And the idiot of the week is...

Read it and weep...

(CNN) -- Jennifer Lopez sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" on Saturday to a leader who has been characterized as one of the most repressive in the world.

"We wish you the very, very, happiest birthday," Lopez said to Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, and then she sang to him at a huge celebration at a resort in the central Asian country.

Details here. Who is next on the agenda for Jennie from the Bronx? Maybe Fidel Castro? That nut from North Korea? Tsk, tsk...

An Interview with Erwin Timmers

DC's seminal eco-artist (new fancy term for a green artists) is interviewed here.

Wanna go to an asskicking opening on Monday?

The Confidence Booster by Angelo Tirambulo

Dates: July 1 – Sunday, July 28, 2013

Location: Capitol Skyline Hotel Lounge, 10 I (eye) Street SW, Washington, DC 20024

Opening Reception: Monday, July 1, 2013, 6-8pm

Free and open to the public Monday through Sunday, noon to 9pm

WPA launches the installation and exhibition component of the Hothouse series at the Capitol Skyline Hotel with The Confidence Booster, an installation by artist Angelo Tirambulo. 

Consisting of wallpaper featuring flattering statements and a series of twelve mirrors containing lyrics from recent hip-hop music appropriated to directly compliment the viewers, the installation nods to our image-conscious culture. This wry presentation of soothing but ultimately superficial phrases gently satirizes its own source material, while subtly acknowledging its irresistible appeal.

Anderson and The Cicadas

Anderson playing with two cicadas. He then put them back on a tree branch (after he chased his two cousins around a little... cough, cough...)

Gallery B call for Proposals

The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District and Bethesda Urban Partnership are accepting applications for Gallery B in downtown Bethesda!

This gallery, located at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E in downtown Bethesda, is available to interested artists and arts organizations for one-month rentals. All media including, but not limited to, painting, photography and sculpture is eligible to use the space. Gallery B does not take a commission on any artwork sold during the exhibition. 

They are seeking applications from local artists and arts organizations for month-long exhibitions in 2014.  There is approximately 1,500 sq. feet of available exhibition space.  The deadline for submission is July 19, 2013.

To be considered for a solo or group exhibition, and to review the gallery requirements, please complete this application.

Questions?  Please send them an email to artist@bethesda.org.

Chevy Chase Art Fair Cancelled

This year this outdoor art fair organizer had been planning to conduct an inaugural art fair in Chevy Chase... but:

Greetings Applicants,

Thank you for your recent submission to The Chevy Chase Art Festival that was scheduled to take place on September 21^st & 22^nd, 2013. HAE has a full show ready to go however, we are not receiving the support and backing that we require from the venue in order to make this a successful first year show. Therefore, we are moving the show to Legacy Village in Cleveland, Ohio. This is a very successful, well-established location in which we have been producing "Art in the Village” for the past 23 years in June. If you are interested in applying for this show, you may do so through zapp.

We will gladly refund your application fee or if you are an active artist with us, we can credit your account.  Please email Jacque@ArtFestival.com with your response.  We appreciate receiving your response in writing no later than July 1st, 2013.

Thank You.

Howard Alan Events
270 Central Blvd
Suite 107B
Jupiter, FL 33458
PH: (561) 746-6615
Fax: (561) 746-6528
www.ArtFestival.com

Newspaper Companion

Something about summertime just makes it hard to be PREPARED. One day last week, I was driving to my therapy session. I went to grab my water bottle out of my bag and ((WHAT THE HECK)) realized I left it at home. No iPad, no Jumbo Artic Book, no Headbanz game. 

Am I the only one having a flashback to graduate school and the 'you should be able to do therapy with a paperclip' speech?! 

Well, I didn't even have a paperclip with me, so I whipped into the gas station and bought a newspaper. I knew we could get a TON of therapy done with that. I've used kids newpapers and regular newspapers in the past during therapy and they are great motivators for kiddos.

