Crossing the line?

Chances are you've probably never heard of Michael Dickinson, Turkish artists, or even collage artists for that matter. But across the pond, this guy is stirring up alot of trouble and controversy, raising questions about how the public views and interprets art. The British artist has fled Turkey for the UK after learning that he could be jailed, again, for insulting the Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in a collage he made in 2006 called "Good Dog". This collage depicts Turkish Prime Minister Erogan as a dog on a stars and strips lead chain. Good Dog wasn't the first piece to get him in trouble though. He also created "Best in Show", which shows President Bush awarding the Turkish Prime Minister with a ribbon at a dog show. "Best in Show" was confiscated by police and Dickinson was charged with "insulting the dignity of the Prime Minister" after he refused to take the work down. In response to these charges, Dickinson stated, "it was up to the viewer to make his own interpretation; a visual artist shouldn't need to explain in words. Pictures are for eyes. Words (spoken) are for ears."

Dickinson was acquitted for the charges last September for insulting the PM when the judge decided that though the artwork was insulting according to Turkish standards, it would not be according to standards in the European Union. Turkey was trying to join the EU at the time, and according to the EU, Dickinson was in the clear, not a criminal. Dickinson carried on since then but last week he overheard that the public prosecutor was overturning the acquittal and Dickinson was up to the plate again to fight for his works. So what did he do? As Jenny would say, "Run Forrest, Run!" He dropped everything and left the country, hoping the British gov't will not extradite him back for to Turkey for a trial.

Dickinson is a member of the Stuckist movement, an International art movement for contemporary figurative painting with ideas. You can visit his web-site to see more of his works, here. This story brings up alot of issues, most of which are coincidental as we recently celebrated our own freedom here in the United States. When it comes to art and politics in the U.S., the most recent news bit was the Obama Hope portrait by my mind goes to the Obama Hope painting, by Los Angeles street artist Shepard Fairey, depicting Obama with the word "Hope." This work was one of the most memorable images from the 2008 election and is now part of the Permanent Collection at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

I'm not sure what to think of Dickinson, as I'm not too familiar with the Turkish prime minister or the government. Many people around the world send their messages and opinions of political leaders and government systems through violence and riots. Dickinson may very well just be taking his aggression out through art, which is a much safer medium, and just as powerful. Granted, I wouldn't be happy if I saw a mural of my head on a poodle's body, I wouldn't go so far as to put the person in jail.....or maybe? I'm torn....just another day in the controversial art world.

Happy Birthday America! Love, Liberty

Whoever said the greatest things in life cannot be seen or touched obviously has never paid a visit to see my favorite sculpture, the Statue of Liberty. A gift of friendship from good ole France, Miss Liberty is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. Officially dedicated in October 1886, the Statue of Liberty stands at over 305 feet tall from foundation to top. Due to the September 11th terrorist attacks, the Statue of Liberty closed to the public in 2001. After eight years, Liberty is going to give America the best birthday gift by reopening tomorrow on July 4th.

On Saturday, 30 visitors will be chosen every hour by lottery to be allowed to climb the 168 step spiral staircase to the crown. Tickets quickly sold out quickly last week for the chance to have a private visit inside Liberty. If you were hoping to get to the crown soon, tickets can be reserved for as long as one year in advance, and as many as four tickets can be reserved per customer. Only one reservation per person is allowed within a six-month period. Be sure to see her soon, because after two years, Liberty will close for renovations again.

USA Today wrote an interesting article relating the reopening of the Statue of Liberty to the evolving attitudes towards post-9-11 terrorism security. Liberty is lighting the way for a new, confident and secure America.

Whatever your reactions are to this news, be it excitement, awe, timidness, take a moment to enjoy her, because she sure is pretty ain't she?

Happy Fourth of July

America's Next Top "Artist"? or Project Art?

