trompe l'oiel is people

Alexa Meade has a way of panting people which is simply something else.  Looking at the above photos, you might think "Sure, they're great and all, but I've seen other artists do similar."  But have you?  Because then you see these:

I say again: Alexa Meade has a way of painting people.

I urge you to check out her portfolio, gallery page, or Flickr portfolio.  Challenge yourself.  I find that the eyes, hair, and surroundings are generally the things that give it away.  But only if you're looking for them.  Because this girl is good.  Plus, she's based in D.C.!  You can bet that I'll be making it to her next show, oh boy.  Here's the statement from her portfolio page:

Alexa Meade has innovated a Trompe-L’Oeil painting technique that can perceptually compress three-dimensional space into a two-dimensional plane. Her work is a fusion of installation, painting, performance, photography, and video art.

Rather than painting a representational picture on a flat canvas, Meade paints her representational image directly on top of her three-dimensional subjects. The subject and its representation become one and the same. Essentially, her art imitates life on top of life.

u street girl

My good friend Catherine is profiled today in the Washingtonian.com's Blogger Beat.  It's a great interview, full of Catherine's recommendations for where to dine, drink, and shop in the U Street area--and trust me, she knows her beat.  Plus it features a positively perfect photo of the girl herself, taken by Chris Leaman.

Go on, check it out!

a nerdy and perfect proposal

How adorable is this story of a man who recruited the Smithsonian Department of Anthropology to help him surprise his girlfriend with a proposal?  They were attending the Written in Bone exhibit at the Natural History Museum, and he had arranged a tour of the department's forensics lab (the bride-to-be has a background in forensic biology).  But get this: the proposal itself was on a slide placed under a microscope (see above).  It reads, "Naomi, I will love you forever. Will you marry me?"  She said yes, of course!

via the dcist

door of the day

photo by albinoflea. one set of doors on the Library of Congress Adams building. more info here.

good days to be a book lover

***

This week is a good one if you're a book lover in the DC Metro area.  Here's why:

1. Fall for the Book Festival at George Mason University: This is a great event, and I'm not just saying that because it takes place at my alma mater.  They always succeed in getting wonderful guests, and this year is no different.  Click here for a list of events and ongoing exhibitions.

2. 2009 National Book Festival: The grand poobah of book fairs, this event, thrown by the Library of Congress, involves hordes of book lovers swarming over the Mall.  It's enough to warm the cockles of this local's heart.  Click here for a list of authors that includes more big names than you can shake a stick at.

3. Small Press Expo: This is the event I'll be attending on Saturday.  It's smaller in scale than the other two, but includes lots of artists and producers of art books.  I am super, super excited about it (as well as getting to hang out with two great dudes), and will hopefully come home with lots of stories (and loot!).

These are the events I know of.  If I've missed any, please let me know!

own a piece of history

The Watergate hits the auction block Tuesday. If you've got a serious chunk of change lying around and/or a strong desire to buy a piece of Washington notoriety, step up!

via the DCist

did you?

Obama-2596, originally uploaded by timfernando.

Did you watch? I'm sure you did. This was my favourite part:

"To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

The DCist has the full transcript. At the end of the page.

If you missed it:

photo source

go for gold

Perhaps it is because I spent several hours over the last few days looking at my grandmother's old photo albums and scrapbooks, but I LOVE these dresses by E.C. Star at Modcloth. They're very reminiscent of my mother's debut. In fact, I find that I like pretty much all of E.C. Star' retro-inspired dresses. If I were attending an Inauguration Ball tonight, I would totally rock one of these beauties.

In related news, any second thoughts I might have had about choosing to stay home for Inauguration are being put to rest by the DCist twitter. It is also making me extremely nervous about how I'm going to get to school tomorrow, as Metro station after Metro station falls like dominoes in a line. Hulu has streaming coverage of the proceedings, so I'm set. To all of you downtown, I salute you! Good luck!

what's the password

I know I sound like a broken record goin' on about inauguration stuff (ironic since I won't be attending), but it's just so much fun watching the whole town light up like it is! Washington is chock-full of museums, most of them free, which is great! However, having the Smithsonian around does mean that museums which aren't free tend to get short shift. Both the Phillips Collection and the Corcoran are great museums, and this month they're both offering a buy-one-get-one ticket deal. For the Phillips, you need only utter the correct word (psst, it's "inauguration"), while the Corcoran requires you bring in a coupon (click on the Avedon header here to access).

I've been a longtime fan of the Phillips and can't recommend it enough, but I also urge you to check out the Corcoran, specifically the Richard Avedon show. It's fantastic, well worth the price of admission, and time is running out to see it. The museum will be closed from January 26-March 13 to undergo a roof restoration, so hurry in!

photo source

looking forward, looking back

Have you heard? A lot of people are coming to town to try and catch a glimpse of the new guy around the 20th this month. In anticipation of that, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has put together a quick guide to some of Washington's older homes and neighborhoods. I've lived just outside the District my whole life and haven't seen many of these!

