Hot Topics, Cool Guests, and Lunch with Molly!

Already a talented personality at the swirling center of New York’s art scene in the 1960’s, Isabelle Dufresne met Andy Warhol and went on the become a leading figure in his iconic entourage under her nom-du-guerre, Ultra Violet. Her memoir, “FAMOUS FOR 15 MINUTES, My Years with Andy Warhol,” is a page-turner, an engrossing history laced with just the right measures of humor and tragedy to assure us that it is real.

But hers is not a “what-ever-happened-to...?” celebrity story. Ultra Violet is still a prominent artist, exhibiting work internationally that reflects and employs this century’s issues and media, with sincerity balanced with visual sensitivity and technical savvy. (The image below is from her “Nine-Eleven” series)

(c) Ultra Violet

A dynamic speaker, Ultra Violet will talk with Molly about her art and the book on Thursday, June 16th.

from "The Madness of Art" (c)

Who says art isn’t fun? Certainly not dealer Jim Kempner, who visits Molly on Friday June 17th to present new excerpts from his series, “The Madness of Art.”

Jim owns the inviting gallery at 23rd and 10th that is the first one most people see when arriving in Chelsea.

Jim Kempner Fine Art

Having been lucky enough to catch him in a presentation a few years back, I can attest that after laughing along with Jim about the art world, you will never see that gallery, or any other, quite the same way again. In a good way...

Molly Barnes hosts her brown bag lunch talks at the Roger Smith Hotel, 501 Lexington Avenue at 47th Street in Manhattan. Presentations begin promptly at 12 Noon, arrive early to enjoy your lunch, catch up with your friends, and make some new ones! There’s never a charge, for reservations and more info call Molly at 212-755-1400.

Come out, rain or shine - Molly's back in town!

Art and fun take up residence once again at the Roger Smith Hotel, as Molly Barnes presents 2 more of her amazing Brown Bag Lunch talks with the most interesting people in the art world.

Thursday April 21st, join Molly and her guest, artist Elaine Grove, for a discussion of Elaine's work - and toys!

On Friday the 22nd artist, banjo player and lyricist Audrey Flack will front "The History of Art String Band" in a performance of songs dedicated the like likes of Krasner, Pollock and Gauguin...

Both presentations begin at 12 noon sharp at 501 Lexington Avenue (47th St.)

Not only is it free to join the conversation, coffee, soft drinks and your little brown lunch bag- a home style sandwich for your soul, a cookie for your dark side and fruit because you know it's good for you - are on the house. So do arrive early to mingle and enjoy!

More about Molly and the Roger Smith at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-wiener-and-linda-digusta/midtown-draft_b_749897.html

Brown Bag Lunch Talks Return With Mimi Gross on Thursday and Stephen Haller on Friday

For the first time in 2011, this Year of the Rabbit and this decade, Molly Barnes has landed on the East Coast with a post-Valentine treat for art-loving New Yorkers - 2 more in her series of lunch talks with the most interesting personalities on the scene!

On Thursday, February 17th artist Mimi Gross, who also happens to be the daughter of sculptor Chaim Gross and the former wife and collaborator of Red Grooms, will talk with Molly about her life in art - for a taste, visit her wonderful blog....

Gallerist Stephen Haller is Molly’s guest on Friday the 18th for a conversation about his his friendship with Italian painter Giorgio Morandi. (You can read an interview on the subject on Joanne Mattera’s art blog.)

As always for a couple of decades, there is never a charge to attend, and even your lunch - home-made sandwich, cookie & fruit in a brown bag - is on the house. Arrive early to mingle and enjoy before the presentation begins at noon.

More about Molly's programs at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-wiener-and-linda-digusta/midtown-draft_b_749897.html

An Artist's Book With Bite -- From the Mighty Pen of Anthony Haden-Guest

Anthony Haden-Guest

Far from the right wing diatribe, Anthony Haden-Guest's new book is a hilarious and terrifying ride in words and pictures through the times in which we live. "In The Mean Time" presents Haden-Guest's signature cartoons and drawings alongside passages in verse, which he explains is not poetry ("The difference is rather like the difference between cartoons and fine art, I think."), but storytelling in the tradition of the likes of Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear and Hilaire Belloc.

