art

New Programming Director Named at Artisphere

By Katie Pyzyk

Arlington’s year-old arts venue has named a new programming director. Artisphere (1101 Wilson Blvd) welcomes Rosanna Ruscetti, who has previously worked as a programmer at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium.

This announcement comes the same week the Arlington Commission for the Arts released its final version of a long-term plan, called “Arlington Arts 2030.” The report specifically mentioned Artisphere and the challenges it faced when opening a year ago. But the report also called Artisphere a successful first step in implementing the county’s arts vision.

Low revenue, low attendance, a lack of a restaurant for seven months and staffing issues plagued Artisphere from the start. But it revamped its business plan earlier this year and appears to be on a better track. Earlier this month, the venue hosted a birthday party to celebrate one year in existence.

In a press release, Artisphere Executive Director José Ortiz said he’s pleased with the addition of Ruscetti.

“We are thrilled Rosanna has joined the Artisphere team,” Ortiz said. “With her rich background and demonstrated success in programming in this market, Rosanna will continue to strengthen and build Artisphere’s innovative, diverse and thought-provoking programming.”

Ruscetti has previously served as a consultant for arts programming and business development as well as event promotion.

Ruscetti said, “I am excited to be part of a new arts center that is unique to this region. It’s a terrific opportunity to connect DC-area audiences with artists in innovative ways.”

Final Version of Arlington Arts Report Released

By Katie Pyzyk

The Arlington Commission for the Arts has released the final version of its report for a long-term plan, called “Arlington Arts 2030.” The report outlines recommendations for supporting the arts in Arlington over the next 20 years, replacing the previous plan that was in place since the 1990s.

The year-long process of devising the report has involved several revisions based on comments gathered at public meetings and through emails. Committee members had noted during the public meetings that although it’s difficult to predict exactly what the county’s needs will be in 20 years, Arlington has experienced a steady push toward urbanization. The report assumes such a push will continue, and therefore arts programs should expand accordingly.

The report suggests that although desire for arts has increased in the community, avenues for acquiring funding have decreased. As a result, among the more than two dozen recommended actions listed is the idea of restructuring grant programs. Other suggestions include raising funds for an arts facility renovation, revising policies for renting facilites and marketing the arts to promote audience growth.

One overall goal of the revamped plan is to offer more low-cost, easily accessible and varied forms of performing and visual arts throughout the county. Another is to improve diversity among the arts community.

Artisphere received a specific mention in the report due to the challenges it faced at the start. However, it was noted that challenges will always present themselves, making government and community support of the arts vital. Despite the initial difficulties, the report deemed the opening of Artisphere a successful first step in implementing the county’s arts vision.

You can read the entire report here.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

BRAC Not Too Bad, After All — Today is the deadline for the transfer of military offices affected by the Base Realignment and Closure Act. By today, 17,000 jobs were supposed to have moved out of Arlington County (mostly Crystal City) and into secure military installations like Ft. Belvoir. But in the end, the feared deadline is coming and going “with little fanfare.” The Associated Press reports that 10,000 of the 17,000 BRACed jobs are still here and expected to remain through as late as 2014, thanks to extensions granted by the Department of Defense. [Washington Post]

Pumpkins Arrive in Clarendon — The first pumpkins of the season showed up yesterday at the Clarendon Farmers Market. [Clarendon Culture]

Artisphere Called ‘Sad,’ Lonely — The designated art critic for the Clarendon-Courthouse-Rosslyn Patch says he was disappointed by Artisphere on his first visit. “I noticed an immediate loneliness to the place, a sad emptiness,” he wrote. The critic went on to recommend “more traditional” art galleries, in addition to Artisphere’s more modern, avant-garde exhibits. [Patch]

Flickr pool photo by Runneralan2004

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Sun Sets on Arlington County Fair — The rides, food stands, and carnival games that made up the Arlington County Fair are all packing up and heading out. Last night was the fair’s last night. In case you missed it, Patch has published 21 separate articles on the fair since Thursday.

