Jersey was the impetus of the expansion of the Artomatic model.

George Koch serves as Chair Emeritus for Artomatic, Inc. He facilitated the ‘Artomatic Steering Committee’ on the first four events, which provided a forum for all area artists and performers to convene, perform and exhibit, strengthening the visibility, cohesion, and marketplace of Washington, DC's arts community. He serves as a member of the planning committee for Creative DC, a new cultural initiative in the District of Columbia.

In addition, Mr. Koch is a founding member of the Cultural Development Corporation and the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington, Center for the Creative Economy. He was a recipient of the Cultural Alliance’s first ‘Tony Taylor Award’ among many other accolades.

Eduardo Rodriguez is the founder of Gallery 788 in Baltimore, Maryland and has been involved in the art and music scene for many years, both in Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD. Discussions surrounding Artomatic@Baltimore will center on the Artomatic licensing initiative and future plans for a full scale Baltimore based Artomatic in the fall of 2012.

Artomatic began in 1999 in the historic Manhattan Laundry building in Washington, D.C. A dozen or so artists originally toured the empty building, and within a month 350 artists had cleaned, lit, painted and presented artwork in its 100,000 square feet. Over 20,000 visitors attended the first Artomatic over six weeks. From there, Artomatic grew organically as buildings were made available by community developers. Music and performance of all kinds were added.

In 2009, Artomatic celebrated its 10th anniversary and within the fall of 2011 Artomatic began a licensing program to assist artists and their communities to host their own Artomatic events. Artomatic@Frederick was the first implementation. In addition to discussions with artists in Baltimore, Artomatic is now talking to artists in Vancouver, British Columbia; Sunderland, England; and Santiago, Chile.

The current Artomatic, located in Crystal City, Virginia, opened on May 18th and will close June 23rd. New this year are professional development workshops held each Wednesday and Thursday. For each of the five Wednesdays, Artomatic will host a series of two workshops - one in film and a second for innovation/entrepreneurship. For each of the five Thursdays events, Artomatic will similarly host workshops for music and business practices.

A “get acquainted” Artomatic will coincide with MAP’s Speaker Series at its sister building located at 218 West Saratoga Street: Friday, June 1st - Sunday, June 3rd. 
Contact Eduardo Rodriguez for more information: gallery788@gmail.com

The Artomatic panel discussion will take place in the MAP galleries located at 8 Market Place, Suite 100, Baltimore 21202.

The Speaker Series is made possible through the support of the Robert Lehman Foundation.

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 25, 2012 
Contact: Maryland Art Place 410.962.8565 | map@mdartplace.org

BLACK LIGHT THURSDAY
15 Billion Years of the Traveling Atom 
Mina Cheon

Thursday, June 7 
Viewing: 11am -7pm
Cocktail Hour: 5 -7pm

As part of Mina Cheon’s Polipop & Paintings exhibition, Maryland Art Place (MAP) will hold a one-day event, which will illuminate Mina Cheon’s last hand-painted masterpiece, 15 Billion Years of the Traveling Atom, under black light. This mammoth 72x8 foot hand painting was created for the renowned abstract-expressionist painter Grace Hartigan between 1997 -1998 while Cheon worked with her at the Hoffberger School of Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). Produced through the use of florescent acrylic on canvas, the piece was originally lit under black light and was presented with the inclusion of performance art and bubbles. MAP is currently showcasing this work for the first time under natural light, but will host a one-day only homage to the paintings original presentation nearly 15 years ago. The 15 Billion Years painting is a celebration of popular science and a cosmic portrayal of the Universe.

