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Economic Crisis Hits Even Hirst Sales; Pooh Remains Unscathed
An economic indicator to ponder: The market for Damien Hirst, long the platinum standard for star-power collectibility, seems to has tanked, with abysmal November sales at Sotheby's November auction followed by even weaker action at Art Basel Miami. Ironically, it may be the very success of his groundbreaking "Beautiful Inside My Head Forever" auction in September that created this suddenly lukewarm demand, in that there is an unprecedented glut of Hirst on the market. New York dealer Christoph Van de Weghe, who sold only two of eight Hirst pieces he offered at Art Basel, noted “The timing is not so good... Today I’m telling my clients that it’s better to buy established artists who are dead and won’t produce.” On the other hand, a London auction of original Winnie the Pooh drawings by EH Shepard at Sotheby's broke records, far exceeding pre-sale estimates. So do hard times lead us toward warm, fuzzy, and dead when it comes to art investments?
posted December 18, 2008
Art Matters to Fold After December Issue
In a Facebook post, Art Matters editors announced, "Unfortunately, Journal Register Company dissolved the Art Matters publication on November 21, 2008." The editors of Art Matters, which has been in print for 30 years as a journal covering exhibitions in the greater Philadelphia region, plan to launch an independent online edition in early 2009. View Art Matters' Facebook page.
Posted December 10, 2008
Mayor Nutter Names Members of Cultural Advisory Council
On Friday, December 5, Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter released the list
of appointees to the newly formed Cultural Advisory Council. The group, which
will meet quarterly, will work with Gary Steuer, the city's Director of the
Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy. Council members are: Amy
Adams, Peggy Amsterdam, Jesse Bermudez, Lorene Cary, Jennifer Childs, Mark
Christman, Ian Cross, Diane Dalto, Karen Davis, David Devan, Vikram Dewan,
Anne Ewers, Carmen Febo-San Miguel, Happy Fernandez, Dawn Frisby Byers, Kumani
Gantt, Marian Godfrey, Tanya Hall, Beverly Harper, Gail Harrity, Matty Hart,
James Haskins, Gayle Isa, Hilary Jay, Harvey Kimmel, Joseph H. Kluger, Nancy
Kolb, Sueyun Locks, Martin McNamara, Leslie Anne Miller, Olive Mosier, Joan
Myers Brown, Hal Real, Romona Riscoe Benson, Kim Sajet, Margie Salvante, Carole
Shanis, Susan Sherman, Nick Stuccio, Ed Tettemer, James Timberlake, and Thomas
Woodward. read
the Philadelphia Inquirer article
Posted December 7, 2008
Register Now for The Big Canvas Confab - A Regional
Rally for the Arts
Everyone is invited to help craft an action plan to improve arts and culture
throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania at The Big Canvas Confab - A Regional
Rally for the Arts on Saturday, December 6, 1 - 4 pm at the Radisson Valley
Forge Hotel & Convention Center, 1160 First Avenue, King of Prussia PA.
Keynote Speaker: Judge Marjorie O. Rendell, First Lady of Pennsylvania. Elected
officials attending will be: Josh Shapiro, Deputy Speaker of the Pennsylvania
House of Representatives; State Senators Rob Wonderling and Andrew Dinniman;
Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel; Philadelphia City Councilmembers
Bill Green and Maria Quinones Sanchez. The event will feature an open discussion
and presentation of Big Canvas findings by arts and culture leaders. The event
is free and open to everyone. Free parking and refreshments. Free trolley
transportation from Center City Philadelphia:
One trolley will leave promptly at 11:45 am from the Four Seasons Hotel at
One Logan Square, Philadelphia, PA 19103 in Center City. Another trolley will
also leave promptly at 11:45am from The Rotunda at 4012 Walnut St, Philadelphia,
PA 19104 in West Philadelphia. For more information and to reserve a space
on the trolley, call 215-854-5956.
Posted November 20, 2008
Philadelphians Judith Schaechter and Terry Adkins
Awarded United States Artists Fellowships
Philadelphia artists Judith Schaechter and Terry Adkins were among the 50
artists awarded $50,000 unrestricted grants from United States Artists (USA),
a national artists' advocacy organization. The program honors contemporary
artists in a variety of disciplines who show an extraordinary commitment to
their craft. Other awardees for 2008 included Michael Asher, Andrea Bowers,
Martha Rosler, Catherine Sullivan, and Kara Walker. Click
here to see all fellowship recipients.
Posted November 14, 2008
Leeway Foundation Announces Fall 2008 Art and Change
Grantees
The Leeway Foundation announces $46,550 in grants to nineteen women and transgender
artists living in the six-county Philadelphia area (including Camden) to further
their work integrating a variety of arts disciplines and social change. Of
the nineteen recipients only two artists previously received funding from
the organization. The grants awarded went to artists working in a variety
of fields including hip-hop choreography and batik printmaking. The grantees
are: Ama Schley and Payin Schley, Dance; Ava Blitz, Sculpture; Desi Burnette,
Audio; Dorothy Goins, Creative Writing; Erika Almiron, Photography and Film/Video;
Erin Howley, Printmaking; Gwynne B. Sigel, Theater; Iya Sangolade, Crafts;
Karen Lefebvre-Christou, Multi-Discplinary; Meghann Williams and Gigi Naglak,
Theater; Michele Byrd-McPhee, Dance; Renee "Oyin" Harris-Hardy,
Dance; Rika Hawes, Film/Video and Photography; Shayna Sheness Israel, Poetry
and Performance; Sonia Arora, Film/Video and Oral History; Stephanie Yuhas,
Film/Video and Creative Nonfiction; Tani L. Khabbaz, Music and Spoken Word;
Tina Smith-Brown, Literature; Yvonne Lung, Visual Arts.
Posted November 14, 2008
Philagrafika 2008 Invitational Portfolio Artists Announced
Philagrafika has announced the release of the eighth annual Philagrafika Invitational
Portfolio (previously the Philadelphia Invitational Portfolio), a portfolio
of fine art prints created annually by invited artists and participating print
shops. All print sales help to support Philagrafika programs, including Philagrafika
2010 -- a citywide contemporary art festival planned for January - April,
2010 in Philadelphia. The 2008 portfolio artists and print shops are: Sarah
Gamble with The Borowsky Center for Publication Arts, University of the Arts;
Barkley Hendricks with Brodsky Center for Innovative Editions; Nadia Hironaka
and Matthew Suib with Silicon Gallery Fine Art Prints; Andrea Gaydos Landau
with Space 1026; Serena Perrone with C.R.Ettinger Studios; and Hunter Stabler
with The Fabric Workshop and Museum. For more information and to view prints,
visit www.philagrafika.org/
Posted October 24, 2008
Openings Available at Coral Street Arts House
The Coral Arts House, which offers artist live/work space in a former textile
mill in East Kensington, Philadelphia, is accepting applications for openings.
For complete information and an application, visit the New Kensington Community
Development Corporation web
site, or contact Laura Semmelroth at 215-739-0310.
Posted October 9, 2008
Good News for Old School Instaphiles: Polaroid Lives!
Photographers dreading the impending death of Polaroid film, which was announced
in February, can rejoice in part: investor and philanthropist Daniel H. Stern
and Polaroid artist John Reuter have joined forces to continue production
of chemicals and related Polaroid products -- but only for the Polaroid 20"
x 24" format (only six of these cameras were ever produced). The company
they formed, 20X24 Holdings LLC, will support a Tribeca studio where artists
and commercial photographers will have access to a camera and technical support.