Arlington’s ‘Karaoke Cab’ Featured on NPR — Arlington’s ‘Karaoke Cab‘ was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered over the weekend. [NPR]

Pakistan Kidnapping’s Arlington Connection — An American development expert kidnapped in Pakistan on Saturday was the Pakistan director of J.E. Austin Associates, a consultancy based in Courthouse. [New York Times]

Arlington Stingy on Diplomatic Gifts — Arlington only gives gifts to visiting diplomatic delegations “on rare occasion,” and when it does, the value of those gifts is in the “tens of dollars, not hundreds of dollars.” Arlington’s policy on diplomatic gifts contrasts with that of the District; D.C. officials are “re-gifting” a set of donated plates to foreign dignitaries. [Washington Post]

Arlington Art Attacker Arrested Again — Susan Burns, the 53-year-old Arlington woman accused of attacking a Gauguin painting at the National Gallery of Art back in April, has been arrested again. This time, Burns is charged with slamming a Matisse against a wall at the same museum. [MyFoxDC]

For Sale: 18-Foot Tall Topless Wooden Mermaid

By ARLnow.com

If you’ve ever dreamed of owning a huge, wooden mermaid with big, exposed breasts, now is your chance. All you need is three grand and a chainsaw.

The 18-foot tall mermaid has graced the front yard of Leeway Overlee resident Paul Jackson since 2004, when Paul and wife Nancy had the bright idea to carve something out of their dying 100+ year old white ash tree. Nancy, in a moment of benevolence, suggested a mermaid, to satisfy Paul’s dual loves of fish and women. The final product, carved by Frederick, Md. artist Scott Dustin, featured what the Washington Post’s Laura Sessions Stepp described as “a shapely derriere and bare breasts that must be at least size DD.”

The busty mermaid, named “Damaged Goods” or D.G. for short, has attracted neighborhood and media attention ever since her controversial creation. She received the aforementioned Washington Post write-up shortly after Labor Day 2004 — in an article entitled “Majestic or Monstrous?” — and, more recently, she was the focus of a Connection Newspapers piece entitled “From Controversy to Landmark.” She’s also listed on RoadsideAmerica.com, an “online guide to offbeat tourist attractions.”

All is not well in paradise, however. D.G.’s roots are weakening and Paul has decided to sell rather than watch her teeter. He’s asking for $3,000, and not a dime less.

“Buyer is responsible for ‘slicing her off’ and transporting her to her new home,” he writes on his Craigslist ad. If you want to inspect the goods, D.G. can be viewed from the street or the sidewalk, on the south side of the 6200 block of Lee Highway.

Hat tip to M. Crider

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Noise Monitoring at DCA — A company has been hired to measure noise levels around Reagan National Airport. The information gathered will be used to figure out “ways to control or reduce noise pollution.” [NBC Washington]

Bus Stop Decorated — A local ART bus stop has been “yarn bombed.” [Facebook]

Local Newspaper CEO Pleads Guilty — The president and CEO of Connection Newspapers, which publishes the Arlington Connection weekly, has pleaded guilty to failing to pay more than $940,000 in federal payroll taxes. [Washington Examiner]

Flickr pool photo by Mark C. White

Sustainable Art Exhibit Opening at Artisphere

By ARLnow.com

It’s Artisphere’s biggest exhibit yet, and it follows a theme near and dear to the hearts of many in Arlington County.

Tonight is the public opening for “Contain, Maintain, Sustain,” a gallery of contemporary art inspired by sustainability. Among the pieces in the exhibit are beautiful gas cans, inspiring rubbish receptacles, a free-floating trash bag, magazines made into mountains and a box-laden bicycle.

The exhibit — a partnership between Artisphere, the Washington Project for the Arts and the Washington Sculptors Group — features the work of 24 international and locally-based artists.

Tonight’s opening reception is open to the public from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. The exhibit will be on display through July 17. More photos after the jump.

(more…)

Woman Who Attacked Painting Lived in Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com

(Updated on 12/23/21 at 11:05 a.m.) The woman accused of trying to destroy a painting at the National Gallery of Art is apparently from Rosslyn.

Police say Susan [redacted], 53, tried to pull a painting (NSFW) called “Two Tahitian Women” off the wall, then started punching the painting. She later allegedly told police that the painter, French Post-Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin, was “evil,” that the painting was “very homosexual,” and that she was “trying to remove it.”

