Sail Away with Me.....

You may or may not know that you know or have heard of Jeff Koons. (was that a run-on sentence or what?) If the site of this massive puppy-shaped balloon installation at the Met has crossed your path recently...see below...then you've had a taste of Jeff Koons.

This well-known superstar is one of the most intriguing artists of the 20th century. His artwork is labeled as Neo-Pop, a post-modern art movement of the 1980s influences by pop art. Koon rejects any hidden meaning in his artwork. The meaning is only what one perceives at first glance; there is no gap between what the work is in itself and what is perceived. He's been praised and blasted for his work. Some think it's monumental and others think it's cheap and tacky. He's even been an influence on other young comtemp. artists such as our dear friend Damien Hirst, spoken about a couple weeks ago.

Anyhow, he just came out with another hit, and "buoy" it's a big one. A yacht in fact and the owner is guilty as charged... hence the yacht name "Guilty." Greek billionaire Dakis Joannou commissioned Jeff Koons to jazz up his yacht, with the help of architect Ivana Porfiri and draw away from the normal high-class yacht designs to make it more creative. Joannou is an an industrialist who owns one of the world's finest collections of contemporary art.Jeff Koons created a colorful scheme, reflective of his Pop Art influences, yet he claims it is based on a WWI camouflage pattern.

After the yacht's completion, Joannou came across a text painting entitled Guilty by British artist Sarah Morris, which he immediately purchased to decorate the yacht. Pulling into Monaco recently, it was definitely the talk of the Monaco harbor.

Thoughts on this? Is this truly art? Or body detailing at the shop? Andy Warhol puts it best, "Art is what you can get away with." Right on Andy.

A Green Art Initiative: National Park-ing Day 2008

While at a stop-light in downtown Jacksonville, FL two weeks ago I saw the quirkiest and most intriguing thing: green turf laid down in a street corner parking spot filled with shrubbery, lawn chairs and several people playing music and Frisbee. After my initial thought of, "Oh where has this wedding taken me to for the week-end?" I couldn't help but wonder, what are these people doing.

Well, I just found out. This jovial group of Frisbee playing people in the street had participated in the 2008 National Park(ing) Day, held on September 19th, a collaboration between the Trust for Public Land and REBAR (an art & design group based in San. Fran.) as an opportunity to celebrate parks in cities and promote the need for more parks by creating temporary public parks in public parking spaces. This art initiative looks at areas that are under served by public open outdoor space. Areas available to people for rest, play and relaxation are critical to improving our habitat, according to REBAR. REBAR began to answer these questions in 2005 in their city of San. Francisco but considering parking meter payments as rental of precious real estate for a certain time period. Therefore, REBAR thought, well what else could you do with a parking spot before the meter runs out... make it a PARK!

REBAR now teams up with TPL to make this initiative an annual event to reflect the fertile imagination of American park lovers and call attention to the need for more city parks. This year over 450 "parks" were set up in over 75 U.S. cities. The idea behind Park(ing) day is to realize that in cities, over 70% of space is dedicated to the private vehicle, while only a fraction of that space is dedicated to people. Hmm... why are our vehicles, expensive to buy, expensive to fuel and damaging to our earth, causing traffic given so much of our precious space?

I've definitely got the 2009 Parking Day on my calendar. Always a fan of park play (I was the Monkey-bar master), I'm thinking of setting up shop on Lockerman with a hammock, palm tree and a sudoku puzzle. Delaware did not participate at this year's event, but there are plenty of metered spots to call attention to....such as, Rehoboth Avenue in July?

The Weekend's Delaware Delights: Get Crafty

I'm starting to think that I am the bearer of bad weather news. Forecast is calling for rain, rain, cloudiness and more rain. Luckily, there is a plethora of craft fairs this week-end worth putting on your galoshes and wind breakers for. Don't forget the umbrella!

Sugarloaf Craft Festival: Riverfront Center, Wilmington, All Weekend, Opening at 10 a.m.
Free parking is enough to get you to Sugarloaf. Adult admission for $7 covers you for all three days of this traveling festival. With over 250 artists, this is like the King of Prussia of craft festivals... you just can't do it all in one trip.

