Welcome to HA

Introducing the Five New 2009 Hamiltonian Fellows
After successfully completing our first year of artist-centric programming, Hamiltonian Artists is thrilled to introduce the five new, distinguished Hamiltonian Fellows for 2009 to join our existing Fellows. Congratulations to:

• Jon Bobby Benjamin (BA, Brandeis University)
  
• Magnolia Laurie (MFA, Mount Royal School of Art, Maryland Institute College of Art)
  
• Katherine Mann (MFA, Hoffberger School of Painting, Maryland Institute College of Art)
  
• Jonathan Monaghan (MFA Candidate, University of Maryland)
  
• Lina Vargas De La Hoz (MFA, Art University Linz, Austria)
  

On Saturday, June 20, 2009, at 7pm, Hamiltonian Gallery will open an introductory group exhibition of these five new Fellows. Each artist, incredibly distinct from one another and multidisciplinary, will be displaying the work with which they were accepted. The exhibition will run from June 20 - August 1, 2009. Please join us!

Thefive new 2009 So-Hamiltonian Fellows were selected from a pool of over 180 applicants this year, up from 130 applicants the previous year. Hamiltonian Artists brought together seven incredibly acclaimed art professionals to comprise the External Review Panel. The External Review Panel caucused together, and evaluated every application based on criteria regarding technical merit, originality and relevance to today's art world. Panelists were also asked to discuss how well they thought the applicant would benefit from the program that Hamiltonian has to offer. We would like to express our deep appreciation to the panelists for their enthusiastic support of this endeavor:

· Tom Ashcraft - Sculptor, Professor, George Mason University
· Patrick Craig - Painter, Professor, University of Maryland
· Lucy Hogg - Painter, Professor, Corcoran College of Art + Design
· Brandon Morse - Digital Media, Professor, University of Maryland
· Sarah Tanguy - Critic (Sculpture Magazine), Curator, Consultant
· Henry Thaggert - Art Collector
· Rex Weil - Visual Artist, Educator, Critic

---

Reminders:

• FELLOWS SPEAK: Panel Discussion led by the Hamiltonian Fellows from our first season, Helen Frederick, Greg Kearley, Nevin Kelly and Paul So, on Thursday, June 11, 2009, 7pm at Hamiltonian Gallery. Please RSVP to Jackie@hamiltoniangallery.com
  
  
• Our Current Exhibition, FELLOWS CONVERGE: Redefining the Environment will be on view until June 13, 2009.
  
  
• Hamiltonian Artists has launched the first stage of its e-philanthropy initiative. Used in conjunction with the Hamiltonian Artists website, this not-for-profit e-philanthropy tool gives donors direct control over their contributions in supporting worthwhile and innovative art proposals by the So-Hamiltonian Fellow artists.
  
  Learn how you can support the artists! HA e-philanthropy Program
  
  Hamiltonian Artists is a 501c (3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing professional development opportunities for creative artists in their early careers. We offer a competitive two-year fellowship program for new innovative visual artists in all media, which are awarded through an annual competition.
  

Covergence Opening

Although I was thousand miles away, I can definitely feel the spirit and excitement of the fellows convergence. Thanks to Shigeru (Alan), the pictures are great.



Greetings Everyone


Front Window Transformed by Ian









Tower of Byran


Fellows Converge


P4 at night

FELLOWS CONVERGE: Redefining the Environment

Hamiltonian Artists and Hamiltonian Gallery are pleased to announce "FELLOWS CONVERGE: Redefining the Environment," a group exhibition marking the culmination of the Hamiltonian Fellowship's first year.

Christian Benefiel
Tom Block
Anne Chan
Ian MacLean Davis
Leah Frankel
Linda Hesh
Michael Dax Iacovone
Youngmi Organ
Bryan Rojsuontikul
Michael Enn Sirvet

Curator and Mentor Artist, Helen Frederick, leagued all of the Hamiltonian Fellows together to contemplate associations they have built over the year, and to design a collaborative show across disciplines, media, content and colleagues. Comprised of all new work, this exhibition highlights their ability to converse and broaden their understanding of one another, thus allowing for new interpretations of their work to be created.

Acknowledging their resonance with the environment, both within the gallery and the changing U Street neighborhood, the Fellows have sought out new potential and perspectives. Whether directly sourcing the people or facades of the U Street area, using materials from the streets and buildings surrounding the gallery or studying the socioeconomic fabrics within the community, each artist has distilled the tenor of this neighborhood and reconstructed it with common threads they find in their own artistic vocabulary.

"FELLOWS CONVERGE: Redefining the Environment," will run from May 9 - June 6, 2009, with an opening reception on Saturday, May 9, 2009, 7 - 9 pm. We are also hosting a panel discussion on June 3, 2009, at 7pm. Please join us.

