S+ART

Introduction to Coptic-Style Book Binding - 5 session evening course

Coptic-style book binding is one of the oldest methods of book binding. It was used in Egypt as early as the 2nd century by early Christians, who were known as Copts. Today the Coptic method is often used by artists to create one-of-a-kind handmade books which can be used as sketchbooks, journals, or for any other book art. Coptic style books are noted for being able to lay open completely flat without risking damaging the spine.

In Introduction to Coptic-Style Book Binding, a 5 session evening course offered by The Smithsonian Associates, students are taught hands-on how to make Coptic-bound books.The great thing about this method of book binding is that it can be easily replicated at home. No adhesive is used; pages are stitched together and the spine is left exposed, giving the book a simple and elegant look. Students are given the opportunity to explore various binding materials, such as hand-made papers and creative cover choices.

Instructor Katie Wagner is a book artist and conservator who also works for Smithsonian Libraries.

Register for Introduction to Coptic-Style Book Binding
Wed., Feb. 16-March 16, 6:30 - 9 p.m.
S. Dillon Ripley Center
Room 3041
1100 Jefferson Drive, S.W.

Allison Recht

Tips & Techniques: Reusing Old Books

Most of us have books lying around that we don't read, and don't even want; libraries have book sales where the books are dirt cheap; even grocery stores sell cheap paperbacks. Many of us think that all books are something sacred that we can't alter, but why not? Just because a piece of paper already has type on it doesn't mean it can't be turned into a compelling piece of visual art.

Tom Phillips is a British artist who has been working for years on a project called A Humument. He started with the book A Human Document by W. H. Mallock. Phillips had never heard of the author or the Victorian-era book, but it was in the bargain bin and therefore suited his needs. Phillips has drawn, painted, and collaged on every page of the book, leaving only specific words, phrases, or partial words visible. From an old, unwanted book, he has created something new. 

Phillip's A Humument (A Hum(an Doc)ument) is still readable, although it is slightly less coherent because of all the words that have been covered. Phillips uses the existing characters, as well as some new ones he's created.

Many rules have grown up in the course of the work. Although Mallock’s original hero (Grenville) and heroine (Irma) have their parts to play, the central figure of this version is Bill Toge (pronounced 'toe-dj'). His adventures can only (and must) occur on pages which originally contained the words 'together' or 'altogether' (the only words from which his name can be extracted). He also has his own recurrent iconography; his insignia include a carpet and a window looking out onto a forest and his amoeba-like, ever-changing shape is always constructed from the rivers in the type. 

from http://www.humument.com/intro.html

For more information on A Humument, visit the official website www.humument.com.

Pages from A Humument by Tom Phillips. For more visit the humument.com gallery

 

Allison Recht

Graphic Novel Techniques

Comics: a new take on contemporary art and literature.

Starting with its humble beginnings as comical pop culture imagery, comics have emerged to challenge traditional notions of high art.  Let’s refer to these types of comics as graphic novels, shall we?   Such a credible variation of art deserves a more credible name, don’t you think?

There are several modern graphic novels that stand out as prime examples of individualistic, skilled, and creative works of art.  Three that I choose to highlight are:

1.    Maus, by Art Spiegelman

2.   Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi

(And my personal favorite…)

3.   City of Glass, by Paul Auster

Look to these examples for inspiration on developing your own graphic style!  How would you want your own graphic novel to look?  Dynamic line hatching and depth like Maus? High contrast and simplified shapes like Persepolis?  Or perhaps a varied approach with lights, darks, and textures like City of Glass?

Which style suits you?

Maus, by Art Spiegelman 

Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi 

City of Glass, by Paul Auster

 

 

Tips and Techniques: A "Giacometti" Approach to Portraiture

Portraiture.  Everyone’s process is different.  Who do you choose to represent?  Yourself?  Another?  How long do you spend interacting with the same canvas, piece of paper, etc.?  What emotional or intellectual response is it that you want to evoke from the viewer?  With so many questions, and even more answers, portraiture can be a murky and overwhelming subject.  But with the right inspiration, the road to making successful portraits can be a little less rocky.

