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Washington Project for the Arts announces the Artists Selected for OPTIONS 2009

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Jenny Mullins, American Reincarnation Machine, 2009
Graham Coreil-Allen, New Public Sites, 2009, multimedia installation & performance, dimensions variable
Polly Townsend, Summit, 2009, oil on canvas

Washington Project for the Arts will present its thirteenth installment of the biennial exhibition, OPTIONS, from September 17 – October 31, 2009 at 1358 Florida Avenue NE, second floor. This year’s exhibition, featuring works by thirteen of the region’s most exciting artists will be curated by Anne Collins Goodyear, Assistant Curator of Prints and Drawings, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.

As a tradition, OPTIONS is a survey of the brightest and most talented emerging artists in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia regions. The WPA originally developed the biennial series in 1981 with legendary artist Gene Davis and Washington Review Managing Editor Mary Swift as curators of the first WPA OPTIONS showcase. OPTIONS exhibitions offer the opportunity for artists who do not have gallery representation at the time of their selection to increase their visibility and presents visitors with a glimpse into the breadth and diversity of contemporary art practice in the region.

After a review of over 200 mailed submissions and visits to the studios of over 250 artists throughout the region, WPA is pleased to announce our curator’s selection of artists for OPTIONS 2009:

Leah Beeferman, VA; Jessica Braiterman, MD; Graham Coreil-Allen, MD; Younseal Eum, VA; Andy Holtin, DC; Sue Johnson, MD; Patrick McDonough, DC; Kim Manfredi, MD; Jenny Mullins, MD; Ding Ren, DC; Matthew Smith, DC; Polly Townsend, DC; and Matthew Wead, MD.

An opening reception is planned for Thursday, September 17, 2009 from 6-8pm. Please stay tuned to our web site (www.wpadc.org) for more information as the exhibition approaches.

Congratulations to the selected artists! OPTIONS 2009 is funded, in part, by the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities, an agency supported, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts.

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