Art section: Metro Weekly

Artful Porn

Glenn Fry's Vitruvian Gallery exhibit traces the early evolution of gay porn, before video and the Internet

Published on January 12, 2012, 4:41am

When is porn art? When is an art gallery a back room? The answer to both questions is now – at least as conceived by the Vitruvian Gallery. That's especially true this weekend, when the Capitol Hill gallery hosts a reception primed for Mid-Atlantic Leather patrons. ''Instead of leaving the [gallery space] as nice as it usually is, with drapes and oriental rugs and what have you,'' explains Vitruvian co-owner Jack Cox, ''we're re-creating it to look almost industrial, warehouse, ...[more]

Imagining a Different District

National Building Museum exhibit takes visitors through an array of Washingtons that could have been

Published on January 5, 2012, 5:06am

As senior vice president and curator at the National Building Museum, G. Martin Moeller Jr. knows his exhibits. Even his highly abbreviated tour of ''Unbuilt Washington'' takes nearly an hour. An architect himself, the gay Washingtonian clearly enjoys his work. ''Not surprisingly, we start the exhibition with discussion of the overall plan of the city,'' Moeller begins. ''One of the interesting things is that people are surprised sometimes to see that L'Enfant's plan is here. Because, of course, Washington was ...[more]

Sapphic Glances

The proof of Gertrude Stein's same-sex affection is in the visuals

Published on December 22, 2011, 5:19am

''The two women were very public as a same-sex couple,'' says art historian Wanda M. Corn of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. ''[But] they didn't have a language for it. [Society] didn't use the word 'lesbian' yet. That was born a little bit later.'' As a result, Corn argues that to a certain extent the couple, based in gay Paris nearly a century ago, was hiding in plain sight, at least to an unaware mainstream public. Though Stein's writings ...[more]

Shopping Spree

Strathmore presents its annual early one-stop-shop for holiday gifts

Published on November 10, 2011, 4:51am

''I go every year and do lots of shopping. It's one of my favorite events,'' says Monica Jeffries Hazangeles of Stathmore's Museum Shop Around. And even though Hazangeles is a longtime employee of Strathmore, she's far from alone in her zeal for early holiday shopping at Strathmore. ''Months before,'' says Hazangeles, ''I have neighbors and friends and colleagues from other organizations ask me, 'When are the museum shops coming?' It's just a wonderful community tradition.'' In fact, Strathmore's annual Museum ...[more]

Male Men

Vitruvian Gallery opens with special focus

Published on November 3, 2011, 3:51am

If you head out to the opening exhibit at Vitruvian Gallery, on display through Nov. 19, you're sure to run into Edmund. Certainly you'll pass by Juan, Aaron, Angel and others. They may not be great conversationalists, but they look great. And they're just a few of the pieces from the well-known local gay painter, Rob VanderZee, helping to launch Vitruvian as a gallery dedicated to the male form. ''I think it's a great concept,'' says VanderZee, who has his ...[more]

Soap Box

Kalup Linzy has turned a lifelong obsession with soap operas into a career as a well-regarded artist

Published on November 3, 2011, 3:49am

Growing up in a small town in central Florida, Kalup Linzy was obsessed with soap operas. ''In high school, I ran track and watched the Guiding Light [once home],'' he says. ''The days I made an error on the VCR and it didn't record, I was so pissed off, because you were never going to see it again.'' Ah, the perils of soap fandom before the Internet and SOAPnet. And what about before television? ''My great-grandmother listened to Guiding Light ...[more]

Privileged Information

Anthony Dortch Jr. explores the nature of class in his upcoming show at the Touchstone Gallery

Published on October 27, 2011, 4:32am

Sometimes, Anthony Dortch Jr.'s parents just don't understand. ''My parents look at my artwork,'' he says, ''and sometimes go, 'Why? Why not just make some pretty flowers? Why does it have to have all these hidden messages?''' But Dortch's parents are ''always the first people to see the shows that I have. They support me no matter what I put out there.'' The Ohio native's career has been even further propelled by artistic friends. For his new multimedia exhibit, ''The ...[more]

Junk No More

Mark Morgan finds art after addiction

Published on October 13, 2011, 2:58am

Mark Morgan had a rough transition in 2001. First, he underwent major surgery in May that could have left him with a colostomy bag or some similar health burden. Dodging that bullet, however, he felt he had ''a new lease on life.'' That included meeting a new guy. ''The week before 9/11, I moved to San Francisco for somebody,'' he remembers. ''I wasn't picked up at the airport – or met anytime after that. I knew the relationship was doomed. ...[more]

Jersey Boys

Flag footballers offer 24 months of muscle

Published on August 4, 2011, 6:35am

When William Waybourn took the photographs for the D.C. Strokes 2008-2009 calendar, he was able to pose the rowers -- or at least keep a safe distance. But with the D.C. Gay Flag Football League, hazardous duty was involved. ''I did get hit by one guy who forgot that I was standing there,'' he says of shooting a scrimmage for the DCGFFL's calendar, launching Tuesday, Aug. 9 with a Hugo Boss-sponsored release party at Waybourn's Longview Gallery. ''They play very ...[more]

Knock on Wood

Michelle Peterson-Albandoz creates big art out of found wood

Published on April 14, 2011, 3:26am

You might call Michelle Peterson-Albandoz a dumpster diver for art. The Chicago resident trolls for wood in ''dumpsters and back alleys and stuff'' to create sustainable art using only found materials. ''If there's someone tearing out the insides of a greystone, I'm one of the first people to arrive,'' she says. ''[Chicago home renovators] all recognize me now and wave. I'll bring them a six pack of beer once in a while, which is probably not a good idea, but ...[more]

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