Douglas Witmer

IT’S A JAM-PACKED AUTUMN, LEADING INTO A JAM-PACKED WINTER

I’m currently busy finishing work for CSA Art Philly, a joint project of the the art collectives Tiger Strikes Asteroid and Grizzly Grizzly.

Like a Community Supported Agriculture program, the Art CSA program supports a direct maker-to-buyer relationship between artists and collectors working and living in the Philadelphia region. Over the last 20 years, Community Supported Agriculture has become a popular way for consumers to buy seasonal food directly from local farms. With the same buy-local spirit in mind, Grizzly Grizzly and Tiger Strikes Asteroid’s Community Supported Art is a endeavor to support local art, artists, and collectors.

Since its inception by Springboard for the Arts in Minneapolis, MN (2010) this model has gained a lot of notoriety and has been replicated throughout the country. The goal of both Grizzly Grizzly and TSA is to cultivate an open, authentic, and deep connection between artists and collectors. This program seeks to create dialog through a series of events revolved around local, innovative artwork.

CSA Art Philly has produced this short video of me talking about the project:

Douglas Witmer from GrizzlyGrizzly on Vimeo.

 
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NEVER UNDERESTIMATE A MONOCHROME
An online project curated by Mariángeles Soto-Díaz for the University of Iowa Museum of Art
 

September 30, 2012 – January 31, 2013
neverunderestimateamonochrome.org

Meant to activate the poetic, political and performative registers of the monochrome, “Never Underestimate a Monochrome” (2012) is a conceptual project conceived and organized by Mariángeles Soto-Díaz in a collaborative partnership with the University of Iowa Museum of Art. Around thirty artists from different parts of the world interpreted instructions written by Soto-Díaz, and provided documentation of their monochrome performance for a digital archival space, bringing the textual, embodied and mediated aspects of the monochrome into dialogue.

I created two works on paper for this project, as well as my first-ever video. (Screengrab below…but you’ll need to click through to see it!

 
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SURFACE AS SIGNIFIER OPENS OCTOBER 10
 

Surface as Signifier
Curated by Peg Curtin and Bruce Garrity
October 10 – November 1, 2012
Camden County College
Marlin Gallery | Lincoln Hall
200 College Drive
Blackwood NJ, 08012
www.camdencc.edu

This curated exhibition features a group of Fruitville pieces along with work by some excellent artists: Margery Amdur, Donna Czapiga, Nicole Donnelly, James Erikson, Anne Seidman, Robert Straight, Leslie Wayne. I’m particularly excited about this show. James Erikson and Anne Seidman are artist friends, and I’ve long admired the work of Donna Czapiga, and especially Robert Straight. Please look these artists up. See you next week in New Jersey!
 
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MANIC EPISODE 3, HAMBURG
 

Above: Fruitville pieces alongside work by Louise Blyton (AU) and Dorothea Fischer (DE).
Photo by Michael Perlbach
 
Manic : Episode 3
September 16 – October 6, 2012
Kunstlerhaus Dosenfabrik
Hamburg, Germany

Although the show closes in a few days, it has been great to have been included in this international exhibition of reductive abstract art. More exhibition views, by German artist Michael Perlbach can be found on Facebook here.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

UPCOMING

 
ILLATA / ILLATUM : processes and consequences of memory
December 15, 2012 – January 12, 2013
Soft Machine Gallery
Allentown PA
Featuring work by KT Butterfield, P Farrell, Janet Filomeno, Brian Goings, Gail Gregg, Stephen Maine, David Meyer, Margaret Neil, Lisa Pressman, Sam Rosenblatt, Rob Solomon, Altoon Sultan, Ilene Sunshine, Douglas Witmer, & Tamar Zinn
More details forthcoming.
 
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NEW YORK SOLO SHOW – JANUARY 2013
The studio is beyond full of new paintings in progress as I prepare for my second solo show with Blank Space Art in Chelsea, NYC. The show will consist of 10-15 brand new paintings. Stay tuned for more details. In the meantime if you’re in New York, Blank Space currently has a few paintings in inventory.
Blank Space Art
511 West 25th Street Suite 204
New York NY 10001
TEL: (212) 924 2025
 
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NEW STUDIO IN WEST PHILADELPHIA
As soon as the New York show is installed, I will be moving my studio to a new and considerably larger space in the currently-under-construction Cedar Works, about 10 blocks from my home in West Philadelphia. This is going to be a terrific step! And there will be a party! Stay tuned.

 
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OTHER NEWS
 
I continue to curate occasional exhibitions. My most recent, Optic Fiber, featuring the work of Lindsay Chandler and Ana B. Hernandez for the University City Arts League, was recently reviewed on The Artblog here.
 
Earlier this spring, Libby Rosof, co-founder and editor of The Artblog, did a lengthy interview with me.
 
A selection of my School Papers continue to be available for viewing and purchase through MINUS SPACE in Brooklyn NY.

 
I send 6-8 studio updates annually. It is not my wish to spam you. The information contained in these emails will only relate to my work, or exhibitions, projects, and publications with which I am personally involved. Your email will not be shared, or be visible to others who receive my studio updates. Each email you receive contains links below allowing you to personally control your subscription status or information.