Washington Review
The Washington Review was an American bi-monthly journal of arts and literature published from 1974 to 2002 in Washington, D.C. The Review brought together information about art, dance, poetry, literature, music, photography, sculpture, theater, and events. The journal published artwork, essays, poems, commentaries as well as interviews by and about artists, curators, writers, performers, poets, choreographers, and directors, both emerging and notable.
Discipline | The arts |
---|---|
Language | English |
Edited by | Clarissa Wittenberg Mary Swift |
Publication details | |
History | 1974–2002 |
Publisher | Friends of the Washington Review of the Arts (Washington, D.C., United States) |
Frequency | Bi-monthly |
Standard abbreviations | |
ISO 4 | Wash. Rev. |
Indexing | |
ISSN | 0163-903X |
OCLC no. | 4526135 |
History
The Washington Review was founded and helmed by Clarissa K. Wittenberg, who served as its founder and editor.[1] Inspired by the The Paris Review, in 1974 she started the journal initially with Jean Lewton, a colleague with whom she had worked with at X magazine.[2] Wittenberg wanted to document the underrepresented avant-garde culture of Washington. Review topics covered poetry, fiction, essays on the arts, book and art reviews, plays, interviews, photographs, graphics, and original artwork.[3]
The first Issue of the Washington Review appeared on May/July 1975. It was published by the Friends of the Washington Review of the Arts, Inc., a non-profit, tax-except educational organization. Tabloid-sized, it used two of the large pages per issue for poetry, and was saddle-stapled on high-quality newsprint. The Review had a circulation of 2,000 with 700 subscriptions, and was in 10 libraries.[4][5][6]
Wittenberg worked with local contributors to develop the Review into a viable arts journal: gallerist George Hemphill, artist Clark V. Fox, dancer Maida Withers. The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities was a regular provider of grants, along with a handful of local foundations.[2]
Mary Swift served as both chairman and president. Her key roles were as managing editor, perceptive interviewer, journalist, and photographer-in-residence from the journal's inception to its closure in 2002.[7] Swift's contributions included photographs, reviews of art exhibitions, and interviews with dancer Lucinda Childs, painter Robert Indiana, sculptor Anne Truitt, painter Howard Mehring and museum director and gallerist Walter Hopps. Swift interviewd DC artist Martin Puryear in the first article of his career.[7] For the February/March 1980 issue, Swift took the photographs and interviewed artist William Christenberry in his studio, including his collection of vintage signs, landscapes, and abandoned buildings from his home state Tuscaloosa, Alabama.[8][9]
In 1986, the Washington Review received the DC Mayor's Art Award for Excellence in Service to the Arts.[10]
By 1994, the board of directors of the Washington Review comprised Jan Rothschild as President; Theodore Adamstein as Vice President; Pat Kolmer as Secretary; Joanna Pessa as Treasurer. Additionally, and Mary Swift as Chairman of the Board. Other members of the board included Theodore Adamstein, Saied Azali, William Dunlap, Lee Fleming, DC artist Sal Fiorito,[11] New York artist Giorgio Furioso,[12] Beth B. Joselow, Sidney Lawrence,[13][14] Barbara Liotta, Amy Meadows, Bárbara Mujica, artist Andrea Pollan[15] Katea Denise Stitt, Byron Swift, Mary Swift, DC artist Eileen Toumanoff,[16] and Clarissa K. Wittenberg.[4] Poet, teacher and literary activist E. Ethelbert Miller was the senior editor of the Washington Review.[4]
The Washington Review ceased publication in 2002, when Wittenberg and Swift retired.[7]
Legacy
The full set of Washington Review journals are in the Library of Congress and the Mary Swift Papers (1973-2004) at the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution.[17]
In November 2016, Swift donated thousands of contact sheets, negative, and prints, and more than one hundred cassette tapes of artist interviews to the archives of the Smithsonian Institution. Swift's collection measure 8.2 linear feet and date from 1973-2004. Most of the collection contains photographs that Swift took while working for the Washington Review.[17][8]
Notable contributors
- Shahla Arbabi, DC artist and educator[18]
- Terry Braunstein, DC born photographer[19]
- William Christenberry (1936–2016), photographer, painter, sculptor, and teacher[9]
- Lucinda Childs, dancer, choreographer, and actress[7][20]
- Manon Cleary (1942–2011), DC Artist[21]
- Gene Davis (1920-1985), DC artist & supporter[22]
- Tara Donovan, American sculptor[23]
- William R. Dunlap, painter, writer, was on Washington Review board[24]
- William Dutterer, DC artist[25]
- Clark V. Fox, DC modernist painter[26]
- Sam Gilliam, DC painter and Lyrical abstractionist[27]
- Carol Brown Goldberg, American artist[28][29]
- Allen Ginsberg, American poet and writer[30]
- Howard Hodgkin, British painter and printmaker[31]
- Samuel Hoi, president of Maryland Institute College of Art[23][4]
- Walter Hopps (1932-2005), museum director, gallerist[7]
