1708 Gallery

For details on how to participate in 1708 Gallery’s next exhibition, please read the following statement by the artist:

In 2010, the Texas Board of Education passed legislation to remove Thomas Jefferson from history textbooks. Soon after, the board voted to strike the word “democratic” from references to the U.S. government.

The Liberty of Empire is an exhibition that takes the form of a provisional laboratory. The first stage of this project involves interviewing local citizens as to what they think is relevant to the practice of history. I am particularly interested in what students and instructors think should be included in archive of history. History, as we have seen, is a highly contested space. I propose a dialog about this subject and I welcome your participation. Please submit your response via the questionnaire at this website:

http://www.matthewfriday.net/research/?page_id=160

The information submitted will be collected and fed into a specially designed computer program that interprets the future and past tense as a set of fractal attractors/resistors and creates a set of vector diagrams. These diagrams are printed onto sheets of velum and after consulting a randomly oscillating magnetic pulse generator, they will be placed onto a corresponding section of a site specific mural based on Thomas Jefferson’s architectural plans for Monticello. During the course of the exhibition, drawings will slowly accumulate, obscuring the historical image of utopia painted on the wall, replacing it with new maps of potentiality. This project focuses on the co-evolution of a community, which is always conceived of as an emergent public space that exists within and through its relations. To this end, visitors can continue to submit their thoughts regarding utopia via a website or on-location computer, adding to the growing archive of diagrams.

1708 Gallery is pleased to present the following exhibitions that will make up our 2011 season:

Matthew Friday
January 7 – February 12, 2011

Keith Lemley and Kimberly Witham
February 18 – April 16, 2011

21st Annual Art Auction
April 1 – April 16, 2011
For information on previous art auctions, click here.

Kevin Jones and Michael McFalls
April 22 – May 28, 2011

Greg Stewart
June 3 – July 16, 2011

Liz Miller
July 22 – August 27, 2011

Artists selected to participate in the 2011 season use varying media, methods, and artistic practices, and represent the diverse interests of both 1708 and the Richmond community at large. We look forward to seeing you at the gallery in the upcoming months, starting with the Matthew Friday exhibition opening reception and artist talk on January 7! More information on both the exhibition and event to come.

Come to Richmond’s First Fridays this upcoming Friday, December 2nd at 1708 Gallery from 7-10 PM. On view now is our annual holiday invitational, Small Wonder. This show features small works by many local artists and is great way to find holiday gifts for family and friends. For more information, view the exhibition page on our website by clicking here, or read the blog post below.

Also stay tuned for more information on our upcoming 2011 season in the next couple of weeks!

This year, 1708 Gallery’s invitational exhibition, Small Wonder, showcases small works by some of the region’s most well-known artists.

Be sure to attend the Opening Reception on November 19, from 6 to 9 pm for your first chance to purchase the work on display, just in time for the holidays. The event will feature a champagne toast, complimentary hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, and live music. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 dollars at the door. Reserve your tickets for the event today, by clicking here.

The Closing Reception will be on December 18, from 11 am to 4 pm. Enjoy hot chocolate and baked goods while receiving complimentary gift-wrapping for your purchased artwork. Also at this event, we will announce the winner of the raffle prize. This year’s raffle is the work Ride 4 #2, a piece from local favorite Rob Tarbell’s Smokes series courtesy of Reynolds Gallery (framing by Corporate & Museum Frame). Raffle tickets are $25 each and can be purchased online by clicking here. This closing event is free and open to the public.

