Art San Diego 2013

SD ART PRIZE HONORS HUBBELL, KLINES

art curator — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:52:40 +0000

SD ART PRIZE HONORS HUBBELL, KLINES
Art will be featured in exhibitions at Art San Diego and the Athenaeum

James Chute
The San Diego Union-Tribune/ April 9, 2013

Artists James Hubbell and Debby and Larry Kline are the 2013 winners of the San Diego Art Prize.

Presented by the San Diego Visual Arts Network, the prize “spotlights established San Diego artists and emerging artists whose outstanding achievements in the field of visual arts merit recognition.”

Hubbell and the Klines will each select an “emerging artist” whose works will be exhibited, with theirs, at the Nov. 7-10 Art San Diego Contemporary Art Fair in Balboa Park and in a 2014 exhibition at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla.

Art by the 2012 winners, Arline Fisch and Jeffery Laudenslager, with their “emerging artist” choices Vincent Robles and Deanne Sabeck, is now on exhibit at the Athenaeum through May 4.

James Hubbell is widely known for his numerous public and private commissions ranging from fountains to architectural elements. A wide range of his sculptures are on display (through June 2) at the Oceanside Museum of Art in the exhibit, “In Search of Shadows: James Hubbell Sculpture.”

Debby and Larry Kline have had exhibitions at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (San Francisco), California Center for the Arts Museum, La Casa del Tunel Art Center (Tijuana), Southwestern College Art Gallery, Mesa College Art Gallery and the Athenaeum.

The Visual Arts Network also sponsors an annual “New Contemporaries” exhibition, which this year will be June 1-30 at the Sparks Gallery.

The artists chosen for that show (by the same committee that votes on the art prize) are: Jennifer Anderson, Irene de Watteville, Michelle Kurtis Cole, Franco Mendez Calvillo, James Enos, Brennan Hubbell, Sonia López-Chávez, Marie Najera, Timothy Earl Neill, Griselda Rosas, Ilanit Shalev, and Anna Stump.

FOIRES D’ART ET GALERIES L’ENTENTE CORDIALE

art curator — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 19:48:29 +0000

FOIRES D’ART ET GALERIES L’ENTENTE CORDIALE
Interview to Ann Berchtold, ART SAN DIEGO Founder / Director

ARTE NEWS / No. 86, Abril 2013
Retrouvez l’actualité de l’art sur

ARTE NEWS: If today, the number of Art Fair is increasing, do you think it could be “bad” for the work of the galleries into their own countries?

AB: No, I believe Art Fairs expand the opportunity for international galleries to: 1) expose their artists to a broader audience, 2) develop a client base in another country, and 3) provide a showcase of the work that is being created in a specific region.

For example, for several years ART SAN DIEGO has exhibited numerous galleries from Buenos Aires — independently they have done quite well at the fair, but collectively they have provided a great education to our collector base about the work being created in that region.

ARTE NEWS: Galleries seems only like a place where people can discover some artists while Art Fairs are the place where the business is actually.

AB: I believe that they compliment each other. Art Fairs are a wonderful place to “do business” – not just sales but also networking, and education. I believe that Art Fairs have opened up the art world and has made it more accessible to millions of potential collectors. Art Fairs provide a dynamic – experiential – forum to sell art.

ARTE NEWS: Do you think over time Art fairs will be « bad » for Galleries or in the opposite way both could remain complementary?

AB: Over 50% of a galleries annual revenue comes from participating in art fairs. For galleries who travel to participate in a fair it allows them to reach a new audience and develop a client base in a coveted demographic.

For galleries who participate in a local fair it shows a source of support to the overall art scene in that community, encourages collecting, and strengthens the cities reputation as an arts destination. It can also be a forum for celebrating and recognizing the historic achievements in art of that city.

Published in French

ARTE NEWS: Si les foires d’art se multiplient aux quatre coins du globe, est-ce en harmonie avec les galeries ou à laurs dépens?

AB: Nous sommes allés à la rencontre de personnalités impliquées dans ces différentes foires afin de rendre compte du rapport qu’elles entretiennet avec les galeries.

ARTE NEWS: La multiplication des foires aujourd’hui, ce fait-elle aux dépens des galeries au sein de leur pays?

AB: Non, je pense que les foires élargissent les possibilités pour les galeries internationales et ce pour plusieurs raisons: à la fois pour présenter leurs artistes à un public plus large, développer une clientèle dans un pays étranger et offrir une vitrine des tendances artistiques dans une région déterminée.

Depuis plusieurs années ART SAN DIEGO a, par exemple, exposé de nombreuses galeries de Buenos Aires. Si cela nous a été mutuellement bénéfique, nos collectionneurs en ont également appris davantage sur les différentes tendances artistiques de la région.

ARTE NEWS: Les galeries ne seraient plus qu’une vitrine où l’on découvre des artistes tandis que les affaires se feraient concrètement dans les foires?