Thus the Polaroid process will live on, just in a more rarified and esoteric
context. read the Wall
Street Journal story
Posted August 15, 2008
Paul McCarthy Dog Turd Goes Awry, Lands on Swiss Children's
Home
Well, it wasn't as bad as hitting the fan, but it did create a bit of havoc
when a work by Paul McCarthy, a giant inflated dog turd, came loose from its
moorings at a Swiss museum. Before coming to rest on the grounds of a children's
home, the errant inflatable broke a window and downed a power line. It is
unknown whether the turd, part of a work called Complex Shit, would
be reinstalled. read
more
Posted August 15, 2008
UPDATED Mayor Nutter
Announces Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy
Philadelphia's long-awaited new cultural initiative is at hand. On Friday,
July 18, Mayor Nutter formally announced the establishment of the Office of
Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy. Gary Steuer, formerly Vice President
of the New York based non-profit Americans for the Arts, was appointed as
Chief Cultural Officer for the city, to begin in October. Mayor Nutter also
announced the re-establishment of the Cultural Advisory Council which will
serve to advise the Mayor and Administration officials on issues relating
to arts and culture. read
more
Posted July 18, 2008
Banksy's True Identity Revealed?!?
If Britain's The Mail on Sunday has it right, the identity of mysterious
international art star Banksy has finally been determined. Banksy is allegedly
Robin Gunningham, a 34-year old product of upper-middle class suburbia and
former student of the Bristol Cathedral School. read
more
Posted July 15, 2008
New Executive Director for CFEVA Announced
The Center for Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA) has named Holly Lentz Kleeman, formerly Senior Marketing Manager with Duane Morris LLP, as new President and CEO to replace Maida R. Milone, who has stepped down after seven years. The Philadelphia-based artist services organization experienced significant organization growth and stabilization during the leadership of Milone.
Posted July 11, 2008
Interim Leadership Appointments Announced for PMA
The board of the Philadelphia Museum of Art has announced the appointment of Chief Operating Officer Gail Harrity as the Museum’s Interim Chief Executive Officer, and Associate Director of Collections Alice Beamesderfer as Interim Head of Curatorial Affairs. The appointments are effective immediately and will remain in effect during the search for a permanent successor for the legendary Anne D'Harnoncourt, whose sudden death on June 1 shook the cultural community. A selection committee co-chaired by Trustees Martha Morris and Keith Sachs will be organized in the coming weeks to lead the search effort to fill the permanent position of CEO.
Posted June 27, 2008
Phillipe Vergne Named as New Director of Dia
The Dia Art Foundation, which has been officially without a director since the departure of Jeffrey Weiss this March, has announced that Phillipe Vergne, currently deputy director and chief curator at Minneapolis' Walker Art Center, will take over as director on September 15, 2008. Among his chief responsibilities will be to spearhead the establishment of a new home for Dia's contemporary art program in New York City, along with leadership of the Dia:Beacon museum. read the New York Times story
Posted June 27, 2008
Olafur Eliasson's New York City Waterfalls Open
One of the most avidly awaited public art projects since Jean-Claude and Christo's The Gates has made its official debut. During a public ceremony on Thursday, June 26, Olafur Eliasson's New York City Waterfalls project -- consisting of four mammoth waterfall structures on the East River, the city's most ambitious public art commission to date -- was dedicated and activated. The waterfalls are located at Pier 35 in Manhattan, at the Brooklyn tower of the Brooklyn Bridge, Piers 4 and 5 in Brooklyn, and on the north shore of Governors Island, and will be on view through October 13, 2008. They will be turned on from 7 am to 10 pm daily, except on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when they will be activated at 9 am. The best viewing times will be after dark, when they will be enhanced by light-emitting diodes. read the New York Times story
Posted June 27, 2008
ICA Announces Free Admission Beginning July 1
Thanks to a generous gift from Wharton alumnus and ICA supporter Glenn R. Fuhrman, for the next five years beginning July 1, 2008 the Institute of Contemporary Art of the University of Pennsylvania will have free admission for the public. Current ICA general adult admission is $6 with free hours only on Sundays. There will be an official public celebration of this gift on September 4, 2008, kicking off the museum’s fall exhibition schedule. Visit the ICA web site for more details.
Posted June 18, 2008
Look Fast - Damien Hirst Work Accidentally Given to London Charity Shop
Attention intrepid British bargain hunters: due to the error of an odd-jobs man hired to help BBC radio DJ Chris Evans during a recent move, a box containing a print by Damien Hirst worth tens of thousands of pounds was switched with a box of junk and carted off to a charity shop. The print, from Hirst's dot series, is apparently up for grabs at one of two Surrey area shops, if it hasn't been scooped up already. Evans, a popular DJ on Radio Two who is reportedly a millionaire, made light of the snafu on his program with an ever-appropriate comment: "D'oh!" read more
updated June 20, 2008
Participate in a Regional Dialogue on the Future of Arts and Culture
This summer,
as part of their "Great Expectations" project, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Penn Project for Civic Engagement are teaming up to present a series of public forums on the future of Arts and Culture in the greater Philadelphia region. Called "The Big Canvas," this series of five events intends to directly engage the public in crafting a new regional cultural policy. Each free session will begin at 6:30 pm with registration and refreshments at 6:30 and will run until 9:30 pm. The schedule is as follows: July 8 at the Michener Museum in Doylestown; July 16 at the Inquirer's Schuylkill Printing Plant in West Conshohocken; July 23 at People's Light and Theater in Malvern; July 24 at Villanova University; and July 30 at Moore College of Art and Design. Advance registration is required; visit www.greatexpectations07.com and click on the link for "The Big Canvas" or call 215-854-5956 to sign up.
Posted June 19, 2008
Online Registration Now Open for Clay Studio Summer
Classes
The Clay Studio is now accepting online registration for its summer session. A variety of classes are available for both adults and children, beginning July 7 and running through August 29. For a complete listing and links to registration forms,click here.
Posted 5/29/08
East Hampton Gallery Owner Arrested for Serving Wine
In a truly bizarre incident, veteran gallery owner Ruth Vered was arrested last week for engaging in the time-honored tradition of serving complimentary champagne and wine at an opening reception. As 200 guests looked on in shock, Vered was led away in handcuffs by East Hampton, NY police under the charge of selling alcohol without a license. read more
Posted 5/29/08
Controversy Rages Over Australian Censorship of Bill Henson Photographs
After confiscating a number of works by noted photographer Bill Henson last week on the eve of an exhibition opening, police in Sydney, Australia
have stated that they expect to file charges over the images, which depict nude 12 and 13-year-old children. The Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, agreed to suspend the exhibition, which was set to open March 23, while police investigate, but deny that the images are in any way indecent or sexual in nature. The incident has spurred a torrent of debate, from comments by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd that the pictures are "absolutely revolting" to letters defending Henson's artistic integrity from artists and celebrities, notably Cate Blanchett. read more
Posted 5/29/08
Robert Rauschenberg, 1925 - 2008
Legendary artist Robert Rauschenberg, whose abundant body of work defied any "ism"-ist categorization, died of heart failure at his home in Florida on the evening of Monday, May 12. read the New York Times obituary
Posted 5/15/08
2007 Pew Fellows Films Now Online
Short films exploring the work and processes of the 2007 winners of the Pew Fellowships in the Arts -- Charles O. Anderson, King Britt, Nicole Cousineau, Fritz Dietel, Ed Bing Lee, Gerald Levinson, Adelaide Paul, Peter Paulsen, Jamey Robinson, Kate Watson-Wallace, Dorothy Wilkie, and Julie York -- are now viewable online at the Pew web site. www.pewarts.org
Posted 5/15/08
Turner Prize Shortlist Announced
The judges for Britain's Turner Prize have announced this year's shortlist of artists: Filmmaker Runa Islam, multi-media artist Mark Leckey, "cultural archaeologist" Goshka Macuga, and sculptor Cathy Wilkes. This year's list is notable in that it includes three women (the prize has been criticized for a shortage of women finalists and winners), with an emphasis on politically-charged work. Established in 1984, the prize honors a British artist under the age of 50. The exhibition of the four artists' work will open on September 30 at Tate Britain, and the winner will be announced on December 1, 2008. read more
Posted 5/15/08
Museum Director Roxanne Brown Dies in Custody After Arrest on Fraud Charges
Roxanne Brown, director of the Southeast Asian Ceramics Museum at Bangkok University and an internationally noted expert on Asian art, has died of an apparent heart attack while in federal custody in Seattle. She had been arrested four days earlier as part of an ongoing federal probe into looted antiquities and false appraisals. Ms. Brown was visiting Seattle for a speaking engagement at the University of Washington but was taken into custody at her hotel shortly after arrival. At the time of her death she was awaiting extradition to Los Angeles to face charges. read the LA Times article
Posted 5/15/08
Latest Round of Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative
Recipients Announced
The largest amount awarded in the 11-year history of the Philadelphia Exhibition
Initiative (PEI) -- $1,166,231 -- will be presented this year to eight organizations
and two teams of independent curators for visual arts exhibitions and planning.
