We don’t like Ike’s memorial

At a Tuesday Congressional hearing on the planned Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, it quickly became clear that congressmen hate the chosen design. So unsightly is the design, say some congressmen, that the entire design should be scrapped and the project restarted with another design contest. ”I want to know how we came up with this monstrosity,” said Representative Tom McClintock (R-Calif).

Renowned architect Frank Gehry, known best for his museum renovations, won the design competition for the Eisenhower memorial in 2010. The memorial was originally intended to be built during 2012, but complaints about Gehry’s design delayed the project.

In particular, members of Eisenhower’s family felt that Gehry’s original focus on Eisenhower’s childhood and Kansas upbringing would undermine his important accomplishments. Even now, after Gehry updated his portrayal of Eisenhower, the family takes issue for it being “too extravagant.”

“Continuation of the status quo … will doom the prospect of building a memorial,” said Susan Eisenhower, the president’s granddaughter, according to ABC News. “It is time to go back to the drawing board, with an open process for the redesign of the memorial.”

Representative Rob Bishop (R-Utah) has introduced legislation towards just such an end. If passed, the bill will begin a new design competition for the memorial and eliminate the remaining $100 million of funding for Gehry’s project.

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This week, the Spagnuolo Gallery (located in the Walsh building) opened a new exhibition, “Where the Seafloor Melts,” in which both the ancient and serene are realized by both science and accuracy. The exhibit is constituted of stoneware by the artist Joan Lederman, who, residing in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, incorporated the local influence of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and their deep-sea finds into her artwork through the use of glazes composed of Neptunian muds.

The exhibit opens to the eye as a set of gorgeous plates and vases in both earthen and aquatic colors. The pieces make use of both of shape, pattern, and color: these conventions expressing themselves by way of the kiln.

Coordinates, materials, historical periods and motives are all arranged into the various pieces in the gallery, by way of glaze painted into words around the circular forms. In the heavily earth-toned vase entitled “Amaphora: Mud Pun,” the ancient date (750 B.C.) of a Phoenician shipwreck, from which she incorporated mud, is listed around the neck. Pieces such as this are the first to incorporate ancient, oceanic sands into the glazing process.

Another work that incorporates the location from which the mud came into the art itself is “Mud Blood,” a piece which, encircled by a faint green, is reminiscent of tenth-century Korean celadon, though upon further inspection, found its origin in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, specifically the coordinates 23°5‘ North, 45° West. The viewer is also informed that the mud was retrieved from a fracture site for drilling.

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This week, Georgetown is celebrating the openings of two new exhibits on campus. On Wednesday evening, the Art History department is sponsoring a reception in the Spagnuolo Gallery to commemorate the opening of “Pixel Vision: the First Ten Years”, featuring work created by students in the past decade in the Napolitano Digital Art Studio. The lab, which opened on January 12th, 2000 and includes 14 computers equipped for the creation of digital art, was a gift of Mr. Thomas Napolitano ’69 and his wife Barbara. The reception will take place on Wednesday, January 19th from 5:30 to 7:00 P.M. The exhibit includes digital prints, interactive media and digital video and will run through April 9th, 2011.

The exhibition of Paul Reed’s colorful geometric prints brightened the days (and late nights) of many of us who crammed for finals on 5th Floor Lauinger this past December. Thursday evening, The artist will be on hand to officially celebrate the exhibit at a reception and panel discussion. Professor Clifford T. Chieffo will moderate a panel including Joy Chambers, a DLS candidate in Liberal Studies; National Gallery of Art Senior Lecturer David Garrif; gallery owner Wim Roefs and printmaker Lou Stovall. Marvin Aguilar (COL ’11) worked on the exhibition as an assistant curator and told Vox that the show features Reed’s later work, “much of which has not been thoroughly analyzed by critics or historians”, and that Aguilar “found most interesting and thought provoking… Paul’s ‘search’for new techniques involving stained paintings and unprimed canvas”. The opening will take place in Lau’s Murray Room at 6:00 P.M.