AB: Je pense qu’elles se complètent. Les foires sont un endroit merveilleux pour ‘faire des affaires’. D’une part en terme de vente mais aussi pour élargir votre réseau et appréhender les différentes tendances artistiques du moment. Je pense que les foires ont ouvert le monde de l’art et l’ont rendu plus accessible à des millions de collectionneurs potentiels. Les foires présentent une plate-forme privilégiée pour tester le business de l’art.

ARTE NEWS: Pensez-vous qu’à terme, les foires feront de l’ombre aux galeries ou en revanche qu’elles puissent demeurer complémentaires?

AB: Plus de la moitié du chiffre d’affaires annuel des galeries provient de leur participation aux foires.

Participer à une foire, c’est toucher à un nouveau public et cela permet aux galeries de développer de nouvelles bases de clients dans un groupe démographique convoité. Lorsqu’une galerie particpe à une foire, elle met en avant l’ensemble de la scène artistique de sa communauté et renforce la réputation de sa ville comme destination artistique.

2013 LAUNCH PAD ARTIST ANNOUNCED

art curator — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 12:00:45 +0000

ANNOUNCING 2013 LAUNCH PAD ARTIST:
AVERY LAWRENCE
ART SAN DIEGO Launch Pad Program:
Introduction of emerging artists & curators

Avery Lawrence is a multimedia artist living in New Orleans, LA. He was born into a loving, supportive family in Charlottesville, VA. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2008 with a degree in Visual Studies. After graduating, He illustrated a fine press edition of the Iliad and Odyssey. His current projects blend video, performance, sculpture, drawing and wallpaper to explore the beauty and relevance of the absurd and surreal.

Avery Lawrence was the Grand Prize winner of See.me’s Art Takes Miami competition. Prize included a featured booth at the SCOPE art fair during Art Week Miami 2012.

AveryLawrence.com

AVERY LAWRENCE AT SCOPE MIAMI

Selected from thousands of artist participants in the third annual Art Takes Miami, New Orleans-based artist Avery Lawrence will present an ambitious installation at SCOPE Miami, during Art Basel. Incorporating performance, video, sculpture and drawing into a site-specific installation, Lawrence will transform the See.Me booth into a fully-immersive experience for visitors to the SCOPE Pavilion.

In both his video and performance, the artist plays multiple characters, often seen performing obviously metaphorical tasks like carrying a ridiculous load of suitcases, or playing the mysterious instruments hidden within.

HOW STRONG IS THE ART MARKET?

art curator — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 18:58:39 +0000

HOW STRONG IS THE ART MARKET?
As auction season begins, here are key indicators to gauge how the global art market will react to a weakening Chinese economy, the euro crisis and $35 million price tags.

Kelly Crow
The Wall Street Journal

With the fall auction season kicking into high gear, the global art market is facing a series of critical stress tests. Sotheby’s BID -0.71% Hong Kong kicks off a set of Asian art sales on Friday, and next week the rest of the art world will descend on London’s Frieze Art Fair for contemporary sales. Then in early November, New York’s major fall auctions arrive with roughly $1 billion worth of additional art in tow.

All of these sales should provide some welcome clarity for an art market that’s been sending radically mixed signals lately. A string of strong sales last year pointed to a market largely recovered from recession. But some collectors—particularly in China—have grown circumspect in recent months, throwing art values into flux once again. In May, Sotheby’s in New York got nearly $120 million for Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”—the most ever paid for a work of art at auction—but the following month, the auction house didn’t bring in that much from an entire sale of Impressionist and modern art in London, where nearly a third of the offerings went unsold.

The alchemy of what’s selling, or not, can swing wildly in any given season depending on what turns up in the marketplace, but dealers say the overriding dynamic now is one of polarization. Collectors remain eager to splurge on masterpieces, but they’re turning their noses up at anything that appears second-tier. That’s creating a top-heavy atmosphere that feels heady yet unstable—especially since the majority of artworks trade below the million-dollar mark, dealers say.

Major Miami collector Douglas Cramer thinks the time is ripe to offer up $25 million worth of his contemporary art at Christie’s in November, but he still has plenty of burning questions about the overall market’s trajectory. “You never know, from one banking crisis to another, what kind of impact it’ll have on art prices,” Mr. Cramer said. “I just took a deep breath.”

The answers to five key questions should help gauge the health of the overall art market going forward.

What impact will China’s cooling economy have on the market?

Collectors from mainland China played a central role in cushioning the auction houses during the recession, transforming Hong Kong into a sales hub to rival London or New York. Could prices suffer everywhere if the Chinese bow out now? Asian art prices have been hardest hit so far. Christie’s sales in Asia were down a quarter during the first half of the year compared to the year before. Sotheby’s combined low estimate for its big Hong Kong sales this weekend is $215 million, 31% lower than its sale total last fall.

Michael Frahm, a London-based art adviser who specializes in new Asian art, said private sales of Asian contemporary art approached a standstill this summer. “It’s worrying,” he said.