The recipients of exhibition grants are: The Design Center of Philadelphia
University ($200,000 for Lace in Translation); the Institute of Contemporary
Art ($250,000 for Dirt on Delight: impulses that form clay); Megawords
(the curatorial team of Anthony Smyrski and Dan Murphy, $20,000 for Megawords
Storefront); the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts ($128,796 for Peter
Saul: A Retrospective); Philadelphia Mural Arts Program ($237,535 for
LOVE LETTER); and the Philadelphia Museum of Art ($250,000 for James
Castle: A Retrospective). Planning grant recipients are: Arcadia University
($25,000 for planning a project with Tacita Dean); The Clay Studio ($25,000
for planning to build a curatorial team and series of exhibitions); the Rosenbach
Museum and Library ($24,900 for planning programming of newly created exhibition
spaces); and Screening (curatorial team of Nadia Hironaka and Matt Suib ($5,000
for planning a new project with filmmaker Pat O'Neill). This year was the
first time the grant process was opened to independent curators. For complete
details on the awards and projects, visit www.philexin.org
posted 5/8/08
Yale Student Replaces Controversial Project
Perhaps this has garnered enough press already, but we would be remiss in not reporting the latest development in what may be the most famous -- albeit unseen -- undergraduate art thesis ever: artist Aliza Shvarts, a senior in Yale's Davenport College, has agreed to put an alternative work on display in place of her original work, which may or may not have documented a nine-month series of self-insemination and self-induced miscarriages. The artist had been at an impasse with the university, which forbade her from displaying the work unless she made a public statement that the work was not based on real circumstances; Shvarts has yet to make clear whether the inseminations and miscarriages were fact or fiction. One thing is certain: news of her project sparked a national press and blogosphere feeding frenzy, with coverage in countless national and international publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times, and the Drudge Report, among many others. Read the Yale Daily News article.
posted 5/1/08
Art Basel Artistic Director Resigns
The Art
Newspaper reports that after less than a year in her post as artistic director of Art Basel and Art Basel Miami Beach, Cay Sophie Rabinowitz has resigned. Little explanation was given for the sudden departure, which came just five weeks prior to the opening of Art Basel. Fair management announced that art journalist Marc Spiegler, who was in charge of strategy and development, and Annette Schönholzer, responsible for operations and finance, would take over as co-directors (Spiegler and Schönholzer had been part of a three-person executive team with Rabinowitz). Read The Artnewspaper article
posted 5/1/08
PMA Secures Purchase of Eakins' Gross Clinic
The Philadelphia Museum of Art announced on April 23 that it had secured the
joint acquisition of Thomas Eakins' The Gross Clinic via the deaccessioning
of one Eakins oil painting, Cowboy Singing, and two accompanying
oil sketches to the Denver Art Museum. The amount raised from this sale completed
the necessary capital for the joint purchase, with the Pennsylvania Academy
of the Fine Arts, of The Gross Clinic, which in 2006 was destined
for purchase from Thomas Jefferson University by Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton
for her planned "Crystal Bridges" Arkansas museum. read
more
posted 4/24/08
Triumph of Reason: Artist Steve Kurtz Cleared of Bioterrorism Charges
After a four year odyssey that some have described as Kafkaesque, artist and University of Buffalo art professor Steve Kurtz has been cleared of bioterrorism charges. Read the Buffalo News article
posted 4/24/08
Guggenheim Woes: Bilbao CFO Admits to Embezzlement
Roberto Cearsolo Barrenetxea, the Chief Financial Officer of the Guggenheim
Bilbao in Spain was dismissed this week after admitting to embezzling close
to $800,000 since 1998. He was accused after a recent internal audit revealed
major financial irregularities. Read
the Art Daily story
posted 4/17/08
End of an Era: Ollie Johnston, The Last of Disney's
"Nine Old Men," Dead at 95
Legendary Disney animator Ollie Johnston, the final surviving member of the
master animators known as the "Nine Old Men," died on Monday at
the age of 95. Johnston began working at Disney in 1935 as an apprentice animator
of short films, and did his first feature length work with Snow White
and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937. As one of the core group of senior animators
at Disney -- a group consisting also of Les Clark, Marc Davis, John Lounsbery,
Milt Kahn, Ward Kimball, Eric Larson, Wolfgang Reitherman, and Johnston's
lifelong friend and neighbor Frank Thomas -- Johnston distinguished himself
as the man with the anthropomorphic touch, breathing life and pathos into
a range of characters that included good fairies (Sleeping Beauty),
courting dogs (Lady and the Tramp), mendacious puppet-boys (Pinocchio), and
hip-swinging bears (Baloo of The Jungle Book). Johnston retired from Disney in 1978 but continued
to be active in animation and on the lecture circuit for many years. Johnston
was awarded a National Medal of Arts in 2005. Read
the New York Times obituary
posted 4/17/08
Dia Foundation Escalates Talks with Utah to Protect Smithson's Spiral Jetty
The Dia Foundation has provided an update to the preservation saga surrounding Robert Smithson's seminal work Spiral Jetty (1970), which faces a threat from an oil company's plans for exploratory drilling in the Great Salt Lake. Among Dia's proposals are the establishment of a buffer zone around the sculpture. This is not Dia's only current land-art preservation challenge: they are also in the midst of a campaign to raise funds to protect 6,000 acres of land surrounding Walter De Maria’s Lightning Field in New Mexico. For a recent account of the issues surrounding Spiral Jetty, read Kirk Johnson's New York Times article (free registration required).
posted 4/11/08
Prices for Chinese Art Continue to Soar at Auction
One area of the global market still seems immune from encroaching economic gloom, as proven in Sotheby's most recent auction of contemporary Chinese art in Hong Kong on April 8. With total sales of $18 million and several pieces significantly exceeding estimates, it would seem that the demand for contemporary Chinese art is insatiable. A highlight was Zhang Xiaogang's Bloodline: Big Family No. 3, a 1995 painting that went for over $6 million -- about $2.6 million over the pre-sale estimate -- after a fierce three-way bidding war. This broke the previous record set in Sotheby's October 2007, for Yue Minjun's Execution, which sold for $5.9 million. Read the New York Times article.
posted 4/10/08
Guggenheim to Close its Final Las Vegas Outpost
It happened in Vegas, but alas it is not staying there. Just seven years after the debut of the Rem Koolhaus-designed Guggenheim Hermitage Museum, stationed within the Venetian Hotel complex on the strip, Guggenheim officials announced that the facility will close this May. The museum's larger partner venture, the Guggenheim Las Vegas (also established in 2001 to much fanfair) closed after only 15 months of operation. News of the closing comes just months after the departure of Thomas Krens, the dynamic and controversial director of the Guggenheim Foundation who was the guiding force behind the aggressive establishment of satellite Guggenheims throughout the world. Read the Las Vegas Sun coverage here. No word yet on the fate of the planned Guggenheims in Wildwood and Hershey, but we'll keep you posted. (Hey, just kidding about that part!)
posted 4/10/08
France Takes Aggressive Actions to Boost Art Market
Another reason to live in France? In the midst of increasingly dismal art sales -- resulting in France's traditional #3 position in the international art market being surpassed by China -- the country hopes to spur some life back into the market with a program of tax incentives, no-interest loans for art purchases, and loosened regulations on the auction industry. In announcing the plan this week, Culture Minister Christine Albanel cited the need to stem the "drain" of contemporary art from France and encourage the middle class to collect art. read the Philadelphia Inquirer story
posted 4/3/08
Art Fair Update: Cancellations, Debuts, and Yet Another Biennial
In the wake of the cancellation of several commercial art fairs -- Pulse London,
Photo-London, DC Art Fair (which directly cited the "recessionary economy" for its cancellation), and Flow Miami -- recent art fairs such as Art Dubai and the New York Armory Show seem to bely the notion of a slump in the art market, with reports of extremely strong sales coming from both.
