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Gallery Hours at DCAC: Wed - Sun 2-7pm In the Gallery :
The Twelfth Man Patrick McDonough and Kenny George In the game of American football eleven players take the field. For those familiar with football colloquialisms, the phrase "The Twelfth Man" refers to the collectivity of the crowd and the fans’ emotional investment in the action. In the context of this art exhibition, the title "The Twelfth Man" carries connotations of spectatorship and serves as introduction into the artistic reconsideration of fandom, achievement, play, and new-age masculinity presented by Kenny George and Patrick McDonough. Seen together in this installation, the selected works challenge the marginalization of the individual fan, and re-establish recreational outlet as a valuable and creative, albeit problematic, social act. Utilizing model cars, super-soakers, pogo-sticks, stilts and video games as instruments of artistic expression, George and McDonough address alternative mythologies of play and maleness through varying degrees of agency that offer compelling recapitulations of boyhood informed by the development of a virtual, cyber world, as well as humorous respite from the mundane obstacles of adult life. “The Twelfth Man” marks George and McDonough's first public collaboration. Before crossing paths as students in the MFA program at The George Washington University, George and McDonough completed BA's at the University of Akron, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, respectively. George currently works in several mediums, including photography, lenticular flip animation, interactive video, and video games, while McDonough's craft is much more hands-on, often employing embroidery, collage and painting within a single object. Although each artist’s work appears disparate in medium, scale and material, the confrontation of unnecessary obstacles—the essence of any game—links the two in intention. What do these pieces tell us about the status of play in our society? Is art play? Can play be art? As the visibility of a global community of spectators grows with the unprecedented interactivity of the Internet, and leisure activities become more and more coveted during this period of economic downturn, such questioning of achievement and play conceivably identifies the real salience of George and McDonough’s art and the tropes displayed within "The Twelfth Man."
1460 Wall Mountables 2009!
DCAC Affiliated Exhibitions Elsewhere:
Sparkplug: New Work DC Arts Center’s resident arts collective Sparkplug is, at present, a spirited gathering of ten artists and curators who meet twice a month to discuss their work, explore the arts in the nation’s capital, grow their community, and dream up creative engagements in DC and around the globe. In the context of this closely-focused show, Sparkplug’s mission will be to testify to its own mutable now: the now of its production, the now of its collective exchanges, the now of individual stances outside of the collective, the now that will inevitably be then soon. For a collective whose very existence is based on a charter of becoming, of sharing, of transitions, of emergence, of change…the privileging of a specific Sparkplug moment presents a persistent (albeit purposeful) challenge. Curated by Lea-Ann Bigelow and Blair Murphy, the show will highlight painting, drawing, video, photography, and mixtures thereof by: Deborah Carroll-Anzinger, Peter Gordon, Lisa McCarty, Kathryn McDonnell, Michael Matason, Mark Planisek, Karen Joan Topping and Jenny Walton.
In The Theater:
An irreverent parody of Saturday morning cartoons – for adults only. The Teen-Age Mystery Gang will confront their own burgeoning sexual desires, tasty dog treats with unexpected side effects, and a surprise penchant for busting a move. SPOOKY DOG uncovers hilarious, hidden subtext with razor-sharp wit and affectionate homage. You’ll never see Saturday morning the same way again! July 3, July 3, 24, 31 and August 7 at 10:00pm $8 / $5 DCAC Members For Reservations: Call DCAC at 202-462-7833
A special late night improv show with Peter Bergen!
July 9 - July 26 One of the most beloved artists of the past century, it is largely forgotten that van Gogh’s legacy was not always that of an artistic genius. In the one-man play “Vincent”, Theo van Gogh revisits the turbulent life of his brother, offering insight into the world of the tormented artist. Set in Paris 1890, only a week after his brother’s dramatic death, Theo appeals to an audience of van Gogh’s contemporaries who have written the painter off as an insane fool. The result is a moving effort to rescue his brother’s legacy, transforming him from a madman into a beloved brother and misunderstood talent. Based on the play “Van Gogh” by Phillip Stevens, Leonard Nimoy wrote “Vincent” using the hundreds of letters Theo and Vincent exchanged during their lives. B. Stanley, as Theo, recreates the world of the misunderstood genius in a poignant and intimate meditation on the life of the gifted painter. The show offers an evening of laughter, tears and insight into van Gogh’s passion and suffering, while considering the meaning of art and artistry in a world where success is judged in terms of sales, by which measure van Gogh fell short during his lifetime
I’ve described “I’m Not Oedipus” as a play about death, family relationships and religion. With jokes. The short version is that after my mom died, my dad began dating very quickly and the family got … dysfunctional. “I’m Not Oedipus” follows the path I took following my mom’s death, with detours along the way for topics like sex and rock & roll. As I’ve said previously, I think it’s the perfect show for anyone who has, or ever had, a mother. I hope you’ll check it out. I know some of the other Fringe Festival acts have much bigger names than mine; some with 16-17, even 20 letters, and mine is only a mere 10, so I truly appreciate your attendance and interest. And I hope you enjoy the play
The best in alternative, avant garde, experimental, innovative and/or non-mainstream poetry from DC and around the country. For info on the readers visit www.dcpoetry.com. |
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