- Robert Indiana (1928–2018), painter associated with the pop art movement[17]
- Barbara Januszkiewicz, multimedia artist[32]
- Anil Karanjai (1940–2001), Indian artist[33]
- Rebecca Kamen, American artist[34]
- Edward Knippers, Virginia artist[4]
- Rockne Krebs (1938–2011), American artist and sculptor[35]
- Liz Kotz, American writer, art critic, curator[36]
- John Lehr, New York photographer[37]
- Willem De Looper (1932–2009), DC abstract artist, and chief curator at The Phillips Collection[38]
- Val Lewton (1937–2015), DC painter and museum exhibition designer[39]
- Douglas Messerli, American writer, professor, and publisher[40]
- Kevin MacDonald (1947–2006), DC artist[41][42][43]
- Howard Mehring (1931–1978), DC painter[7][44]
- Linda Montano, American performance artist[45]
- Bárbara Mujica, American writer, director of Washington Review
- William Parry, British photojournalist[46]
- Judy Pfaff, American artist[47]
- Michael B. Platt (1948-2019), DC artist and art professor[48]
- Martin Puryear, DC sculptor, first article was by Review[7][49]
- Joan Retallack, Poet and scholar[50]
- Severo Sarduy (1937–1993), Cuban poet, author, playwright, and critic[51]
- Ingrid Schaffner, curator, writer, and educator[52]
- Sylvia Snowden, American abstract painter[53]
- Charles Taylor Jr., American author
- Hilda Thorpe (1919–2000), sculptor and painter[32]
- Anne Truitt (1921–2004), DC artist, article by Mary Swift[54]
- Andrea Way, DC artist[55][56]
- Mindy Weisel, American abstract visual artist and author[57]
- Terence Winch Irish-American poet, writer and musician[58]
- Yuriko Yamaguchi, DC sculptor and printmaker[35]
- Mariana Yampolsky, Mexican-American photographer[59]
References
- "Clarissa Wittenberg". Washington Film Institute. Washington D.C. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
- Anne Chamberlin (February 12, 1978). "Finding Happiness On F Street". Washington Post. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- "The 1988-89 Directory of Literary Magazines". Moyer Bell Ltd. 1998. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- "Art Sites 6". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 20 (2). 1994. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- "Poet's Market". Writers Digest. Cincinnati, Ohio. 1986. p. 312. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- "Friends of the Washington Review of the Arts, Inc". Open Corporates. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- Adam Bernstein (May 20, 2022). "Mary Swift, doyenne of Washington arts scene, dies at 95". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
- Mary Savig (January 2, 2018). "Acquisitions: Mary Swift Papers". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- "William Christenberry papers, circa 1917-2018". Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. Washington, DC. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- "Artsites 98 Catalog". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 24 (1). 1998. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- "Painting With Glass and Light". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
- Steve Davolt (November 24, 2004). "Giorgio Furioso". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
- Sidney Lawrence. "Washington Art Matters: Art Life in the Capital 1940-1990" (PDF). Sidney Lawrence Art. p. 162. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
- "Sidney Lawrence, Not Twin Cities". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 14 (1). January 1988. ISBN 9781476645292. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
- "CAPITAL ROUNDUP by Sidney Lawrence". Artnet. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
- "Eileen Toumanoff". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
- "Mary Swift Papers, 1973-2004". Smithsonian Institution. Washington, D.C. 1973. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- "Shahla Arbabi Bibliography". www.shahla-arbabi.com. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- "Terry Braunstein Interview", Washington Review, Washington D.C.: 3–6, January 1987
- "Lucinda Childs at BAM" (PDF). Washington Review. Washington D.C. 5 (5): 9. March 1980. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- "Maryland Art Place, The Body in Question". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 1997. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- "Gene Davis: Washington Review Poster - Hand Signed and Dedicated to artist Vera Habrecht Simons, 1982". www.artsy.net. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
- "Artsites 96". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 22 (1). 1996. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
- "William Dunlap". www.williamdunlap.com. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
- "Twenty-Five Washington Artists: Realism and Representation". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 6 (1). February 1980. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
- "Twisted Teenage Plot Alper Initiative: When Art and Punk Collide". Dcist. April 1, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
