The pen proves its might yet again. Syrian political cartoonist Ali Farzat was attacked after his cartoon of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fleeing with Moammar Gadhafi began circulating.  From the CNN.com article: A statement describes Farzat as “the most popular political cartoonist in the country,” and reaction in Syria was swift to the attack on a man described on a website featuring his cartoons as having “a pen of Damascus steel.”In a demonstration of solidarity, a number of Syrians on Facebook changed their profile pictures to that of the bruised and bloodied satirist. Farzat is known for his caricatures lampooning figures such as Saddam Hussein, who threatened him with death before banning his work in Iraq, and Gadhafi of Libya, where his work is also banned.” Read the entire article here: http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/08/26/syria.cartoonist.beaten/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
A reception for emeritus, curated by Nancy Lukasiewicz, will be held this Sunday from 2-4pm in the Lyndon House Arts Center.  emeritus is a show of emeritus and former professors such as JERRY CHAPPELLE, ROBERT CLEMENTS. TOM HAMMOND, JAMES L. HANNA, RICK JOHNSON, GLEN KAUFMAN, JACK KEHOE, JUDITH McWILLIE, RON MEYERS, ANDY NASISSE, W. ROBERT NIX, GARY NOFFKE, RICHARD J. OLSEN, BILL PAUL, ART ROSENBAUM, LANNY WEBB … The Lyndon House is located at 293 Hoyt Street in Athens. North Jackson Street dead ends at Hoyt Street. For more information, visit: http://ga-athensclarkecounty.civicplus.com/index.aspx?nid=4192
UGA’s student newspaper, the Red & Black, reviews the upcoming exhibition of Lamar Dodd School of Art faculty work. MMXI will be opening TONIGHT- August 19 from 7-9pm.  From the article: “There will be traditional approaches in terms of everything from the portrait to working with a microscopic camera,” said Jeffrey Whittle, gallery director at the Lamar Dodd School of Art. “Something that you couldn’t see with the naked eye, someone will be able to see in the show, as well as things that are from the artists’ imaginations; something completely invented.” http://redandblack.com/2011/08/19/university-exhibition-mixes-faculty-avant-garde-art/
Missing a Rembrandt? Check out your local priest’s office- apparently, some art thieves like to stash their stolen goods there. From NPR: “…the drawing was found by Father Michael Cooper, an assistant priest at St. Nicholas of Myra Episcopal Church in Encino. He opened the door to his office Monday night and noticed the framed drawing just inside. At first he thought it was a donation, but upon closer inspection, it hit him: It was the “The Judgment,” the 1655 work that had been plastered all over the news after it was stolen from the Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey.” Read the whole article here: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/08/17/139703773/stolen-rembrandt-found-in-a-church
This weekend is the first back in Athens. Start it off right this Saturday night! From 7-10pm, Trace Gallery will host an opening for “Surprise the Sky,” a group exhibition for Lauren Gallaspy, Erin McIntosh, and Zuzka Vaclavik. All three women are showcasing amazing works. For more information, visit the Trace Gallery website: http://www.tracegalleryathens.com/ See you there!
MFA Drawing & Painting candidate Christine Bush Roman will be exhibiting recent work at ARTini’s from August 15 through September 28. There will be an opening reception on the 15th from 6-9pm and all are welcome!  ARTini’s Studio, Gallery and Lounge is located at 296 West Broad St, right across from the Painting & Drawing Exit studios. Check out more of Roman’s work at her website: http://www.christinebushroman.com
Start off your August the right way. This Wednesday, August 3rd from 6-8pm at Blue Tin Studio is Aggregate, a collective exhibition of the Lamar Dodd School of Art’s painting, ceramics, enameling, and drawing summer classes. Featuring: Ceramics:Sarah Adams Fausat Aderohunmu Rachel Andreaus Chelsea DeLeon Mary Durham Jessie Hyatt Beyza Kilic Jessica Lackey Shelly Pate Amanda Qubty Philly Scruggs Drawing & Painting: Campbell Baker Tim Cisewski Stevie Fiddler Anglea Finkbeiner Aaron Fu Kory Gabriel Rob Graham Julie Jones Adrienne Kitchens Meg Massey Morgan Mitchell Aja Snyder Maisie Thompson Jeff WestEnameling: Sonni Brickhouse Michelle Kim Rhys May McCay Mercer Genevieve Meyer-Price Cindy Pruitt Tanner Scott Kimberly Stohlmann RSVP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=154120761331198  Drawing by Aaron Fu.