Courtesy Freight and Volume

Published by Freight and Volume, the limited-edition book will also be available in a smaller edition including some original artwork. It was welcomed enthusiastically by an invited audience at a January 4th reading, with music - by the author and friends - at NYC's Gershwin Hotel.

Anthony Haden-Guest reads

Employing many voices for his deliciously unreliable yet pointed narration, Haden-Guest takes on such weighty subjects as politics, the environment, celebrity, art, death, and shoes...all the while mastering the authorial touch to guide readers through his world while allowing us to make our own decisions about what we see and who we meet there.

Juliette Bennett and Drew Hammond

Joining Anthony in the presentation were Tommy James on piano, Lorraine Leckie performing one of the verses, "Bad Shoes Blues," with her original music, and actor Juliette Bennett and writer Drew Hammond voicing 2 oh-so-downtown characters in "Encounter on the Lower East Side."

Tommy James on piano

Despite, or perhaps as a result of simplicity and directness, the pieces run deep as slices of the way we live around here - timely and on-target in a world where we are beginning to ask hard questions in the face of material challenges to our presumptions - seasoned to taste with wicked humor and finished with fine wordsmithing. When you encounter yourself on Haden-Guest's pages you may laugh, smile, or pretend not to notice, but if you don't think you see yourself, you are not paying attention.

from "In The Mean Time" courtesy Freight and Volume

Nick Lawrence, whose Chelsea art gallery, Freight + Volume, published the book, told us he has always had a passion for narrative, and throughout his career as a dealer has presented artists' books and published several, as well as his gallery's eponymous magazine. Anthony and Nick first met at a dinner in London, where Anthony was creating caricatures of his fellow guests.

from "In The Mean Time" courtesy Freight and Volume

Nick told us, "If two friends can survive a small publishing venture and still..."

Anthony interrupted, "It's not over yet."

Nick and Anthony

For future events and where to get the book, please contact Freight and Volume at

530 W. 24th St. New York, NY 10011, 212-691-7700

uncredited photos © resolve40 2011

Art of Our Neighbors - ¡Viva Pinta!

Priscila De Carvalho, wonderland, mixed media, 132 x 304.8 cm. Courtesy of Praxis

Gallery, New York

Pinta has grown...the fair’s 4th edition in New York, celebrating the art and artists of Latin America, will take place this weekend at Pier 92 on the Hudson.

Rochelle Costi, Bano Series- Desmedida , 2009, Photo, 100 x 150 cm. Courtesy of

Celma Albuquerque, Belo Horizonte

BRASIL

This year, in addition to the Galleries Section, Pinta features a Solo Exhibitions Space for monographic presentations of artists from across geography and generations, and the Art Projects Space, presenting selections by curator Pablo Leon de la Barra of museum-quality works of abstract, concrete, neo-concrete, kinetic and conceptual art, and other contemporary movements,from 50 galleries from the US, Europe, and Latin America.

Ricardo LANZARINI "Desprendido", 2010. Ink, pencil shavings and collage on paper,

24 x 19 in. Courtesy of Galerie A.L.F.A., Paris

Pinta also continues it’s Museum Acquisition program to fund and promote the inclusion of Latin American art in museum collections, and this year the Museo del Barrio of New York, Harvard Art Museums, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) - Long Beach, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Bronx Museum of the Arts have been invited to
participate in the fair.

Maria Felix

In a salute to fashion, art and culture, noted photographer and fashion designer Nicolas Felizola has organized an exhibition for Pinta of gowns and dresses from the collection on the iconic Mexican film star, Maria Felix. Included are a golden dress (photo above) designed by Dior, and a coat by Balenciaga that became a visual symbol of this beloved performer’s unique stature and style.

Visit Pinta at Pier 92, 12th Avenue at 52nd Street, New York City

Friday, November 12th 2:00 - 8:00pm
Saturday, November 13th 12:00 - 8:00pm
Sunday, November 14th 12:00 - 7:00pm

more information at http://www.pintaart.com/2010newyork/index.php

Do Lunch With Molly!