Looking to the artist, Alberto Giacometti, for inspiration, we see that the “road” is just as telling about the artist as is the final product.  Even if you are visibly present before a completed work of art, there is still so much that is invisible.  What was the process that had to happen for the piece to come to fruition?  When you focus on how art is made, you learn more about who the artist is, and why they are the way they are.

Giacometti experimented with both Surrealism and portraying the natural world around him.  Born in 1910, he was a Swiss painter, sculptor, draughtsman, and printmaker who grew up in an artistic household.  His father, Giovanni, was a recognized post-impressionist painter who undoubtedly influenced his interest in art.  Giacometti attended the School of Fine Arts in Geneva, and in 1922, he moved to Paris for further study and guidance.

From 1936 to 1940, he focused on representing his model’s gaze in his sculpture.  Preferring sitters whom he knew well, Giacometti continually reworked past projects.  His obsession with capturing his elusive vision of the sitter on the page, canvas, or in his sculpture led to many overlapping layers of paint or charcoal, or reversely, to inconceivably thin sculpted figures that would continually reduce in size as a product of repeated carving.  For Giacometti, portraiture was both a tragic and therapeutic process that reflected his existential and probing attitudes towards life.

 

James Lord, a long-time friend of Giacometti, sat for 18 days straight as the artist continued to work on his portrait in oil.  Lord’s records of this process became a book called A Giacometti Portrait which chronicled what it meant for Giacometti to be an artist and what his approach to portraiture revealed about himself.

 

In 1962, Giacometti received the grand prize at the Venice Biennale.  But not even world-wide recognition kept him from reworking his pieces.  In his mind, nothing was ever satisfyingly finished.  Amusingly enough, a deadline was the only thing that could stop him from continuing work!

 

Turn to Giacometti for inspiration on your own approach to portraiture.

To all you artists—both novice and advanced—this is the undertaking that I propose:

Find a subject—either yourself or someone else—for an ongoing portrait project.  This portrait cannot be completed in one sitting, or even one week.  The crux of this project is the challenge to keep coming back to the same page, canvas, etc. to rework, revise, and continue to converse with your work.  Repeatedly distance yourself from the portrait, and then immerse yourself in it.

For practical purposes, it might be complicated to find someone to sit for you for such a drawn-out time period.  But don’t let that discourage you!  I have found that I, myself, am my best model.  I follow my own instruction exceedingly well!

The one rule for this project is that you cannot start over.  Otherwise, how could you see your entire process from beginning to end?  You may feel frustrated and discouraged, or perhaps freed and inspired.  You may want to destroy your work (as Giacometti often did), or frame it.  Either way, this ongoing approach to portraiture can reveal much more about you as an artist than any finished product ever could!

This is why I challenge you to fearlessly accept this “no eraser” mentality and see where it leads you.  Aim to keep coming back to this portrait over the course of a week, a month, several months, or even years, as Giacometti did.  Have fun with this activity and use your imagination!  Try a new pose, medium, but especially new attitude to creating a portrait.  Don’t grapple with proportions in the same way that you try to see your subject in a new light.  You may find that a complete visual record of your work may be more interesting than the portrait, itself!

For further reading on Giacometti’s artistic approach to portraiture, I suggest reading A Giacometti Portrait by James Lord.

Want more inspiration?  See works by Giacometti in person at either the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden or the National Gallery of Art, both in Washington, D.C.  For a list of works by Giacometti that are on view at the Smithsonain's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, click here.  For a list of his works available at the National Gallery of Art, click here.

Happy portrait-making!

Going Ons: lots and lots of Art events this weekend in DC!

On Friday, November 13th and on specific dates in the coming months, from 10:30-11:30 AM, storyteller Diane Macklin introduces young audiences to Africa through children's literature by award-winning authors.  This event is free and designed for children 6 and up.  It will be held in the lecture hall of the African Art Museum.

Also on Friday, from 10:30-12:30 AM at the American Indian Museum, Juanita Velasco demonstrates the art of weaving on the traditional back-strap loom, tells the story depicted in her weaving, and teaches visitors how to make a friendship bracelet.  This event is free to the public and Celebrates American Indian Heritage Month.  It will occur throughout November.