Meanwhile, on the non-commercial front, the city of Denver announced plans for the Biennial of the Americas, an ambitious arts festival that organizers hope will eventually rival the Whitney and Sao Paolo biennials.
posted April 3, 2008
One Less " Young British Artist" - Angus Fairhurst Commits Suicide
British artist Angus Fairhurst has died at the age of 41. According to official announcements, the artist, whose last solo show closed just this Sunday in London, committed suicide. Fairhurst was one of the provocative "Young British Artists" group of the 1990s, which also included Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin. read the New York Times story
posted April 3, 2008
New Museum Announces Recipients of the First Altoids
Awards
Four artists have been named as the first winners of the biennial Altoids
Awards, established to support new American talent. Ei Arakawa (New York City),
Michael Patterson-Carver (Portland, Oregon), Lauren Kelley (Houston, Texas),
and Michael Stickrod (New Haven, Connecticut) will each receive $25,000 and
will be featured in an exhibition at the New Museum opening June 25, 2008.
The winners were selected from a field of 46 nominees by jurors Paul McCarthy,
Cindy Sherman, and Rirkrit Tiravanija. read
more
posted 3/27/08
ArtStar is Relocating in April
In April,
Art Star will be leaving its current location on Liberty Walk to new and much larger digs just a short distance away, at 623 N. Second Street (between Spring Garden and Fairmount). Their last day at Liberty Walk will be April 12; the grand reopening for the new location will be on April 26. Click here for more information.
posted 3/27/08
Tree Sweaters: the New Cows?
Forget spray paint, forget cows. Artists in funky little towns all over are dressing up trees in knitted and crocheted creations. read the article
posted 3/20/08
Scribe Video Center Receives Philadelphia Cultural Fund's David Cohen Award
On the occasion of the Philadelphia Cultural Fund awards reception on March 19, Mayor Michael Nutter presented Scribe Video Center with the David Cohen Award, which annually honors an arts orga
nization demonstrating a commitment to social and economic justice. read the article
posted 3/20/08
Cache of Long-Lost Disney Art Recovered from Janitor's Closet in Japan
After languishing nearly 50 years in a jantitor's closet
at Japan's Chiba University, a large collection of rare Disney animation art is being returned to the Walt Disney Company. The collection -- which includes cels, background art, and storyboard sketches selected personally by Walt Disney -- was sent to Japan in 1960 for a touring exhibition presented to promote the film Sleeping Beauty. In addition to artwork from that film, the collection included set-ups from the seminal Flowers and Trees (1932) and Three Little Pigs (1933). Following the exhibition tour, Disney donated the works to the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, who subsequently gave them to Chiba University; alas, Chiba had a scientific, not artistic, academic focus, so the collection was relegated to a storage closet and then simply forgotten until their discovery about four years ago. read the New York Times article
posted 3/20/08
Christies Sets New Auction Record for Japanese Art
Is art proving to be recession proof? At a Christie's auction on March 18, a wooden Buddha from the 12th century was sold for $14.3 million, far surpassing its presale estimate of $1.2 to $2 million and setting a new record for Japanese art at auction. read more
posted 3/20/08
LINC Announces New Teaching Artist Workshops
LINC(Levering Investments in Creativity) Philadelphia has posted a schedule of upcoming workshops for Philadelphia's thriving community of artists who teach at community sites and schools throughout the city in partnership with cultural organizations. click here for schedule and registration information.
posted 3/13/08
Prospect.1 New Orleans Announces Artists for November
Biennial
The organizers of Prospect.1 New Orleans, planned as the largest
international exhibition of contemporary art ever presented in the United
States, have announced the list of 81 participating artists. Curator Dan Cameron,
Director of Visual Arts of the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) in New Orleans,
conceived Prospect.1 New Orleans to reinvigorate the city, a historic
regional artistic center, following the human, civic, and economic devastation
of Hurricane Katrina. The primary goal of the biennial exhibition is to redevelop
the city as a cultural destination where the visual arts are celebrated and
can once again thrive. Taking place November 1, 2008 through January 18, 2009,
the biennial will feature work installed in locations throughout the city,
by artists from 36 countries. read
more
Replay Your Dreams? MRI Advances Suggest Visual Mindreading
Possibilities
In Wim Wender's Until the End of the World/Bis ans Ende der Welt (1992),
Max von Sydow's character invents a device that will enable visions and dreams
to be captured and replayed. Now a group of scientists studying new MRI applications
are suggesting that such a technology may be altogether feasible in the not-so-distant
future. Says Dr. Jack Gallant of the University of California at Berkeley:
"Our results suggest that it may soon be possible to reconstruct a picture
of a person's visual experience from measurements of brain activity alone.
Imagine a general brain-reading device that could reconstruct a picture of
a person's visual experience at any moment in time." (And you thought
wiretaps were intrusive.) read
The Guardian coverage of this study.
posted 3/6/08
Perkins Spring Course Preview Now Online
Perkins Center for the Arts in Moorestown and Collingswood, NJ will open registration for spring classes on March 17, and the course catalogue is now online for preview. Courses begin April 14.
posted 3/7/08
The Uncelebrated Lives of Celebrity Artist Assistants
Ever wonder about who actually fabricates those Damien Hirst taxidermic works, or the beehive of assistants behind Jeff Koons' work? It is increasingly common for the physical manifestation of art to be entrusted to the skilled artist/artisan assistant, and many artists have made successful careers out of fabricating the works of others. The Guardian interviews some of the artists-behind-the-artists, exploring the effect of these subterranean relationships on the assistants' own work -- and egos. read the article
posted 3/7/08
MYX Offers Art-Based Community Service Programs in
Ecuador & Navajo Nation
MYX/Multicultural Youth eXchange is now taking registration for their summer
2008 travel program, The Art of Community Service, which will pair American
high school students with their youth peers from diverse and developing communities
as they collaborate on an art-based, community-service project such as a large
scale mural or sculpture garden. Facilitated by a professional artist, the
art project serves as the common link between both groups of students. This
year the sessions will be held at the Navajo Nation, Arizona (June 23 - July
5) and Ambatillo, Ecuador (July 4 - 16). For more details on the program,
click
here
posted 2/28/08
Guggenheim Foundation Director Thomas Krens to Step
Down After 20 Years
After nearly 20 years of agressive leadership that sometimes drew the ire
of art purists, Thomas Krens will be stepping down as head of the Guggenheim
Foundation. During his tenure the Guggenheim undertook a major restoration
of its main Frank Lloyd Wright-designed museum in New York and established
the Guggenheim Bilbao, as well as additional outpost museums in Berlin and
Las Vegas. Krens has been criticized for commercializing the institution with
programming that seemed tied to corporate interests such as The Art of
the Motorcycle and an exhibition of Armani suits; he has also been praised
for increasing the Guggenheim's endowment from $20 million to $118 million,
for negotiating a number of major acquisitions, and for organizing major retrospectives
of such artists as Matthew Barney, Nam Jun Paik, and Robert Rauschenberg.
