The Jam opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

The Jam has opened at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. An art gallery, it replaces Wentworth Gallery in this spot. It is certainly more political than Wentworth, which leaned heavily toward celebrity artists who were aiming at a wealthy, broader audience. Look for The Jam on Level 2 of the mall, right outside of Nordstrom.

Amy Kaslow Gallery moving to Bethesda

Amy Kaslow Gallery will be moving to downtown Bethesda next month. The art gallery has been open for almost three years at 4300 Fordham Road NW in the Spring Valley area of Washington, D.C. It will conclude its run there March 31, 2023, and move to a larger space here at 7920 Norfolk Avenue. That space was most recently home to Terrapin Bicycles' pop-up location before it relocated to its permanent 4933 Auburn Avenue storefront. Amy Kaslow is a journalist and photographer who reported from around the world for four decades before launching the gallery in mid-2020. 

Bethesda art pop-up to benefit the homeless

An art pop-up shop this weekend in downtown Bethesda will benefit homeless people in Montgomery County. The Pop Up Art Gallery Sale is at 4715 Cordell Avenue, in the ground floor of what the Montgomery County Council called the "apartment building for homeless people."

The location is appropriate, as proceeds from the sale will go to the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless. Hours are 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM today and tomorrow, November 30 and December 1, 2019.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Sphinx arrives in Bethesda (Photos)

Fans of the Notorious RBG will want to stop by the Triangle Art Studios at the rear of The Cheval condo tower, located at the corner of Old Georgetown Road and Fairmont Avenue. There you will find a work sure to be a hit in Bethesda: The Ruth Bader Ginsburg Sphinx, by resident artist Jill Newman.

The Ruth Bader Ginsburg Sphinx can even be yours, for a cool $725. Here's a photo op - and potential addition to the personal art collection - for Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg's many fans of all ages. The Triangle Art Studios are open from 1:00-5:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays. In addition, there are some hands-on art classes being held tonight, Wednesday, April 17, 2019, which you can sign up for online, including a needle felting class taught by the artist who created the RBG Sphinx.

Triangle Art Studios

7711 Old Georgetown Road

Triangle Art Studios signage appears at the Cheval Bethesda condo tower

The vacant artist spaces in the neon alley behind the new Cheval Bethesda ultra-luxury condo tower at 4960 Fairmont Avenue are finally showing some activity. Triangle Art Studios logos have been stenciled on the doors of the units. The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District had advertised the spaces to local artists with a July 27 deadline earlier this year. Rents start at $855 a month.

Paul Stanley to appear at Wentworth Gallery in Bethesda

Wentworth Gallery at Westfield Montgomery Mall is preparing for its most-famous celebrity guest yet. Paul Stanley of KISS is scheduled to appear at the art gallery on Level 2 of the mall on Friday, September 14, 2018 from 6:00-9:00 PM. Stanley is expected to be so big of a draw, that the gallery is expecting his art to have already sold out by that date, and only those who purchase an artwork will be able to attend the meet-and-greet on the 14th.

For that reason, Wentworth has scheduled a preview event for this coming Saturday, September 8, from 3:00-9:00 PM. Champagne will be served, and you will save 20% off your purchase. With any Paul Stanley art purchase, you will enjoy a one-on-one meeting with the artist on the 14th, an autograph on one personal item of your choice, and a photo opportunity with him.

Those who purchase $10,000 or more of Stanley's artwork will get a reward any KISS fan would envy - an invite to a VIP dinner with Paul after his appearance on the 14th. To RSVP for the preview this Saturday, call 301-365-3270 or RSVP on Facebook.

In other mall news, if you didn't get all the stuff you needed for your dorm this semester, you're out of luck. Dormify has closed for the year in the Nordstrom wing.

Flash Sideways Studio art space opening on Fairmont Avenue

Sculptor Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg is relocating her Flash Sideways Studio from Washington, D.C. to 4931 Fairmont Avenue in Bethesda. The space will serve as an art studio and gallery until landlord Lenkin Companies demolishes it, and several other adjacent structures, for its St. Elmo Apartments project.

The first exhibit at Flash Sideways' new home will be Firstenberg's "Empty Fix" project, six large-scale works that aim to reduce the stigma around opioid addiction, and increase empathy for its victims. Firstenberg traveled across the country to meet those in the grip of drug addiction, and her one-on-one encounters inspired the works you will see in this exhibit. A shipping crate outside the studio will not only be a display, but will also assist in transporting the exhibit to other cities.

