The past month has been busy for our three Arts & Entertainment Districts. The Bromo Tower, Highlandtown, and Station North A&E Districts have selected their artists from Austria, Spain, and the United Kingdom for our 6-week long European Artists’ Residency this spring and summer. Bromo Tower selected the Social Design program team at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna (Austria) for their TRANSIT residencies. One professor, Barbara Holub (also of the Transparadiso group) and three students will be arriving this summer. Along with the Viennese design team, Bromo Tower is going to collaborate with a number of local arts groups, as well as merchants, social service providers, the University of Maryland and other stakeholders. Highlandtown has chosen the Spanish artist group mmmm…, and is currently discussing the timeline and project outline. Mmmm… intends to create a new, iconic bus shelter for the Highlandtown neighborhood. Highlandtown is also seeking an artist to partner with the Spanish artists. Jeremy Stern, Creative Alliance’s Exhibition Manager is currently in the process of selecting the best artist to assist them while they are in Baltimore. Station North has chosen The Urban Playground Team (UPG) from the United Kingdom for its European Artists’ Residency. The UPG Team will invite young people to play the Penn Station Plaza through a residency combining elements of functional architecture and design with Performance-Parkour, street dance, street based arts and sporting disciplines. Right now, Station North is working through the process of finding local fabricators, performance artists, and others who can work with UPG to transform Penn Station Plaza.

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(Image: A Day in the Life Photographer: Matthew Andrews)

This coming spring is going to be full of opportunities for artists and the public to engage the plaza in Station North in play- and meaningful ways. Station North is looking forward to some thought provoking temporary installations and interactive performances. They are grateful for the cooperation and all the activities that are happening in the three A&E Districts, both directly connected to TRANSIT, as well as other programming and projects occurring within each neighborhood. The discussions have highlighted the strengths and assets of each district, as well as ways that they all can work together for the remainder of TRANSIT and in the future to overcome obstacles.

Bromo Tower received much positive press this month. The A&E District was not only featured in the February 2014 issue of Baltimore Magazine (not yet available online), but also in the AAA World magazine. The article by John Lewis in the Baltimore Magazine is entitled “Westside Bromide”, and features Jeff Daniel, President of Hippodrome Theatre as well as quotes from Vinny Lancisi, Artistic Director of Everyman Theatre, and Priya Bhayana, Director of the Bromo Tower A&E District. The AAA World magazine published a profile on the Bromo Tower District, entitled “A Towering Achievement Revitalized”. Bromo Tower also highlights the great opportunity of TRANSIT to better connect the three A&E Districts. They look forward to shaping further projects in ways that foster more collaboration and strengthen the city’s arts & cultural community as a whole.

And last but not least: Highlandtown. The Southeast CDC has announced that the owner of Baltimore’s  “Alewife”, Bryan Palumbo, will be opening another restaurant in Highlandtown in first floor of the Southeast CDC headquarters. The new establishment will be a farm-to-table restaurant with a focus on microbrews located at 3323 Eastern Avenue (the corner of Eastern & Highland Aves). The Southeast CDC is working closing with the bank across the street to jazz up their parking lot, which will be used for restaurant parking. Using recommendations from residents and merchants for this area from a Placemaking workshop, Highlandtown is studying the design of a mural, signage and lighting to promote walkability and safety between the lot and the business. Check out the article here!

Moreover, Southeast CDC, Creative Alliance, and the Painted Screen Society are working together to install a 2-story painted screen in the East Avenue-facing window of the Creative Alliance. The screen will be designed and painted by Highlandtown artist Monica Broere. The largest of the window screens measures 7′ x 7′; with the entire design reaching over 23′ high! This painted screen faces the corner of High Grounds Coffee, which, through Placemaking efforts, is adding a seating area, mural, lighting and an improved facade. Additional projects will be happening through spring 2014, including permanent outdoor seating, completion of a new mural, and improved lighting to Conkling Plaza!

Highlandtown’s lesson learned this month is: If it’s broke, fix it! Within the first month of being installed, one of their 6 new goose-neck lights was damaged by ice. They immediately called the contractor and had it repaired. So always keep in mind to have a maintenance plan before adding permanent improvements!

This is the last week for the VISIBILITY MACHINES exhibition at UMBC’s Center for Art Design and Visual Culture, but Trevor Paglen and Haron Forocki, and we thought it was worth looking into some research on drones and the military industrial complex that this show digs in to.

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New iPhone app documents US drone killings, article in the Atlantic Monthly.

Projects attempting to photograph the NSA headquarters, but Trevor Paglen.

Drones at the current Sochi Winter Olympics.

Robots, soldiers and cyborgs: The future of warfare.

The contradiction at the heart of “Dronestagram” is that these drone attacks, condemned by the U.N., are invisible acts of war in an age of mass media.

FAA grounds beer delivery drone.

 

School 33’s 2014 Call for Entries for the Members’ Gallery and the Project Space is now open!

Deadline for entry is February 28th, 2014.

To apply for a solo exhibition you must be a current School 33 Art Center member and must not have exhibited in a solo exhibit at S33 in the last two years. If you would like to join School 33 or renew your membership, please visit their members page or call 443-263-4350. All artist members are encouraged to apply.

For more info please visit: http://www.school33.org/index.cfm?page=exhibits§ion=calls-for-entry&subsection=CallforMembers

Hamiltonian Fellowship Application: due Saturday, March 1, 2014 at 6:00pm

Now Accepting Applications for 2014-2016 Term

The 7th annual open call to the Hamiltonian Artists Fellowship is now open. Advancing the professional development of emerging visual artists, the two-year program serves as a critical steppingstone for the next generation of contemporary artists in Washington, DC.

What will you receive as a Hamiltonian Fellow?
– Exhibitions and gallery representation by Hamiltonian Gallery
– Mentorship from established artists and art professionals
– Critiques and exhibition support
– Access to professional development lectures and premier career resources
– Annual $1,000 stipend
– Community engagement and outreach opportunities

Apply Today!

Please visit www.hamiltonianartists.org/apply for all information on application guidelines and forms, fellowship requirements and a description of our selection process.

Deadline: Saturday, March 1, 2014 at 6:00pm
All incomplete applications and applications that are postmarked after this date will not be considered.

For additional questions, please call 202-332-1116 or contact us via email at info@hamiltonianartists.org.

Arlington Arts Center SOLOS 2014: Application due March 14

Each year, Arlington Arts Center selects 10 to 14 artists from across the Mid-Atlantic region for solo exhibitions in AAC’s seven separate gallery spaces or outside on the grounds. Proposals that specifically consider AAC’s space, layout, and surrounding environs are encouraged.

Who Can Submit?
Artists who produce cutting-edge contemporary art in any/all media, and who live or work in Virginia; Washington, DC; Maryland; West Virginia; Delaware; or Pennsylvania may submit exhibition proposals. Existing works must have been completed within the last 3 years in order to be considered.
Guest Jurors
We’re pleased to announce that two exciting guest jurors will lead our review process for the 2014-2015: Andrea Pollan, Director of Curator’s Office and Jeffry Cudlin, artist, critic, and Professor of Curatorial Studies and Practice at Maryland Institute College of Art.
Dates
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: March 14, 2014, 5 pm

NOTIFICATION DATE: early May