You may or may not actually admit to it, but we all indulge in a little Bravo TV from time to time. Whether it's fashion (Project Runway), teen bop drama (Prep NYC), or even adult drama (hello Real Housewives of NYC!), Bravo brings the heat to the small screen in both reality tv and competitions. I've seen weight loss, cooking, and even dating competitions on tv, but never in my life have I seen an art-themed reality show.

Well my thanks and kudos go to Sarah Jessica Parker and her production company, Pretty Matches to co-produce an hour long creative competition series among contemporary artists. The woman, more known as Carrie Bradshaw, is on a roll here. (Two SATC movies, perfume, and new twins mind you) The show will be called The Untitled Art Project and will bring together thirteen aspiring artists to compete for a gallery show, a cash prize and a sponsored national tour. I couldn't think of a better winning prize for an up and coming artist.

So what are these guys going to be partaking in on the show, other than hanging with SJP ( I really hope she takes a Heidi Klum role as in Project Runway). In each episode of the series, contestants will create unique pieces highlighting art’s role in everyday life, while they compete and create in a range of disciplines including sculpture, painting, photography and industrial design (to name a few). In working beyond their preferred mediums, artists will have to adapt quickly in order to succeed. Completed works of art will be appraised by a panel of top art world figures including fellow artists, gallerists, collectors, curators and critics. The finalists’ work will be showcased in a nation-wide museum tour. (Call us, please)

I'm all for the show. Anything that brings art awareness to a mass market is good press for anyone in the art world, be it a museum, gallery, art department, and artists themselves. I'm sure there will be plenty of drama (Who stole my paint brush!), but I'm interested to see what the challenges will be.

If you're an artist, or just want to be one, take a Greyhound or Amtrak up to NY this morning for the open casting call nearest to the 302. Here are the other dates in case you're over on the West Coast.

LOS ANGELES Saturday, July 11 & Sunday, July 12, 10 AM – 2 PM http://www.laxart.org/

MIAMI Tuesday, July 14, 10 AM – 2 PM Fredric Snitzer Gallery http://www.snitzer.com/

CHICAGO Thursday, July 16, 10 AM – 2 PM School of the Art Institute of Chicago Sullivan Galleries, 33 State Street http://www.saic.edu/

NEW YORK Saturday, July 18 & Sunday, July 19, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM White Columns http://www.whitecolumns.org/

I won't be "trying out" for the show anytime soon, but I'll enjoy our own winners at the Biggs. The ninth Award Winners show opens up tomorrow at the First Look pARTy starting at 4:00 PM. Free to all, be there, or "you're fired!" (Had to throw in the Apprentice line)

A stich in time saves nine....

This poor poor blog. The Gala has recently become a "biggser" deal than my daily entries. Daily art enjoyment will resume promptly on Sunday, May 17th (or perhaps after my trip to Italia the week after! :0) )
Anyhow, over the weekend I was reading Oprah Magazine and at the bottom of the page was a blip titled, "And if you've only got 5 minutes...." I thought to myself, "of course!" My page turning with Ms. Winfrey led me to a simply great web-site called The Phrase Thesaurus. The Phrase Finder is a thesaurus, but for finding phrases, not words. You start with a word, any word, and Phrase Finder will search for phrases related to that word. The phrase matches don't just contain the word, but any phrases related to the word (think search word fish, and phrase would be catch 22 or whipper snapper!) How awesome!

Unfortunately, I neglected to mention that the Phrase Thesaurus has a subscription fee, which is no fun for anyone. However, you can click on over to the Phrase Finder, and find the meanings of phrases from around the world throughout all years. I just found out that the phrase, "Cloud Nine" was defined by the US Weather Bureau in the 1950s, in which 'Cloud Nine' denotes the fluffy cumulonimbus type that are considered so attractive. Fancy that? If you're looking to incorporate the expansion of your phrase knowledge on an ongoing basis, I'd suggest signing up for A Phrase a Week e-mail service. Join over 80,000 subscribers that receive a free email once a week explaining the meaning of a popular phrase. So make "no bones about it" and sign up. You just missed the meaning of "graveyard shift" last week!