“I think it should be burned,” [redacted] said, according to a court document. She added: “I am from the American CIA and I have a radio in my head. I am going to kill you.”

[Redacted] is charged with second-degree theft and destruction of property. She is expected to appear in D.C. Superior Court today.

According to charging documents, [redacted] lives in the River Place residential complex (1111 Arlington Blvd) in Rosslyn. There’s some confusion about the geography, however, because the document erroneously places 1111 Arlington Blvd in Alexandria. Most news outlets are echoing that she’s from Alexandria, but [redacted] has at the very least lived in Arlington at one point. Court records from a 2006 assault charge say she lived in Arlington at the time. Furthermore, the address and apartment number listed in the charging document matches a White Pages listing for a “[redacted].”

Calling All Mullets to the Clarendon Metro Station

By ARLnow.com

A local woman is hoping to round up area mullet-wearers for a photography project in Clarendon this weekend.

The woman, who would only identify herself as “Irene,” posted an ad on Craigslist to publicize the event.

“I think mullets are interesting and I think, although not in line with popular opinion, that mullets look great on those that choose to have them,” Irene wrote on the site. “I want to take your picture and ask you a couple of questions about why you have your mullet and what you think about mullets and yourself.”

The posting asks mulleteers to show up at the fountain in the park next to the Clarendon Metro station, between noon and 1:00 on Saturday.

“Be there or be square!” the ad beckons.

We asked Irene via email why, of all the possible subjects for artistic exploration, she chose mullets.

“I have been thinking about mullets for I would say 3-4 years now,” Irene wrote back. “I don’t know why I decided on mullets except that I kind of feel like so many people are stereotyped and hair has a lot to do with it, you know?”

“Mullets I feel are totally funky but I bet the people are varied and probably have a lot to offer and we all just see them as honky tonks,” she continued. “I really want to know the mullet wearer and what they are all about and hope to have it exhibited in some way in the future, assuming anyone shows up.”

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Airport Body Scanner Company Is Based in Crystal City — One of the companies behind the controversial “naked” body scan machines in U.S. airports is located right here in Arlington. Recently, writer Annie Lowrey visited the company’s Crystal City offices to see how they were handling the controversy. More from Slate.

AT&T Rolls Out Pentagon City Store — AT&T’s new wireless store in the Pentagon City mall opened its doors yesterday, just in time for the holiday shopping rush. The store features “a state-of-the-art, hands-on design to engage customers and provide a ‘try before buy’ service experience,” according to a press release.

Verizon Activates New Cell Site — “In a continuing effort to provide the best wireless service for local residents in the Arlington County, Va., Verizon Wireless has expanded its network with a new cell site,” a company press release says. “The new cell site provides increased wireless voice and 3G data coverage in the neighborhood near 22nd Street North.” Verizon did not elaborate on the site’s exact location.

Crystal City ArtJamz Reviewed — The ladies from the DC on Heels blog created their own personal masterpieces at ArtJamz in Crystal City last week. What exactly is ArtJamz, you ask? The explanation, with plenty of photos, from DC on Heels. (Disclosure: ArtJamz is an ARLnow.com advertiser.)

Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Virginia Dems Seek to Clarify Lobbyist Rule — The Democratic Party of Virginia is seeking an independent legal opinion on whether state law bans federal lobbyists from serving as party chairman. The move comes after Brian Moran, brother of Rep. Jim Moran and a top lobbyist for for-profit colleges, decided to seek the state Democratic chairmanship. Former Arlington County Democratic Committee chair Peter Rousselot is also running for the position. More from the Washington Post.

Giant Wall Projections in Rosslyn — From 6:00 to 11:00 p.m., every night through this coming Saturday, large images will be projected onto the side of an office building in Rosslyn.  The photo and video projections are part of FotoWeek DC. More from the Ode Street Tribune.

Shirlington’s New Irish Bar Asks for Sign Change — Shirlington Village Blog has an image of the bright orange flyers posted around Shirlington, advertising a proposed site plan change for the future Samuel Beckett’s Gastro Irish Pub. The change would allow Beckett’s to have more signs identifying itself to the outside world. The issue will be heard by the county board this weekend; county staff is recommending that the requested change be granted.

Flickr pool photo by Team Rank

View More Stories