Handcraft Unlimited Autumn Craft Show, DE State Fair Grounds, Harrington Saturday and Sunday
The Schabinger Pavillion will be packed this weekend with crafters ready to help you jump start your holiday shopping at the Handcraft Unlimited Autumn Craft Show. $4 admission price to check out candles and other fragrant items, clothing, household decorations, floral arrangements, all types of jewelry, dolls, and plenty of artwork.

Art on the Green, Battery Park, Old New Castle, Saturday (10-5)

Delaware By Hand: Members Day Show, Saturday, The Studio on 24, 20231 John J. Williams Highway, Lewes
Talk about the cream of the crop! Support local Delaware crafters at their semi-annual show down at the Beach.


If crafts aren't your thing, I'll let you in on a little secret I learned this morning.... Fright Land in Middletown opens this weekend! And you know where it is!

Muahhhhhhhahahahaha.

Non-Profit (or Doing) of the Week: Spruce Up! Delaware

Before all of this eco-friendly non-sense (is it really necessary to wear $88 Bamboo Organic Sweatpants and Eco-Friendly lip gloss??) that according to my mother is simply "marketing, marketing, marketing", everyone associated saving the planet with a few valuable lessons... most of which were discussed in schools on Earth Day. I always remembered to..

Cut your Six-Pack Plastic Rings to prevent harm to the birds.

Carry canvas bags and ditch the paper and plastic at the Supermarket.

Recycle (need i explain?)

And most importantly, Hug your trees (also known as save your trees) Referring back to 5th grade science class and the oxygen and carbon monoxide cycle lesson, trees are vital for life.

The Delaware Forest Service, the Delaware Nursery & Landscape Association, and the Delaware Community Forestry Council have gone a step further and our encouraging us to not only keep our trees, but grow more. They have combined their efforts in the state-wide fall program called Spruce Up! Delaware. Planting trees is no walk in the park, so the organizations have teamed up with local garden centers to provide an incentive to everyone, a coupon! Visit Ronny’s Garden World, All Seasons Nursery, Lord's Landscaping, Inc. or Countryside Nursery from now until November 15th for a $10 discount on any tree. There are a total of 1,000 coupons available to reach the 1,000 tree goal.

Thinking about waiting til the spring? According to DFS, fall is an excellent time to plant trees as cooler temperatures are less stressful on trees when they are transplanted from planters to the ground. So plant a tree this fall. Besides, who doesn't love a coupon?

A Biggs Deal Dedicated: Claymont Community Center

Thursday plans? I've got a treat for you. This Thursday, September 25th, visit the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art for the 9th Annual Autumn Dinner to benefit the Claymont Community Center.

The festivities begin at 6:30 p.m., tickets starting at $80 per person or $140 per couple. Sponsored by BlackRock, the Autumn Dinner will provide support for all of the programs the Claymont Community Center provides including: Crisis Alleviation, Family and individual counseling, Learning Center, Senior Citizen trips, and Family Health Services. They are are also home to more than 20 other community partners, including the Boys and Girls Club, Headstart, Girls Inc., Brandywine Child Care Center, and the Claymont Public Library among others.

I don't know about you, but I'd be more than willing to wine and dine in the DCCA while supporting an organization that shares the community with none other than the famous Claymont Steak Shop. For more information on event details, call (302) 792-2757

21 Years of Red and White Stripe Spotting

Does the thought of spotting a friendly face in a knit cap and a red and white striped shirt on his world-wide hike bring back nostalgic memories? If you're unfamiliar at to who I'm referring to, it's Waldo! And this past Sunday, he celebrated his 21st birthday.

So does this mean that in any future editions to the existing 7 books translated in over 26 languages, Waldo will be carrying a beer can with his walking stick and binoculars? Of course not. But it does mark the start of a brand new Where's Waldo web-site commemorating his 21 years of travel. The new site is an excellent visit for any Waldo fan. There, you can purchase books, play on-line photo hunt games, learn more about Waldo history in the Waldo-pedia, link to Waldo's on-line networking sites, read Waldo news and sitings in the real world and also visit Let's Go blog for travel tips for your own journeys. After a few rounds of photo hunt, I was glad to see Waldo finding was just like riding a bicycle, it all comes back.