Image: Paul Reed

Georgetown’s faculty includes ex-presidents, foreign policy wonks, politicians … and artists. This fall, in fact, three D.C.-area shows feature work from the University’s very own art faculty. Below, we’ve compiled a run-down of the places to see their art.

• The on-campus Spagnuolo Gallery, located in the Walsh Building, is exhibiting 25 works from 14 current Georgetown professors. The exhibition includes video installations, paintings, prints, and multi-media installations produced over the last two decades.  The exhibit, which closes on October 16, is open from 12 to 5 p.m. every Tuesday through Saturday.

• Professor B.G. Muhn isn’t content with just one exhibition. In addition to work featured at the Spagnuolo Gallery, Muhn is also being honored with his own show, “Love Affair of the Empress,” at American University’s Katzen Arts Center. Open through October 17, Muhn’s first installation work displays imagined portraits of ancient Chinese empresses. (Unfortunately, however, Muhn is away on leave for the semester.)

• Art faculty work will also be exhibited throughout the year in the ICC Conference Room. Currently the room features John Morrell’s “From the Ground Up,” a selection of forest-inspired drawings made by the Art History professor. The exhibition, which was previously shown at the Savannah College of Art and Design, encourages the viewer “to experience the scene from his vantage point, sitting on the ground observing the woods around him.”

• At the National Gallery, professor Elizabeth Prelinger co-curated “Edvard Munch: Master Prints,” which features Munch’s iconic “The Scream.” Hurry though, because the show closes on October 31. (A discussion of the “Master Prints” is also available online.)

Photo: American University

No really, is it? Who needs to watch games when 47 Facebook updates double as play-by-plays? If you’re one of the few Americans who has not succumbed to the belief that soccer is an interesting sport, or if you’re just sick of the World Cup, here are a few free events in the District to give you a breather from the Most Beautiful Game.

A Modern Delicacy

This Thursday, an exhibition entitled “Delicacies,” featuring 18 local artists, will be having a reception that begins at 6:30 p.m. What makes this art reception different from most others? It will be held at Biagio Fine Chocolate‘s tasting room. Does this mean there will be free chocolate? The event description doesn’t specify, but given its proximity to Dupont Circle (1904 18th Street NW), it’s worth stopping by to see.

Civilian Conservation Corps(e)

Opening tomorrow at the Civilian Art Projects Gallery (1019 7th Street NW) is “Exquisite Corpse,” a unique collaborative photo project wherein artists contribute their own piece to a sequence according to a pre-set rule or by viewing only the end of the previous artists’ contribution. To see what the artists have created, head to the opening reception which begins at 8 p.m. Pabst Blue Ribbon will be sponsoring this event, so there’ll be booze.

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It’s a Friday night and you just got paid.

Or, given that this is DC, it’s a Friday night…and you don’t have any money because you’re working an unpaid internship that may help you get a job sometime in the distant future. Well, fear not because someone, somewhere in DC is willing to entertain you for free.

That’s where First Fridays come in, for those of you who want to start the month off with a bang.

Nearly the only area that is both accessible from Georgetown (via the GUTS bus or the G2) and known for nightlife, Dupont Circle is home to an array of art galleries, many of whom open their doors, hearts, and wine cabinets to guests on the first Friday of every month from 6 to 8 p.m.

“Some people think of art galleries as intimidating, but we try to be inviting and it really is lively and fun,” Adah Rose Bitterbaum, director of Studio Gallery, said.

If you’re in the mood for ethereal, sea creature themed artwork, then it’s time to hit up Studio Gallery at 2108 R St. N.W. Many of the artists attend First Fridays, so it’s a chance for the public to talk to the persons behind the paintings, photographs, sculptures, or whatever medium.

(A tip: Check out the artwork at Studio Gallery’s website before visiting, and you’ll have plenty to talk about with the artists.)

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Those summer storms might have you down. But as Snowpocalypse proved, shutting yourself indoors because of the weather isn’t always the best choice. Here are some of the week’s best freebies, meant to give you the motivation to get out of the house.

