It's A "Biggs" Deal

Better Bolt Your Doors in the UK

2009-11-16T07:23:00.000-08:00

Whenever I think of art robbers, I always think of the classic vision of men dressed in all black with a black face mask climbing into a house through a window and running away with a huge painting. However, art theft is a serious subject and has always been on the rise. I always wondered, where does the art go? You would only steal something worth alot, and you certainly wouldn't put a stolen Picasso up in your living room. Unless, all of your friends are art robbers as well. The whole topic is saddening, especially when art theft occurs in museums. Not only is the museum robbed of its collection, but all of the individuals that enjoy the artworks when they visit are robbed as well.

So where is art theft on the rise? Funny you should ask because there is an industry group called The Art Loss Register that tracks reported stolen items and registers artworks to their owners. According to their reports, the U.K. is home to more thefts than any other country in the world. Since 1976, 53,709 works have been stolen in the UK. Rounding out the top five are the US, France, Italy and Germany.

These rankings are based solely on quality, not quantity. For example, Norway doesn't rank highly on the list, but Edvard Munch's The Scream is considered one of the decade's most expensive works stolen.

An interesting point made was the absence of many Asian countries from the list. ALR suggested this is do to the decision of art collectors and museums not to report thefts. Some museums are reluctant to report thefts as it may infer there are holes in their security systems.

Regardless of who ranks where, art theft has not slowed. So keep your enemies close, and your portraits even closer.

2,000 lbs of Ribs? Count Me In.

2009-11-10T12:31:00.000-08:00

Before I articulate to you the ridiculous, over-the-top extent to which Performa 09 opened a couple of weeks ago with a food event, let me remind you about one of the upcoming "foodie" events at the Biggs Museum....

If you haven't bought your tickets yet to Artful Dining this Friday, shame on you. If you don't decide to join us, that only leaves more Nage leftover goodness and PortoVino Groovy Italian Wine to enjoy after all the diners have left. So hop to it, chop chop.

I thought a three-course meal and an abundance of fine Italian wine on a Friday night in the Museum galleries was "Artful Dining", but I think Performa 09 has got us beat. They seem to have completely redefined the concept of Artful Dining. Performa is a biennial three-week visual performance arts festival held in Manhattan dedicated to exploring the critical role of live performance in the 21st century.

Jennifer Rubell, daughter of two art collectors, designed a "food event" party/benefit to open the 2009 fesitval at the X Initiative in Chelsea. Her interactive culinary experience was based on the book of Genesis in the Bible. Over 600 guests, including Mario Batali, roamed the three floors taken over by the party beginning with with the option to choose from 3,600 drinking glasses, representing the "beautiful fragility" of the Garden of Eden. After passing a pyramid of unshelled peanuts, guests moved to the 2nd floor for a hit of protein at a station holding over 2,000 lbs of ribs being soaked with honey falling from the ceiling. No need to worry about those sticky fingers, plenty of wet-naps were provided.

Dessert was obviously not neglected as the final course . Fallen apple trees were scattered throughout the floor and seven pedestals were topped with chocolate bunnies similar to Jeff Koon's stainless steels version. Hammers were provided to everyone to smash the bunnies...an illusion to the expulsion from Eden.

If the photos aren't enough of a visual for you to imagine the wildness of this event, the New York Times did a great video of the event. I forwarded the ribs photo to the Director, possibility for the 2010 Biggs Museum Gala.... maybe we'll have 1500 lbs of buffalo wings at next year's event.

Obama Says,"Let's hear it for Hollywood."

2009-11-03T12:14:00.000-08:00

You'd think Obama had just put down last week's issue of People Magazine when he chose the 25 appointees/members for the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities yesterday. I kid. I kid.

The new committee members represent some of Hollywood's finest to old-school cultural leaders. Some of the more famous names include actors Sarah Jessica Parker, Edward Norton, Forest Whitaker and Alfre Woodard, "Vogue" editor Anna Wintour, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, theater director George C. Wolfe and architect Thom Mayne.

What are these fine arts representatives charged with? This committee, established in 1982, works with organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities to encourage partnerships between the public and private sector on cultural projects. The committee also seeks to initiate and support cultural programs, according to its official website.

Vice President Joe Biden will install the 25 new members today. The newbies will be led by First lady Michelle Obama as the honorary chairwoman and film producer George Stevens Jr. and theater producer Margo Lion had already been named as its co-chairs.

With all this talk of health-care reform these days, little has been said in the media on what Obama plans to do for the arts during his tenure as president. During his campaign he made a few hints.

-Reinvest in arts education. Woo hoo for more public/private partnerships between schools and arts organizations!

- Financially support the NEA

-Send more American artists abroad

-Attract foreign talent
- To provide affordable health care and tax fairness to artists. Did you know when artists make charitable contributions of their work, they are only reimbursed for supplies, not their time? So not fair.

Seems like Anna and SJP have some work on their hands. I'm anxious to see what they can do for culture and arts in the United States. Until then, congrats!

Lehman Bro's Art is Going, Going, Sold!

2009-11-02T12:07:00.000-08:00

It feels like it was yesterday in September 2008 when the hard crash that put us in a recession occured. Lehman Brother's was just one of the many financial institutes that did not escape the realms of bankruptcy. Still today, they owe their creditors about $250 billion, ouch. So how to raise some cash quickly? Auction off your office artwork. A sale at Freeman's Auction House yesterday raised over $1.35 million from the sales of 283 modern artworks. Every piece up for sale had an owner by the end of the day. $1.35 million was quite impressive as it doubled the original estimate for this part of the collection ($760,800).

