g40 pics and links

Kelly O'Brien, Grace in Full Bloom (detail) at G40 Art Summit (photo credit: Joshua Yospyn for Worn Magazine)Kelly O'Brien, Grace in Full Bloom at G40 Art Summit (photo credit: Joshua Yospyn for Worn Magazine)Grace in Full Bloom by Kelly O'Brien at Art Whino's G40 Art SummitA big thank you to Art Whino, microWave Project, and Brightest Young Things for pulling off an extraordinary event! I'll continue to post images here as they appear. In the meantime, you'll find some awesome slideshows of all the work here and here. Check out the party scene here and here. And a growing list of press clips about the event here.

Update on 2011-09-17 15:40 by Kelly O'Brien

Thank you, Natalie of Calliope Boutique, for this kind mention of my work, among others.

grace in full bloom

Finished installing my very first installation yesterday, for the G40 "new brow" art event taking place in DC's U Street Corridor through June 17.

My piece, Grace In Full Bloom, is a celebration of everything I love about the materials I work with and what it means to have found what one truly loves in life. I've set Grace, my handmade-papered dress form, in a paper and moss garden. Her skirt (inspired by a long dancer's tutu) is made of hundreds of dress pattern paper flowers. Butterflies - cut from decades-old French text books that I've been keeping for something special - swarm out of a closet and across the room.

This being my first installation, I had no idea what to expect. Well, the first thing was to face down the fear of doing it. When I told my friend Mandy that I got invited by microWave Project to do this and that it was freaking me out, she immediately said something like, "and you're going to do it, right?"

What is it about art and fear? That's a whole other blog post, but something I've been contemplating for a while. Anyway, I'm very happy with how it turned out.

G40 opens to the public this coming Friday, May 20th at 10 pm. In addition to four floors of awesome art on display daily through June 17, the Opening Weekend looks like big fun:

• Friday May 20th: Fatback DJs bring 3 of their parties into one space: FATBACK classic/ TENDERLOIN (slow jams in the lounge) / QUE SERA (garage rock in the garage). 10pm. FREE
• Saturday May 21st: END OF THE WORLD PARTY (in anticipation of rapture) feat: Chris Burns, All Girls Squad DJs (Ultra Nate and Lisa Moody), House of Soul (Live band), Sam Burns, NavBox, Rosario, Roger Samuel, Mike Fisher, Sarah. 10pm. $1 DOOR DONATION
• Sunday May 22nd: Special POST RAPTURE Pocket Gays Sunday School daytime brunch gathering: food truck food, st.germaine champagne cocktails, games, music etc

I'm sure there will tons of photos to post soon, which I'll do here and on TurningPointe Press' Facebook page.

art whino g40 summit

I'm thrilled to be part of microWave Project's stable of installation artists participating in the massive urban art attack known as G40. From what I've seen so far, this will be quite the scene and series of events.

Event Location
vitaminwater® uncapped LIVE
2213-2217 14th street NW (the corner of 14th and W NW, Washington, DC)

G40 Exhibit Schedule:
Exhibit runs: May 19th-June 17th,  2011
Open Hours: Tuesday & Thursdays: 5 – 10pm,
Fridays & Saturdays: 12pm – 11pm
Sundays: 12pm – 6pm
Mondays: Closed

Entertainment schedule:
Brightest Young Things will curate unique special events in the space six days a week (Tues-Sun) to include live music, dance parties, local designer showcases and fashion events, photobooths, art workshops and talks, stand up comedy, cult movie nights, record fairs and more.

For full details and a sneek peek at some of the art, click here.

the nest project: open through may 15

A big thank you to everyone who came out for Thursday night's opening of The Nest Project!

We had a nice crowd at Target Gallery's Nest exhibition, juried by Gretchen Schermerhorn. We then headed outdoors for a moonlight tour of fifteen nest installations by DC-area arts groups. By the time our tour was finished, the crowd had swelled to over 40 people strolling from nest to nest along the Potomac river.

Albus Cavus nest created by Rosina Teri Memolo Credit: Hilary Kline

The Alexandria Patch does a nice job capturing the spirit of the outdoor installations, with photos by Hillary Kline. The entire event runs through May 15, including 54 instudio nest-themed exhibitions by Torpedo Factory artists.

happy 30th birthday to pyramid atlantic!