While at the gallery, viewers will also have the opportunity to spend time with Cheon’s current ‘Polipop’ works. Polipop is an art world that intersects politics and pop art. It takes serious discussions surrounding geopolitics of global, media culture and livens them up as accessible, eye-catching, and provocative Pop Art. Cheon’s exhibition includes a series of digital paintings (8x5 feet each) coming from Cheon’s mid-career, solo exhibit at the Sungkok Art Museum in Seoul, Korea. When asked about North Korea, global media, and world politics, Cheon explains, 

“At the end of 2011, I was in Seoul, Korea when North Korean leader Kim Jong-il passed away. There was a great deal of sadness and empathy amongst the South Koreans about the passing of North Korean's great father. This sentiment did not get across into global media and especially Western and American media. As always, one's national grief is never the business of other nations, especially when there are imperial motives and political agendas at play, but as such, while many South Koreans remember their family members who still reside in North Korea, the rest of the world seems to be amused at the failure of North Korea. As a Korean-American, I cannot neglect the sadness behind our country's division, and know that one cannot solely blame North Korea. Korea sits between capitalist Japan and communist China, it is already between two dividing westernized Asian countries. While, the split between North and South Korea can be seen as a relic of the Cold War, there is also the more immediate neighboring geography that says it all. As a contemporary Asian artist working in global times, it is imperative to look at these co-national geopolitics and respond to how global media shapes or skews our perception on how a nation is (in)formed or disregarded.”

Mina Cheon and Polipop and Paintings have been featured in Voice of America (radio aired to North Korea on May 22), The Signal (WYPR, NPR) with Aaron Henkins, The Washington Korea Times, Artist Organized Art, Urbanite, and the Jewish Times.

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 9, 2012 
Contact: Maryland Art Place 410.962.8565 | map@mdartplace.org

Polipop & Paintings 
Mina Cheon 
May 3 – June 30, 2012

Opening Thursday, May 3 
6pm: Artist Talk
7-9pm: Reception

Maryland Art Place (MAP) proudly announces Mina Cheon’s solo exhibition Polipop & Paintings, May 3 - June 30, 2012. The exhibition includes digital paintings (8x5 feet each) coming from her mid-career solo exhibit Polipop (Political Pop Art) at the Sungkok Art Museum in Seoul, Korea; works that became an instant media sensation in Korea early this year.

After many years working as an installation and new media artist, the MAP solo exhibition illuminates Cheon’s background as a painter by combining her new Polipop digital paintings with her last hand-painted masterpiece, 15 Billion Years Painting. This mammoth 72x8 foot hand painting was created for the renowned abstract-expressionist painter Grace Hartigan between 1997 -1998 while Cheon worked with her at the Hoffberger School of Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). Produced through the use of florescent acrylic on canvas, and lit under black light, MAP is showcasing this work for the first time under natural light. The 15 Billion Years painting is a celebration of popular science and a cosmic portrayal of the Universe. The painting was also the starting point of her artistic development. Cheon’s career communicates the relevance of working relationships between artist, institution and instructor over time, and the significance thereof.

Polipop is an art world that intersects politics and pop art. It takes serious discussions surrounding geopolitics of global, media culture and livens them up as accessible, eye-catching, fun pop art. With the use of strong primary colors and bold outlines, Cheon’s large scaled digital paintings mimic the language of advertisements, political posters, and propaganda banners. Each unique digital painting is collaged with images from the Internet, rescaled on the computer, and printed on canvas.

Some History:
In 2004, Cheon showed at the first Athena’s Daughters exhibition curated by Grace Hartigan for Maryland Art Place, where Cheon’s very first “political pop art,” Half Moon Eyes, documented her visitation to North Korea. This visit highlighted Cheon’s interest in political construction on beauty, and the triangular relationship between America and North and South Korea.

By 2008, Cheon’s Addressing Dolls exhibition at the C.Grimaldis Gallery in Baltimore portrayed the stark contrast between communist North Korea and capitalist South Korea through girls’ playthings; Cheon exhibited her North Korean doll installation 99 Miss Kim(s) on one side and a series of South Korean life-size paper doll dresses Dresses for Different Events on the other. 

Since Cheon’s visit to North Korea in 2004, she traveled to places she considered ‘contested spaces,’ where geopolitical anxieties demonstrated conflicts between neighboring, yet rivalry Asian countries. Cheon went to Japan during the 2008 Summer Olympics in China specifically to interview Japanese people about their thoughts of the Olympics in Beijing. Cheon also traveled to Dokdo in 2009, a contested island that sits between Korea and Japan, an island that is still territorially fought over today. The documents of these trips are included in her new body of work that constantly questions the relationship between the East and West, as well as the relationship between Asian countries such as South and North Korea, Japan, and China.