The new Molly Barnes Gallery, 8591 Sunset Boulevard

On the heels of the successful opening of her new Gallery on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, Molly Barnes launches a new season at the Roger Smith this week, with two “Brown Bag Lunch” talks on Thursday and Friday, October 7th & 8th...



Glenn O’Brien, former editor of Art in America & Interview, currently writing for Vogue, GQ and Vanity Fair, will be Molly’s guest Thursday for conversation about the Art World today. Sample his styling about style for GQ - this will be a lively and enlightening discussion!

From 1960 - 1965, the Green Gallery brought the artists of the post- AbEx downtown scene up to West 57th Street, launching the careers of Robert Mangold, Mark di Suvero, Claes Oldenburg and Lucas Samaras. Molly’s guest Erik La Prade authored “Breaking Through,” (Midmarch Arts Press, 2009) which presents the story via 23 interviews about the force behind the gallery, its director Richard Bellamy.



As always, the presentations begin at 12:00 sharp. Arrive a bit early - there are complimentary brown bags for all - to enjoy a house-made sandwich, dessert and beverages.

The Roger Smith Hotel is located at 501 Lexington Avenue (47th-48th) in Manhattan. While there, don't forget the check out October's new exhibitions in the Lobby & the Lab.

Stuck at your computer? Catch the conversation live at http://rogersmithlife.com/art/molly-barnes-brown-bag-lunch-live-right-now - and read more about Molly & the Hotel on the Huffington Post!

The Other Side of the American Dream

It is often a good practice, in my opinion, to look at something - an object, an abstraction, a concept - upside down, inside out, or backwards, just to see what else may appear.

The buzz about an “enthusiasm gap” afflicting Democratic Party supporters as opposed to highly motivated Republicans has therefore led me to examine the notion of whether or not politicians have any enthusiasm for us. After all, we are in the odd position of employing these people - yes, we elect/hire them, pay them - in money as a salaries and expense accounts funded by our tax dollars as well as notoriety that often translates later to huge payoffs in the private sector - yet they are the ones making decisions that govern us.

In the process, politicians listen to input from lobbyists paid by those who are most definitely not us, and not likely to share our interest. To insure our future votes, they work to gain financial support - how many fundraising dinners can you afford to attend annually? Do you think the rhetoric at these venues would reflect your interests?

Of course, we can always fire them, but how many bosses in your experience have to wait 2 - 6 years before giving you the axe, even if you don’t do a thing that they expect of you? Not a recipe for responsiveness, let alone enthusiasm, in my book. After hearing Arianna Huffington sound the alarm on PBS, I believe that intelligent actions could have been taken every step of the way better serve the Americans, and many still can be implemented, if the people empowered to make the decisions simply care to do so.

Now, turning the issue on its side, how enthusiastic are we about ourselves? Be honest about how you interact with media, I can tell by the content of the headlines, home pages, trends and banners I see every day that many, many Americans spend more time reading celebrity gossip and fashion stories, or watching oddball videos and cat-fighting housewives (some of whom wind up as celebrities in the gossip), than they invest in exploring the issues that actually affect their own lives. And while one can blame the news media for perhaps not trying hard enough, we have to accept the fact that media are monetized based upon people looking, and only we can decide what we look at.

Which means, like the audience at a magic show, we are falling into an illusion because we are not looking in the right place. We see the ads, hear the sound bytes, and repeat the slogans with our friends, then go about our business without seeking any further information. If we want politicians to pay attention to us, we need to refresh our eyes and be like the little kid in the audience who see the trick and shouts out “I saw what he did!”

Voting is important, but weighing in with your vote alone is may not be enough, especially in this age of changing voting procedures. Last week I took time out of a packed schedule to vote in a primary election. When my paper ballot, damaged by the poll worker removing it from the pad, did not clear the scanner, the woman officially overseeing the process told me to get a new form, the woman in charge of the pad refused (after seeing my filled out ballot, by the way) and insisted they had to discuss things and I would simply have to wait.