The world’s chief auction houses—Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Beijing Poly and China Guardian—are all busy reshuffling their sales strategies as a result. Sotheby’s recently partnered with a government-run entity in Beijing to store and sell art. The Beijing-based houses, meanwhile, are trying to tap broader, pan-Asian audiences by holding auctions in Hong Kong.

Moving over to Europe, how much is the euro crisis dampening art sales?

Europeans are still in the game, dealers say, but they’re largely playing it safe this season—selling heirloom jewels as needed and buying pieces by older artists from their home countries whose values they trust will hold up. This trend helps Gerhard Richter in Germany and Alberto Giacometti in Switzerland, but it’s gutting prices for Italian Baroque and 18th-century Spanish court painters because their hometown crowds aren’t buying much at all. “When your country is caught up in austerity measures, you don’t want to be seen buying art,” said Alex Bell, Sotheby’s head of Old Master and British paintings.

Where is the next likely hot spot?

Pablo Picasso | “Head of a Woman”
© 2012 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Brazil is gathering steam, but there’s no other vast region like Russia or China ready to rally the entire market this round. Still, auction experts are eyeing a few areas like the Caucasus, those oil-rich countries rimming the Caspian Sea. Christie’s is prospecting heavily in Azerbaijan this season, shopping its Picassos at an event held last month in Baku’s new Four Seasons Hotel. New York dealer David Nash praised Christie’s initiative, but said the move just shows how eager auction houses are to harness any wild-card energy. “If they’re looking for oil towns, I suppose they’ll be turning up next in Lubbock, Texas,” Mr. Nash quipped.

How confident are American collectors?

Anyone looking for an art-market savior this season should definitely keep an eye on the U.S., because its collectors have dominated just about every major sale in London and New York all year. Americans are also turning out to be some of the season’s biggest sellers. New York’s November sales of contemporary art are brimming with pieces consigned by collectors like hedge-fund manager Steven Cohen and Mr. Cramer who understand art-market cycles and have been known to score tidy profits over the years by trading artworks in and out of auctions.

What’s selling best overall?

There’s no way to know yet if this market is nearing another peak, but bellwethers abound, so watch how they fare—from a $35 million Andy Warhol, “Statue of Liberty,” being offered at Christie’s to a Raphael drawing at Sotheby’s that’s priced to sell for at least $16 million. Here’s a look at how the season’s five major collecting categories are shaping up.

Impressionist & Modern Art
Overview: Collectors seeking brand-name artists usually head to this segment of the market, which includes the Impressionists and ends in the World War II era. But do your homework because this area also sees some of the starkest price differentiations between what’s considered the best and what’s left. Sotheby’s got nearly $120 million for Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” in May but the sale didn’t help four lesser Munchs that have since come to market and bombed.

Outlook: At next month’s sales in New York, expect international bidders to play it safe with perennial favorites like Pablo Picasso and rare finds by sculptors like Constantin Brancusi. On Nov. 5, Sotheby’s will ask at least $15 million for Picasso’s 1936 “Woman at the Window,” a rainbow-hued portrait of his mistress, Marie-Thérèse Walter. On Nov. 7, Christie’s wants at least $8 million for “Head of a Woman,” Pi-casso’s 1937 depiction of photographer Dora Maar, the mistress he took up with after Ms. Walter.

Next stop: Azerbaijan. After a handful of oil-rich collectors from Baku turned up at Christie’s London sales in February, auction specialists began prospecting for potential bidders there. What are they taking in tow? Colorful paintings by Picasso and Tamara de Lempicka.

Fine print: Russian collectors who played such a big role in the market’s last run-up—only to bow out during recession—are filtering back into the modern-art market under certain conditions. Make that flawless conditions: If a painting is slightly damaged or comes with any qualifying remarks about its physical state, auction experts say the Russians will shy away. “Any information like that is considered a negative to the Russians,” said Christie’s expert Brooke Lampley. Still, she said she thinks a Russian could take home the priciest piece in Christie’s Nov. 7 sale, Wassily Kandinsky’s 1909 “Study for Improvisation 8.” Its estimate: $20 million to $30 million.

Surreal Stretch: Surrealism, the dreamy, cerebral style that thrived in 1920s Paris, spent decades in the market’s margins until last year when a collector paid a record-setting $21.7 million for Salvador Dalí’s “Portrait of Paul Eluard.” Now, auction houses are offering up surreal-seeming works by artists who never exactly embraced the definition, like Joan Miró and Alberto Giacometti. Sotheby’s got nearly $37 million for Miró’s 1927 “Blue Star” in June, and Christie’s is asking at least $12 million in November for Miro’s 1925 quirky scene of a woman walking her dog, “To Play.” Also redefined as surreal: Giacometti’s late 1940s sculptures of body parts. Christie’s wants $10 million for a leg. “It’s eccentric,” Ms. Lampley said.