- Binstock, Jonathan P.; Gilliam, Sam (December 5, 2005). Sam Gilliam A Retrospective. California: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520246348. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
- "Roz Kuehn – Art & Function". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 12. December 1986. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
- "Mokha Laget-New Works on Paper". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 18 (2). 1992. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
- "Ginsberg (Allen) Papers". Online Achieve of California. December 1977. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
- "The Phillips Collection". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 11 (1). January 1985. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- "Interview with Hilda Thorpe by Barbara Januszkiewicz". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 26 (3). 1994. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- "Anil Karanjai: Painting Moods of India by Ross Beatty, Jr.", Washington Review of the Arts, 3 (2), Summer 1977
- "Rebecca Kamen: Garden Series". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 19 (4). 1993. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- "Rockne Krebs Thinks We Deserve Better". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 15 (3). June 1989. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
- "Liz Kotz, Critic-in-Resident statement". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 21 (2). 1995. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- "John Lehr, Spoon Popkin, and Scott Thorpe, for "Critics Picks"" (PDF). Washington Review. Washington D.C. 25 (1). April 1999. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- "Clark, Michael, Willem de Looper: New Paintings" (PDF). Washington Review. Washington D.C. April 1992. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- "Where Has All the Color Gone? Val Lewton". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 4. 1975. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- "Douglas Messerli: Statement on Manifestos". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 9 (1). October 1983. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- "Kevin MacDonald by Clarissa Wittenberg". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 5 (3). June 1979. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
- "Art Rosenbaum by Val Lewton". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 8 (2). June 1982. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
- "Interview with Kevin MacDonald". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 11 (3). April 1985. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
- "Interview with Mary Swift and Clarissa Wittenberg for Washington Review on the Arts radio series, 1978 January 6". Washington D.C. January 6, 1978. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- "Linda Montano by Lee Fleming". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 2 (1). 1976. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- "Wayne Paige: Drawings". Washington Review. Washington D.C. June 1990. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
- "Judy Pfaff: What Direction? by Swift, Mary". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 6 (6): 5. April 1981. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
- "Platt Studios Washington DC". mplattstudio.com. Washington D.C. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- "Martin Puryear". Matthew Marks Gallery. Washington, DC. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- "Joan Retallack interviewed by P. Inman". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 14 (2). September 1988. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- "Note on Translation; and 'Espiral Negro,' trans of a poem by Severo Sarduy". Washington Review. Washington D.C. September 1990. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
- "Maryland Art Place Critics' Residency". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 25 (1). 1999. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- "Sylvia Snowden, National Museum of Women in the Arts". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 19 (1). 1993. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- "Swift, Mary Anne Truit" (PDF). Washington Review. Washington D.C.: 3–6 May 1986. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- "Andrea Way: New Drawings, Brody's Gallery". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 13 (3). 1987. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
- "Andrea Way, Triple Treasure". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 28 (1). 2002. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
- "To Render Visible: The Art of Mindy Weisel". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 9 (4). January 1984. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
- "Special Issue Mass Transit Poets". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 14 (3). 1988. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- "An interview with Washington Sculptor Mariana Yampolsky". Washington Review. Washington D.C. 24. April 1985. ISBN 9781135638825. Retrieved December 7, 2022.