Allison Marvin talks about some of her favorite art-related places in Washington and on the Web:
GALLERIES
-- Irvine Contemporary (1412 14th St. NW, 202-332-8767, http://www.irvinecontemporary.com). "This gallery often collaborates with its artists on cool projects, such as video releases, sound performances and street-art parties. And it produces catalogues with its shows to educate people about types of art that don't get written about much by the art critics, such as street art."
-- Conner Contemporary (1358-60 Florida Ave. NE, 202-588-8750, http://www.connercontemporary.com). "They choose graduating art students around the country to participate in group shows, so price points will be a little lower at these shows."
-- Transformer Gallery (1404 P St. NW, 202-483-1102, http://www.transformergallery.org). "The leading nonprofit art space in D.C.," says Marvin. It holds an annual auction with works from artists in the city. Starting bids are much lower than they would be in a gallery, she says.
-- "The 14th Street, Logan Circle area is the most concentrated area of good contemporary art galleries in the city." Places to look include: G Fine Art (http://www.gfineartdc.com), Hemphill (http://www.hemphillfinearts.com) and Curator's Office (http://www.curatorsoffice.com).
FRAME SHOPS
-- Framesmith D.C. (1352 Q St. NW, 202-518-2500). "It's a small enterprise, so things can take a little longer, but it's worth the wait," says Marvin. "It's a go-to frame shop for some of the galleries in the area, so the owner is familiar with the artists and how best to frame their work."
-- Bethesda Custom Framing (7910 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda, 301-654-1118). "It doesn't look like much from the outside, but they are really good and reasonably priced."
-- Archival Art Services (1515 14th St. NW, Suite 301, 202-462-1111, http://www.archivalartservices.com). "The Cadillac version," Marvin says of this frame shop, which helps museums with exhibits. Services are top-notch, but so are the prices.
WEB RESOURCES
-- Fine Art Adoption Network (http://www.fineartadoption.net). No money is exchanged for art on this site. Users peruse artwork and contact artists directly. Based on the correspondence, the artist decides whether to send the work for free. "It's done to encourage collection and stewardship," says Marvin. "By agreeing to 'adopt' artwork, you are making a promise to care for it and keep it as part of your collection."
-- Artnet (http://www.artnet.com). Galleries from around the world put their inventory on this site, which is a major resource for people looking to collect art, Marvin says. In addition, the site's user-friendly auction system includes estimates of each work's value. "It's a good way to educate yourself about different price points, search for different artists and discover new ones."
-- The Pink Line Project (http://www.pinklineproject.com). Click on any day of the calendar and get a listing of art events in the D.C. area. "It's a one-stop shop for all things art in the city."
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