I insisted that if my vote were not counted in a timely fashion and I had to leave without voting it would be “all over Facebook in a hot second.” Within five minutes my new sheet cleared the scanner and I was out of that purgatory of a one-day corporate culture. Which I hope increases the enthusiasm of my representatives for me, at least.

As individuals, we have unprecedented power to communicate our concerns via e-mail, blogging and social medial. As realists, we should understand that we need to use it to the fullest extent possible, because we can be certain those who would rather not have their actions examined are already doing their utmost to distract us from the dialogue. At the extreme, legislation recently proposed by Senator Lieberman that was purported to give the President an Internet “kill switch” gave me dystopian nightmares, and the fact that it may actually limit existing executive powers is even scarier. So, use it or lose it - write it, read it, and if it moves you when you read it, share it.

There are no shortcuts, despite what the uber-right-wing mountebanks or whispering conspiracy theorists want you to believe. Riffing on Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s “Hosanna”, a landslide of change-loving Americans chanting “O-Bama, A-Bama, Bama Bama-O” did not magically save us all, and simply switching to sensibility of the last verse (“where is it now?) is not going to help either. We need to be informed and act, even in a small way, for each change we wish to see. Drops become waves in social media.

As a piece of conceptual art, a few years ago I created a petition that asked people to simply sign under the statement “Yes, I am living what is left of the American Dream.” It left open the questions of just what it was, what had been lost, and what it meant to each of us. If that dream is the idea that we are free here to pursue success on our own terms, the other side of that must be an understanding that we may have to work hard or even fight to retain that freedom to realize our potential.

image: "Pear & Balanced" ink on paper 2009 by Linda DiGusta, scroll created for the group exhibition Slow News International in Honolulu, Hawai'i.

Armory Art in August?

Works of Corrina Snider

Yes, and in a spirit that will remind you of the days when big art fairs and Chelsea galleries alike celebrated their edge and bravado...

Central Installation Detail

The site of the groundbreaking 1913 Armory Show is where you will find this summer surprise, featuring many regional artists while raising money for families of American military women and men serving abroad - 50% of sales will be donated to the NY/NJ chapter of Operation Homefront.

Works by David Abe Cassis

Convergence NYC at the 69th Regiment Armory at 26th & Lexington is open from 9AM til ? ( I was told 11 PM at the very least) today and tomorrow (Sunday 8/29) - with these weekend-friendly hours and location, you don't want to leave it off your list.

Works by Paul Heath

Works range from the monumental to very small and/or wearable, and very, very collectible...read the press release at http://convergencenyc.wordpress.com/

Central Installation by Artists of Marketplace Gallery, Albany, NY

The season of non-stop art...Is it really July?

Westbeth is the gateway to the intimate/cool/wicked-sexy/thought provoking world of artist Chris Twomey, during the mid-career survey of her work and the inaugural installment, curated by Jayne Holsinger, of the exhibition series Core Constellation.

Chris Twomey, from the series "Triumph of the XX" - 2007-2009

Springing from a strong background in both fine art and film and taking inspiration from themes of origin and identity, Twomey takes the viewer from the beginnings of life to a future where beast and human merge while commenting on the intersection of science with revelations about human nature. The work is organized in series - for each, to compose her "conceptual riff on a theme," Chris commands her media - painting, drawing, film, photography, sculpture/assemblage, music and text - like a virtuoso on the keys on a piano.

Accompanying the solo show is a group exhibition by other members of the artists' consortium Core Group - Barbara Ellmann, Mariah Fee, Jayne Holsinger, Sara Klar, Bonnie Steinsnyder, Anita Thacher, Judith Uehling, and Elenore Weber, as well as a staged reading of Twomey’s feature film script LAST MONARCH at 7:30 on July 22nd in the Westbeth Community Room. The opening recepetion is Thursday, July 15th from 6-9 PM, the show runs through August 1st at Westbeth Gallery, 55 Bethune Street (corner of Washington Street), contact gallerywestbeth@yahoo.com or 212-505-0486. Chris Twomey's website is http://www.neoimages.net/artistportfolio.aspx?pid=3236

For another transformative journey in space-time, head up the High Line for an all-evening celebration of the opening of "Graffiti NYC - Artists of the 3rd Rail" at Chelsea's Benrimon Contemporary. Yes, shows open on Thursday in Chelsea all the time, but this one is different...