So to send you off on your walk down memory lane, here are a couple of Did you know? facts about Waldo.
-Waldo was conceived in 1987 by a freelance illustrator that specialized in crowd scenes. He was commissioned to create a children's book of crowd scenes and Waldo provided the link and central theme for the book.
- Where's Waldo ranks#88 on the "100 Most Frequently Banned Books" and was banned from many libraries in the 80s due to an exposed breast on a beach crowd scene illustration. In 1997 the breast was covered in a new special edition re-release.
- Waldo was originally named Wally, a British slang term for a spacey person.

When Museums Visit Museums

This past week-end I had the pleasure of attending a wedding all the while enjoying the Florida sunshine in good ole' Jacksonville. As a museum staff member, I've become a magnet to the tourist attraction brochure racks in hotels. I consider them a candy store for marketing material development. My first search is zooming in on any art museums in the area, and then of course visiting them. An early flight Friday morning from Philadelphia provided plenty of time int he afternoon to visit MOCA, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Jacksonville. I was thrilled to visit a museum filled with contemporary art, seeing as the Biggs collection is mostly historical (no offense to Sewell C. of course!)

In addition to the permanent collection, MOCA was hosting two exhibitions, one that had opened to the public that day. Lucky me! Making Marks was quite similar to the Biggs' own annual Award Winners show, a invitational viewing of 33 locals artists' works. I admired their reasoning on the importance of displaying local artist's work as a way to trace the evolution of art in the local scene. Our local artist groups today are so similar to the artist colonies years ago, therefore it's important to continue to acknowledge the history made in this art. Anyhow, the art was awesome, featuring landscapes, installation, sculpture and more.

Though the best was definitely saved for last. In addition to Making Marks, MOCA had just opened Ultra-Realistic Sculpture, a collection of Marc Sijan's, a Milwaukee-based artist, super realistic sculptures. Lifelike didn't even begin to fully describe Sijan's sculptures. Working from live models, Sijan produces plaster molds in plaster, sculpts with tools casts in polyester resin, and uses oil paint for final touches. His figures are all on the verge of movement, which is his way of exploring the human figure on an emotional level. My first thought at the site of these was, "This is Madame Tussauds on a whole different level. From The Maid to the Dancer, the detailing was impeccable down to the veins on the forearms and the scratches on the finger nails and bruises on the shoulders.

Hence to say my visit to MOCA made my trip to Jacksonville enlightening, relaxing and enjoyable. However, a few slices of vanilla wedding cake doesn't hurt either.

What Happens to All the Tivo Scraps?

Definition of Tivo Scraps: Commercials left behind when sped through during next-day viewings of favorite T.V. Shows, including Grey's Anatomy, Entourage and special Oprah episodes(who doesn't record Oprah's Favorite Things?!)

As the elections nears, the political commercials are increasing day by day. The Today Show slot is saturated with them, by 8:55 a.m. I've already seen John's and Barack's about 28 times. With all the bashing, the tears, the victories displayed on these commercials, I can barely keep my head straight. But John and Obama are smart to use commercials, between SNL (two words: Tina Fey) and the media, T.V. Commercials are a sure route to promote a truthful image of themselves.

The other day in a museum web-site Google session, I happily stumbled upon the Museum of the Moving Image, located in Astoria, a lovely and un-scary section of the Bronx, NY. The Museum of the Moving Image participates in what they call Web Projects, also known as On-line Exhibitions. These are very similar to the on-line Toaster Museum I wrote about a few weeks ago. Their most recently opened exhibition is The Living Room Candidate: Presidential Campaign Commercials. This exhibition is a catalog of presidential candidate political commercials from as early as the 1952 election. Seeing this is just as exciting as the split chance I'm channel surfing and the Annual Commercial Awards are on!

If you haven't already gone ahead and clicked to this exhibition, I suggest you do. The commercials are categorized by Election Year, Commercial Type (Back-fire, Fear, Children), and by Issue. There are more than 200 commercials catalogued, so consider it a prime opportunity to log some hours here instead of You-Tube for a change. Depending on your favorite, whether it's Reagan, Nixon, or Abe(wait, no TV yet), enjoy.

