Prima Gallery

With all the galleries sprouting up along H Street NE, the neighborhood may be on its way to becoming Washington's next big arts district, and another addition this weekend will certainly help the area's credibility. G Fine Art, formerly housed along 14th Street, is taking up residence in the up-and-coming neighborhood.

The gallery celebrates its move to Northeast Washington on Saturday with a new exhibition and an opening reception. The work of A.B. Miner goes on display in "Naked," a show that strips down in more ways than one. In one diptych, Miner pulls back the curtain on his creative process, while a massive 12-panel painting shows a year in the life of a post-surgery expanse of skin from a landscape of stitches to a healed, though scarred, chest. Meanwhile the video piece "Fly 08" -- a riff on Yoko Ono's "Fly" -- features the interaction between an insect and a reclining nude figure.

The opening reception and awards ­ceremony for the Arts Council of Moore County’s 14th annual Young People’s Fine Arts Festival attracted a crowd of 500 young artists, art teachers and kinfolk to Campbell House on Friday, March 5.

First place awards went to Brooke Olinger, Episcopal Day; Halden Levin, Pinehurst Elementary; Victoria Landers, Sandhills Classical Christian; Wyatt Parson, Sandhills Classical Christian; Austin Cook, Vass-Lakeview; Berenice Lopez, Elise Middle; Miss Wolfe’s Second Grade Class, S.T.A.R.S Charter; Katie Lamb, West Pine; Grace Ann Longfellow, West Pines; Clem McKenzie, Pinecrest High; Amber Robinson, Pinecrest High; Caroline Hudson, Pinecrest High; Miranda Estep, Union Pines High; Jose Lavelle, Union Pines High; and Claire Lenahan, Union Pines High.

Winning second place awards were Chase Watson, Carthage Elementary; Ali Royal, Sandhills Classical Christian; Samantha Clark, Sandhills Farmlife; Bridget White, Sandhills Farmlife; Karina Franco, Vass-Lakeview; Justin Hall, New Century Middle; Austin D’Atri, S.T.A.R.S Charter; Claire Shadomy, Union Pines; Mason Williams, North Moore High; Sarah Wilson, Pinecrest High; Bernadine Dembosky, The O’Neal School; Lindsay Waters, The O’Neal School; and Bennett Westling, The O’Neal School.

Receiving third place awards were Nita Reynolds, Cameron Elementary; T. Dalton McBryde, Pinehurst Elementary; Eliza Athans, Sandhills Classical Christian; L’Asia Jackson, West End Elementary; Emma Williams, Elise Middle; Kestra Alzner, New Century Middle; Eli Cole, West Pine Middle; Stephanie McNeil, North Moore High; Megan Fruchte, Pinecrest High; Laura Ott, Pinecrest High; Heather Sinsley, Pinecrest High; Crystal Little, Union Pines High; and Sasha Richman, The O’Neal School.

Honorable mentions were given to Caleb W. Hickey, Blue Farm Academy Homeschool; Jackson Jernigan, Cameron Elementary; Khalita Person, Carthage Elementary; Bryson Steed, Vass-Lakeview Elementary; Maudie Chalfinch, New Century Middle; Mrs. Varner’s Second Grade Class, S.T.A.R.S Charter; Amber Robinson, Pinecrest High; Claire Lenahan, Union Pines High; Hannah Burns, The O’Neal School; Katie Dyer, The O’Neal School; Jodie Ballie, Camryn Baldwin, Danielle Howland and Victoria Strunk, The O’Neal School.

The “People’s Choice” award was given to Rachel Denneny, a fourth-grade student at Vass-Lakeview Elementary, for her 3-D sculpture, “Splatterbug.”

“The Arts Council would like to thank the ­festival’s major sponsor, George W. Little and Associates Inc., and Whistle Stop Press Inc. for providing the printing,” says Chris Dunn, ­executive director.

There was a time, not too long ago, when ripping off other people was a lot easier ... and a lot more rewarding. We're not talking about bad rap or tween country rock stars, we're talking about actual artists: the talented liars, the meticulous copycats—the forgers. With an eye for detail and stunning ability to trick even the buffest history buffs, they sold popular Renaissance busts and paintings to unsuspecting buyers, even our very own Isabella Stewart Gardner.

Instead of getting pissed off (as most of us would), Gardner still appreciated the talent behind these forged busts, and continued to display them in some of the most prominent places in the museum. Discovering a fake requires some detective work, but unlike in CSI, it took about 30 years to draw a definitive conclusion. "There are a few ways of testing dates," says Alan Chong, the museum curator. "There's something called thermoluminescence, which is a way of testing fired clay. It provides an approximate firing date, so we can tell roughly if something was made in the 15th century or the 16th century, or 100 years ago." Though almost all of the busts in the museum checked out, a few looked suspicious. Years and years of scholarly speculation has led to the verdict that the busts are, in fact, fakes. At the turn of the century, forgeries were often bought and sold to Renaissance superfans ... some with possible knowledge of the forgery, some without. "I think people wanted to have really nice-looking examples of the work, so they were attracted to these copies that were in better condition," says Chong. "They were buying a McMansion version of the work of art, I suppose."

What once would have been a source of embarrassment now offers an opportunity to study preservation and re-creation during the museum's Italian Renaissance and terracotta sculpture exhibition. The works, divided into two distinct types (religious figures and busts), are all made with similar terracotta clay. The artist molded the clay when it was still wet, allowing a freer, more adaptable medium. "Unlike carving marble, you can choose things along the way, so it is easier to capture emotion more directly," says Chong. "You can see the blood and tears on the Christ figures. I think it is a more direct way of communicating religious meaning."

Scientists and curators have been working diligently for the past three years to preserve many of the most monumental pieces, restoring them to their original splendor. These include works from Matteo Civitali and Giovanni de Fondulis ... the latter was discovered only recently. "His work has always been respected," says Chong, "however, it was only recently discovered to be done by this man that no one has ever heard of. Pretty exciting."

The beauty and elegance of the Italian Renaissance restored, the museum encourages art lovers to experience the emotionality and turmoil of the sculptures. Feel free to fake it, too.