Krens will continue at the foundation as senior advisor for international
affairs, which will entail oversight of the planned Abu Dhabi satellite museum,
which will be design by Frank Gehry. read
the New York Times coverage; read Linda Yablonsky's adieu on Bloomberg.com
posted 2/28/08
London's New National Gallery Director: No More Blockbuster
Shows
Now if I had known
They'd line up just to see him
I'd have taken all my money
And bought me a museum - from Steve Martin's "King Tut"
Just a little over a week after taking the helm at the National Gallery in
London, new director Nicholas Penny has taken a public stand against the accepted
museum standby, the "blockbuster" shows aimed at drawing throngs
to see a selection of famous "greatest hits." Penny said, “The
responsibility of a major gallery is to show people something they haven’t
seen before...I have a lot of thinking to do about our exhibitions and the
direction they are taking.” His statements were made during an announcement
on the institution's upcoming Radical Light: Italy’s Divisionist
Painters 1891–1910, which will introduce the public to a significant
art movement that is unlikely to become the subject of a Steve
Martin song. read
more
posted 2/28/08
New Chinese Contemporary Art Museum Planned for Sydney
The Art Newspaper reports that Judith Neilson, wife of South African-born
billionaire Kerr Neilson, has announced plans for an $8.8 million private
museum of contemporary Chinese art, the first for Australia. The museum, White
Rabbit, is slated to open in October in a renovated warehouse, and will feature
work by both well-known and relatively unknown artists. The chief curatorial
consultant is the Chinese artist Wang Zhiyuan. read
more
posted 2/20/08
It's True: Mayor Nutter Proposes to Reopen Office
of Arts & Culture
During his February 14 budget
address, Mayor Nutter came through on his campaign promise and officially
proposed the reopening of the Office of Arts and Culture. His proposal for
arts & culture funding, which includes the allocation of an additional
$2 million to the Philadelphia Cultural Fund by 2009, cites 2007 RAND Report
"Arts
and Culture in the Metropolis," which recommends integrating strong
arts and cultural support into the city's economic development initiatives.
read
more
posted 2/20/08
Two Stolen Masterpieces Surface at Zurich Psychiatric
Hospital Parking Lot
Swiss police announced that two of the four paintings taken in the armed robbery
of a Zurich museum on February 10 were recovered on Monday, February 18 outside
a psychiatric hosptial less than one mile from the scene of the crime. The
paintings, Claude Monet's "Poppies near Vetheuil" (1879) and Vincent
van Gogh's "Blossoming Chestnut Branches" (1890), had been left
in an unlocked car parked in front of the hospital. The search continues for
the two other stolen paintings, "Count Lepic and His Daughters"
(1871) by Edgar Degas and "The Boy in the Red Vest" (1888) by Paul
Cezanne. read
more
posted 2/20/08
Mayor Nutter Announces Philadelphia Arts Commission Appointments
On February 6, Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter announced his eight appointments to the Art Commission: architect José Alminana; artist Moe Brooker; Sean Buffington, President of the University of the Arts.; Karen Davis, President and CEO of the Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia; Emmanuel Kelly, Principal at Kelly/Maiello Architects and Planners; attorney Robert Nix; artist Robert Roesch; and Patricia Alexander Sanford, resident, CEO and Founder of Alexander Perry Inc. Moe Brooker was asked to serve as Commission Chair.
posted 2/14/08
Spielberg Resigns as Olympics Artistic Advisor in Protest
Citing China's close ties to the Sudanese government, which many believe to be complicit in a campaign of genocide in the Darfur region, filmmaker Steven Spielberg resigned from his fole as artistic advisor to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. "I find hat my conscience will not allow me to continue with business as usual," he stated in a February 12 announcement. China purchases over two-thirds of Sudan's oil exports and is considered that country's strongest foreign ally, and has come under harsh criticism for not exercising diplomatic pressure on Sudan to end the ongoing humanitarian crisis. read more
posted 2/14/08
Delving into the Motive for High-Profile Art Masterpiece Thefts
The brazen theft of famous paintings by Cezanne, Degas, Monet, and Van Gogh -- valued at over $163 million -- from a Zurich museum in February prompts the question: why would thieves steal works so well known that they will be impossible to sell on the open market? In a New York Sun article, several experts discuss possible motives.
posted 2/14/08
Bilbao in VA? Roanoke Pins Hope on $66M Art Museum
The small industrial city of Roanoke, VA -- population 92,500 -- is counting on a $66M, 81,000 square foot art museum to revive their economy with tourist dollars. Set to open in November, the new museum was designed by Los Angeles architect Randall Stout, who formerly worked under Frank Gehry, designer of the iconic Guggenheim Bilbao. Local officials anticipate over 180,000 visitors per year. read more
Banksy Brings Big Bucks at Bonham's
Bonham's first Urban Art Sale on February 5 in London demonstrated a high market demand for the ephemeral, elusive, and "noncommercial," with over with over 99% of the street art lots selling, most well exceeding pre-sale estimates. Leading the pack in sales were a number of Banksy works, including "Laugh Now," a stencil spraypaint on wood that fetched over $442,000, and a screenprint of Kate Moss (an homage to Warhol's "Marilyn") that fetched over three times its high estimate, going for roughly $191,000. Bonham's had already set records for work by the ever-elusive Banksy (called "a modern day cross between Michelangelo and the Scarlet Pimpernel" by expert Bobby Read) with its April 2007 sale, when "Space Girl With Bird" went for over a half million dollars. read more
posted 2/7/08
"Cascarones Por La Vida" Seeks Volunteers
The organizers of the 2008 "Cascarones Por La Vida" silent auction fundraiser, which raises funds from families affected by HIV/AIDS, seek volunteers for the March 15 event at the Crane Arts Building, to help sell children's Cascarones at Reading Terminal Market from March 19 through 22, and to help out for pre-event promotional support. Anyone interested in lending a hand should contact Marta Sanchez, msanchez@gis.net
posted 2/7/08
Stolen Warhol Painting Surfaces: "Finders Keepers" Claims Brooklyn Man
Down-on-his-luck "good guy" or thief? When Brooklynite Jason Beltrez recently showed up at Christie's with a painting one of his friends had IDed as by "the Campbell's soup guy," staffers contacted the Art Loss Register and quickly learned that the piece he presented, a Warhol dollar-sign painting from 1981, was in fact stolen from the Martin Lawrence Gallery in Soho nearly 10 years ago. The gallery is now suing Mr. Beltrez for the painting's return, but Beltrez, who claims it was purchased fair-and-square at a Holland Tunnel area flea market for $180, has hired his own lawyer and is determined to fight back. In spite of the dubious provenance trail, and "coincidences" regarding Beltrez 's former residence within a few blocks of the gallery, he insists “It’s the big guy trying to get over the little guy.” No charges have been filed, but a police investigation continues. read the New York Times article
posted 2/7/08
PMA Curatorial Coup: Bruce Nauman to Represent U.S.
at 2009 Venice Biennale
The Philadelphia Museum of Art's proposal for an exhibition on American conceptual
artist Bruce Nauman has been selected to represent the United States at the
53rd Venice Biennale, taking place in 2009. At the curatorial helm will be
Carlos Basualdo, the museum's curator of contemporary art, and Michael Taylor,
curator of modern art. This will be the PMA's second time curating a show
at the Biennale -- they presented Jasper Johns in 1988, which won the gold
medal for painting. Nauman has shown at the Biennale five times, the last
in 1999 when he received a Golden Lion for life achievement, although he has
never been represented in the national pavilions. The show promises a unique approach to presenting Nauman's multi-media, conceptually-oriented
work. "The main thing about the proposal I liked is having works installed
in various parts of the city," Nauman said. "It wouldn't appear
like a selected-works show or a retrospective so much as coming upon things
in a different context." read
the Philadelphia Inquirer article; read
the New York Times coverage.
posted 2/1/08
Earliest Known Oil Paintings Discovered in Afghan
Caves
The idea that oil painting originated in Renaissance Europe in the 15th century
has been dispelled by a Japanese researcher, who has announced the discovery
of oil-painted cave murals Afghanistan's Bamiyan Valley region that date to
around 650 BC. Japanese, European, and US scientists have been working to
restore the Buddhist-themed murals, which reveal both Chinese and Indian influences.