And still on Friday, at 1 PM in the African Art Museum Lecture Hall, scholars of African art history share their research findings from working with photographs of African artworks featured in Man Ray, African Art and the Modernist Lens, and exhibition on view at the Phillips Collection.  This event is free, so get there before seats fill up!

Or maybe you would rather spend part of Friday, Saturday, or Sunday sitting in on some artist interviews being shown at the Luce Foundation Center for American Art.  The screenings are free and continuously rolling from 11:30 AM -7:00 PM.

On Friday, November 13th from 3-6 PM in the Rasmuson Theatre of the American Indian Museum, there will be a symposium on IndiVisible: African-Native American Lives in the Americas.  After opening remarks by Dr. Lonnie Bunch, Kevin Gover, moderates a discussion that highlights the challenges of African-Native American life, addresses the basic human desire to belong, and encourages people of all backgrounds to engage in a healing dialogue about the African-Native American experience.  Speakers include curators and authors Robert Keith Collins, Penny Gamble-Williams, Angela Gonzalez, Judy Kertesz, and Tiya Miles.  A book signing and reception follow. 

And on Saturday, November 14th from 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM at the American Indian Museum you have an opportunity to meet the curators of IndiVisible: African-Native American Lives in the Americas.  The exibition curators share their experiences working on this remarkable exhibition and discuss the challenges and rewards of presenting the complex subject it addresses: the cultural integration and diffusion of African American and American Indian people, expecially those of blended heritage.  This event is free and open to the public.

A little later on Saturday - 11:30 AM to 3 PM - stop by the Luce Foundation Center for American Art  for some good old family fun.  Through activities and crafts you will have an opportunity to explore the stories behind the quilts in the Luce Center.  This event is free to the public.

For some more family fun in the exact same time frame, scoot on over to the Kogod Courtyard at the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.  Take off with the museums and journey out to the Western Frontier.  Dress up like Annie Oakley or George Catlin for a photo-op and make corn-husk dolls and dream catchers to take with you.  Use the scavenger hunt through the art galleries as a map to the Old West.  Then return to the Kogod Courtyard to enjoy bluegrass music and storytelling.

And still more family fun can be found between 1 and 3 PM at The Sant Ocean Hall of the Natural History Museum.  In an explosion of harmonies, the Washington Revels perform a selection of chanteys - a musical tradition of the sea.  Voyaging sailors sang chanteys to the rhythm of their movements while working, and their tunes - some familiar and some less so - have stood the test of time.  In a sampling of these long-loved melodies, the renowned Revels bathe The Sant Ocean Hall in song.  This event is free to the public.

This weekend the Resident Associate Studio Arts Program has some workshops starting up as well:

Digital Camera Basics, Nov. 14th at 10 AM:  This hands-on workshop covers topics such as obtaining a good exposure using various shooting modes; making exposure adjustments on an image that is too light or dark; controlling color and tone as files are captured; understanding resolution, picture quality, and file formats such as JPEG and RAW; transferring files to the computer; and organizing files with a browser.

Design 101 for Quilt Makers, Nov. 15 at 10 AM:  Artists working in any medium all draw from the same basic pool of information known as the elements of art - the tools - and the principles of good design - the rules.  Whether you are new to quilt making or are a seasoned veteran and would like to begin to translate your own ideas into fabric, the tools and rules are here to help you get started.

To register for a class go to the Smithsonian Studio Arts website (http://residentassociates.org/ticketing/landing/studio-arts.aspx), scroll down, and to the left you'll see a list of different media.  Click on the medium or media of interest to find classes we offer and click on the class title to purchase tickets.  You can register as late as 2:00 PM on the first day of the class.

 

--Compiled by Sarah Kramer, Studio Arts Intern, using descriptions from Smithsonian: Events website and Smithsonian Studio Arts website

Going Ons: Art, Books, Film, and the busy, busy Resident Associates Program!

On Friday, November 6th, at 3 PM, the founder and president of the National Museum of Mexican Art, Carlos Tortolero, will discuss his work in establishing the museum in Chicago 27 years ago as a national model for exhibits, performances, art education programs, advocacy for equality issues, and the role of museums in a changing society.  This event is free to the public and will be held in the Anacostia Community Museum.  For reservations call (202) 633-4844.