Pyramid Atlantic turns 30 this year and we're celebrating with a big party this Saturday! If you're in the DC area, stop by. There will be hands-on demos throughout all of the studios. Come get your hands wet in the papermaking studio, inky in the printmaking and screenprint studios, give the letterpress a crank, or try your hand at foil hot-stamping your name onto bookcloth!

The Gazette's Topher Forhecz offers a nice insider's preview of the festivities here. And help celebrate the occasion by showing your support here.

Come have some birthday cake! 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, 8230 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD.

Pyramid's Annual Member's Show and the resident Washington Printmakers Gallery Impressions from the Press Room members show will be celebrating their openings at the same time. Call 301-608-9101 or visit www.pyramidatlanticartcenter.org

paper window displays from paris

Le Creative Sweatshop's display window for Rinascente of Palermo

gutenberg by blondie

A super-cute, slightly cheesy, heart-warming (to me, at least) homage to my soon-to-be new homeland!

juror's choice: uprooted

A big THANK YOU to The Washington Post's Michael O'Sullivan for awarding my new print, Uprooted, Juror's Choice at The Target Gallery's March Madness exhibition! Now if I only had a decent shot of the print, I'd share it here. However, I do have a lovely photo of Michael in front of it, thanks to Target's Mary Cook.

Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post, Target Gallery's March Madness Exhibition

The best part of all? Our conversation about his experience of viewing my work, what he responded to, and being able to give him a little backstory. I really appreciate that he took the time and interest to chat with me.

Thanks again, Michael - you definitely made my day (heck, my entire weekend)!

bound in japan update

My friend Kieu Lam is still going to Japan for her Bound in Japan project this summer. She's making nice progress against her goal to raise funds to offer free book arts workshops there and defray costs.

Now, more than ever, artists in Japan need our support. Say YES! to Japan by supporting Kieu's project today.

saying yes to happy

Nearly five years ago, I walked into Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center in Silver Spring, MD and discovered what I wanted to be when I grew up: an artist. Since then, I've been taking progressive steps on the path to working and being fulltime in the arts, some of which I chronical through this blog.

This year, Pyramid celebrates it's 30th birthday. In honor of this milestone, I'm raising funds to help support arts programming such as their biannual book arts fair, artist residencies, public school outreach, and studio maintenance.

If there's something in your life that you've said "yes" to - or, perhaps more importantly, think you can't do - I encourage you to visit my FirstGiving page to read more about how I'm saying yes to happy. And consider making a donation, no matter how small.

There's something in it for you, based on your giving level...handmade books, beautiful boxes, handmade cards, a day in the studios at Pyramid Atlantic with me? Say yes to happy.

march madness

Come buy real art at an affordable price to support a good cause! Target Gallery and the March of Dimes are teaming up to raise money for both organizations through March Madness, an exhibit of DC-area and regional artists. The gallery walls will be covered in 10x10 inch pieces of art created specifically for the cause.

The madness sets in at an art party on Friday, March 25 at 7 to 11 pm. Snap up one or several of the 200+ pieces of art and you could be a lucky winner...many of the 10x10 panels will be loaded with valuable prizes on the back from local businesses. Groove to the tunes of DJ Stylo and sip refreshments from Old Dominion Brewing Company while you shop.

Hope to see you there! I've got a new piece, Uprooted, in the show. Get full details and Art Party ticket information here.

spring update: nesting

Time again for a quick update on places you can find my work this spring. With my upcoming move to Germany this summer, the serendipity of the abundance of nest-themed work is not lost on me. I'm working on a new edition of mixed media nest prints that I'll share here soon.

March Madness exhibition and March of Dimes fund-raiser, Target Gallery, Alexandria, VA. March 17 – 27, 2011 

The Nest Project, presented by Target Gallery in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Featuring waterfront artist-built nest installations along the Potomac River. Alexandria, VA. April 2 – May 15, 2011

Our Nest exhibition, in conjunction with The Nest Project to raise awareness about affordable housing, Printmakers Inc Studio 325 at the Torpedo Factory, Alexandria, VA. March 5 – April 30, 2011

the nest project

I'm so excited about a project I'm working on through the Torpedo Factory's Target Gallery: The Nest Project. Target Gallery, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, is sponsoring an outdoor exhibition of artist-made nests created by local arts groups. The event will take place just outside of Washington, DC at the Torpedo Factory Art Center along the waterfront of the Potomac River in Old Town Alexandria from Sunday, April 10 through Sunday, May 15, 2011.