When I got home I added, 'make a newspaper companion pack' to my to-do list. I had a ton of ideas and got started with them. But them I got stuck, so I asked all my blogging buddies for their ideas. You would not believe how smart we are when we all get together! The finished product is something I'm SUPER excited about. Like..... haven't been this excited about something I've made in a while!


Here is a peek inside!

Perspective Taking

Synonym title replacement! 

Inferencing

Understanding humor

These are just a snap shot of the included activities! The full list of included activities: 

Cover Page

Parent Letter

Main Idea

Newscaster retelling

Perspective taking

Most/Least comparing

Opinions

Cause/effect

Current event conversations

Category sorting by type of article

Evaluating Weather

Vocabulary

Problem Solving

Synonyms/Antonyms

Multiple Meaning Words

Current event summaries

Fact/Opinion

Sequencing (recipes & comics)

Syntax (finding parts of speech)

Humor, figurative language

Inferencing from titles

Job search matching

Compare/Contrast ads/articles

Persuasive writing

Name the caption

Narrative writing

Inferencing from pictures

Perspective Taking from advice columns

Articulation

Blank Templates

A simple newspaper can be used with your entire caseload from articulation to life skills with this packet! I've uploaded the product to my TpT store and you can just follow this link to it :) I'll pick two lucky winners to grab their own copy on the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Are newspapers one of you 'go-to' therapy items? 

A little gray

Well actually... it's a lot of grey... or is it "gray"?

The last time that I had a beard it was all black.

So this latest one, after a few years in between, has a little grey/gray. 

People keep asking me why are you going a beard in the summer?

Who knows? Oy Gevault!

Beards have a way of deciding when they want to come out...

I've got a feeling that this one will not last very long as no one but me and Little Junes seems to like it...

Cough, cough...

For Marylands artists

The Maryland State Arts Council’s competitive Individual Artists Award (IAA) recognizes the value of artists and their work to the cultural vitality of Maryland. The Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation administers awards of $1,000, $3,000 or $6,000, which are recommended by an out-of-state jury that reviews unidentified submissions solely on the basis of artistic merit.

The IAA Program reviews a total of 18 artistic disciplines, which are separated into three competition groups that are awarded once every three years.

APPLY NOW FOR A FY2014 INDIVIDUAL ARTIST AWARD!

The 2014 Individual Artist Award is open to applications with a deadline of Friday, July 26, 2013. This year, the award is open to artists practicing within these artistic disciplines:

    Choreography
    Classical Music: Composition
    Classical Music: Solo Performance
    Poetry
    Visual Arts: Sculpture
    Solo Dance: Performance
    World Music: Composition
    World Music: Solo Performance 

Please read the FY2014 Guidelines (PDF) before submitting your online application in CueRate.

APPLICANT SUPPORT: ONLINE WEBINARS
Three webinars will provide step-by-step instructions on how to submit a complete application with digital images within the CueRate system.

Registration is required to participate in the Cue Rate/Digital Image Webinars. Please register to receive webinar details via email.

    Webinar 1: Wednesday, June 26, 2013, 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
    Webinar 2: Wednesday, July 10, 2013, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
    Webinar 3: Saturday, July 13, 2013, 10:00 AM - 11:30 A.M

For questions, email Kinberly Steinle-Super or by phone at 410-539-6656 ext.101.

Looking for a Art Restorer

I have a collector friend who is in desperate need of a qualified art restorer to restore a photo which has been attacked by mold from the verso.

Both art conservators that I've used in the past have moved to Florida and this lady would rather deal with someone local... send me an email if you readers recommend someone...

Sarah Hood Salomon at Photoworks

I am going to start the review of this very attractive photography exhibition by Sarah Hood Salomon by scolding the gallery where it is being staged: Glen Echo Photoworks.

This is 2013, and for a gallery to have such an outdated website as this one is... is unprofessional and bothersome. Today it was featuring a show that closed last March... tsk, tsk.

That's a shame, because Glen Echo Photoworks is one of the jewels of our area's art scene; with their exhibitions, classes, talks, etc. they are a giant part of not only our photography scene, but also of our arts tapestry in general.