The page features a map highlighting the big historic properties, photo tours of a few neighborhoods (such as Barracks Row, above), as well as a little series of videos from Preservation magazine about Lincoln's time in Washington in honor of the forthcoming 200th anniversary of his death, and that other man from Illinois. Awesome!

the new guy

Inauguration Day approaches! Initially, I entertained some thought about braving the insanity downtown, but that's not going to happen. I'd still like to show my support, though! I'm not big on official "commemorative" items (this ad makes me want to throw the remote at the TV every time I see it), but I like the sentiment. I'd just prefer something with a little more...style. I mentioned Metro's commemorative Smartrip card before, and it's apparently a big hit, but still not my thing. But I LOVE the Obama-as-FDR (although the top hat also makes me think Lincoln) illustration Richard Thompson did for The New Yorker in November, and he's decided to put it on buttons!
Well, buttons and t-shirts and totes and whatever else Cafe Press will print, but I like the buttons best. Classy with a dash of history thrown in, and a great way to show your support wherever you may be on January 20th.

inauguration

Federal Triangle (or Space Mountain? You decide), originally uploaded by dotsara.

Not sure how I feel about this. Clever to be sure, and non-local folks might not pick up on the fact that it actually costs $5 more than a regular card, but it's a souvenir, yeah? Is the historical value enough that I want a second Smartrip card? Especially when I fully intend to be nowhere near the insanity that will be (fantastic, historic) Inauguration Day. Hmmm...

via DCist

in the mood for cider?

My girl Veronica has a fall edition list of great dc metro date night ideas up on her blog, and I am loving it. I especially loved her suggestion of going on a ghost tour in Old Town Alexandria. How fun! A unique idea whether you're on a first date or just out with a bunch of buds. They've got special Halloween tours, too.

If you're a bit more removed from our lovely area, Joanna Goddard has a few sweet (and cheap!) suggestions up on the Glamour Smitten blog.

photo from here

money, money, money

I admit, the economy situation is making me a little nervous. Then I was reminded that there's still something our money's good for...On district, schmistrict via Prêt à Voyager.

yummy yuppie

Great news for all you DC area folks! The creations of Yuppie Decor, purveyors of vintage and brightly repurposed furniture and accessories will no longer solely be available by appointment only! Maybe I'm the only one excited about this, but knowing that I'll be able to wander into Maison Living in Georgetown (photo above) and browse their lovely things makes me incredibly happy. For you non-DC-ers, you can certainly still e-mail Aaron and Shannon Hase about the pieces on their website. Here are some of their current and past items:

Personally, I'm a little crazy about this old type tray--how neat would it be mounted on the wall and holding all my little beach rocks? I think I'll be making my way down to Georgetown soon!

Adams love, love, love

So I've been spending a lot of time at the Library of Congress lately. It's an incredible resource, not to mention a beautiful place. The LOC has three buildings: the Jefferson, the Adams, and the Madison. The Jefferson is the oldest (1897) and most overtly impressive of the three. With the Great Hall and the gorgeous dome in the Main Reading Room, it is by far the tourist hotspot. The Madison is the most recent of the three, it opened in 1976. The building looks rather boxy and plain until you stand directly in front of the main door.

But my favourite, oh, my favourite is the Adams Building (see top photo). Completed in 1939, this baby is aaaaaaall Deco.

from Dan_DCabove two images from pixelmasseuse (who's also got many other great shots of DC and area events)

Unfortunately for me, the Main Reading Room is where all of my resources are located these days, so I have to make special trips to the Adams. I don't mind, though. It is so worth it.

Images, except for those marked otherwise, were found via the LOC Prints and Photographs catalog. Photographer credit was not given.

kermit and coffee

For kids or kids at heart in the Washington, DC area, you might want to head over to the S. Dillon Ripley Center (where my classes are--marked as INTERNATIONAL GALLERY on this map) and check out Jim Henson's Fantastic World. It's open through October 5th. For those of you too far away to make it here, it is a traveling exhibition and will be making the rounds. For a taste, check out this footage of early Henson advertisements for Wilkins Coffee. Kermit was a bit more violent in his early years!

ghosts of a chance

Any artsy mystery-lovers out there? The Luce Center at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) just launched an ARC (alternate reality game), supposedly the first to take place in an actual museum. If that wasn't cool enough, they announced the game by sending a mostly naked man, slicked up and covered in written clues, to Boston in July where he made an appearance at ARGFest-O-Con 2008.

The Ghost of a Chance website went live at midnight last night and with it the first clue. Here's where it gets artsy (aside from the whole art museum thing). The first assignment is called "The Necklace of the Subaltern Betrayer" and asks for the creation of a necklace to suit "a girl from another time, she blushes and rustles as she passes, taffeta skirt buoyed by crinolines."

To quote an article from blog Museum 2.0, "Sure, it's the necklace of the subaltern betrayer (who doesn't have one of those hanging around?) and it's being requested by a haunted 23-year-old curator who uses his MySpace page as a professional homebase, but heck, who isn't up for a little ghoulish informality in the world of staff disclosure?"

Anything I might attempt to cobble together would probably look like ridiculous gobbledegook, but I know that there are some seriously creative and talented folks out there--anyone interested in having a piece in a national gallery, even temporarily? Entries are due by September 15th and should be sent to

Ghosts of a Chance
c/o Georgina Bath
Suite 4200
Smithsonian American Art Museum
750 Ninth Street NW
Washington DC 20001

The game culminates on October 25th. You up to the chalenge?