Intern Art Show!

Event: Reception for Intern Exhibition

Date: July 22

Time: 6-8 pm

Location: Kefa Cafe, 963 Bonifant St.

Silver Spring, MD

Summer interns, Julie Cronan, Stephanie Gamboa, Laura Sheys, Jamie Spencer-Zavos and Caroline Record are putting up an exhibition of their recent works showcasing the skills that they have acquired thus far during their time at Pyramid Atlantic.

The show will open on July 11th and last till August 6th. There will also be a reception to celebrate this exhibition on July 22nd.

Steve Prince Visits Studio

Steve Prince, a local artist, visited Pyramid Atlantic studio last week to make prints of his giant masterfully created lino cuts. Above is an image of two summer interns, Caroline and Jamie, ogling over Steve's latest work, a six foot long portrait of President Obama.

Arc of Mystery at Artisphere

Leila Holtsman's new installation was unveiled at her solo show opening at Artisphere on June 23rd. The Frieze Project is made up of 12 eight foot long steel panels which progress in time and palette. Mounted in the extra long and gently curved "Mezz" Gallery, it is easy to view the piece up close (above) or as a continuum, by peering up or down the corridor. It works beautifully both ways. Inspired by Rauschenberg, Leila layered her eclectic collection of imagery using photo image transfer, which creates ghostly effect. She then brayers or brushes freefloating bursts of saturated color.

Leila sought technical assistance from Pyramid Atlantic, first with Screenprint Associate Marty Ittner, who demonstrated Photoshop techniques to create high contrast imagery. After experimenting with screenprinting, Leila turned to Artistic Director Gretchen Schermerhorn to alternatively try photo image transfer. Leila felt the less saturated tone conveyed the immediate look she was after. She executed the image transfers on her panels at the Pyramid studios. Congratulations on a beautiful and meaningful work of art, Leila!

Artist Leila Holtsman

Allan's Amazing 41 Color Print

Allan Akman's new screenprint!

Event: Opening reception of Wavelengths exhibitions, included work by Gretchen Schermerhorn

Date: Friday, June 10

Time: 7 to 9pm

Location: 1241 Good Hope Road, SE

Washington, DC 20020

Gretchen Schermerhorn, Pyramid Atlantic's Artistic Director and

printmaker-artist extraordinaire, is one of four artists featured in Wavelengths, an exhibition curated by the microWave project and hosted by Honfleur Gallery. Gretchen's installation consists of numerous prints on handmade paper hung at different heights and depths. Each of the prints was inspired by the sonic form of peoples' answer to a simple question, "What makes you feel alive?." Gretchen recorded peoples' answers and used the sonic map of the those answers as the basis for each of her prints. A sound component comprised of the recordings collected through out this process will also be included.

If you miss the opening Wavelengths will be up in Honfeur Gallery through July 22.

Above is an image of Gretchen and two interns, Elena and Caroline, installing her piece at the Honfleur Gallery.

Summer Intern Project

Summer interns finish an ambitious silk screened sign for Pyramid Atlantic's store, Art Spring, in downtown Silver Spring. If you visit, look for it next to Potbelly (which is right below Art Spring).

We also have two new summer interns! May from Dickenson college is an administrative intern (she is at the far right). And Jamie from St. Mary's , who just recently came back from traveling in Thailand, will be joining the other five studio interns (He is holding the sign and is the only guy). Gretchen said this is Pyramid's largest group of interns yet. All the interns agree that coming to Pyramid for the summer was a good choice. In the two weeks we have been here we have already received instruction on and the opportunity to experiment with silk screen printing, copper etching, letter press printing and basic paper making.

Unfortunately Elena, a much beloved studio intern, will be leaving this friday after a six week internship at Pyramid. Elena looks fondly back at her experience at Pyramid saying that, "This has been one of the best times in my life." We all wish her well as she returns back to her home country, Germany, and finishes up High School.

Thank you for inspiring me

Well, folks. We did it. We reached our goal of raising $3,000 to fund Pyramid Atlantic's arts & education programs and we did it in 13 weeks! Congratulations!

What am I taking away from my campaign?

Well, when I started this campaign, I had never raised money by asking people to contribute directly to something that I believed in. I had written grants and put on fundraisers, but never made a direct ask. Asking is different. Its scary. I was scared as many of us are to ask for help and ask for support. I raised to believe that money was a necessary evil and that asking for money was embarrassing, it was begging. No one likes beggars, so no one would like me. But I did not want to go out like that. I did not want my fears to have the last word or determine what I was or was not capable of. I did not know if I was going to raise any money via my campaign, but I knew that if I never tried, I'd never raise any.

So, we raised $3,000 and I learned that the truth is a powerful thing. I have been telling you the truth for 13 weeks. Telling you why being at Pyramid Atlantic these past 3 and half years has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Corny as it sounds, telling you the truth set me free. Free to realize my potential and for that I want to thank Pyramid Atlantic.















Thank you all for listening. Thank you all for contributing. Thank you all for inspiring me.

A Street Box Named Desire

To celebrate their 30th anniversary, Washington City Paper (WCP) collaborated with Pyramid Atlantic to challenge local artists to redesign their old, drab news boxes. Ten artists are participating and the finished boxes are now arriving at Pyramid. Above are four of the new arrivals; from the left, are Annie Albagli, Rebecca Katz, Elizabeth Graeber, and Cara Hunt . Gretchen Schermerhorn, Maggie Michael, Marty Ittner and Ellen Smyth, Franc Rosario, Adam Griffiths, and Sabeth Jackson are also participating. The various news boxes will be displayed throughout WCP's distribution area and readers will vote on their favorites. The three most popular boxes will be permanently installed outside the entrance to Crafty Bastards.

To see all the boxes and meet the artists join Pyramid Atlantic and Washington City Paper on June 18th at the Fenton Street Market from 12 to 2. The boxes will also be placed around the city by mid-July.