To make matters worse, the photographer's website was also failing to load (using either IE or Firefox).. when it rains it pours...

On exhibition are 24 color photos that use camera motion and slow shutter speeds in order to "compress transitional qualities of light into one image." What they do accomplish is the delivery of sensually beautiful images that once again impress upon me what a gifted photographer can deliver.

The first photo that we see is "Sunset at the Chesapeake." It is an explosion of color and cool, fuzzy vertical lines that transform the landscape into a surreal beauty and a new version of the Chesapeake.

"Winter Winds" is so well done that it almost explodes in front of your face with the whooosh of a storm, while "Man in Brown Suit" and "Odd Man Out" are both a little ghostly in the way that the figures have been shaken.

"Outside Dr. Ong's Office" is perhaps the best example of what this photographer can accomplish with her technique. I found this image to be a riot of color and almost an eulogy to string theory within a cyclone of warm colors - staying on the brainy theme, "Rt. 27" perhaps gives us an unintended insight into either the way that the Big Bang may have looked like or what the end of the Universe may look like.

It's all about color.

All of the pieces were also professionally presented and framed in museum mats to full conservation standards and priced really, really well; they were a steal at $325 framed and $225 matted.

Kordas

Here are the vintage Korda photographs which have been sent to the University of Oregon as part of an extended loan.

Alberto Díaz Gutiérrez, better known as Alberto Korda or simply Korda (September 14, 1928 in Havana, Cuba – May 25, 2001 in Paris, France) was the Cuban photographer who took the most reproduced photograph in history and documented some of the early days of the Cuban Revolution as it quickly evolved into the genocidal, racist, mass-murdering dictatorship that still oppresses the Cuban people and caused the Cuban Diaspora.

All images of the Korda photographs are by Pete Duvall, who is a wizard at photographing artwork.

Fidel y Niño (1960)

Prueba de una Cortadora de Caña (1962)

Ché Encima del Tractor (1962)

Ché con Hombre y Maquinaria (1962)

Miliciana (1962)

Fidel Jugando Golf (1959)

Guerrillero Heroico (1960)

David y Goliath (1959)

Ché y Raul (1961)

Ché Apoyando al Baston de Golf (1959)

Ché Arreglando el Tractor (1962)

Fidel Aprendiendo a Esquiar en Rusia (1962)

Fidel Sobre la Nieve en Rusia (1962)

Juego de Golf con Fidel (1959)

Fidel y Ché Pescando (1959)

Prueba de una Cortadora de Caña 2 (1962)

Ché Mirando con Anteojos (1960)

The two Kordas below remain with the collectors here in the DC area:

Jean Paul Sartre (1960)

Jean Paul Sartre (1960)

Speech Therapy for Apraxia (App Review)

I'm back today with another app review! The app was provided to me in order to review but you'll find all these comments to be my very own! Speech Therapy for Apraxia is an app designed by the National Association for Child Development Team.

The app works on sounds in 8 different groups. These groups are mostly grouped by place and manner of each sound (ie: F/V, P/B/M, etc.) The SLP selects one consonant group to target.

Next select the target level. The app starts at single CV words and nonsense words. The difficulty is then increased while continuing to use CV targets. Each picture can be touched to provide a verbal model.

The price of the app is $4.99, making it a very reasonable choice in the market. The app is only available for ipad on iOS at this time.

Pros: The price is right! Simple to use for parents. I like that the difficulty is labeled 1-8. This makes it easy for parents to use. It's quite obvious that starting at level 1 is the easiest.

Cons: No data tracking. The app only contains CV words making it pretty lacking for a busy SLP with a variety of kids on caseload!

All in all, the app might be most suited for parents of children with apraxia or other severe phonological delays. It's lacking variety of syllable structures and data collection for SLPs.

Call for Art

Fermentation Festival and Exhibit: Call for Art - The Gallery at Convergence

            Since the beginning of civilization fermentation has mystified humans. Ancient legends say we were taught by sacred beings to make fermented beverages containing a magical substance, a spirit that awakens dormant capacities within us.