When the Getty Conservation Institute analyzed 53 samples from these murals
via gas chromatography methods, they found that 19 had oil in the paint. read
more
posted 2/1/08
Danish Museum to Buy Controversial Caricatures of
Muhammed
A set of 12 cartoons of Muhammed that spurred widespread riots when they were
published in 2006 will be purchased by the Museum of Danish Cartoon Art in
Copenhagen. The museum expressed a need to preserve these works, but did not
indicate whether they would be put on public display. In the furor that ensued
after the original publication of the cartoons, over 50 people were killed
in violent protests and Danish embassies throughout the Middle East were the
subject of threats and attacks. read
more
posted 2/1/08
Fed Net Widens in Pilfered Asian Antiquities Investigation
In the wake of raids on four Southern California museums suspected of acquiring
stolen artifacts and antiquities from known smugglers, the FBI searched the
private museum of Barry MacLean, a trustee of the Art Institute of Chicago,
indicating the scope of the investigation reaches far beyond California. read
more
posted 2/1/08
Met Opens New Galleries for 19th and Early 20th Century Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art now has an extra 8,000 square feet of addtional gallery space, The Henry J. Heinz II Galleries, to showcase works of painting and sculpture from to from 1800 to the early twentieth century. The expanded and renovated galleries feature many items which have been on permanent display in the past, in addition to a full-room assembly of "The Wisteria Dining Room," a French art nouveau interior designed by Lucien Lévy Dhurmer shortly before World War I, Henry Lerolle's enormous The Organ Rehearsal church interior from 1885, and newly accessioned nineteenth-century oil sketches.
posted 1/25/08
Spring Photography and Painting Workshops in Cape May, NJ
The New Jersey Heritage Workshop series, held throughout historic Cape May and covering a wide range of photography and painting media, has begun registration. The workshops vary in length from 3 to 4 days, beginning on April 23 and concluding on May 10. All workshops will be centered around the comfortable atmosphere of a private cottage within the historic district of Cape May during and around the annual “Tulip Festival." Participants are responsible for their own meals, accommodations, and transportation during each workshop.
For complete information, contact workshop director Nancy Ori at 908-790-8820 or visit www.nancyoriworkshops.com
posted 1/25/08
New York Public Art Fund to Present Major Works by
Olafur Eliasson
The Public Art Fund of New York City has announced that Scandinavian artist
Olafur Eliasson has been commissioned for a major new work of temporary public
art, "The New York City Waterfalls," which will be on display from
mid-July to mid-October, 2008. The project consists of four monumental, man-made
waterfalls installed for three months at four sites along the shores of Brooklyn,
Manhattan, and Governors Island. The installations, which will measure from
90 to 120 feet tall, will operate from 7 am to 10 pm daily and will be lit
after dark. The works have been designed to protect water quality and aquatic
life. For complete details, see the official city
announcement or visit the project web site, www.nycwaterfalls.org
1/18/08
Innovation Philadelphia's New Study, "Creative
Footprint," Now Available
The report from Innovation Philadelphia's new study, "Creative Footprint"
-- which measures the size, scope and impact of the for-profit, creative economy
-- is now available to the public. Among the findings
of the report are that creative industry employment within the Philadelphia
Region generates a total annual economic impact of nearly $60 billion in total
spending which includes $32.5 billion in total annual earnings and supports
a total of 766,000 jobs. To order a copy, contact
Innovation Philadelphia.
posted 1/18/08
New Cable TV Show to Spotlight Old City Art Scene
On the Edge Productions LLC has launched a new half-hour magazine format program,
"First Friday TV," to air on Drexel TV/DUTV (available on Comcast
54 and Urban Cable 62). In the future the show producers plan to focus not
only on visual arts happenings in Old City, but in other art venues around
the Philadelphia region. To learn more about First Friday TV, visit www.firstfridaytv.com
posted 1/18/08
Classes at Newly Established Portside Art Center
The new Portside Art Center, located at 2531 Lehigh Avenue (at Belgrade) in Philadelphia, offers classes for children and adults. The center's mission is to provide the community with creative programs and opportunities to develop their artistic abilities, imagination and inner creativity through the instruction of a diverse collection of local, talented artists. For complete information on class schedules and registration, visit www.portsideartscenter.com, e-mail portsideartscenter@verizon.net, or call 215-427-1514.
posted 1/11/08
Art Studio and Residence Available - Millville, NJ
An artist studio of approx 1500 sq. feet on the ground floor of 28 E. Pine Street, in Millville, NJ (in Cumberland County), about 60 steps to the new Riverwalk and on the east side of High Street, in the heart of " artists glasstown district," is available. Can be subdivided to suit the artist's needs, or the artist can live next door to the gallary. The new THUNDERBOLT RACEWAY shall be opening in Millville in August and will be a major attraction throughout all of New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia.
For additional information or to make arrangements to view the studio, please email to mrphil@bellsouth.net.
posted 1/11/08
SPECTORCollection is Now Online
Ten contemporary artists with strong ties to both Philadelphia and SPECTOR have been invited to create a limited edition print exclusively for the SPECTORCollection, which is now viewable online. The artists are Jim Houser, Matt Fisher, Elizabeth Haidle, Randall Sellers, Keith Shore, Thom Lessner, Ben Woodward, CW Wells, Rebecca Westcott, and Zoe Strauss. The prints, made by Silicon Gallery Fine Art Prints, are available for sale as a full portfolio of 10 images.
Scientists Find Concealed Brain Images in Renaissance Masterpieces
A group of British scientists believe that many Renaissance works, including Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel fresco, contain concealed images of human brains. They theorize that the fascination artists of the era had for discoveries on human anatomy inspired artists to meld this imagery into their paintings (in the case of the Sistine Chapel fresco, a transverse section of the sagittal section amid the cherubs and drapery swirling about the image of God), but needed to conceal this element from clients, who were often clergy who might find such imagery blasphemous. click here to read the full story
posted 1/5/08
Congress Increases NEA Budget by 16%
Before Congress recessed for the holiday break, it approved a much-needed increase to arts and culture funding, benefitting the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for Humanities, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the U.S. Department of Education. The increase for the National Endowment for the Arts alone got an increase of $20.3 million, from $124.4 to $144.7 million. click here for more details.
posted 1/5/08
The Future of Performance Art
Marina Abramovic has turned her dream of creating a foundation and research center dedicated to the preservation of performance art into a reality with the purchase of a 1930’s Hudson theatre, centrally located two hours north of Manhattan. The 20,000 sq. ft. former storage facility (and in most recent decades, indoor tennis centre), will now house the Marina Abramovic Foundation for Preservation of Performance Art as early as summer 2008. The subject of a 2010 retrospective at The Museum of Modern Art, the famed performance artist desires that her foundation present both works in progress, as well as finished performances that will travel. Plans to acquire post-production equipment such as high-definition video cameras, projectors and editing facilities, and eventually a second property to house resident artists are also in development. To read more about Abramovic's extraordinary vision, click here.
posted 12/18/07
Fake Gauguin Discovered At Chicago Art Institute
An infamous British forger, currently behind bars for an attempt to sell fake antiquities, has been discovered to be the real artist behind “The Faun,” a purported rare Gauguin sculpture acquired by the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997. The piece had passed numerous scholarly checkpoints – it originally appeared in a 1994 Sotheby’s auction, complete with apparent verification of provenance – before Scotland Yard notified the Institute recently that it was actually the clever handiwork of one Shaun Greenhalgh, a prolific forger whose elderly parents have been passing off his pieces to unwitting auctions houses and museums for the past 17 years. Click here to read the full story.
posted 12/18/07
PCPI Announces Transition to Photo Co-Op — Memberships Available
As of January 1, 2008 the Philadelphia Center for the Photographic Image (PCPI) is a full-fledged photo co-op. Co-op members will have unlimited access to the facility seven days a week from 8 am to 11 pm for less than $2/day. The PCPI facility located in Northern Liberties is fully equipped with a state of the art darkroom (printing capabilities up to 4 x 5) and a digital lab (Mac G4s with Adobe Photoshop CS, Epson scanner and printers). Other benefits of membership include participation in member group exhibits in various Philadelphia venues, discounted access to PCPI educational workshops and involvement in a community of Philadelphia based photographic artists.