The 2010 participating artists include Pam Anderson, Nicole Andreoni, Susanne Arnold, Andras Bality, Nicole Baumann, Gloria Blades, John Henry Blatter, Robin Braun, Daniel Calder, Gregg Carbo, Tom Chenowith, Sara Clark, Don Crow, Diana Detamore, Tim DeVoe, Stacey Evans, Miriam Ewers, Suzanna Fields, Pam Fox, Mari Foster, Carole Garmon, Mim Golub, John Grant, Christine Gray, Chris Gregson, Mike Guyer, Jason Hackett, John Haddad, Kathryn Henry-Choisser, Mary Anne Hensley, Mary Holland, Ann Peyton Hurt, Rosemary Jesionowski, Lindsay Jessee, Aimee Joyaux, Greg Kelley, Erika Koch, Judith Kowler, Andy Kozlowski, Greig Leach, Justin Lincoln, Matthew Lively, Jeffrey Majer, Mary A. Melton, Sarah Mizer, Megan Mueller, Lynn Murphy, Kelly Nelson, Cindy Neuschwander, Eric Norbom, Amie Oliver, Marcie Paper, Charlie Ponticello, Louis Poole, Maruta Racenis, Lynda Ray, Barry Roebuck, Jennifer Rospert, Fiona Ross, Alyssa Salomon, Diego Sanchez, Anne Savedge, Noah Scalin, Chuck Scalin , Mary Scurlock, John-Philip Sheridan, Gordon Stettinius, Jody Symula, Javier Tapia, Grace Teeples, Anne Walker, Jane Ware, Willie Anne Wright, and Aggie Zed.

For the past 32 years, 1708 Gallery has provided the Richmond community with access to exceptional new art by both emerging and established artists. Access to the arts is a vital investment in the future and we hope we can count on you this upcoming holiday season to help 1708 Gallery as it continues to thrive.

Gifts to the Annual Fund nurture 1708 Gallery’s growth by providing unrestricted operating support. Contributions go to exhibition and educational programming and outreach, which is crucial to our ability to inspire and engage the community. All levels of support are meaningful and will have an invaluable impact on the future of the gallery.

Previous gifts to the Annual Fund have helped to fund many exciting projects this past year. Recent highlights include the first annual Monster Drawing Rally, two successful exhibitions to kick-off the 2010-2011 season, Marcie Paper’s Mama Pajama Rolled Out of Bed and The 13th Annual SECAC and MACAA Juried Exhibition, and the public display of light-based work which transformed the city streets of Richmond in the third InLight Richmond. These projects and events were made possible by the generous contributions from our supporters and fellow art enthusiasts who continue to help 1708 maintain its role as one of the  most dynamic arts organizations in Richmond.

Please consider helping to keep 1708 Gallery strong and vibrant. To make a gift today, please click here. We sincerely thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you at 1708 Gallery!

1708 Gallery is looking for enthusiastic individuals with a passion for the arts for its next round of interns this upcoming spring semester. If you wish to gain experience in many aspects of non-profit gallery administration, including the installation and de-installation of exhibitions, artists relations, fundraising, public relations, marketing, and event planning, please consider applying for a part-time or full-time non-paid position. For more information, visit our opportunities page on the 1708 website by clicking here.

To apply, please submit the application, cover letter, and resume to Jolene at jgiandomenico@1708gallery.org. We look forward to receiving your application!

1708 Gallery would like to congratulate all of its participants of InLight Richmond 2010, but especially the following award recipients…

The BEST IN SHOW AWARD, selected by Juror Amanda McDonald Crowley, was given to Michael Zick Doherty, David Bernstein, and Ian Collings, featuring the Starr Foster Dance Project, for their interactive performance piece (In)Visible. Using light as a way of challenging our perception of the body in space, the work questioned how both light and the absence of light can alter our experience of dance. Crowley awarded Michael Zick Doherty, David Bernstein and Ian Collings with Best in Show for, “their adventurous interpretation of light as a medium and for their capacity to rethink public performance by dynamically engaging the audience and exploring internal and external space in an intriguing way. By situating the audience and the performers in quite a vulnerable space – literally ‘in the dark’ – while simultaneously projecting this vulnerability onto the street was courageous. The dancers’ capacity to explore and indeed exploit the space was thoughtful: a challenging and inspired way to engage street level passer-bys.”

(In)Visible by Michael Zick Doherty, David Bernstein, and Ian Collings

Michael Pellis, AIA, LEED, chose Jeff Schmucki as the winner of the BEST IN GREEN AWARD. His installation, Incubator NX-1993167 with PNSP, served to enlighten the public of the consequences of inefficient and excessive consumption. Inspired by the devastation and personal loss after Hurricane Katrina, Schmuki’s hydroponic garden systems are illuminated at night after solar panels charge the system throughout the day. These portable gardens lack soil as a way to represent the loss of one’s home and the consequent nomadic lifestyle that requires constant response to new and ever-changing environments.