UGA alumni are staying extremely busy. Jessi Wohl (MFA ‘10) and current MFA candidate Justin Plakas have work in an exhibition at Zeitgeist. Together, their works “create a dialogue about the clandestine nature of suburban life,” according to Laura Huston’s review in the Nashville Scene. Read the review in its entirety here: http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/at-zeitgeist-work-by-two-artists-addresses-the-weirdness-of-suburbia/Content?oid=2580027
It’s the first Friday of the new school year, and ArtUga is here to tell you where to go: the Short Stacks Art Opening at Anchor Tattoo and Gallery! Featuring art by UGA’s Kim Deakins (MFA 2010) and David Hale (BFA 2006), this two-person show is TONIGHT, Friday, August 20th, from 6-10pm.  RSVP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=143570842330436&index=1 See everyone there! Kim Deakins, Fire Face, 2010 (http://kimdeakins.com/)
Up at the Lamar Dodd School of Art through September 17th: The Re:mark 2010 Drawing Invitational, curated by LDSOA’s own Jon Swindler, Assistant Professor of Printmaking, and Gallery Director Jeffery Whittle. From the LDSOA website:  Over the past few years, drawing (as a medium) has experienced a sort of rejuvenation.  Perhaps spurred by a reaction to the hi-fi/hi-def leanings of visual culture, drawing, in many ways functions as a lo-fi/lo-def retreat.  For the artists featured in “Re: mark”, drawing also affords a conceptual foundation and visual clarity unlike any other media.  In the hands of these individuals, drawing is approached as idea, activity and material.  Though each employing a unique visual strategy, the spirit of their work remains tied to the immediate, almost elementary nature of mark making.  This invitational features the work of Kathleen McShane, Sara Schneckloth, Barb Bondy, and Phillip Buntin. Read each artists’ statement at: http://art.uga.edu/index.php?pt=3&id=244#
onedarlingday: thanks christina for the heads up on this super-neat opportunity for ALL OF US ARTISTS to get involved in without the hoity-toity-super-elite-qualifying-judgements.  arthouse co op is putting on a little something called the sketchbook project. if you aren’t sold yet you will be in 2 seconds when i tell you how dedicated they are to the artist community as a whole and want to get YOUR work out there for the world to see! so the tagline is “it’s like a concert tour but with sketchbooks” moleskine cashiers to be exact. $25 to enter you have until next january to doodle your heart out and send in your book to be part of this traveling tour! at the end all books will permanently reside at the brooklyn art library where they will be barcoded and available for the public to view HOW NEAT! i’m doing it. are you??? This is a great opportunity for all artists! For more information, go to http://arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject
This Friday, June 25th: 3 Artists ! Graduate students Brian Hitselberger (Painting & Drawing), Janie Askew (Printmaking), and Phil Jasen (Printmaking) are displaying work at Anchor Tattoo and Gallery from 7-10pm. Come out and bring all of your friends! RSVP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1116810145#!/event.php?eid=107212059327916 Event image by Phil Jasen (http://philjasen.wordpress.com/)
Lamar Dodd School of Art’s Painting and Drawing department head, Diane Edison, has been awarded a Fulbright for 2010-2011! “Professor Edison will teach painting at The New Bulgarian University which is located inSofia, the capital of Bulgaria. The title of Edison’s Fulbright Grant proposal is “Portraiture Redefined:  Interdisciplinary approaches in the classroom.”  Professor Edison will conduct her own research at sites throughout Bulgaria.” http://www.georgeadamsgallery.com/artists/artist_ins.php3?artist=24 Congratulations Professor Edison!!!
Up in the Lamar Dodd School of Art through July 24th: Philip Ayers and William Itter “Found in Nature: Paintings and Drawings” “The Lamar Dodd School of Art is proud to host the paintings and drawings of Philip Ayers and William Itter this summer in Gallery 307. Recently exhibited at The Painting Center in New York City in 2009, Found in Nature:Paintings and Drawings is a showcase of two masterful technicians exploring landscape through color and mark.” http://art.uga.edu/index.php?pt=3#
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