The co-op member fee is $50 per month with a minimum 12-month membership agreement. All members will participate in a training session to ensure proper knowledge of all operational aspects of the lab including mixing chemistry, operation of the digital printer and scanner, etc. If you are interested in becoming a member, visit www.philacpi.org to download an application. All prospective members must meet minimal requirements (photo knowledge and skills) and interview with existing members to be considered for membership. A tour of the facility will be conducted during the interview process. Note to current members: the process for scheduling time in the lab will be in place by the New Year. Any questions regarding the scheduling process and new payment plan can be directed to Sharon Bonewicz at sbonewicz@aol.com.
posted 12/12/07
The City of Victory
Beijing—third largest city in China, has been designated as next year’s home base for the 2008 Olympics, and sports fans aren’t the only ones kicking into high gear. While architects are proving that size does matter, art dealers are selling Chinese art at Western-level prices, ala Damien Hirst! To find out more about China’s blossoming art scene in the midst of Olympic frenzy, read An Olympian Victory by Hugh Pearman.
posted 11/14/07
The Fake of Michelangelo
While curators with substantial Michelangelo holdings and other key players in the art market would like to attribute drawings housed in the Royal Collection to Michelangelo, historic accounts that refer to the artist burning most of his works on paper, make authenticity highly implausible. For more about Michelangelo and the debate surrounding these works, read Spot the difference: one of these Michelangelos is said to be fake by Dalya Alberge.
posted 11/14/07
MIT Files Negligence Suit Against Frank Gehry
With its animated, angular planes and jutting window boxes, Frank Gehry's design for the $300 million Strata Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has been hailed as one of the most innovative works of architecture in recent years. But in a suit filed against Gehry Partners on October 31, MIT claims that the building is rife with leaks, mold, cracked masonry, and backed-up drainage due to serious design flaws, which have so far cost over $1.5 million in rebuilding and repairs. Read about it here.
posted 11/09/07
Sotheby's Shows Dismal Results in Modern/Impressionist Sale
Is the bubble bursting? Or were expectations too high? Sotheby's November 8 auction was $86 million short of estimates, with 20 of 76 lots going unsold. Among the works not selling were pieces by Picasso, Van Gogh, and Miro. Some critics cite overly optimistic pre-sales estimates, and not a softening market. Read the article here. For more information, click here.
posted 11/09/07
Wall Street Journal Launches Art Auction Blog
Want to keep really up to date on international auction news? On the Block, a new blog at Wall Street Journal Online, offers in-depth commentary and coverage of art auctions and the business of art, with daily postings by Kelly Crow and Lauren Schuker. For more information, click here.
posted 11/09/07
To Blog or Not to Blog? Artist and Curator Kirsty Hall Blogs the Answer
If you are an artist, you understand that the demands of the artist’s life can be really stressful sometimes. Aside from creating your own work, promotional activities like building an online portfolio or website, applying for grants or exhibitions, writing your artist statement, or finding representation, take up a lot of the time many artists would rather devote to the creative process. It can be difficult balancing it all, but according to artist and curator Kirsty Hall, adding an artist blog to your “To Do” list, might just be the tool an artist needs to pull everything together and get his/her work and ideas out there. To find out “Why Artists Should Blog,” click here.
posted 11/09/07
Arts Orgs Space Out
MySpace is no longer just for the young, partially clothed, or musically inclined. With its phenomenal success rate for social networking and special events promotion, many galleries, museums, and arts organizations have realized that simply maintaining a website doesn’t cut it these days — at least not in this new blog-a-minute, it’s not what you know, but how many thousands you know, text-and-go universe. To learn more about how MySpace has helped arts organizations reach their marketing goals, click here to read Nonsmoking Capricorn Museum Seeks Networking, Dating by Carly Berwick.
posted 10/30/07
Can't Put A Price Tag On Talent
Damien Hirst, branded as the world’s most expensive living artist, refuses to take his fame lying down. Click here to find out why this 42-year-old artist, curator, collector, entrepreneur, restaurateur, and clothing designer is thrilled to be on top of the world.
posted 10/30/07
Sold!
Auction shocker! Read about it here.
posted 10/30/07
Comfy Couch Exceeds Expectations
Next time you think you can’t get rich scouring your couch for loose change, try the sofas at your local flea market. Click here to learn more.
posted 10/30/07
Read This E-mail!
For any curator or go-to person in the art biz, unsolicited e-mails may be the bane of one’s existence. With claims ranging from uncovering the world’s next undiscovered genius to digging up unknown masterpieces in the unlikeliest of places, Brooke Davis Anderson, the curator of The American Folk Art Museum in Manhattan, has heard, uh-hum, read them all — until now! To read Trove of Unknown Work Expands Outsider’s Legacy by Randy Kennedy, click here.
posted 10/30/07
Art Therapy Program Helps Child Survivers of Katrina
Ask most children to draw a house - the resulting configuration would likely consist of a square with a triangle on top, or something to that effect. Ask a child living in New Orleans post-Katrina to do the same, most likely, there won’t be a square in sight. In New Orleans, drawings created by young survivors of Hurricane Katrina revealed a lot about how children are dealing with the emotional aftermath of the storm. Karla Leopold, a California-based art therapist working with children affected by Katrina, noticed that when asked to express their feelings through drawing and other art forms, many of the kids were exhibiting similar fears and insecurities. For more information on this story visit http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/17/arts/design/17ther.html?ref=health[6].
posted 10/24/07
Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance Economic Impact Study
The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance just released an economic impact study which indicates that arts and culture generate approximately $1.3 billion in annual expenditures and provides for 40,000 jobs in the greater Philadelphia area. Information about this report may be found on the GPCA website at http://www.philaculture.org/prosperity/index.htm. Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania released a similar study done statewide earlier this year. Statewide economic information may be found at
http://www.citizensfortheartsinpa.org.
posted 10/11/07
Barnes Architects Announced; Saga Continues
The Barnes Foundation has chosen Tod Williams and Billie Tsien to design its new home in downtown Philadelphia. The selection ensues after years of controversy surrounding the foundation’s plan to move its famed collection of masterpieces to Philadelphia from its original home in suburban Merion, PA. Ms. Tsien and Mr. Williams, the New York husband-and-wife team responsible for the American Folk Art Museum in Manhattan and an expansion of the Phoenix Art Museum in Arizona, were chosen over five other finalists. The Barnes disclosed that Ms. Tsien and Mr. Williams had won over the foundation with a philosophical approach rather than a concrete plan. “It was highly conceptual, but very apparent that they had thought about how to retain the character of what we have in Merion and reinterpret it into Philadelphia,” said Aileen Kennedy Roberts, chairwoman of the foundation’s building committee. “It wasn’t so much about the architecture or the architect. It was really about who’s the right person who can move this institution into the city.
In 2004 a judge in Montgomery County, PA approved the move as a way to save the Barnes from bankruptcy. While founderAlbert C. Barnes, who passed in 1951, instructed that no picture ever be moved or altered on his walls, the judge postulated that the move will respect Barnes’ mandates by committing to a total recreation of the original.