This Friday also marks the beginning of the Resident Associates Program's class Photoshop for Photographers, which will start at 6 PM.  Designed for photographers working in a digital darkroom with Adobe Photoshop, this class introduces students to the most effective ways of setting up files to make controlled tone and color adjustments.  If you are interested, register before 2 PM on Friday through the Smithsonian Studio Arts website (http://residentassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/reserve.aspx?performanceNumber=218759)! 

This Saturday, November 7th, at 10 AM the Resident Associates Program is also offering a workshop - Handwork, Knitted Mittens, and Gloves.  This workshop focuses on the skills you need to make mittens and gloves, just in time for the holidays. Knitters learn knitting in the round; increases; using markers, using holders and counters; and how to knit thumbs and fingers. Various knitting techniques for decoration and design are discussed.  If interested be sure to register by 2 PM on Friday through the Smithsonian Studio Arts website (http://residentassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/reserve.aspx?performanceNumber=218304)!

 Also on Saturday, from 10 AM to 4:30 PM the Resident Associates will be hosting the discussion and workshop, Writing a Compelling Mystery, at the S. Dillon Ripley Center.  Using writing exercises and discussion, author John Gilstrap teaches how to merge the skills of a fiction writer with the clever tricks of the criminal mind to create a mystery novel.  Click here to buy tickets to this event: http://residentassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/reserve.aspx?utm_source=VIARC&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=Calendar&tmssource=51850&performanceNumber=218223.

And still on Saturday, from 10 AM to 5:30 PM, The South Asian Literary and Theatre Arts Festival will be held at the Natural History Museum's Baird Auditorium.  Celebrate the richness and diversity of South Asian literature and film through panel discussions, book readings, and film showings at this sixth annual festival.

The following authors read from, discuss, and sign copies of their books:

Daniyal Mueenuddin:  In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, his debut collection of short stories.

Kamila Shamsie:  Burnt Shadows, her latest novel about two unlikely families intertwined for generations.

Ru Freeman:  A Disobedient Girl, her debut novel that weaves together two seemingly disparate stories about a house servant yearning for more and a mother on the run with her young children.

Tania James:  Atlas of Unknowns, her debut novel that explores the divergent lives of two sisters, one who travels to America and the other who remains in their native Kerala.

Dr. Kunal Basu:  The Japanese Wife, his latest collection of 12 short stories.

Also, the following films will be screened:

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The Forgotten Woman, an award winning documentary presented by filmmaker Dilip Mehta, captures the heart-breaking stories of some of the 20 million Indian widows who are abandoned by their families and literally turned out into the streets after losing heir husbands.

Harishchandra's Factory recounts the making of India's first full-length feature film - Raja Harishchandra - which was brought to the screen in 1911 by a tenacious, pioneering ex-printer named Dadasaheb Phalke.  This is the Washington, D.C., premiere of this film, India's official entry for the Foreign Language Film category of the Academy Awards.

This event is free to the public.  For more information visit: http://apanews.si.edu/2009/04/27/south-asian-literary-and-theater-arts-festival-saltaf-2009/.

On Sunday, November 8th from 10 AM to 5 PM, in the Carmichael Auditorium of the American History Museum there will be a free lecture entitled, Experiments in 19th-Century Color Photography.  This scholarly symposium brings together national and international specialists (curators, historians, and conservators) to present new scholarship on the history of early experiments in color photography in the 19th century, highlighting the related unique collections of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Anerican History.  Scheduled presenters and their papers include:

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Michelle Delaney (curator, Photographic History Collection, National Museum of American History):  "The Hillotypes Collection at the National Museum of American History"

Dr. Dusan Stulik (senior scientist, The Getty Conservation Institute):  "Current Getty Research on 19th-Century Photographic Processes"

Grant Romer (senior conservator, The International Museum of Photography, George Eastman House):  "Color in the Eastman House Collections"

Kelly Wright (adjunct professor and doctoral candidate, University of Cincinnati):  "Reverend Hill's Domestic World:  The Context for Color in 1856"

Francois Brunet (professor of art history and literature, University of Paris):  "The International Historiography of Early Color Photography"

--Compiled by Sarah Kramer, Studio Arts Intern

Going Ons: A D.C. weekend full of art and creativity!