Subscribe
Please sign up to receive email updates on the gallery and its coming exhibitions.

Formalist Quartet Fundraiser April 8th

Hamiltonian Artists and Project 4 invite you to an evening of music, hors d'oeuvres and wine for a fundraiser for the So-Hamiltonian Fellowship Program on April 8th, 2009, with the music performed by the Formalist Quartet.

The Formalist Quartet is a string ensemble dedicated to the performance of adventurous and relevant repertoire, focusing on contemporary pieces as well as exploring a diverse spectrum of early baroque music.

Doors open at 7pm and tickets are $25. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling the gallery directly at 202.332.1116. Some tickets will be available the evening of the show but those interested are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance. Proceeds raised will help further the So-Hamiltonian Fellowship Program and aid the future endeavors of our fellows.

We hope you can join us for the evening.

New Work by Lisa Brotman | Thomas Block | Michael Enn Sirvet

Hamiltonian Gallery and Hamiltonian Artists are proud to announce the opening of their fifth exhibition featuring the lush and emotional work of Lisa Brotman, the tumultuous second installment of Tom Block's series exploring mysticism in our post-religious age, and Michael Enn Sirvet's sculptural work exploring the complex dualities of the natural and fabricated world. Disparate as the work may appear on the surface, each of these three artists endeavor to embolden the viewer to reevaluate the relationships of three overlapping realms through the filter of our modern-day sensibilities; namely, the world around us, the world within us and the world we cannot see.

Lisa Brotman’s paintings of women are part of an outgoing series that she began in the late 1970’s. Brotman creates an environment full of slightly curious women and colorful, repetitive flora that teeters between familiar reality and phantasmagoria. This interplay of iconographic elements begets metaphors and emotions, which in turn provoke visual and psychological investigation.

Twenty-five large, chaotic, mixed media panels wrap around the back of the gallery and together as a whole compose “Conference of the Birds,” an installation by Tom Block. The artistic process of this installation, as well as the symbols and imagery it contains, is modeled after a historic allegory of the spiritual quest of a mystic, also called, “Conference of the Birds.” Block’s technique of reworking, stripping and overworking the vibrant paintings echoes his own spiritual quest – realizing the mistaken ideals of classical mysticism, he then replaces them with a contemporary understanding of spirituality.

Michael Enn Sirvet’s prolific sculptural works ask more from the viewer than solely a formalist response. Sirvet dismantles, alters and reassembles manmade objects, or natural objects reshaped by man, to retell the stories of archetypal forms. His sculptures bridge the natural world with the industrial, and evoke questions of existence and man’s dominion.

Year End Wrap Up

It has been a busy December for the Hamiltonians. We participated successfully at SCOPE Miami 08 and opened our third show with James Rieck, Linda Hesh, and Youngmi Organ. All of our shows were well attended and all of our artists gained quite a lot of exposure and experience in Miami. In this holiday season, we would like to thank all our supporters and welcome our new friends. We wish all a happy New Year.

Lastly, we have just announced the opening of our fellowship program for the upcoming season. For program and application details, please visit our website: Hamiltonian Artists.

We are looking forward to see you all in another new exciting year.

The followings are some pictures taken from Miami and in our third focus show on December 13.

View of the Hamiltonian Booth at SCOPE Miami 08

Another View of the Hamiltonian Booth at SCOPE Miami 08

Exterior Wall of the Hamiltonian Booth at SCOPE Miami 08 (Installation by Bryan Rojsuontikul)

Green Cafe Serving Absinthe across from our Booth

Front Wall from Show 3

Scene from Show 3: Say Hello to Jackie

Scene from Show 3: Say Hello to Linda

Scene from Show 3: Say Hello to Youngmi

Scene from Show 3: Say Hello to Jim

November Update

---

We had our second opening event on Nov. 8th as part of FotoWeek DC presenting works by Jonathan B. French, Michael Dax Iacovone & Anne Chan. We also had a live jazz band by HR-57 Allstars helping us to celebrate this event.

---

On November 11, we restarted our Speaker Series at our new home at the Hamiltonian Gallery. Our first talk was by DC's own art parton saint Philip Barlow. He gave an well received and engaging talk from a perspective of an art collector and philanthropist. He also gave our fellows and other attendees invaluable prespectives on the "things" that a collector expect from an artist. Thank you Philip.

---

On November 18, we also hosted a jam packed FotoWeek Panel Discussion by our exhibiting artists Jonathan B. French, Anne Chan, and Michael Dax Iacovone. They were talking about their motivations and process for their work in preparing for this show. Thank you guys. I hope that you guys also got some valuable feedbacks from the audience.

---