To learn more about this awesome project, visit our Kickstarter site, the gallery's project site, and say hi on the Nest Facebook page. We Need Your Help! Funds raised through Kickstarter will help defray artists' costs and time for their installations, lighting to make the installations visible at night, and temporary public signage for a waterfront tour of the installed artist nests.

a bright resource

Betty Bright is a scholar, curator and advocate for the book arts. She specializes in book art because, in her words: "I think it is the most challenging and enlightening art form invented." Amen to that.

Her most recent contribution is a blog, letterpressbkart, focused on the state of letterpress printmaking since the 1980s. In response to a request from the magazine, Craft in America, she's compiled a rich list of book arts-related people, organizations, events and resources in one place.

I first heard Betty speak at last fall's APHA Conference and was moved by her call for more critical discourse on the art of the book. Perhaps her new blog will be one such forum. Thank you, Betty!

exit through the gift shop

Fury, envy, inspiration. These are the things I felt last night watching Banksy's documentary film, Exit Through the Gift Shop. This film blew my mind on a number of levels. Not only is Banksy a brilliant street artist, but he's crossed seamlessly into the medium of film and garnered an Academy Award nomination.

current obsession: paper + dance + soul

These artists blow me away. British soul singer Adele's video, Rolling In the Deep, combines her amazing vocals with paper sculpture artwork, and a beautiful dance sequence. I've searched for credits on both the paper artist and dancer and can't find them yet. If you know who they are, please let me know.

The whole thing leaves me a little breathless.

marketing 101 for the book arts

Calling all book artists! In preparation for a workshop that I’ll be doing for graduate students of a book arts program, I’m collecting data and examples of how people in the book arts are successfully marketing their work.

In exchange for the 5 to 10 minutes of your time that this survey will take, I’ll send you a summary of the results.

You can take this confidential survey here.

If you know of anyone else who would like to contribute, please pass this link along to them: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/marketing4bookarts The survey ends on March 4th.

winter 2011 update

Time again for a quick summary on places you can find my work this winter and into early Spring:

Haiku exhibition, pairing co-op members' art with haiku, Printmakers Inc Studio 325 at the Torpedo Factory Alexandria, VA January 1 - February 28, 2011

In Three Acts: Work by Kelly O’Brien exhibition, National Institute of Health Clinical Care Center Gallery, Bethesda, MD January 14 – March 4, 2011

Photo Book Works exhibition, 23 Sandy Gallery, Portland, OR January 27 – March 12, 2011

Our Nest exhibition, Printmakers Inc Studio 325 at the Torpedo Factory, Alexandria, VA March 1 – April 30, 2011

joseph cornell and ballet

Joseph Cornell, Untitled (Celestial Fantasy with Tamara Toumanova), Early 1940sI love a good surprise, the kind that tips over into delight, especially when my two great passions collide: book arts and ballet. Little did I know that when I started my research on assemblage artist Joseph Cornell, I'd also learn that he was obsessed with ballet. It inspired some of his work, in fact.

For a run-down on a range of pieces he created for or that were inspired by ballerinas, The Australian Ballet's blog, Behind Ballet, does a nice job here.

Now that's the second thing we have in common - no wait, the third: we're both into the book arts, we're both inspired by ballet, and neither of us is (was) a formally-trained visual artist.

I realize that it's a bit ridiculous to compare myself to Cornell, but I feel like I'm in good company. My path into fine arts has been unconventional and intuitive, not formal or structured. It's little signs like this that tell me to just keep going.

if you're in new york in february...

...why not try something fresh and unexpected in Manhattan, like attend my friend Irene Chan's live performance of her latest artist book, An ABC reDiscovers Appearance? Yes, that's right - she's performing with her artist book. She debuted at the Stockholm Fringe Festival this past October.

In Irene's words:

I start every week with my identity and sense of belonging intact, only to have it fractured into pieces. My look of ‘Asianness’ has led to a great many misunderstandings: from the humorous to the demoralizing absurd. This performance explores whether old stereotypes affect how others see me today and whether growing up with American popular media has affected how I see myself and other Asians.

Sunday, February 6, 2011, 5pm
The Strawberry One-Act Festival
The Hudson Guild Theatre, 441 West 26th Street, NYC,
Between 9th & 10th Avenue in Chelsea

Program and Tickets (Irene is in Series J):

This is a competition and the audience votes. Please ask your NY friends to attend! Check the website for updates. If Irene advances, she will perform the show again the following week.