Tour de "Stages" with Lance

That Lance Armstrong sure is a marketing genius. The seven-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor first raised a ridiculous amount of cash for his foundation, The Lance Armstrong Foundation, by selling yellow rubber bracelets with the words, "Live Strong" on them, to support cancer survivors with unmet needs. Now he's moving to the art world to make an even bigger statement than neon yellow bracelets.

Nike and Lance recently held a huge kick-off celebration in LA, launching "Stages," a global art exhibition to raise funds and awareness for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The kick-off consisted of a bike ride to the Children's Hospital, where Lance visited patients. “Stages” brings together more than 20 artists throughout the worlds to create original works inspired by Armstrong and his mission to raise cancer awareness and will represent our fight to overcome adversity.

All of these artists will be working on their pieces from now until July, when the exhibition will open at the Emmanuel Perrotin Gallery in Paris. All of these works will then be auctioned off in October, with all proceeds going directly to the foundation. This project is such a unique collaboration of the world of art, sports and philanthropy.

Even better, Lance is going to up the ante for Stages by riding a large series of special Trek "art bikes" throughout his upcoming races. One of these bikes was made by Damien Hirst. These bikes will also be up for sale in October (wouldn't you be the hit of the trail in one of them?!)

Art does move us, whether it be to a bike down a trail or to overcome adversity and face a life-changing situation. I'm looking forward to see what these artists come up with, and I'm definitely sensing a "yellow" theme.

What a guy that Lance, now if he would only get back with Sheryl Crow, he's be in my good book for eternity.

Paint the Town in Rio

*** Side Note: I've been a very bad blogger and have gone MIA for over a week. Shame on me! I've been working on this little event called the Gala, and the Biggs offices have been transformed into Gala Headquarters until May 16th. Come party and raise money with us!

As for this blog, I came across an article in Marie Claire the other day about an undercover photographer who goes by the name JR. He's French, part activist and part artist and transforms his photographs into large scale posters and pastes them on city walls to create photo galleries in the streets. This is my kind of graffiti. His photos are breathtaking and meaningful, and by transforming urban ghettos her gets his point across.

JR is traveling the globe currently and working on his project, Women Are Heroes. He has traveled to Africa, Brazil, Sudan, and Kenya and soon to India and Asia to take photos of women and highlight their struggles and the violence around them. At the same time his photos acknowledge their strength and value to their communities. Every visit he makes, he blows up his photos to be an enormous sized poster to be hung in a highly public space for everyone to see.

JR is brave for going on this artistic adventure. One phrase that comes to mind is, "in your face!" How can you ignore a photograph of a woman you may have passed by on the street and not feel anguish over the violence and corruption in the community. Visual representation can rule all at times, and JR has hit it right on the wall.

Hoping for the pot of gold at the end...

Friday can be considered the pot of gold at the end of the week, but on this web-site, we're talking ROY G BIV. I always find myself lucky whenever I witness the optical phenomenon that is a rainbow. I mostly see them driving along route one in the summer time after a huge thunderstorm.

Hence to say, there aren't enough chances to see a rainbow. I mean, how are we supposed to know exactly when a spectrum of light will appear in the sky when sunshine and the Earth's moisture meet? Tess Windt thinks everyone deserves a daily dose of rainbow, so she created http://www.rainbowsightings.com/ , a project holding a collection of rainbow images to spark conversation and encourage visitation. Head to the site for real rainbow images and a chance to submit your own rainbow images.

Then after you have been rainbow-fied, you must visit Biggs Shot 2009: On-line, the first on-line exhibition hosted by the Biggs Museum. Biggs Shot 2009: On-Line creates a virtual exhibition experience for members of the public who are unable to visit the Museum during the exhibition. All 80 selected images are available for view in Biggs Shot 2009: On-Line in addition to Q&A sessions with the photographers. Click here to begin your visit to Biggs Shot 2009:On-Line. Happy Clicking!