You Call THAT Art!?

"You Call THAT Art!?" is a new workshop that we are introducing to our workshop schedule.  We launched our first one over the Mother's Day weekend and it was a huge success.  This workshop is free to the public and is a great way to learn about art if a fun and relaxed setting.  We have heard people say that they "don't get" art more times that we would like.  The public is often confused by the conundrum of contemporary art.  Our gallery's goal is to show people that art is for everyone.  They can learn how to talk about art (not like those pompous people we all see on T.V.) with out fear of making a mistake or being ridiculed for their opinions.  We encourage the asking of questions, any questions.  If someone would like to know why a painting is considered art we will tell them what we have learned while mastering our degrees in art history.  Does that mean that you have to like it?  No.  But after learning why something is considered important we can begin to build an appreciation for it.  We will discuss all types of art from Cave Art to Contemporary Art.  We will learn about the origins of art.  Snooze-fest?  Unlikely!  With two people as excited about art as we are it is hard to be bored by our "lecture-tainment."  AND we do our workshop as a High Tea, serving English teas and goodies provided by local businesses like Lord Ravenswood Hall.  So, if you have ever been confused in a museum or gallery, want to learn more about art, or just want something to do on the 3rd Saturday of every month come to LoPressionism Gallery for an educational and, more importantly, fun afternoon.  Seating is limited to please RSVP in advance to reserve your seat.  (321) 722-6000 or post a comment.  Click here to be navigated to our website's Workshop Page.

The 3/50 Project

Okay, so as a person who works in an independent business I am a little biased, but whatever, this is a good topic to have a bias.  The 3/50 Project was created by Cinda Baxter.  This project was designed to help locally owned brick and mortar business.  I know that the media is saying all sorts of things about not spending any money and saving all that you can because times are so hard.  I know that there are a lot of people out there that scared they are going to lose their jobs, we understand completely.  BUT, what the 3/50 Projects suggests is a little way to help the economy.   Spending money anywhere at this point can only help business.  Baxter gives us a way to localize where this spent money ends up.  Pick 3 business that are independently owned that you really like and would hate to see gone.  Then spend $50 a month in those business (not $50 in each store but $50 all together.)  This is not very difficult at all.  Did you know that 68% of what you spend at an independent business goes back into the community when only 43% spent at a chain comes back.  The dollars you spend locally go a lot further than the one spent else where.  So, where can you go to support these business?  There are plenty of local grocers, merchants, restauranteurs, movie theaters, all over your community.  If you are unsure of it's ownership, just ask.  Do you think $50 is a lot to spend?  Just do what you can, remember, that 68% goes back to the community.  So instead of going to a coffee shop chain for your morning beverage try a local shop or bistro.  Go to lunch at a downtown deli and get groceries from a local grocer.  Pick up something small that makes you smile at a local gift store (like LoPressionism Gallery ;).  According to Baxter's research, if just half of the working community did this they would generate $42.6 billion in revenue.  What have you got to lose by trying it?  We CAN pull up the economy but we need people to help.  Every little bit counts!

The Melbourne Art Festival

This past weekend downtown Melbourne had a fantastic art fest. With over 250 artists this years art festival was a great success. There were tons of artists with a variety of styles and mediums there literally was something for everyone. It was wonderful to see all of the people out on the street supporting the arts! I know that I myself spent a good four hours wandering the booths, and I don't think I really "saw" everyone's exhibits. Having just moved to Melbourne, I was very excited about the art fest and had been looking forward to it since October's Masters of Art Festival. This fest surely did not disappoint. Most of the artists were offering smaller original pieces and small prints of their works for under $100 making the art works available for all socioeconomic backgrounds. I left with three small prints and some ceramics. Supporting the arts is something that we can all do, and art festivals across the country make it possible! Keep your eyes open for the Fall Master's of Art Fest downtown, and check out other art fests in your home towns.

Dark Dreams & Lighthearted Themes

We are very exited to hold our second show of the 2009 LoPressionism Gallery exhibition schedule.  This show will include the works of five very talent artists.  There is something for everyone in this show from the colorful cityscapes to the whimsical characters of to the darkened interiors.  In this group of artists we were looking for something that brought reality and the sublime together.  Escape.  That is something that all five of our "Dark Dreams..." artists have in common.  Escape into Sandra Bottinelli's world where giant purple ducks protect and watch over you.  That is a world I would love to live in!  Marina Koloeridi creates a mystical environments where the heavens and the terrestrial worlds swirl together in excitement and passion.  Escape to a land where the colors of the night are just as bright at the colors of the day in Luke Andrews' paintings.  Homes have a personality  of their own, they are as open and deep as the human soul.  Nicholas Bustamante's paintings make buildings come to life as they have minds of their own.  Then you can relax as you float down a river of the back of a bird, basking in the rays of the sun.  Laura Beatty's creations are full of fun and contemplative characters!  "Dark Dreams & Lighthearted Themes" is a fantastic show hung beautifully by the gallery staff.  It flows from one world to the next as if, perchance, you are dreaming. 