On Friday, October 23rd at the African Art Museum, artist-ethnographer Arturo Lindsay will discuss the retention of African culture in Portobelo, his personal journey back home to Panama and the art he has created in response to that journey.  This event is free to the public, so get there early and get a seat!

Later on Friday at the African Art Museum, at 7pm you can come see a screening of La Raiz Olividada/The Forgotten Root.  Director Raphel Rebollar will discuss his film on the "forgotten root" of the African slaves in Mexico and those who escaped to the U.S.  The related exhibition, The African Presence in Mexico: From Yanga to the Present, is on display at Anacostia Community Museum.  This event is free, but space is limited so get there before it fills up! To RSVP call (202)633-4640.

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Meet renowned abstract artist, Sam Gilliam!  He will be at the S. Dillon Ripley Center at 6:45pm on Friday evening, presenting his limited-edition silk screen Museum Moment to the Smithsonian Art Collectors Program. There will be a discussion with Gilliam and master printer Lou Stovall, followed by a reception.  To purchase tickets call (202)633-3030.  This event is free to Resident Members.

Also on Friday night, from 8pm-12am the Hirshhorn Museum will be celebrating the opening of Anne Truitt: Perception and Reflection with the last After Hours of 2009!  Be there for some "funk, soul, boogaloo, and other funky rhythms played by the DJ collective of Philippe Chetrit, Danny Harris, KC Higgins, Michael T. Miller, Sean Peoples, Pete Welsch, and Patrick White" (Smithsonian: Calendar of Events and Activities website).  Tickets for this event are sold out, but if you become an Annual Circle member not only will you have complimentary admission to the event, you will also have access to the VIP lounge!  For more information call (202)633-0570 or visit http://hirshhorn.si.edu/afterhours/.  

On Saturday the 24th from 10am-4pm in the S. Dillon Ripley Center, Bonita Billman will be giving an all-day seminar on the hidden meaning found in the everyday objects Renaissance artists portrayed in their work.  For more information on this seminar and how to purchase tickets visit http://residentassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/reserve.aspx?utm_source=VIARC&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=Calendar&tmssource=51850&performanceNumber=218205.  It's not too late to register for fall classes with Smithsonian Studio Arts!  Please visit our website and scroll through the courses offered by clicking the different media listed in the menu on the lower left.  If you are interested in a course, you can register as late as 2pm the first day of the course. 

This weekend, just outside the Freer Gallery, come see Michael Kirby recreate a detail of a Falnama image first created in Safavid Iran in the 1580s.  This street painting was inspired by the opening of Falnama: The Book of Omens in the Sackler Gallery on Saturday the 24th.  You can follow Kirby's progress via a live feed on Ustream, 11am-5pm ET, Tuesday, Oct. 20th-Sunday, Oct. 25th. 

Like to shop?  Love hand-made crafts?  This Saturday and Sunday the American Indian Museum is holding Chilean Crafts: Trunk Show.  Here, Mapuche artists will be exhibiting and selling textiles, jewelry, and more!  Come take a look at the wonderful work these artists have to offer!

Looking for something a little more kid-friendly?  No problem.  The Air and Space Museum is holding an entire afternoon of fun Halloween activities.  From 2-8pm enjoy some trick-or-treating, facepainting, witch story-telling, the spooky alien blood boil discovery station, and creepy crawly robots!  At 2:30 there will even be a costume parade, so come decked out in your Halloween garb.  Older kids may prefer to take part in some simulator rides and see the SR-71 Blackbird, from the current Transformers film.  There is a little something for everyone and it is free to the public, other than a $15 parking fee per vehicle.  Come, be a part of all the fun!

--Compiled by Sarah Kramer, Studio Arts Intern

Going Ons: Get in Gear for Great Events ...Starting Tonight!

There are a BUNCH of of fun and educational events going on in DC this weekend, but better get a move on because some are happening as early as tonight at 7!!!