Update: Make No Bones About It

The results are in! And boy would Scrooge McDuck approve. Sotheby's and Damien Hirst experienced a groudbreaking and historice two-day auction, bringing in a remarkable sum of £111,464,800 (US$200,752,179). This amount is double the expectant total sales amount reported. The Managing Director of Sotheyby's Europe, Patrick Van Maris, reported that the sale "has broken major new ground and set several new and important benchmarks – including a new auction record for a work by the artist." Reported sales show that Damien Hirst attracted a new set of buyers and bidders from a broad range of geographical locations. Of the bidders in the sale, 16% were new to Sotheby's and 35% were new to the Contemporary Art department.

The stats and records set by this sale are endless. The highest sale was the The Golden Calf: a calf made of 18 carat gold, glass, goldplated steel, silicone and formaldehyde solution with Carrara marble plinth, selling at US$18,661,796), a new auction record for a work by the artist in sterling.

So where do we go from here? After the initials, "Oh my!"s and "Unbelievable!"s I immediately thought, we isn't it funny that this week, a week of global financial crisis and the largest bankruptcy in US history, leaving millions of people fretting about their financial future or their jobs, groundbreaking history and records are made in the art world. Despite a gloomy economy there are still a few, 600 plus in fact, who were able to spend outlandish amounts on Hirst's work by what he considers "a more democratic way of selling art."

So what convinced buyers to purchase his eye-catching works redolent of death and decay — pickled animals, rotting cows' heads, diamond-encrusted skulls. Hirst claimed he would no longer be making spin or butterfly paintings and that there would be far fewer dead animals and almost no dot paintings. So is that all the more reason to go out an spend 18 mil on an animal in formaldehyde?

One thing's for sure this week's events is reassuring for anyone in the art market with doubts of success in this economy. Now, my next point, how can i obtain Sotheby's bidder list to lure them to the 2009 Biggs Museum Gala? Any suggestions?

Non-Profit of the Week: Operation Christmas Child: If the shoe fits... stuff the box

Where do your empty shoe-boxes go? If they're stacked in your closet, pull a few out because Operation Christmas Child has found a marvelous and worthwhile use for them. Operation Christmas Child is a program of Samaritan's Purse, has sent over 61 million gift-filled shoe boxes to children in need around the world. A simple concept as a way of giving, anyone can participate. Here's the steps:

1. Find a shoe box. (If you don't, go to Target and find yourself a cute new pair for less than $20 and use the box!)

2. Choose whether you would like a boy or girl to receive the shoe box.

3. Fill the shoe box with gifts. These gifts can be anything your heart desires, or better yet what the child's heart desires. While toys and games are great, the simplest things such as crayons, tooth brushes, socks, that we often take for granted are encouraged also.

4. Write a note or card. Wouldn't you want the recipient to know you sent this lovely shoebox?

5. Donate just $7, either by check on on-line to cover the shipping cost of the box.

6. Drop Off either in the mail to their North Carolina warehouse of look up a drop-off location. For those Dover residents, there is a drop-off location right in Camden!

When you visit the Operation Christmas Child site, you can view several testimonial videos of children who received the shoe boxes and how it changed their life. The shoe boxes are delivered all over the world, in 60 countries, from Bosnia to Russia and even the United States. In the past these shoe boxes have gone to hurricane victims, victims of the 2005 tsunami, victims in war-torn Middle-eastern countries, and victims of HIV.

I don't need to convince you to partake in Operation Christmas Child. Heck, even Ronald Reagan has packed a shoebox, and that is one busy guy. As the world's largest Christmas project, OCC plans to send over 8 million boxes this year. Make it 8,000,001 and get packing, National Collection Week is November 17-24, but Christmas can come early for anyone.

Make No Bones About It

The 15th is pay-day for most folks, so let's start off the week with some new about uberexpensive artwork. However, I highly doubt any of us can afford this piece of art work with our paycheck, or a year's worth for that matter.

You may or may not have heard of Damien Hirst before, but he is the wealthiest artist in the U.K. His well-talked-about piece 'for the love of God' will start its world tour in November, beginning at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. This artwork is a skull which is cast from platinum, encrusted with 8,601 diamonds and has its original teeth, costing over $20 mil to make. The single large diamond in the middle of the forehead is reportedly worth $4.2 million alone. Now, the reason I'm letting you know about this extravagant piece is that it was recently purchased for $100 million dollars by an investment group, that includes Damien Hirst. Interesting that an artist is partially buying some of his own art. The investment group plans to resell the skull, indicating that perhaps Hirst hasn't found a final buyer for it.