Today Cheon uses the plethora of images of President Barack Obama as Polipop. Drawing comparisons to Chairman Mao in China, Cheon refers to Obama as the Polipop icon of our time. From the iconic American President and the war in the Middle East, to the rise of the Asian Century and circulation of global media, the exhibition includes digital paintings on Obama, race, pop culture, technology, capitalism, and Asia.

Unlike many Asian students coming to and leaving Baltimore for study, Korean-American new media artist, Cheon stayed in Baltimore becoming part of the faculty at MICA; living between Baltimore, New York, and Seoul – three cities, which she considers home. This year, Cheon presents three consecutive solo exhibitions in these cities; MAP being the second installment after the Sungkok Art Museum exhibition earlier this year. Cheon will end 2012 this fall at the White Box in New York City. All three exhibitions include the Polipop title and theme, however Cheon keeps a sense of individuality between each. 

From her time with Grace Hartigan to how Cheon situated herself in Baltimore; her course towards the creation of Polipop was charted. Cheon’s artistic history cannot go unnoticed and as Hartigan once said to Cheon in 1998, “if anything, it is because you are a painter first.”

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 17, 2012 
Contact: Maryland Art Place 410.962.8565 | map@mdartplace.org

The Sum of the Parts 
Curated by Amy Boone-McCreesh
part of MAP’s CURATORS’ INCUBATOR Program

February 22-March 24, 2011 
February 22, 6-8pm: Reception and Curator’s Talk
March 10, 12-3pm: Knitting & Crochet Workshop

MAP is pleased to present the 2012 Curators’ Incubator program: The Sum of the Parts, featuring this year’s curator Amy Boone-McCreesh. Annually the Curators' Incubator program provides a creative space for the region’s aspiring curators to develop and present their concepts. MAP guides the curatorial process through the counsel of its Program Advisory Committee, or PAC. Curators are selected via “open call” and are provided an exhibition at the end of their time with MAP. 

The Sum of the Parts is an exhibition of four east coast, contemporary artists; Emily Barletta, Lauren Clay, Jerry Kaba, and Nikki Painter. This mixed media exhibition touches on their work in “repetitive process.” Sculpture, installation, and drawing are all represented through a variety of methods including crocheting, cut paper, and mold-making for this multi-media exhibition. 

“These artists produce work that is created from the culmination and building of smaller pieces. All of the works on view began with a simple form or mark, which was then built upon so that the accumulation shifted the original meaning into new territory. While all of the artwork functions individually, one must note how their grouping creates a larger dialogue that runs through the exhibition.” Amy Boone-McCreesh 

The exhibition features crocheted yarn sculptures by artist Emily Barletta. Accompanying the exhibition will be a knitting and crocheting workshop. The workshop will serve beginners as an introduction to knitting and crochet while those more experienced are welcome to join in for a chance to meet the curator, work on existing projects, and/or enjoy coffee and cupcakes in the MAP galleries.

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 12, 2012 
Contact: Maryland Art Place 410.962.8565 | map@mdartplace.org

Amy Cavanaugh Royce as new Executive Director for Maryland Art Place 

Baltimore – Maryland Art Place (MAP) is pleased to announce the hiring of Amy Cavanaugh Royce as its new Executive Director. 

“Under Amy's leadership, MAP will have both greater collaboration and innovation in Baltimore’s arts community,” said Barbie Hart, MAP’s board president. “Her talent and experience will greatly impact MAP's mission to inspire, promote and engage artists.”

Said Ms. Royce: “The Baltimore arts scene is inspiring and innovative. It’s exciting to be a part of such an energetic, artistic community while operating under the prestige of Maryland Art Place. I look forward to working with MAP in its 30th year and will garner as much support for MAP and Maryland state artists as possible.”

In her former position as Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of the ARCH Development Corporation in Washington, D.C., Ms. Royce spearheaded the development of four cultural facilities, which now operate as the cultural arm of the ARCH organization. She also co-founded and operated a state-of-the-art contemporary exhibition space, Honfleur Gallery. 

An accomplished cellist, Ms. Royce currently lives in the Hamilton neighborhood of Baltimore with her husband and son.