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PRESS RELEASE
U.S. ECONOMIC RECESSION AND PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN INSPIRES ART EXHIBIT IN WASHINGTON,
DC
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE CAKE ELECTION TO BE HELD
AT HEINEMAN MYERS CONTEMPORARY ART
APRIL 9, 2008
April 8, 2008 – (Washington, DC) – “Stimulating Consumption: Five
Artists to Buy Now” opens this Wednesday,
April 9, 2008 from 6-9pm at the Heineman Myers Contemporary Art gallery located at 4728 Hampden Lane
in
Bethesda, MD. The exhibit, which runs through May 17, 2008, features a recent sculpture by Alison
Hiltner of
Minneapolis; a sculpture by Elizabeth Lundberg Morisette of Washington, DC; a painting by Jane Richlovsky
of
Seattle; a sculpture by Jonathan Stein of Miami and photographs by Barbara Strasen of Los Angeles.
“In the backdrop of the market’s irrational exuberance, many consumers
in the U.S. were encouraged to even
buy property that they could not truly afford. The national leadership’s response to the
current economic woes
was to give taxpayers a small rebate, presumably to stimulate consumption, hence the name of the exhibit.
Many of the works will give consumers the chance to spend their rebate on a work of original art.”
All work in the exhibit reflects the American consumer’s high rate of spending
and obsession with political and
celebrity gossip. Elizabeth Lundberg Morisette, Alison Hiltner, and Jane Richlovsky recycle discarded
consumer
goods, medical equipment and textiles into works of art –making unspoken responses to our throwaway
society.
Jonathan Stein’s series of candidate cakes and other parody confections including “Portrait of the Presidency in
Pieces,” constructed with hand-painted Reeses’ peanut butter pieces, will be shown for the
duration of the
exhibit. The sculpture resembles a cake with likenesses of Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Barak Obama.
A “cake election” will be held for exhibit visitors, including children
and non-U.S. citizens, so they can vote for
their favorite sculpture. Absentee ballots will also be accepted via email at info@heinemanmyers.com
for those
unable to attend the opening reception this Wednesday from 6pm-9pm at the Heineman Myers Contemporary
Art. Another cake of pop star Britney Spears will also be on display and eligible for balloting. “The
media and the
public have an insatiable appetite for intimate details of these people as if they were a product to
be consumed
and tossed aside,” explained Stein.
The exhibit was conceived by Zoe Heineman Myers, director of Heineman Myers Contemporary
Art, in response
to the concurrent widely anticipated U.S. economic recession and presidential campaign.
The event on April 9th will also celebrate the second anniversary of Heineman Myers
Contemporary Art, which is
open to the public from 1-6pm Tuesday through Saturday during this exhibit. For more information,
please
contact Zoe Heineman Myers at 202-415-6547.
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