Starting today, in a break with art-world convention, Hirst is selling more than 200 new works at auction rather than through a gallery. The expected sales of these items is to exceed $92 Million U.S. This is causing quite a stir in the gallery and dealer realms. Hirst is basically by-passing all of the dealers are galleries, some of which helped him get where he is today. NYT even reported Hirst saying, "The galleries have convinced everyone not to bid." Could Hirst be changing the way art is sold? Hirst put it quite frankly, comparing the issue to Van Gogh, “What I find is unfair is the Van Gogh thing. The artist doesn’t make any money, but everyone else does.” Normally, art sold at auctions is 5 plus years old, making Hirst the first artist to sell new art at an auction.

The Weekend's Delaware Delights

I'm not too happy to report another week-end weather fore-cast of in-and-out showers. Mostly because I'm in desperate need to hit up the car-wash, but other than that week-end chore, it affects all of the great things Delaware has planned for the week-end!

First..... the Margarita Shake-Up is TONIGHT! Drop in between 5:30 and 7:30 for margaritas, Coronas, quesadillas, taquitos and more. Bring your sombrero, but leave the donkeys at the door.

Delaware Volunteer Fireman's Association Parade- Saturda, Dover, DE 1p.m.
47 volunteer fire companies will be participating in the annual parade held in Dover tomorrow morning down State Street beginning at 1p.m. This parade last over two hours as a wide variety of both antique and modern fire trucks marching units and bands will be walking from Dover High School down to the Green. Bring your folding chairs, some snacks and park yourself along the sidewalk for a great afternoon. While I would normally suggest buying a dozen pretzels at the Philly Pretzel Factory beforehand to munch on, you can now stop by the recently re-opened Dover Newsstand on Lockerman for sandwhiches, coffee, a newspaper (obviously) and more.

In New Castle County there are a couple of fundraisers being held that are near and dear to my heart........
Northern Lights of Life: Fund-raiser for the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition, Longwood Gardens, 6p.m.
Just because October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, doesn't mean you can't start supporting early. This event that raises money to support programs at DBCC (mentoring, the Mammogram Van), is an unique opportunity to wine, dine and celebrate in the Conservatory at Longwood Gardens. The evening is jam-packed with a fashion show, silent auction, live auction and tributes. Tickets start at $150.

Wine & Dinosaurs: fundraiser for the Delaware Museum of Natural History, Sunday 12 - 4p.m.
I should have known I'd work for a museum when I was five. Every summer week-long trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Newark, I insisted on visiting the Natural History Museum. Between the dinosaurs and the tigers, I couldn't get enough. As I am of legal age now, I'd love to attend the Wine and Dinosaurs fundrasier for the museum. Tickets start at $35. http://www.delmnh.org/

We Remember: National September 11 Memorial and Museum

In rememberance of the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, I am pleased to report that the National September 11 Memorial & Museum has provided a design briefing for the future Memorial Museum Pavilion. The Museum Pavilion has been designed by the Norwegian architecture firm, Snøhetta, and will be located between the two Memorial pools on the the Memorial Plaza. This pavillion will serve as the entry way into the Memorial Museum and will be a structure of bother glass and steel. Two steel tridents (large steel columns) salvaged from the Twin Towers will be places on the pavillion, reminding visitors to remember but to also think forward, helping the pavillion to complement the rest of the landscape. These finalized designs show great promise to the progression of this Memorial Museum.

When I resided in Manhattan, I, and many many many other people, worked in the financial district, often passing by this area. As put by Senior Partner, Director and Co-founder of Snøhetta, Craig Dykers, the pavillion will not only welcome visitors but will have an intriguing character for those who pass by daily. Craig said, “We at Snøhetta have strived to design a building that welcomes the many new visitors to the site as well as having an intriguing and ephemeral character for those that pass by it daily. It is discreet while also maintaining an approachable intellectual presence among the many larger structures surrounding it.”

Read more about the Memorial Museum at http://www.national911memorial.org/

Non-Profit of the Week: Art-ful Healing

We can all agree that art intrigues us, inspires us, and betters our quality of life. But in terms of "quality of life", just how much can art do for us? When looking at our health and well-being, is the presence of art beneficial?