Affordable alternative: Picasso’s post-Cubism still lifes don’t turn up at auction as often as his paintings of mistresses, so his 1944 windowsill view of a potted “Tomato Plant” in Sotheby’s Nov. 5 sale offers a different slice of his oeuvre. The house is asking at least $10 million for this work, which once belonged to the Whitney family but was bought by the current owner in 2004 for about $7 million.

Asian Art

Sotheby’s | “Potted Chrysanthemums” | Sanyu”

Overview: Asian art may span seven regions and six millennia, but its art market is just now grappling with its first major downturn—at least since the Japanese fled the Impressionist field in 1990. This time, it’s China whose economy is cooling, and the repercussions are hard to miss.

Outlook: Sotheby’s $28 million sale of Asian art in New York last month proves there are still deep-pocketed bidders for Asian art; they’re just less willing to splurge on anything but sure bets. Prices for some porcelain pieces are now are down by half, in some cases, from a year ago. On Tuesday, Sotheby’s will ask at least $5.1 million for a pair of Qing-era double-gourd vases. “Last year, I could have doubled that estimate without blinking an eye,” said Sotheby’s expert Nicolas Chow.

Area to watch: 20th-century Chinese paintings. Last year, China Guardian got $65 million for Qi Baishi’s 1946 ink painting of an eagle; prices aren’t expected to soar that high during the Asia sales in Hong Kong next week, but market watchers will be watching to see how China’s modern masters—including Li Keran and Xu Beihong—hold up. China Guardian wants $773,800 or more for Mr. Li’s rosy “Sun After the Rain” from 1965 in its sale this Sunday. That same day, Sotheby’s will try to get at least $2.6 million for a 1950s still life, “Potted Chrysanthemums,” by a Matisse-like modern favorite, Sanyu.

Affordable Alternative: Chinese furniture. Both Christie’s and China Guardian are testing appetites for Ming-era pieces of furniture made from rare rosewood, or huanghuali. Jonathan Stone, Christie’s head of Asian art, said collectors who have bought property in recent years “still need to furnish them.” On Nov. 28, Christie’s will offer up a group of 50 pieces culled from a trio of American collectors—including a pair of large display cabinets from the 18th century, estimated to sell for at least $300,000.

Next stop: Singapore. With more mainland-Chinese collectors staying home this season—in part because Chinese bank lending has grown tight—auctioneers are turning to parts of Asia that feel comparatively carefree, like Singapore. The island city-state is flush with Chinese expats and bankers whose collections include artists from both East and West. It also boasts homes with large gardens. That’s why Sotheby’s is installing a selling exhibition of outdoor sculptures by Yemeni artist Zadok Ben-David in the Singapore Botanical Gardens on Oct. 23, said Kevin Ching, CEO of Sotheby’s Asia. Christie’s also shopped its major sale highlights in Singapore last month.

Jewelry

Sotheby’s | Gray naturalpearl-and-diamond brooch

Overview: Few hard assets come in prettier packages, or hold up as well under broader market pressures. Sotheby’s jewelry sales are up 19%, to $254.5 million, so far this year compared with last year. Christie’s has sold $305 million worth of jewelry in the first half of this year—as much as it sold during all of 2009.

Outlook: Collectors are paying a premium at auction for colored diamonds—particularly in shades of pink and blue—but prices for white diamonds have been flat for the past six months, dealers say. On Nov. 13, Christie’s in Geneva still expects to get at least $15 million for a 76-carat diamond once owned by Archduke Joseph of Hungary.

Favored Nation: China’s wealthy may have scaled back on buying Asian art, but they’re doubling down on rare gems and watches, in part because they are universally prized and therefore potentially easier to resell, says Christie’s expert Rahul Kadakia. In May, an Asian collector paid $17.5 million for a 12-carat pink diamond at Christie’s in Hong Kong. The priciest jewel in Sotheby’s Hong Kong sales next week? An 88.88 carat diamond necklace estimated to sell for at least $4.5 million.

Sign Here: Collectors from Asia and elsewhere are paying a premium this year for jewelry signed by specific designers who worked for major jewelers like Cartier and Tiffany between the Belle Epoque of the late 19th century up through the 1950s. Suzanne Belperron, a pal of Vogue editor Diana Vreeland who designed for Art Deco-era jeweler Boivin in the 1920s, is particularly popular now. In May, Sotheby’s got nearly $500,000 for her 1935 marquise-shaped rock-crystal-and-diamond ring, six times its high estimate.

Object to watch: After ceding market share to cultured pearls for most of the 20th century, rare, natural pearls are enjoying a sudden comeback this season. Last December, Christie’s reset the record for a natural pearl when it got $11.8 million for Elizabeth Taylor’s 16th-century Peregrina pearl necklace. On Dec. 5, Sotheby’s will try to get at least $400,000 for a gray natural-pearl-and-diamond brooch.