So while plans to rebuild are officially underway, a petition to open the Barnes Foundation legal proceedings in Montgomery County Orphans' Court was filed by Friends of the Barnes Foundation in late August, and a similar petition was filed by the Montgomery County Commissioners on September 12, 2007. Both petitions contend that, at the original trial, vital information was withheld from the proceedings that make the proposed move to Philadelphia unnecessary and unlawful. Both Friends of the Barnes and the Montgomery County Commissioners believe that their region's extraordinary cultural treasure, world renowned because of its unique, purposeful setting, should remain as is, in its historic building and surrounded by its intended arboretum.
Despite these allegations, supporters of the move -- which include Pew, the Annenberg and Lenfest foundations, and other civic leaders -- contend that the move will be a positive addition to the city, in time improving the city’s broader economic outlook. Artbloggers, Roberta Fallon and Libby Rosof, are also avid supporters (a link on artblog stating the Barnes belongs in Philadelphia takes visitors to a whole page of excerpts relating to the continuing Barnes saga).
Pew Charitable Trusts
For more information about the international protest against the proposed move, visit www.barnesfriends.org or e-mail: barnesfriends@comcast.net.
posted 9/19/07
Print Center announces New Curator, Board President and Board Member
The Print Center is pleased to announce the appointment of John Caperton as the new Curator of Prints and Photographs, Hester Stinnett as the new President of the Board of Governors, and Jennifer Dempsey Fox as a new Board member of The Print Center.
John Caperton received his AB in Art History at the University of Chicago and was most recently the Exhibitions Coordinator at Locks Gallery, Philadelphia where he organized exhibitions with artists Virgil Marti, Polly Apfelbaum, Thomas Chimes, Eileen Neff, Stuart Netsky and Clare Rojas.
Hester Stinnett is a Professor in the Graphic Arts and Design Department at Tyler School of Art of Temple University and is a practicing printmaker. This is Ms. Stinnett’s second term on the Board of Governors at The Print Center. She has previously been Acting Dean and Chair of the Graphic Arts and Design Department at Tyler School of Art, Temple University, a member of the Advisory Committee for Pew Fellowships in the Arts, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and an Advisory Board member of the Artist Housing Project of the Philadelphia Historic Preservation Corporation.
Jennifer Dempsey Fox, JD, MBA, CFP is Senior Vice President and Regional Director, Mainline, of Wealth Management for Wachovia Bank. She received her Juris Doctor and MBA from Temple University, and her BS from Villanova University. In addition to being a member of professional associations such as the Financial Planning Association, the Philadelphia Estate Planning Council and the American Bar Association, Ms. Fox participates in many cultural endeavors in addition to The Print Center. She serves on the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Corporate Committee, the Settlement Music School’s Central Board and is the Reading First Coordinator for Waldron Mercy Academy.
Outgoing Curator Jacqueline van Rhyn will guest curate an exhibition of contemporary Australian printmakers currently scheduled for 2010 and will remain in Philadelphia working as an independent curator and teacher. Ennes Littrell will remain on the Board of Governors after serving a four year term as Board President.
posted 9/19/07
Highwire Gallery has Rewired
After eight months of searching and negotiating, Highwire Gallery has moved to the Frankford Avenue Arts Corridor. The new space is at 2040 Frankford Avenue, near the Bambi Gallery, Rocket Cat Cafe/Gallery, Germ Books/Gallery, and Walking Fish Theater. Hours are Thursdays, noon – 4 pm: Fridays, 3 – 7 pm; and Saturday and Sunday, noon – 5 pm.
posted 9/19/07
DCCA Artist-in-Residence Works With Families Affected by Alzheimer's Disease
Delaware Center for Contemporary Art’s fall 2007 artist in residence, Matthew Dehaemers, is working with the Caregiver Support Group from the Delaware chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. Through a series of workshops, caregivers will remap the life journeys of their family member who has been affected by Alzheimer's disease. Each family will contribute to a multimedia installation that will include video elements that feature the caregivers speaking about their family member who is afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. The families will also each create individual mixed-media works, which will incorporate or synthesize old photographs, writings, and significant objects. These works will serve as a memory map of the Alzheimer's patient's life. Both the group installation and the individual family components will become part of an installation at the DCCA. This program is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Puffin Foundation, AstraZeneca and JPMorgan Chase Foundation.
The DCCA began sponsoring the Art & Community Visual Arts Residency Program in 1985. The program helps broaden the DCCA’s presence in the Wilmington community while encouraging the work of innovative artists from all over the country and offering exposure to the visual arts to members of underserved communities. Artists from across the country applied for the artist-in-residence program.
posted 9/12/07
Harvard’s Center For The Technical Study of Modern Art Announces Landmark Barnett Newman Gift
The Center for the Technical Study of Modern Art (CTSMA), a leading research center of the Harvard University Art Museums, announces a major gift of Barnett Newman’s studio materials and related ephemera through the generosity of The Barnett and Annalee Newman Foundation. These materials, most of which have never been seen outside of Newman’s studio, include painting tools and supplies, damaged or unfinished paintings and multiples, drawings, sketches, notes and models, as well as paint trials and canvas fragments. The gift complements CTSMA’s existing archive of correspondence and conservation treatment reports related to Newman, as well as works of art donated to Harvard by his wife, Annalee Newman. Together, these remarkable gifts create an unrivalled resource for scholarship on Newman’s materials and techniques and establish the Center as the premier resource for technical scholarship on Newman’s work.
posted 9/12/07
Moore’s Sculpture park re-opens showcasing new ARTwork
Moore College of Art and Design announces the re-opening of its Sculpture Park. Now in its third year, the park features a new exhibition of work by Helene Brandt, Martha Jackson-Jarvis, Suzanne Reese Horvitz, and Robert Roesch. Helene Brandt’s The Assyrians, 2003, is a welded steel tube sculpture. Brandt describes the work as, “part human, part animal, part furniture.” The sinewy tubing is inspired by the intricate way muscles are drawn in ancient Assyrian reliefs. Brandt has been widely exhibited in the United States, England, Italy, Holland, and Mexico. Martha Jackson-Jarvis’ Scent of Magnolia, 2006, consists of five large-scale stone and glass mosaic pod forms. Jarvis has more than three decades of working with clay. With Scent of Magnolia, the sculptor says she wants to explore the expansive nature of clay-based materials in our environment. Jarvis’ work can be found in prominent private and public collections across the U.S. Also on display is the collaborative mixed media piece, Transduction, 2007, by Suzanne Reese Horvitz and Robert Roesch. “We see our sculpture as a symbolic representation of the cycle of the elements,” say Horvitz and Roesch. The couple, which also work independently, are known for their collaborations in glass and steel. Independent public art curator and consultant Marsha Moss and Professor Paul Hubbard, Chair of Fine Arts at Moore, curated the current exhibition. Hubbard notes, "It is often said that great cities are defined by the quality and quantity of the public art on display and the City of Philadelphia contributes to that idea." The Sculpture Park was created under the direction of Hubbard and made possible by a grant from the William Penn Foundation. The works in the current exhibition are on loan from the artists and will be displayed until August 2008. For more information, visit www.moore.edu.
posted 9/04/07
New and Improved Aviator Park at Logan Square
posted 8/7/07
Cadre $10 Arts Grants,
A message from Kate Ware
"The extremely excellent Carla Williams and her partner Dierdre V. are accepting small donations that add up to helpful grants for artists. Many of us can only afford to give a small amount (a Tiny Tim portion) and it may seem useless, but this is a way to address that situation by pooling resources. No pressure from me to donate, but it's a marvellous thing so I wanted to pass the word. These are seriously good people doing some good work. Join the love train!" - Kate Ware
For more information about Cadre Arts Grants, click here.
posted 8/7/07
Find out about all the places where InLiquid artists are showing work: InLiquid Artist Member News Page.