Carol Strickland of the Washington Post recently wrote an article on this subject and puts it best, "As health-care costs skyrocket, a down-to-earth approach to healing is emerging, complementing high-tech medicine with high-touch arts." There is a growing assumption that incorporating music, visual art, writing and performance into clinical care can increase feelings of well-being and even improve health. Using art as health care has been shown to reduce stress, increased cooperation with painful procedures, and has helped medical staffs communicate with patients.

The Society for the Arts in Health care is a non-profit organization, based in Washington D.C., dedicated to advancing arts as integral to health care. According to their web-site the Society for the Arts in Health care fulfills their mission of demonstrating the valuable roles the arts play in enhancing the healing process by:

• Assisting in the professional development and management of arts programming for health care populations.
• Providing resources and education to health care and arts professionals; and
  Encouraging and supporting research and investigation into the beneficial effects of the arts in health care.

The Society has created a nation-wide community of members, including hospitals, museums, researchers, physicians, students and universities all working towards the same goal. You can support the Society by becoming a member or making a donation. I applaud the society for their efforts in advocating art as part of health care. A spoonful of pottery does make the medicine go down after all..... in the most delightful way.

Dirty Car? Dust it up with Art!

My father used to own a concrete business when I was younger. If any of you have ever stepped foot on a concrete plant you'd probably picture the same thing.... dust. It's everywhere, on the ground, in the buildings and in the air. Due to the massive amounts of dust at the concrete plant, Dad's rear window of his Suburban(actually the entire vehicle) provided an excellent palette for brother, sister and I to draw pictures and messages. I specialized in heart and star shapes while my sister mastered the smiley face. Where am I going with this? Well, other than myself and other amateur car artists, there's a man out there that is a professional Car Artist. And his name is Scott Wade. And he can do a whole lot more than a smiley face.

Scott Wade uses a long dirt road that he uses as his road-base. It consists of limestone dust, gravel and clay. These materials create a fine white dust over the car that he uses as his artwork. Most of his art is done on his MINI Cooper. In addition to his fingers, Wade also uses more traditional tools like brushes as well as unconventional ones like Popsicle sticks to create his inspired dust art. I think this definitely takes "Wash Me" to a whole other level. www.dirtycarart.com

Delaware Delight

I've been looking forward to this wide open week-end sans plans to head up to Wilmington to check out the Brandywine Arts Festival, finally get to see the tree houses at Longwood or even head down to the Nanticoke Tribe Fest, however the torrential downpours the weatherman is calling for may means Saturday is looking more like a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle, Sudoku puzzles, and catching up on my DVD rentals. However, this weekend entails some fantastic Delaware Delights that if the event is rain or shine, I suggest you throw on your parka and head out.

Annual Brandwine Arts Festival, Brandywine, DE, Saturday (10am to 5pm) and Sunday (10am to 4pm)

One the best annual art events in Delaware, held since 1960, held in Brandywine Park. Over 250 artists exhibit/sell at this festival. Lots of vendors selling glass, clothing, paintings, jewelry, furniture, galor! There will be food to keep you energized all day and live entertainment to keep you striding care free through the aisles of artist huts. I wouldn't suggest shopping for a watercolor in a tropical storm, so Sunday might be your best best for Brandywine.

Nanticoke Indian Tribe 31st Annual Pow-Wow - Saturday and Sunday, Millsboro, DE

An educational and stellar experience for all ages is the annual Nanticoke Pow-Wow. A Pow-wow is considered a gathering of a Native American Tribe. This event follows tradition with each day beginning with a Grand Entry Dance Session (Saturday at noon and 4 and Sunday at 1:30pm) and follows with a full day of music and live entertainment by performers from all over the country. There are over 50 vendors serving both traditional and non-traditional too. I would definitely be there Sunday browsing the much talked about jewelry stand (can you say, turquoise stone?!) but I shall be ad mist purple camouflage at the Ravens season opener (go Baltimore!)