Cultural Stimulus

For ages the government has barely recognized the arts as a viable sector of the economy.  However, in February, congress managed to get a $50 million for the arts in the stimulus package.  According to an article  in Art in America, "despite years of economic impact studies showing how the arts stimulate local economies, from tourism dollars to construction industry jobs, arts groups still had to mount a feverish campaign to preserve a $50 million line that the House had passed but that the Senate eliminated."  Although 50 million is measly compared to what other industries have received it is wonderful that the arts were even included.  What many fail to realize is that not only do the arts employ artists and performers, but also art handlers, stage crews, accountants, cooks, security guards, maintenance people and more.  The arts provide over 6 million jobs nation wide!  The money will go to the National Endowment for the Arts to distribute in the form of grants only to non-profit groups whose projects focus on the preservation of jobs in the arts.  These groups must also have been awarded NEA grants within the last 4 years.  Not to fret for those groups who have not received grants, they still may be eligible to get a sub-grant from a state or regional arts organization.  

This is not a new idea.  In 1930's, as part of the New Deal, the Federal Art Project was created with a goal of employing out of work artists and to provide art for non federal buildings.  Not only did all of this new art boost morale in a depression era, but provided much needed jobs.  Could this new stimulus plan be similar to Roosevelt's F.A.P.?  We can only hope.    Your thoughts...

Haunted Gallery

After years of thinking that we were crazy, we finally have the closure that we need.  I cannot count the times that I had heard footsteps in our old up-stairs gallery space when there was no one up there.  I can recall one time when Bianca and I were downstairs and kept hearing the sounds of someone moving around in the up-stairs space.  After numerous attempts at communicating with the obvious entity up there (the gallery owner who had her office up there) I decided to go check for myself, maybe there were homeless people up there hiding out from an incoming storm.  Well when I got up there, there were no people up there.  I checked every room, every nook and cranny.  We recently had a group come out to investigate the space, the Space Coast Paranormal Research Association.  What they found were some very strong EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) evidence and called the old gallery space an "intelligent haunting."  They were nice spirits and we are all happy that we got to work with them, and hope that they visit us in our new space right next door.

Art in the world of television

Wow!  It's been awhile.  Now, back to the blogging.  The holiday season was wonderfully busy at the gallery for us, and our Fusion show had a great crowd.  It looks like our new space is going to work out really well for us.  

I've been watching some really fun shows on television lately... Leverage and Dollhouse.  They're both in their first season and so far seem to be rather entertaining.  And, surprisingly, they've both had episodes involving art.  I was excited to see that there were shows willing to venture in the topic of art.  Both episodes dealt with stealing it, which is a common theme for art in movies.  A lot of people love that attaining the unattainable story including myself.  But, I have to admit I'm easily irked by the smallest of inaccuracies that they often display.  

For example, in Leverage Nathan's ex-wife, Maggie, is an art expert that a company uses to identify (for insurance purposes) works of art... any work of art.  As an art historian, I specialized in Latin American Art.  Liz (our other consultant & blogger) concentrated in Contemporary Art.  While we have extensive knowledge in these areas, we can't authenticate a piece of art by looking at it through a tiny magnifying glass.  I know... suspension of disbelief.  It just seemed that this would be a good opportunity to clear up the fact that finding authenticators for works are hard to come by.  Normally each artist, only has one authenticator.  If they happen to have more than one, it is probably because they worked with more than one media like painting and sculpting.  One authenticator would be for painting and one for sculpting.  If it's an artist from a period such as the Renaissance, a group of art experts would work together to hopefully identify whether a work is a fake or not.  This linked article from the Discovery Channel gives a good idea of what steps experts take when authenticating works.

Dollhouse handled this a bit better with an antiquities expert who had a feeling that he was chosen to authenticate a specific piece.  Unfortunately, as one of the characters has been badly hurt, he interprets a piece of art for Echo (and the viewers) as fact.  And as we stated in our December 11th post  "Your interpretation is never wrong."  Interpretation of art is personal, everyone sees things differently and it's not up to anyone else to tell you what a work of art should mean to you.

Even with my own personal minor issues with the discrepancies, it would be great to see more shows and movies with visual art as the main subject.  It gives us artsy folks something to chat about!