Art events today and Sunday in Bethesda

"New York Nights" by Elena Bond

Neo-Impressionist Elena Bond will appear today, June 24, 2017, from 1:00-4:00 PM at Wentworth Gallery inside Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Bond, who uses a palette knife to create her distinctive paintings, grew up in the Soviet Union and Germany before emigrating to America after the Cold War. Wentworth is located on Level 2, just outside of Nordstrom. The event is free to attend, and Bond's latest artworks will be available for purchase. Call to RSVP: (301) 365-3270

Tomorrow, Sunday, June 25, 2017, artists and some downtown Bethesda businesses will converge on Waverly Street Gallery at 4600 East-West Highway from 2:00-4:00 PM for ARTFUL Afternoons. Guido Adelfio of Bethesda Travel Center and Molly Lapa of Sugarfina will be on hand for an afternoon of art, travel and samples from candy store Sugarfina.

The gallery's current featured exhibit offers the encaustic paintings of Sandra Sedmak Engel.

Def Leppard's Rick Allen to return to Bethesda today at noon

Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen will bring his newest art exhibit to Bethesda today, February 18. Allen's show will be at the Wentworth Gallery in Westfield Montgomery Mall today from noon until 3:00 PM.

The 2017 exhibit features pieces from his Drums for Peace and Art to Wear jewelry collections. Purchase something for a chance to meet a rock legend. Entry is free. Wentworth Gallery is located on Level 2 of the mall, right outside of Nordstrom.

To attend, RSVP by calling (301) 365-3270.

7101 Democracy Boulevard

Westfield Montgomery Mall

See artists' inspiration and process close-up at Waverly Street Gallery in Bethesda next month

Waverly Street Gallery member artists and guests will participate in a special exhibit and events dedicated to the creative process next month. The "Process and Inspiration" guest artist roster will include Pat Autenrieth, Robert Cwiok, Judith Ahistrom, Cookie Kerxton, Janet Berry, Andrei Kushnir, Kathleen Byrnes, Lisa Schumaier, Sukjin Choi, Jowita Allen, Ellen Kreiger, Sandra Sedmak Engel, Kristina Penhoet, Ann Leonard, Di Stovall, Joanne Miller, Elroy Williams and Susan Main.

An opening reception will be held on Friday, February 10, from 5:00 to 9:00 PM. And an artist talk and demonstration will take place on Sunday, February 26, from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. Both events are free and open to the public. The exhibit itself will run from February 7 to March 4, 2017.

4600 East-West Highway

301-951-9441

WAS Gallery opening at Westwood Center II in Bethesda

While the Westwood Center II is facing demolition at some point in the next three years, owner Regency Centers has brought in a nice addition to the neighborhood. WAS Gallery is a new art gallery that will be hosting exhibits in its space at 5110 Ridgefield Road in Bethesda. The 475 SF exhibit space will adjoin three artist studios, and the gallery is expected to remain open until the demolition of the shopping center.

Their first show will be appropriately called "WAS opens," and will feature works by the gallery's three current artists-in-residence, Jenna North, Fabiola Alvarez Yurcisin and Joumana Moukarim.  An opening reception will be held on Saturday, February 4, from 6:30-9:00 PM at the gallery, and the exhibit will run through March 10. Regular hours at the gallery will be Wednesday – Saturday, 12:30 – 5:30 PM, or by appointment.

The diverse artists' works have themes that resonate with current issues both national and local. North sometimes works as her alter ego, Wendy Well, a "fracking-obsessed Post-Apocalyptic Interior Decorator." Maryland is in the midst of debate over whether to allow fracking in our state, and North says the election of Donald Trump has made the apocalypse seem closer. In response, "Wendy wants to prepare us by offering a tasteful glimpse into domestic bliss in space," in one work featuring an outer-space-themed room.

Alvarez addresses the environmental and human impact of the technology we leave behind, incorporating VHS tapes and typewriter ribbons into panels, cages and nets. As an artist who splits her time between Bethesda and Mexico City, she is also keenly attuned to the symbolism of borders and boundaries.

And at a time when Bethesda residents are expressing anger against our elected officials for failing to provide sufficient public space and parkland in the developments they approve, Moukarim is a new resident and new mom who is finding solace in the spaces that do exist around town. The native of Lebanon photographs these spaces, prints them out, and then creates layered paintings juxtaposing the private and public spaces in her life.

Bethesda's Waverly Street Gallery to host photography exhibit in January

Waverly Street Gallery will be hosting a new photography exhibit to start the New Year in January. Photographers Kate Stillwell and Wil Scott will bring a trove of shots from their travels - and the inspirations derived from the people, places and events they witnessed - in Two for the Road - A Photographic Journey.