Art is a Dialogue…?

Premiering this Friday is Undecided: A Dialog between Artist and Viewer. This unique exhibition allows artists to see how viewers respond to their art by giving visitors the opportunity to submit titles for the work they see. The original titles will be revealed either upon purchase or at the exhibition’s closing reception. The opening reception is this Friday from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Del Ray Artisans Gallery, 2704 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria.

An Adult Show

The Art Talk and Tour for Adults comes to DC this Saturday, featuring work by artists Wayland House and Richard Fitzhugh. Guests receive a free guided tour of the Common Bond exhibition, which has run biennially at the Strathmore since 1996. This exhibit looks at the history and technique of the featured artists and their works. The Mansion at Strathmore is located at 10701 Rockville Pike in North Bethesda.

Door’s Wide Open

The next chapter in The Writer’s Center’s Open Door Reading Series is this Sunday at 2 pm. M.L. Liebler, author of Wide Awake in Someone Else’s Dream, will be joined by Cliff Bernier, a poet and author of Earth Suite. Check out the Writer’s Center official website for more information. The Writer’s Center is located at 4508 Walsh Street in Bethesda.

Image taken from culturecapital.com

A while back, a friend of the Voice shared with us this work of art:

Provost Jim O’Donnell

Stunned by the creator’s breathtaking use of hotpants, we’re dying to see more. So from now until Wednesday at midnight, Vox is calling all artists to Blingee a Georgetown personality for a chance to win two tickets to the E Street Cinema, a great theater that screens limited-release films, documentaries, and cult classics (read: indie stuff).

Any well-known Hoya is fair game. Will Jack the Bulldog speak to you? Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson? Jennifer Altemus?

E-mail the link whatever masterful creation you come up with on Blingee to blog@georgetownvoice.com. Include your name, e-mail (not for publication), school, and year, and if you want, a blurb about what inspired you. You must be a current Georgetown student to enter. We’ll announce the winner and show off the submissions later in the week.

If you need another muse, Jack Stuef (COL ’10), the most influential Blingee artist ever to have graduated from Georgetown, created a wonderful collection of Blingee art to accompany his screed about the Voice profile of President John DeGioia in October. The exhibit is still on display at the Georgetown Heckler blog.

Don’t forget, the Georgetown Voice is celebrating photography, a lesser art form, in the week’s feature. Enter our 2010 Photo Contest by midnight tonight!

Photo aficionados, rejoice: this week marks the second annual FotoWeek DC photography festival—much of which is based right here in Georgetown.

The nucleus of this year’s FotoWeek is at 3338 M Street, just a hop skip and jump away from campus.  Among the exhibits there are:

• Finalists from the main FotoWeek DC competition, as well as finalist from the youth competition
• “Dreams in Color,” an exploration of the “dawn of color photography” through the National Geographic
• An exhibit on the U.S. curated by Elizabeth Krist
• The best of this year’s National Graphic‘s Your Shot, a feature that spotlights readers’ photos
• “Until the Grass is Gone,” an exhibit of photos of Northern Uganda by Peter van Agtmeal and Pete Muller

Besides the festival headquarters, quite a few Georgetown galleries are also participating in FotoWeek, including:

• Addison/Ripley Fine Art (1670 Wisconsin Avenue) is hosting James Osher’s “Three Seconds with the Masters” and a collection of photos from “America: Now+Here”
• Cross Mackenzie Ceramic Arts (1054 31st Street) is showing photographs of ceramic artist Walter McConnell’s works
• Here on campus, GU Art Aficionados is hosting an exhibit in the Walsh Gallery featuring student work that explores the themes of micro and macro
• The Govinda Gallery (1227 34th Street) is hosting “Sound Kapital,” Matthew Niederhauser’s shots of bands at Beijing nightclubs
• The French Embassy (4101 Reservoir Road) is showcasing the work of four contemporary French photographers

The events are free, but you can register for easier entry and check out the full slate of events on the FotoWeek DC website.