            A cursory look at the process of fermentation reveals connections with our personal experiences of transformation. Fermenting implies agitation, excitement or tumult. It is the process by which old ideas, habits and patterns are overturned and new insight is introduced to strengthen us and ensure our flourishing. As artists our creative experience often ferments from initial intent into surprising transformations. It is our growth process.

            Convergence is calling artists to submit works that express, share or observe fermentation in a creative, personal, spiritual or global sense. You are invited to share what is fermenting inside you!

*All media considered including 2D, 3D, multi-media, installations and performance. Open to all artists.

*Entry Deadline: 10 am, August 24, 2013

*Email jpg images of artwork and entry form to office@convergenceccf.netby 10am on August 24, 2013

*Payment should be dropped off/mailed to Convergence Office, ATTN: Christina Perry, 1801 N. Quaker Ln, Alexandria, VA 22302. $15 per entry (up to 4 pieces per entry).

*For multi-media, installations, or performance pieces please write and send in a proposal.

Important Dates:

•   Call for art launches: June 25, 2013

•   Deadline for submissions: 10am, August 24, 2013

•   Artists notification: August 27, 2013

•   Hanging: Tuesday, Wednesday, September 3 and 4th, 2013

•   Exhibition: Thursday, September 5th - Monday, October 28, 2013

•   Opening Reception: Saturday, September 14, 2013, 10am-3pm

•   Closing Party: TBD

•   Deinstall: TBD

Submission Details: Please submit a digital image of your entry. You may submit up to 4 pieces total per entry.

 

    Submission Fees: $15 per entry made payable to Convergence.

•     Artists are invited to submit up to four (4) pieces of original art. All media including painting, photography, mixed media, fiber/textile, sculpture, and other high quality fine art. Convergence encourages submissions of cutting edge, experimental, and high energy styles.
•     Artists will be notified of the curator's selection by August 27, 2013 
•     Shipping costs (including return shipping) are the responsibility of the artists. Detailed shipping instructions will be sent with the curators' notification.
•     Participating artists will be asked to sign an "Artist's Loan Agreement," which includes a liability waiver and permission to use any images for promotional purposes, as well as other terms.

Exhibition:

•     Artwork previously exhibited at Convergence is not eligible.
•     All artwork selected must be ready for exhibition: framed when appropriate, delivered with necessary hardware.
•     Finished and framed art should not exceed 48” in any direction. All art on paper must be framed and under glass or plexiglass. Work on canvas should finished sides or be framed.
•     All artwork must be labeled on the back with the artist name, phone number, title of work, medium, and price
•     Artists are required to provide a current Artist Statement and Bio limited to 1 page to be included in the Gallery Notebook.
•     All artwork must remain on exhibit for the duration of the show and will not be removed prior to Tuesday, October 29, 2013.
•     A donation of 15% of art sales will be made to Convergence by the artist. All sales are handled by the artist.

Accepted Artist Responsibilities:

•    Artists are responsible for drop off/pick up as well as delivery of sold artworks.
•     All taxes are the sole responsibility of the artist.
•     Convergence requests each art publicize the exhibit and opening on their websites, blog, and/or Facebook.
•     All artists MUST volunteer for a show job, see list on Entry Form. Sign up sheet will be available at Artwork Receiving.

Use Rights: by submitting artwork for the exhibition, accepted artists grant Convergence the right to use their images for the purpose of marketing he exhibition, marketing Convergence’s programs and display on the Convergence website. Artists grant the use of their image(s) as stated without further contact or compensation from Convergence. Artist’s credit is provided with any use.

Liability: Artwork and submission materials will be handled with all possible care. Convergence will not be responsible or liable for loss or damage from any cause whatsoever. Entering this exhibition shall constitute understanding and agreement on the part of the artist with the conditions stated. Insurance, if desired, is the sole responsibility of the artist.

If you have any questions please contact the Gallery Coordinator, Christina Perry at 703-998-6260 or email: office@convergenceccf.net