The exhibit will open on January 10, and run through February 4, at the gallery, which is located at 4600 East-West Highway in downtown Bethesda. An opening reception for the exhibit will be held on Friday, January 13, from 6:00-9:00 PM. An Artists' Talk with the photographers will be held on January 28, from 1:00 to 3:00 PM.

All of the events are free.

Artist Vladimir Kush to appear in Bethesda today

Russian-born artist Vladimir Kush will be at Wentworth Gallery in Westfield Montgomery Mall today, October 17, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. He will be debuting his newest exhibit, World in a Mirror of Metaphor.

An international journey spanning his career has brought him finally to America, where today he owns 4 galleries under the brand name of Kush Fine Art. Today's exhibit will feature his paintings, sculptures and drawings, and is free to attend. Works will be available for purchase.

To RSVP, call 301-365-3270. Wentworth Gallery is located on Level 2 of the mall, right outside of Nordstrom.

Artist Peter Max appearing today in Bethesda

Famed artist Peter Max will appear at Wentworth Gallery in Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda today, from 1:00-4:00 PM.

Many of his latest works are on display and available for sale at the gallery. Should you purchase one at today's event, you will be able to meet him personally so he can autograph the back of the work(s) you bought, and you'll also receive a signed copy of his newest coffee table book, "The Universe of Peter Max".

Light refreshments will be provided; the event is free to attend. Call 301-365-3270 to RSVP.

Wentworth Gallery is on Level 2 of the mall, just outside of Nordstrom.

Photo courtesy Wentworth Gallery

Def Leppard's Rick Allen at Wentworth Gallery in Bethesda (Photos)

Celebrity sighting!
Rick Allen greets fans at Wentworth Gallery
Saturday at Westfield Montgomery Mall

A packed house greeted Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen Saturday afternoon at Wentworth Gallery in Bethesda, which hosted an exhibit of his fine art titled, "Angels and Icons." There was a long RSVP list to start with. But a sign announcing the presence of a member of Def Leppard (on the busiest shopping day of the week, no less) naturally drew walk-ins at the gallery, which is in Westfield Montgomery Mall. The crowd included at least one local celebrity, Fox 5's Steve Chenevey.

Montgomery County Police officers
were on hand to provide security for Allen

Allen's works took up the entire
gallery's wall space

Allen (center) meets his fans

While full VIP meet-and-greets were granted to those who purchased Allen's works, the rock star was gracious enough to remain afterward to greet fans who stood for the full 3 hour show. Of course, free beer and wine helped them pass the time.

The packed house included Fox 5
anchorman Steve Chenevey (right)

British phone booths

The U.S. Capitol (Allen now lives in
America)

America and the U.K. are major
themes in Allen's works

These smaller works were under $800

Allen tackles the complexities of
America in several variations on
this theme, which centers
on his hand

LED lights on Allen's drumstick tip
capture every strike in a live performance
of the Hysteria hit, "Rocket"

You can see Allen's face at the top center,
from the original, long-exposure photograph
that provides the basis for this mixed-media
piece on canvas, titled, "RhythMantra"

There was also a lot of detail to examine in Allen's mixed-media on canvas art - at least while they remained on the wall. Many pieces were snapped up by fans, with the lowest priced works being just under $800. You can still purchase works from the exhibit from those that remain at the gallery. Call 301-365-3270, or visit their website for more details.

This London scene, like the Capitol painting,
sold at the show yesterday

A younger Joe Elliott performs on a flatscreen
near some of Allen's works in the lobby of the
Wentworth Gallery

America...

...and back to the U.K, to Def Leppard's
birthplace of Sheffield

A portion of each painting's proceeds went to Project Resiliency's Warrior Resiliency program. The program, co-founded by Allen and his wife, Lauren Monroe, helps wounded servicemembers through workshops, retreats and holistic care. Allen does more than lend his name to the charity. He is an active participant. While he did not trumpet it himself at yesterday's event, Allen reportedly spent many hours visiting with wounded servicemembers at Walter Reed on Friday.

A Wentworth employee brings down a
work based on another drum performance,

which one lucky fan would
be taking home

Going...

...going...

...gone

After taking time to meet
with every fan, Allen made
an exit for his second show,
at the Wentworth Gallery
in Tysons Corner

Heading out the door
toward Nordstrom,

the police escort made it
worthy of a rock star exit

Elvis has left the building...

...but not before posing for a photo
with the world's biggest Def Leppard fan