Old Masters

Sotheby’s | Raphael | “Head of a Young Apostle”

Overview: Sales were largely flat last year for European art spanning the 14th to the 19th centuries, but the Renaissance men appear to be enjoying a comeback this season: Christie’s $133.4 million Old Master and British paintings sale in July was the house’s highest-ever total for the category, thanks to collectors from 22 countries like Brazil and Russia, plus an influx of first-time bidders. Demand remains soft at both auction houses for middling pieces in the $50,000 to $200,000 range, though.

Outlook: Expect collectors to keep ratcheting up prices for masterpieces while sniffing at anything that feels lackluster. The same divergence shows up in the market for Old Master drawings and medieval manuscripts. In December, Sotheby’s will try to get at least $6.4 million for a two-volume play, “The Mystery of Revenge,” illustrated in a 1468 manuscript originally commissioned by a French duke called Philip the Good. (No word if the play was as well-received.)

New Name Here: With Old Master paintings continually trickling out of the marketplace and into museums, top pieces remain in short supply. That’s one reason why auction houses invest heavily into seeking attributions for works that may have been deemed anonymous or wrongly labeled over the centuries. In July, Christie’s got $7.9 million for a scene called “Christ Between Saints Paul and Peter” after scholars agreed to attribute the piece to 14th century painter Pietro Lorenzetti.

Artist to Watch: Joachim Anthonisz Wtewael. This little-known Dutch painter scored a coup when Christie’s sold his long lost Roman love triangle scene from 1610, “Mars and Venus Surprised by Vulcan,” for a record-setting $7.2 million in July. On Dec. 4, Christie’s will try to capitalize on Wtewael’s breakthrough by selling a later panel from 1623, “Charity,” for at least $644,000.

Market Mover: New York financier Leon Black reset price levels for Old Master drawings three years ago when he paid $47.6 million for a Raphael chalk drawing, “Head of a Muse,” a record auction price at the time for a work on paper. Now, the Duke of Devonshire is asking Sotheby’s to sell one of his 15 Raphael drawings, “Head of a Young Apostle,” for at least $16 million in December. The work amounts to a preparatory sketch for Raphael’s 1520 painting of the Transfiguration, which hangs in the Vatican.

Contemporary Art
Overview: Art history is still mulling the lasting merits of today’s living artists, but that hasn’t stopped collectors from placing bets now. The market’s most speculative sector, which spans art made between 1945 and today, saw prices plummet by as much as 66% during the recession, only to surge back up quickly—especially for well-known artists like Gerhard Richter.

Outlook: Brace for sticker shock. Contemporary-art auctions rarely totaled more than $30 million a couple of decades ago, said Christie’s specialist Brett Gorvy. “Now, collectors will spend $30 million to win a single painting.” At least three contemporary paintings carry price tags north of $25 million this season alone: Mark Rothko’s 1954 “No. 1 (Royal Red and Blue)” and Jackson Pollock’s “Number 4, 1951,” both at Sotheby’s, and Warhol’s 1962 “Statue of Liberty” at Christie’s.

Market Movers: Hedge-fund manager Steven Cohen is wagering heavily on the contemporary market’s strength by asking Christie’s to help him sell Richter’s 1983 abstract “Prag 1883″ for at least $15 million on Nov. 14. New York collector Donald Bryant is also offering up “Marlon,” Warhol’s 1966 portrait of “The Wild One” actor Marlon Brando at Christie’s for at least $20 million. (Warhol’s much-larger version of the same image sold for $32.5 million at Christie’s four years ago.)

Artist to watch: The auction record for Warhol’s protégé Jean-Michel Basquiat has been reset twice this year—one of his paintings sold for $16.3 million at Phillips de Pury in May, followed by another for $20.1 million at Christie’s in June. Now, society photographer Patrick Demarchelier has asked Christie’s to get $20 million-plus for his untitled Basquiat from 1981, which depicts the artist holding a dangling catfish.

Richter’s Reach? Prices have topped $21 million lately for Richter’s squeegee-smeared abstracts, but Sotheby’s plans to test demand for the artist’s family portraits on Nov. 13 by selling two paintings, both titled “IG,” depicting Richter’s second wife, artist Isa Gentzken. Asking price: $3 million apiece.

Affordable Alternative: With prices for top postwar paintings routinely surpassing $10 million now, collectors with smaller wallets are increasingly turning to these artists’ drawings, where prices rarely reach half as high. This fall, Mr. Cramer, the Miami collector, is selling off around 50 works on paper at Christie’s, including an early Roy Lichtenstein drawing of basketball shoes. Estimate: at least $2 million.

Write to Kelly Crow at kelly.crow@wsj.com

This article was originally published here

THREE CRAFTY ART LABS TO CHECK OUT

art curator — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 16:01:34 +0000

THREE CRAFTY ART LABS TO CHECK OUT AT ART SAN DIEGO
Vintage works and contemporary craftsmanship
on view at the big annual art fair

Amy T. Granite
San Diego CityBeat

In its fourth year, Art San Diego Contemporary Art Fair (Sept. 6 through 9) is making a symbolic move to the Balboa Park Activity Center, a location that challenges the church-and-state separation of museums and commercial art events.