Incubator NX-1993167 with PNSP by Jeff Schmucki

As selected by the InLight Richmond audience, the PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD was given to The Wave Coalition: Emily Herr, Kelley Lowe, Ellie Doughty, Jonathan Tune, and Ha Tran for their work Analog Audience. A collaborative, interactive sculpture, Analog Audience is based on a concept rooted in the positive result of human collaboration, represented by the emission of light and a concerted effort to produce a greater effect than any individual could create alone. This group of emerging artists, known as “The Wave Coalition,” is made up of current students at Virginia Commonwealth University who work together to integrate their various artistic skills and disciplines to create interactive experiences.

Analog Audience by The Wave Coalition: Emily Herr, Kelley Lowe, Ellie Doughty, Jonathan Tune, and Ha Tran

1708 Gallery would also like to congratulate the following Wearable Art Award Recipients. These awards were selected by a panel of judges including Heidi Story, Anne Hughes, Paul Trible, Elizabeth Frazier, and Libby Sykes.

THEO YOUNG BEST IN SHOW AWARD, given in memory of Theo Young, former chair of the VCU Fashion Design Department:  Emily Mitchell and Taylor Todd, Untitled

RUNNER UP: Paulette Pullen, Light Cage

HONORABLE MENTION: Alli Moore, Light of the Party

A special thanks goes out to all the participating artists, volunteers, generous sponsors, and the welcoming property owners of Shockoe Slip. Without their support, InLight Richmond would not have been possible, so thank you all for helping 1708 Gallery continue to inspire and engage the Richmond community with public art. InLight Richmond 2010 was a huge success and we could not have done it without you!

In just over 24 hours Richmond’s historic Shockoe Slip neighborhood will be transformed into a public exhibition of contemporary art inspired by light. Come out to InLight Richmond 2010, Friday, October 22nd, from 7:30 pm until midnight, to experience this showcase of 37 installations as they take over and literally light up the city. Mixing light with sound, performance, ceramics, video, electronics, photography, animation, sculpture, and surveillance technologies, these temporary installations will engage both the people of Richmond and their surroundings in innovative and dynamic ways, and allow for a re-imagination of our urban environment.

The evening will start off with a Community Lantern Parade at 7:30 pm at the James Center Atrium. Bring the lanterns you created at one of the many recent lantern-making workshops in order to participate in the kick-off event!

Later, at 9 pm, is the 12th annual Wearable Art InLight Fashion Show. Held in the Shockoe Plaza outside the Martin Agency, this show is a creative fusion of sculpture, fashion, media, and movement inspired by light. A panel of judges will be giving out awards, including Best in Show.

Please visit the InLight 2010 page at the 1708 Gallery website by clicking here for more information and event details. Can’t wait to see you there!

Come to the opening reception and gallery talk for the 13th Annual SECAC and MACAA Juried Exhibition tomorrow, October 15 from 6 to 8 pm at 1708 Gallery. Exhibition coordinator Andy Kozlowski will be speaking about the exhibition which consists of 59 works by 56 artists.

More information about the exhibition and the included works is to come, but for now, check out the exhibition’s page at the 1708 website by clicking here. We hope to see you here tomorrow night!

InLight Richmond 2010 is pleased to offer the next lantern making workshop that will be held tomorrow, October 6th, from 5:30 to 8:00 pm at 1708 Gallery. This recycled light workshop, led by designer Noah Scalin, is for participants ages 15 and up. Pre-registration is required and entry costs $25.

After the success of the first lantern making workshop last Friday night, this event is sure to be another great way to prepare for the Community Lantern Parade on October 22^nd!

For more information about the event and to pre-register, please click here.

Also, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates about upcoming InLight events and activities. Or, to stay in touch with us via mailings and email, please sign up for our mailing list by clicking here.