Art News: Startup website with 100,000+ hits celebrates the art of the nude.

Virtual exhibition attracting more traffic launches N*des-of-the-Month for January 2007.

New York, NY – January 3, 2007 -- barebrush.com announces the publication of N*des-of-the-Month January 2007, the fifth virtual calendar cum art show, as site traffic grows exponentially. The exhibition was curated by Chelsea art dealer, Miyako Yoshinaga, founder and director of M.Y. Art Prospects. The calendar is in previews to members only and viewable to the public beginning January 7, 2007.

“I’m really pleased with the traffic. Attitudes toward the nude are sometimes ambiguous, often hostile, but almost always culturally charged and significant. There is taboo and controversy surrounding the nude,” says CEO Ilene Skeen. “We’ve had 100,000+ hits in December alone, and over a quarter million since site inception in late July. That’s wonderful growth, considering this is a very small niche. The N*des-of-the-Month is creating the excitement – and the idea of an online marketplace dedicated to the art of the nude, with no limits and no commissions is a real promotional incentive for many artists to get their work out there. Of course, not all of the artists get into each calendar, so some are disappointed – but that’s the nature of the competition. I want to make the N*des-of-the-Month the most sought after art contest on the internet.”

barebrush.com is a start-up website dedicated exclusively to the art of the nude. Membership on the site is free, and listing art on the site for 30 days is also free. The N*des-of-the-Month is a virtual juried exhibition of the art selected from the entries in the “Art Log” by a different guest art professional each month. The exhibition is presented on the web in a unique calendar format. Also on the site is an “Events & News” blog which presents opportunities, events and news in the world of the nude in art.

The N*des-of-the-Month exhibition series began in September 2006 with an exhibition curated by Brigitte Saint-Ouen, founder and director of Gramercy 32 Fine Arts. The October exhibition was curated by master pastellist, teacher and president of the Salmagundi Club, Richard Pionk. The November exhibition was curated by Chelsea art dealer, Christopher Henry of Christopher Henry Gallery. The December exhibition was curated by Bob Muller, artist, collector and former museum president. All of these calendars are still live in the archives of barebrush.com.

“I want to increase the acceptability and interest in the art of the nude. Unlike many other websites, barebrush.com recognizes the importance of the dealer in the art process. With barebrush.com, I am trying to widen public awareness of, access to and appreciation for the art of the nude. I want to help artists to find dealers, help dealers to find collectors, help collectors to find enjoyment and help us all find each other,” says Ilene Skeen, founder of barebrush.com. Ms. Skeen, artist, MBA, business systems designer, and graduate anthropologist, is a native of NYC. She is a resident artist member of the Salmagundi Club and chairman of the club’s curators’ committee.

About Miyako Yoshinaga:

Miyako Yoshinaga was born in Japan, and has lived in New York City since 1991. She holds a MA in sociology from Keio University, Tokyo, and was awarded a New York State Certificate in Museum Studies from New York University's Museum Studies Program. Between 1992 and 1996, Miyako was a Research Associate specializing in Asian art collections for the Brooklyn Museum of Art. In May 1999, she opened her own gallery, MY Art Prospects. As a contributor to several Japanese art journals, including Gekkan Bijutsu, she also writes reviews, essays, and analyses of market trends in both Japanese and English. In 2002, she curated “ConversAsian in Cayman” at the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands. She is the member of the Art Table, a national arts organization for women in leadership in the visual art field.

When asked for a personal note regarding the selection process, Miyako wrote:

“When I was very young, I was fascinated by Cezanne's Bathers.  Three decades later, I professionally promote the imageries of naked bodies with the same fascination. I am honored to review and select fresh, exciting, and provocative work with this tireless subject to be featured in the first month of the coming new year!!”

M.Y. ART PROSPECTS is a contemporary art gallery established in 1999 in New York City. Since its inception, it has supported and promoted a diverse group of emerging and mid-career artists. Its focus is on compelling visions and unlimited sensitivities. M.Y. Art Prospects strives to exhibit works that reflect, stimulate, and/or challenge our cultural, social, and individual values.

After the selection process, Miyako Yoshinaga was asked about the process. “It’s been very interesting. I would like to see more ambitious and more complicated work, but somehow the nude has also to do with spontaneity. There is some very academic work here, but also some in today’s style. Some is very fresh.”

The selection of the art for the calendar is entirely up to the curator, and the selection of the art for the website, is entirely up to the artists,” CEO Skeen explains. I think that’s what makes the site so exciting – no prejudices, no preconceptions on my part – the only requirement is that the art include a nude or nudes.”

 
About the Artists:
January N*des-of-the-Month artists (with dates): Oudi Arroni (11-13), Gaye Elise Beda (2), Donna Cleary (1), Rune Froseth (22), Nina Kuriloff (8), Lael Marshall (3-6), Scott Michael (21), Jacqui Morgan (7), Lenny Moskowitz (14), Ephraim Natkins (24), Jon Rettich (15), Jenny Rosenbaum (25-26), Chanit Roston (16-19), Arkady Roytman (9-10), Anthony Santella, (23), Emily Stedman (27-30), and website host, Ilene Skeen (20). For the jury of selection, Miyako Yoshinaga chose Hans Behan (6) and Mayumi Lake (31).

# # #