This year’s concept is New Art City, a four-district urban compound divided by art and design genres, combining gallery sales with the kind of educational components visitors would expect from museums, including performance art and lectures.

There will be nine Art Labs—curated showcases by local institutions including universities, museums and businesses—that will give attendees a better understanding of San Diego’s arts landscape. In the past, these exhibits have been hosted off-site, but this year, it’s all in one place and on view during regular fair hours from noon to 7 p.m. daily, except for the final day, which ends at 5 p.m. For details, visit artsandiego2012.com.

There’s a lot to take in, but three object-driven showcases hit our radar:

• Dave Hampton of Objects USA, a gallery that focuses on California and Southwest mid-century art, will present the works of six local artists from the period at Maximum SD Vintage. Most recently, Hampton curated San Diego’s Craft Revolution at the Mingei International Museum and Contemporary Art Wins a Beachhead: The La Jolla School of Arts 1960-1964 at the Oceanside Museum of Art. He’s at it again, this time exposing lesser-known paintings and sculptures from San Diego’s craftsmen elite, along with a collection of Charles Eames furniture curated by Hampton’s Objects USA partner, Steve Aldana.

Art by Fred Holle, Guy Williams, Bob Matheny, Russell Baldwin, Sheldon Kirby and Erik Gronborg will be represented, along with early sculptures by James Hubbell. Hubbell’s best-known in San Diego for his modernist architecture—from his Julian home and art compound to the Pacific Portal at Shelter Island and its white, concrete gazebo with waves and sail shapes that point to the sky. Hampton will show two examples of his early abstract work. A reception for Hubbell and other Maximum SD Vintage contributors (to be announced) will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, at rear Patio A. There’s a suggested $20 donation to benefit the Ilan-Lael Foundation.

• Point Loma Nazarene University will present an 18-year retrospective that draws from its pool of creative alumni for an Art Lab called Sculpture. The most recent contribution in the exhibit is by Austin Beneteau, who carved a pair of cowboy boots out of basswood for his senior project in 2012 before setting them ablaze to achieve a look that’s not far off from textured, distressed leather.

“I’m a guy who likes guy things,” Beneteau says of his inspiration for the boots.

The idea came to Beneteau at a bonfire, where the artist had his shoe-clad feet propped up near the flames. “I had a pair of boots to work off of,” he says of the initial carving process, “and I knew what I wanted them to look like, so at first, I controlled the fire.

”Eventually, Beneteau says he let the fire go, just like he’ll be doing with the boots. He’ll be sad to sell them, although he’s flattered that other artists, including his former professor and current boss, Dave Adey—who’ll also exhibit work in Sculpture—have expressed interest in taking the singed woodwork off his hands.

Eleven alumni will show their work for Sculpture, but because of space constraints at Art San Diego, the items will be rotated daily, so visit the booth all three days for a comprehensive look. Additionally, Sculpture will be on view at the Point Loma Nazarene’s Keller Gallery (3900 Lomaland Drive) from Sept. 13 through Oct. 31.

• Material Matters is the title, and theme, of an Art Lab presented by SDSU alumni and current students from the school’s Furniture Design and Woodworking Program.

“To make these items with any other materials would change its meaning,” Matthew Hebert, assistant professor of furniture de sign and woodworking, says about the concept. One of the examples he points to is a literal wall of sound that artist Jon Bonser created in 2011; the cabinets, made from found guitar amps, are a strange, improvisational way of making the furniture system, Hebert says.

Vincent Robles is a graduate student in the program, and he’s also a San Diego Art Prize winner as a 2012 emerging artist. He’s recognized for a sculptural piece of furniture titled “Shelter” that he made in 2011—an 8-foot-tall reclaimed wood structure that looks like a cross between a ladder and an upside-down rollercoaster track.

The Art Prize is presented by the San Diego Visual Arts Network to pairs of established and emerging visual artists, who also win cash prizes and exhibit space at the fair. Robles’ work will be on display alongside Arline Fisch, the established artist with whom he’s paired, and also at SDSU’s Art Lab.

Amy blogs at saysgranite.com and you can follow her on Twitter @saysgranite.