Taste of Dover - Dover Art League Annual Fundraiser- Saturday, Dover, DE

The corner alley adjacent to the Dover Art League on Lockerman will transform into Van Gogh's night cafe for Taste of Dover, Dover Art League's Annual Fundraiser. There's a high chance that any Doverite that loves art and creating it has participated in one of their beloved summer art camps. This is a chance to come support the Art League and also enjoy boat loads of food from local eateries. Participating restaurants include The Village Inn, Doc Magrogan’s Oyster House, Thompson Hospitality from Delaware State University, Wesley Catering, Michele’s Restaurant, Some Guys Bagels, La Fontana, Texas Roadhouse, Buffalo Wild Wings, Roma Italian Ristorante and Dickie’s BBQ.The event starts at 6:30 p.m. is $35 per ticket. If things get rowdy enough, they may even break out the pottery wheels. Just kidding.

Pop! Goes the Whole Wheat

Quirky? Educational? Surprising? Funny? I truly couldn't form all of my emotions into one comprehensive thought after visiting the on-line Toaster Museum. No, this isn't a joke. It's awesome.

Delft toaster= Amazing


Following the new wave/trend of on-line exhibitions and museum collections, the Toaster Museum is as sweet as a golden English Muffin with Strawberry Jam. Ever wonder about the design history of toasters? Or the possibility of how extravagant and expensive a toaster can be? Did you know that there are many toaster type specifications as in Perchers, Droppers, Pop-Ups and Sliders?

Torture device? or toaster?


The web-site was born from German designer, Jens Veerbeck, a toaster collector. Why collect toasters? Why not is the question. The Biggs collects antique furniture while others may collect post cards or Beanie Babies (but who would still admit to that!). The museum is an on-line archive of toasters throughout the years. The site is effortlessly organized and easy to navigate. You can view toasters by manufacturer, time period and country. Jens feels that toasters are a direct reflection of the design trends of that time period in a particular region.


The best part of the Toaster Museum. It's free and it's open 24/7.


http://www.toastermuseum.com/

On the Rocks, With Salt, Por Favor

That's how I normally take my margarita, and will be at the 1st Annual Mexican Shake-Up next Friday. Even though summer has ended, continue the festivities at the Biggs Museum. Gather your friends and head south of the border for a margartia tasting. Sure to be a blast, NKS Distributors has graciously provided us with plenty to stir, mix and blend. Sip on a variety of margaritas made with Trago Tequila or pour yourself a crisp Corona. Get the munchies for chips and salsa with your margaritas? No need to worry, we'll have that covered. Cajun Queen's Cuisine will be providing a delicious menu of Mexican fare including Taquitos, Mini-Quesadillias, Tequila Shrimp, and Mini Burritos.

This fiesta starts at 5:30 and runs until 7:30 pm. Tickets to this event are $35 for Members and $40 for Not-Yet Members. Reservations and pre-payment are required so call Beccy at (302)674-2111 ext. 101 to RSVP or go to the on-line gift shop at http://www.biggsmuseum.org/ to use a credit card. So, if you're wondering, what happened to the Martini's? Well, I guess we just wanted to "shake things up a bit." See you there.

Give yourself a "guac-coma" at the Mexican Shake-Up!

Art Makes You Jump For Joy!!

A constant struggle for Marketing Peoples in Art Museums today (ahem... me.... cough) is communicating to the public that art museums are for everyone... and are, actually, FUN! No need to point fingers as to where the idea came from that art museums are stuffy, boring and for intellectual types, but I will gladly publicize any efforts to promote the "fun-ness" of art and museums. Fresh off of a great labor day weekend, and revved up for a busy fall at the Biggs, I smiled wide at my desktop screen when I clicked on a blog entitled "Jumping in Art Museums." http://jumpinginartmuseums.blogspot.com/

Basically, the blog displays pictures of people jumping in art museums. This concept is simple and as Linda Danko would say, "awesome!" The composer of this blog is Allison Reimus, an American University student hailing from Washington D.C. She claims that when visiting art museums, she is sometimes so excited by what she sees she has to jump for joy. From there, the blog was started and fellow "art jumpers" followed suit, contributing their photos of their "art jumping" experiences. Anyone can submit their art jumping photos for a chance to be posted on the blog.

Now, the important question at hand is, who is going to jump in the Biggs? I could perhaps tackle Ryan to jump for joy in the Silver Study Center or grab Linda (she just loves the Bride of Abydos). Or perhaps our next Biggs Kids group could jump for joy in the programs gallery. Either way, there's a lot to jump for at the Biggs Museum and this web-site is a welcome encouragement to all to express their enthusiasm for art.

http://jumpinginartmuseums.blogspot.com/