Where Did the Optimism Go?

Small-Space Exhibitions Include Shows Worth a Careful Viewing Special to The Washington Post Friday, October 10, 2008; Page C02 During most of my 10-plus years covering Washington's art scene, gallery-goers effused excitement over the city's ever-expanding creative scene. They talked about how it was coming into its own, how the art scene was on the verge of being something. Though we'd have been hard-pressed to define the something we were becoming, it was understood that we'd recognize it once it arrived. For years, optimism was palpable -- as if Washington art aficionados were a troop of first-time bakers ogling a tray of rising muffins. It's been a year, perhaps, since I've heard such talk. The young collectives don't hold so many groovy parties anymore. Now people ask "What happened?" and "What's happening?" with a sigh... [read full story]