More about ART SAN DIEGO Art Labs →

FIRED UP AND READY TO GO

art curator — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 02:00:29 +0000

FIRED UP AND READY TO GO:
INTERVIEW WITH ANN BERCHTOLD, MANAGING DIRECTOR,
SAN DIEGO ART FAIR

Cathy Breslaw
Artful Life by Cathy

Curiosity drew me to inviting Ann Berchtold for an interview. For three years I have attended the San Diego Contemporary Art Fair, held each September, showcasing contemporary art galleries, art dealers, furniture designers, art labs, and solo artists from around the U.S. and other countries. Having attended several other art fairs and art related trade shows over the years, I have been impressed with San Diego Art Fairs’ unique point of view, lively and engaging weekend long series of events and its celebratory approach to presenting visual art. Ann Berchtold is a savvy businesswoman who sees the importance of creating an ‘art experience’ as a way of capturing the publics’ attention. In 2011, the fair had a record 8,000 visitors, and went from 27 gallery booths in 2009, to the 61 expected in September, 2012 at the Activity Center at Balboa Park.

The title of this year’s fair, “New Art City”, comments on Berchtold’s belief in and enthusiasm for the city of San Diego as an important contemporary art destination. The seeds for San Diego’s first art fair were sown in Miami where Ann first experienced a contemporary art fair. Having been a frequent visitor to Miami during her growing up years, she said she was “blown away and turned on” by what Art Miami did for that city, its growth as a travel destination and art town. She commented “It was a game changer for Miami and if Miami can do, so can San Diego.” Ann came home after Miami and enlisted the support and help of her friend Julie Schraeger, and together they began their research into art fairs, learning ways they could move forward with their vision. During 2007 and 2008, they visited many art fairs around the U.S. learning from the directors of those fairs, while simultaneously doing outreach to the San Diego art community leadership, meeting with civic advisory groups and were able to bring partners and sponsors on board to launch the first San Diego Contemporary Art Fair in September, 2009. Today, the fair has United Bank of Switzerland as their largest sponsor and partner – the same bank that supports Art Basel, considered to be the largest and finest contemporary art fair in the world.

Ann Berchtold is not an artist and what brought her to San Diego was college. She attended San Diego State University, majoring in Business and Marketing. While in school, Ann worked at Rancho Valencia Resort in Rancho Santa Fe for several years and when she graduated, her boss offered her the job as Catering Director. From there, she moved to San Francisco to the Ritz Carlton where she worked as Catering Director and handled many large special events. Through these jobs, Berchtold honed her skills in logistics, project management and the organization of large complex events. When asked how she developed a passion for the arts, Ann attributes it to her family. Raised in Michigan, Berchtold is one of four children with three brothers, all of whom, including her parents, are in the arts. She minored in fine art in college and along the way unleashed an entrepreneurial spirit as she brings people, art, and music together.

Ann began her art connection in the San Diego community as director of the L Street Gallery, in the Omni Hotel while developing a website featuring local artists and events. In 2007, she teamed up with Patricia Frischer, to launch the San Diego Art Prize exhibition at the gallery. They were able to obtain a grant for this well received exhibition and the San Diego Art Prize continues as one of the featured events of the San Diego Art Fair.

Over the four years of its existence, the fair has developed a list of thousands of art collectors, and has attracted more and better galleries. This year’s New Art City’s venue is in Balboa Park so that there is a collaboration with the museums and attractions of the park and promises to engage an ever growing audience of support and participation. The fair has moved from the Grand Del Mar to the San Diego Hilton and now hopes it has found a home in Balboa Park. Berchtold is looking towards 2015 which is the centennial celebration of the park and wants the San Diego Art Fair to be a leading contributor to the events.

Ann Berchtold hopes to build a new kind of art fair – changing it up from a predictable grid-like system of exhibitor booths to showcasing all of what San Diego has to offer uniting artists, musicians, art collectors, sponsors, and partners, together with galleries from around the U.S. and the world. Armed with unbridled optimism, enthusiasm and the creative passion of an entrepreneur, it looks like she will continue to succeed.

Published here →

Cathy Breslaw is a southern California visual artist, writer and lecturer who has had over 25 solo exhibitions, and 50 group exhibitions across the country at museums, art centers, college and university galleries and commercial galleries. Her work can be found in many private and corporate collections. Her work and writing can be seen at:
CathyLBreslaw.com
ArtfulLifeByCathy.blogspot.com

ARTS MONTH SAN DIEGO

art curator — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 18:03:09 +0000

SAN DIEGO ARTS GROUPS RAISE THE WELCOME BANNER DURING SEPTEMBER

Rosemary McClure
Los Angeles Times

Get a head start on the fall arts season next month when San Diego groups stage Arts Month, a showcase for the county’s galleries, arts groups, museums and festivals. The event, held during the four weeks of September, will draw more than 200,000 people to the county to view or participate in 100 culturally diverse events and exhibitions.

“Our goal is to show that San Diego is way more than surf and sun; we have a very dynamic art scene,” said Ann Berchtold, founder and director of the Arts Month San Diego.

Four distinct art locales are showcased, including Balboa Park, downtown San Diego, La Jolla and North County.

“Discover Balboa Park,” Sept. 2-8, will include Art San Diego Contemporary Art Fair, the season finale of the San Diego Symphony Summer Pops and the San Diego Museum of Art exhibition “Dynamic: Blue Note After Rivera.” Also on the schedule: The Old Globe’s Shakespeare Festival, which will present “As You Like it” and San Diego Natural History Museum’s exhibit “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition.”