Tonight at the National Academy of Sciences at 7pm, best-selling author Deborah Tannen will discuss the intricacies of sister relationships in Deborah Tannen on Sisterspeak.  She is a professor of linguistics at Georgetown University and author of You're Wearing THAT? You Were Always Mom's Favorite! which will be offered for sale and signing after the talk.  Tickets are $25 for non-members, $15 for members, and $13 for senior members and can be purchased on the Smithsonian Resident Associate Program website: http://residentassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/reserve.aspx?performanceNumber=218160&utm_source=RAad&utm_content=FEauto&utm_campaign=featevent.  Photo IDs required.

Also tonight at 7pm is a free one-act play called Fishing Gone being held at the Natural History Museum. Directly following, head to the IMAX theatre for an underwater voyage to South Africa in Wild Ocean 3D.  This film, produced by the creators of STOMP, is an exhilarating documentary of aquatic lifecycles and how they are impacted by human beings.  Andy Dehart, Director of Biological Programs for the National Aquarium and Shark Adviser to the Discovery Channel, will hold a discussion and Q&A following the screening.  Tickets are $13 for non-members, $10 for members, $9 for senior members, and $7 for children.  They can be purchased on the Smithsonian Resident Associate Program website (the link above).

Any time this weekend you can make your way to the Albert Einstein Planetarium to check out a couple of Space Shows that just opened this week.  Journey to the Stars is about 25 minutes long and has show times throughout the day.  One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure is free admission but only runs at 10:30am.  Come visit the National Air and Space Museum any day between 10:00am and 5:30pm and see these two wonderful shows while they last!

On October 2nd-4th Smithsonian Studio Arts will be holding its Marathon Open Model Session which is part of Smithsonian Connect with the Arts.  Artists participating in this marathon were either invited or selected after an extensive portfolio review.  They will be working without instruction, and in their choice of material, from two models who will retain the same pose for the duration of the event - excluding breaks of course!   We encourage you to come to the S. Dillon Ripley Center on Sunday, October 4th to see the work these and other Smithsonian Connect with the Arts participants have produced.  The work will be displayed at 3:30pm. 

At 4:30pm join Trinka Margua Simon, artist, educator, and author of The Art of Composition, as she shares her views on the sight-size method of drawing and the harm she feels it has done to the new generation of classical realists. Find out what is next for this energetic and giving instructor in an entertaining, frank, and possibly controversial conversation about art and its creation.

A brief awards presentation for those entered in the Smithsonian Connect with the Arts competitions is included in the program. Audience members are invited to the art exhibition and reception immediately following the lecture. The Art of Composition is available for purchase and signing by Ms. Simon after the program.

Trinka Margua Simon has been an instructor with The Smithsonian Associates for 18 years and has mentored many Washington, D.C. based emerging artists.

For access to the events you will need to produce a copy of this blog post at the front door of the Ripley Center.  Please come and share in all the excitement!

In response to the healthcare crisis in Haiti, Friends of PROFAMIL has joined forces with artist Alfredo Ratinoff and Dale Johnson, gallery owner of the Watergate Gallery in Washington D.C. The gallery has generously donated their space and has invited artists residing in the United States and the whole American Continent to donate work to the Americas Help Haiti Arts Project.  From September 28th through October 3rd the artworks will be on display at the Watergate Gallery and the silent auction bidding will take place.  On Saturday October 3rd, a reception will be held from 5-9pm.  Please come out and help make this event a success!  For more information on PROFAMIL, visit: www.friendsofprofamil.org  The Watergate Gallery is located at 2552 Virginia Ave., NW, Washington DC.  If you have any questions call (202)338-4488.

Also on Saturday, October 3rd from 11:30am-3pm there will be tons of fun at the American Art Museum as they welcome artist William Wiley.  Among the festivities will be a performance of original music by Wiley himself, Improv for Kids workshops, pinball machines, and other fun activities! Don't miss out!

If Saturday doesn't really work for you, there is still another art-related, kid-friendly event happening at the American Art Museum on Sunday, October 4th.  From 1-4pm, enjoy Art a la Cart.  There will be interactive carts set up where kids 7-12 years old can handle objects such as brushes, palettes, and bison hide!

--compiled by Sarah Kramer, Studio Arts Intern