AAC Resident Artists (e)merge

Being a grassroots arts organization within the thriving arts community of the D.C. Metro area, we’re always looking for opportunities to bring attention to the events in which our Resident Artists often participate. This week, we’re reminding you that that several of AAC’s Resident Artists are participating in the (e)merge Art Fair, which is back in DC for the third time, opening October 3 at the trendy Capital Skyline Hotel!

Si Jae Byun, an artist and arts educator from Korea, will be showing a piece called Blue Wind in Construction Site.  Byun originally came to AAC as a visiting artist in 2012, and at the culmination of that project, applied to be a full-time resident.

She recently participated in the group show Nostalgia Structures with several other AAC residents at the Brentwood Arts Exchange. Currently, you can see her work in Vaginascope a solo show at the Tally Beck Contemporary Gallery in NYC. You’ve got to hurry, though! This show closes October 4. While she’s been a resident of AAC Byun has also been working with other DC-based arts organizations. The Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) entered her piece into the fair.

Another AAC Resident whose work is appearing in (e)merge is Alice Whealin. She’ll be showing an Untitled piece. During this past summer Whealin participated in the group show Speed and Pressure at the Kaplan Gallery in Rockville, and in the spring she was in Cellular/Molecular, another group show, but this time in Philadelphia at Breadboard , a self-titled “hybrid program” interested in curating cross-disciplinary art exhibitions.

This will be the third year that Maryland artist Jessica van Brakle has been selected to show in (e)merge. She’s been an AAC resident since January 2011, and is currently serving a term on the board. At the end of the summer van Brakle participated in Drawing Perspectives at the Marlboro Gallery of Prince George’s Community College in Largo. To hear about her work in her words, watch this artist’s talk discussing her 2012 two-person show Tropical Obstructions with Joshua Smith at the Hamiltonian Gallery.

Long-time AAC resident and lifetime DC Metra Area resident Bridget Sue Lambert originally applied to the residency program in 2009 and has been making art at AAC since. You may have seen her in featured in a Civilian Art Projects show last year in Bedrooms and in Hot and Gestort via The Studio Visit in Berlin, Germany. Read more about Lambert in a recent Q&A.

Becca Kallem joined AAC as a resident in 2012, and she also teaches art classes at AAC. You can see more of her work on display in Sweet and Tough, a solo show at the Artisphere, which is open until the 19^th, so you still have time to check it out! Along with two other AAC residents (Rachel Schmidt and Lee Gainer) Kallem is also a member of DCAC’s emerging artists program Sparkplug.

(e)merge is a great opportunity for AAC artists to show work to a broad audience, so we’re all extremely excited for them!

The annual event connects emerging artists from around the world with curators, collectors, and cultural decision makers in the Washington D.C. area. This year’s fair consists of 80 exhibitors composed of more than 150 artists from 30 different countries. If you’re an art lover or an artist yourself, this is a fantastic opportunity to see what’s new and hot in the contemporary art scene.

If you’re interested in seeing what our Resident Artists will be exhibiting this year or you simply want to see what’s new at this year’s fair, we encourage you to check it out this Thursday through Sunday. If you’re unfamiliar with our residents, check out our website for information on the residency program and the amazing artists who have chosen AAC to be their creative home!

Written by Katherine Roper, AAC’s Marketing & Development Intern