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Greetings! Happy New Year! As my friend Marilyn Banner says, "best wishes to you for a new year filled with warmth, love and creativity!" This newsletter provides an update on what Authentic Art Consulting has been doing in the last two months and what's ahead for the spring. Also, we are sharing some good news about new contributors to the newsletter to provide more information to our readers. Last and certainly not least, we are taking a look at art from a different perspective....healing. There's power in art....read the stories below to learn how it can change and transform lives. I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming exhibition or serving your art needs soon! Remember to make this an artfilled year!
Sharon Burton
Art With A Purpose In December 2006, I hurt my left sciatica, a large nerve that runs from the lower back down the back of each leg. It would hurt so bad at times that I would just lay down and cry. After about two months of physcial therapy, I was back to normal. But in between time, I would find fairly long-term, temporary relief by doing....art! I would paint on canvas, experiment with a variety of paints and mediums and find myself without any pain for hours at a time. This experience helped me get back on track as an artist, but most importantly, I started becoming more and more interested in how art heals and transforms not only the physical body but the mental as well. I decided with this issue of our e-newsletter to focus on the healing power and energy of visual art. To help me, I interviewed several artists friends that work in the field of art and healing to describe how power art has been to the clients they serve. I want to introduce a side of art outside of buying and collecting that may open some eyes about the power of art "with a purpose." I recently interviewed Chostani Williams of Exuberant Creations, based in New York City, Ananda Leeke of Kiamsha.com of Washington, DC, Jennifer Judelsohn of Nemshama Soulwork Studios in Annadale, Virginia and artist, Marilyn Banner of Keningston, Maryland about their experiences with art and creativity with a variety of audiences. Read their stories in their own words and experience how art can transform lives. Art for those who "have not" Marilyn Banner holds a BFA from Washington University in St Louis and a Master's degree from Massachusetts College of Art. Her mixed media and installation pieces have been exhibited in over 20 solo shows and large-scale installations, as well as numerous group shows in the Washington, DC area and abroad. Her work is in many public and over 100 private collections, including Sheppard Pratt and the Embassy of Costa Rica. Ms. Banner is a seven-time recipient of fellowships to the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. She is active as an educator, arts activist, and co-directs (with her musician husband Carl Banner) Washington Musica Viva, a Washington DC area performance project that began in her Kensington studio/warehouse in 1998. In Marilyn's words: Last year my friend Alice Sims asked me if I'd like to do more teaching with Art for the People, an organization she started many years ago to teach art to those who "have not." I told her it wasn't my growing edge, that being an International Baccalaureate examiner was more challenging, stretched me to my art limits, and anyway, I wanted the time to make art. This fall she asked again. A teacher had backed out, and I said yes, I'd fill in for a while. Little did I know that my experience at Community Visions teaching painting to a group of about 12 people weekly would be the highlight of my year! The stretch has been at the heart level, and the satisfaction of being able to share my artistic and personal gifts with people who have no other access for letting out their visions has been great. Some of the students are painting masterpieces that are awe inspiring; all are getting the benefits of creating out of their own experiences. There was one day when I showed Paul Klee's paintings and talked about color mixing and being able to be childlike in approach or paint realistically. Paint was passed out and a hush fell over the room. It was like a sacred space, EVERY single person (about fourteen, all colors, ages, etc) was totally focussed on their work for the next (almost) two hours. I had given them some tools, some encouragement, and made a totally safe space for their visions to emerge in art. No one spoke above a whisper. Read more here.
Photo Above: Chostani Williams leads a creativity workshop for women. 
Artists Paint the Town RED for World AIDS Day The exhibition RED: Artists Lifting One Voice with One Common Thread, was kicked off on World AIDS Day on Saturday, December 1, 2007 at Peace and A Cup of Joe in Baltimore, Maryland. A fundraiser for CARE, the afternoon was filled with artwork, artists and guests who reflected their commitment for the fight against HIV/AIDS. The exhibition, which is now scheduled through February 2, 2008. The exhibition was co-sponsored and co- curated by Authentic Art Consulting and The ThickArt Collaborative. Read more about this special exhibition and view the photos here. Art @ The Meridian Restaurant The Meridian, a new restaurant located at Brightwood Lofts on Missouri and Georgia Avenues in North West, Washington, DC, officially opened its doors to the public on Friday, January 25, 2008 and features not only good food, but also good art! . Authentic Art Consulting helped to place original artwork by local artists Marcel Taylor and James Terrell in its scenic interior space. The artwork reflects the spirit of the African American and Caribbean cuisine that the restaurant will feature. All artwork displayed is available for sale. The food is described as "an inspired fusion of the best American cuisine -- southern, caribbean, creole and low country. Plus, imaginative cocktails, eclectic wines, a beautiful room, gracious service, parking, and an always welcoming atmosphere." Authentic Art plans to continue to provide artwork by local and national artists for sale at the restaurant on a quarterly basis. Check out the artwork and the food by making your reservations now through Open Table or Meridian's website. Bon Appetite! New Contributors to Authentic Art Views Authentic Art Views, the official e-newsletter of Authentic Art Consulting will now have additional contributors! They include Design Scheme Interiors, LLC, a Baltimore/DC based interior design firm and Chostani Williams of Exuberant Creations, LLC out of New York City Art and Interior Design The interior designers of Design Scheme Interiors will contribute an article in our newsletter about how to utilze art to better decorate your home or office. We are excited about this collaboration and the opportunity to present this information in addition to the art collecting tips in each edition. Read more about the company and the designers at their website here! An Invitation to Live More Creatively Everyone who collects art should make it a point to try creating art. Why? So glad you asked. As someone who both creates and studies art, I can tell you knowledge of each enhances the other. And, well, it's so much fun! Chotsani Williams of Exuberant Creations, LLC will be contributing to the e-newsletter by providing some fun ways to add creativity into your life! You don't have to be an artist to do these little activites, just a fun spirit and a willingness to learn. You will find that you see that we are all artists and appreciate the artistic process more that goes into the art that we collect. Read about Chostani here..
Mark Your Calendar for Making Herstory 3! March 2, 2008 - April 18, 2008
Making Herstory 3: Connected Sisterhood
Co-sponsored by Authentic Art Consulting and The
ThickArt Collaborative
"Art is the affirmation of Life"-Alfred Stieglitz as quoted by Ansel Adams
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