Postcard invitation/edition by JAMESTOP, Through the Fire 2010, #23/300

The conventionally mailed invitation alone - which is a signed and numbered limited edition print (see above) - sends the message that this show will challenge the way we think about art in New York today by evoking a vibrant era of it's history and culture.

Paying homage to the great outlaw artists, Thursday's opening will feature a performance by artists painting 2 genuine subway doors, which will then be auctioned off to benefit the Bowery Mission. Music for the July 15th reception, from 6 til MIDNIGHT, will be performed by DJ Toney Tone of the Cold Crush Brothers.

Through August 10th at 514 West 24th St., 2nd floor, information and more events at http://www.bcontemporary.com/

Come Out, Come Out...and party with a purpose on Monday and Wednesday!

"In 1971, novelist and Academy Award winning screenwriter Budd Schulberg, having already started a writers’ workshop in the Watts section of Los Angeles, asked Fred Hudson, playwright and former staff writer for Paramount Pictures, to co-found a similar program in New York. Knowing full well the dearth of professional opportunities for minority writers in America, Mr. Hudson agreed, and the Frederick Douglass Creative Arts Center was born...Over the years, the Center has become integral to the Harlem and greater New York City arts communities and has helped to launch the careers of some of country’s most acclaimed African American writers, actors, and directors."

On Monday July 12 the you can come out celebrate and support the Center at a benefit party hosted by B. Smith's, a simply gorgeous destination for great food and drink on Restaurant Row in the heart of the Theatre District. Readings, raffle, auction and more, from 5-9 PM at 320 West 46th Street.

For more on the Center's workshops for writers and theatre artists, faculty, and stellar alumni visit http://www.fdcac.org

On Wednesday July 14th, Honey Space at 148 11th Avenue in Chelsea will host "A PICTURE OF HAITI: 6 MONTHS LATER" to raise awareness of ongoing conditions there after the catastrophic earthquake as well as funds for projects working on solutions.

Presentations and discussion will feature - charity: water; the Clinton Foundation; Partners In Health; and Swoon, Ben Wolf & Konbit Shelter - from 7-8 PM, followed by a party til 10.

Funds raised by the event will support a long-term clean water project in the Central Plateau sponsored by charity: water and Partners in Health, and Swoon and Ben Wolf's Konbit Shelter project, which seeks to build durable community shelter in the community of Barrier Jeudi before the rainy season fully sets in.

Get tickets and more info at http://www.honey-space.com/current.shtml

Art for Lunch

Surely you've heard the buzz about "Shred," the group exhibition of collage-based works that recently opened at Perry Rubenstein Gallery - it's possibly the hottest show of what's shaping up to be a stellar summer in Chelsea.

Erik Foss, Look Out - image courtesy Perry Rubenstein Gallery

Thursday, you won't want to miss Carlo McCormick - author, curator, critic and champion of the downtown art scene - who curated the exhibition, as he talks about New York art today. Your hostess Molly Barnes awaits you at the Roger Smith Hotel on July 8th & 9th for yet another pair of her always exciting and enlightening Brown Bag Lunches with the most interesting people in the art world.

"Louise Bourgeois was a delight to work with. She was exacting, bossy, opinionated, provoking and at the same time, extremely gentle and caring. She loved art and the art world. Her favorite people were artists. She made her first video with me with trepidation but in the end came to love it. I am glad I made it. She was an artists artist." - Paul Tschinkel

On Friday. Molly's guest will be documentary filmmaker Paul Tschinkel, the creator, producer and director of ART/new york. His presentation, "Powerful Woman," covers his work on films about Louise Bourgeois, Alice Neel, and Kiki Smith.

Each talk begins at 12 Noon sharp - so please arrive a bit early for your complimentary lunch bag and beverages, and to meet an mingle!

The Roger Smith, New York's most dynamic and welcoming art hotel, is located at 501 Lexington Avenue (47th - 48th). See you there...