“Discover La Jolla,” Sept. 9-16, will include art openings, a La Jolla Playhouse presentation of “An Iliad” and an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego titled “Behold, America!: Art of the United States from Three San Diego Museums.”

“Discover Downtown,” Sept. 16-22, will offer ArtWalk on the Bay, Coronado Art Walk and a Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego exhibition, “Isaac Julien: Ten Thousand Waves.”

“Discover North County,” Sept. 23-30, will include the San Diego Film Festival at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and an Oceanside Museum of Art exhibition: “Cruisin’ Califas: The Art of Lowriding.”

PANORAMA EXHIBITION | VISION: CHINA

art curator — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 16:06:55 +0000

ART SAN DIEGO CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR WILL HAVE STRONG CHINESE ELEMENT

James Chute
The San Diego Union-Tribune

The fourth annual Art San Diego Contemporary Art Fair, set Sept. 6-9 in the Balboa Park Activity Center, will include an unusual Chinese art component: “Vision China.” As many as 50 delegates are expected to attend the fair, including 29 Chinese artists, among them Xiliang Wang, Yuren Shi, Songmao Zhang, Yanzu Li and Qizhong Peng. Their work, much of it in porcelain (china, if you will), will be on display.

“It should open a new window for both of us,” stated Liu Cheng Xuan, president of the China Culture Newspaper, whose parent company, the state-owned China Culture Media Group, is sponsoring the visit. “Our wish is for Chinese and American artists to have in depth and extensive community and cooperation.”

In addition to the China Culture Newspaper, the Media Group publishes a cellphone culture newspaper, an art market journal, a culture monthly journal, an art education journal and is responsible for “national level” websites

(tv.dongman.gov.cn; cnwhcm.com; and cpess.org).

“Our wish is for Chinese and American artists to have in depth and extensive community and cooperation.” At the same time the fair is becoming more international, it is also becoming more local as it moves to Balboa Park after three years in hotels and is placing more emphasis on San Diego galleries and artists. But Ann Berchtold, the fair’s founder and director, doesn’t see any contradiction. “The Vision China exhibition, in combination with the extensive exhibitions showcasing our vibrant local arts scene, demonstrates the fair’s ability to be both international and hyper-local,” she said in a statement.

ART SAN DIEGO 2012 AFTER-PARTY

art curator — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 18:23:52 +0000

PRESENTED BY PARDON MY FRENCH

San Diego Artrepreneurs Pardon My French are hosting the official after-party for one of the largest attended and most anticipated cultural events in San Diego, the ART SAN DIEGO Contemporary Art Fair. Pardon My French is a social movement designed to elevate the caliber and profile of San Diego’s art scene by raising the bar in every area.

This event benefits our charity partner, San Diego based nonprofit organization A Reason To Survive (ARTS), who use all art forms as a vehicle to create positive, long-lasting change in children and youth facing major life challenges – giving them not only a reason to survive – but to also thrive. Pardon My French has the pleasure of featuring a variety of local artists, including San Diego’s own rising star Celestine. In addition, we are featuring the work of young artists from ARTS, which will be available for purchase with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the organization.

As with our monthly events, guests will be greeted with a complimentary glass of champagne, emerging art, and the sexy down-tempo music of DJ Leif. This event will take place on the picturesque rooftop of San Diego’s restyled and re-energized W Hotel commencing at 7 pm.

Pardon My French is providing free transportation from the Art Fair (Balboa Park) to the W Hotel for their guests from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm. Please RSVP on our website for this service so we will be adequately prepared.

SAN DIEGO ART PRIZE EMERGING ARTISTS

art curator — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 01:14:12 +0000

SAN DIEGO ART PRIZE NAMES ‘EMERGING ARTIST’ WINNERS

The San Diego Art Prize has completed its slate of 2012 Featured Artists. The “Established Artists” winners, Arline Fisch and Jeffery Laudenslager, have chosen “Emerging Artists” Vincent Robles and Deanne Sabeck.

The work of all four artists will be shown together at ART SAN DIEGO Contemporary Art Fair, Sept. 6-9, and in an exhibit at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library opening March 30, 2013.

Robles, whose primary medium is sculptural furniture, is a graduate student in the Furniture Design Program at San Diego State University. Sabeck, whose art deals with elements of light, has work in the San Diego International Airport and the home of actor Mel Gibson.

The work of both “Emerging Artists,” along with “New Contemporaries” (nominated by the Prize Committee) Shawnee Barton, Lauren Carerra, Noah Doely, Rob Duarte, Alexander Jarman, Anna Chiaretta Lavatelli, Lee Lavy, Ingram Ober, David Leon Smith and Brian Zimmerman, is on display at Susan Strret Fine Art Gallery in Solana Beach through July 3.