All of these artworks used to line the office hallways of Lehman Bros. in New York, Delaware and Boston. Around 2,000 collectors, former Lehman staff and art novices keen to pick up a bit of banking history had signed up to bid at the auction. An estimated 400 people bid in person with the rest taking part over the telephone or online.

Lehman Bro.'s will unload another collection of 650 pieces on December 6 at Freeman's once again. This money raised will also go towards repayment to Lehman creditors. A third auction is scheduled in February 2010.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-30T06:50:00.000-07:00

I've gone from not partaking in any Halloween festivities last year, to two parties and two different costumes this year. I hope I'll be able to keep my characters straight! Anyway you celebrate, Halloween is a creative and artful day. Acting...transforming into a different person, or at times an inanimate object. Crafting...staples and a hot glue gun can work wonders for novice costume makers. Dance and sing...who doesn't 'boo'gey down on Halloween? Culinary Arts...I contribute to 25% of the world's consumption of candy corn.

I hope you all have an artfully fantastic Halloween. To kick off the weekend, I googled Best Costume Ever. And this is what I got. P.S. You HAVE to watch it until the end! Amazing.

Not Your Average Neckwear...

2009-10-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, from what I recall seeing Michael Phelps donned with all of those Olympic Medals at the 2008 Beijing games, I wasn't paying too much attention to the medals if you know what I mean. But our neighbor Vancouver has caught my attention: they just unveiled the designs of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games medals. They're awesome.

The process took over two years, beginning in December 2007 with over 48 proposals from Canadian and internationally-run design firms. Before I go on to explain the awesomeness that is the design, I'd like to mention these are the heaviest medals ever made for the Olympic games, weighing in at a record 500-576 grams. And they're made from recycled electronics, so your old HP could be hanging on the neck of the next Michelle Kwan.

Hunt, a Vancouver-based artist of Komoyue and Tlingit heritage, chose the orca and the raven as motifs for the Olympic and Paralympic medals respectively, representing important attributes in Canadian Aboriginal history. The Paralympians symbol, the rave, is often associated with transformation and healing abilities and represents determination, creativity and wisdom. The Ocra is often associated with the attributes of strength, dignity and teamwork. The sleek and powerful black and white whales are common to travel in pods through the waters off Canada’s West Coast, but are also found in all the world’s oceans.

Each medal will be struck nine times (this is just one of 30 steps in the fabrication process) to achieve a distinctive look. The medals are undulating and wavy (representing Canada's mountains, sea and snow) rather than flat, a first in the Games history.

The Royal Canadian Mint has been charged with making all 1014 medals for the games. Their web-site offers an interactive tour and video, so you can see how they're made.

The Usual Mona Lisa Suspects

2009-10-27T07:11:00.000-07:00

There's been some talk recently about whether or not Ms. Lisa is actually smiling in DaVinci's Mona Lisa portrait. And according to the Institute of Neuroscience in Alicante, Spain, it's in our heads to decide. But anyways, onto a more important topic....what if the Mona Lisa wasn't acutally "gasp!" Mona Lisa? The horror!

According to Roberto Zapperi, the painting (which is actually referred to as La Giocondo) does not depict Lisa del Giocondo, the wide of the welathy Florentine merchant for whom the painting was reportedly commissioned. Roberto says the woman in the painting is Pacifica (awesome name, right?) Brandani, on of Julien de Medicis' many lovers.

What gives Roberto the idea that Pacifica is the woman in the portrait? He discovered written minutes from a meeting between da Vinci and Cardinal Louis d'Aragon. daVinci presented the Cardinal with three paintings; including the Mona Lisa, which was allegedly a portrait of Brandani commissioned by de Medicis. This leads me to wonder, if Julien de Medicis commissioned the portrait, then why didn't he own it? Well, Brandani died shortly after she had an illegitimate child with her lover. There's your explanation.

Roberto thinks its unfortunate that experts have known for many years about Brandani's identity, but choose to ignore it and favor Vasari's 1550 version of the events, which posits that the image is of Lisa del Giocondo, who “did not even know Julien de Médicis,” according to Zapperi.

This obviously hasn't stopped the crowds from coming in droves to the Louvre to see the woman every single day. Speaking of daVinci, the Biggs staff is having a video web conference with some of the staff members of the Leonardo daVinci Museum today to begin working on a new project. I think some very exciting times are ahead for us. Stay tuned.

Non-Profit (or Doing) of the Week: Uniformed Fashion

2009-10-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

Twelve school years of my life was spent in plaid. Plaid jumpers then plaid skirts. Polo shirts in the fall and spring were traded for pressed (thank you mother) white button downs with sweater vests and at times a ridiculous cross-over button Girl Scout-like navy tie. Other than tag days (you could wear whatever you please) once a month, the biggest school clothing shopping decision of the year were the shoes on your feet. How was one to express their individuality? The girls found ways around it of course...makeup, jewelery, accessories, the latest LL Bean backpack pattern. I always remember being fond of a head band Mom made for me in 3rd grade. She had hot glued pieces of candy corn on a black headband for me. I was the talk of the home room the entire month of October.

These days, I'm embarrassed to say I hate to wear anything twice. But there's a girl, Sheena Matheiken, who has gone the opposite route. As the Founder of the Uniform Project, Sheena is wearing one dress every day of one year all in the name of charity and sustainable fashion. This gal has seven identical black dresses, one for every day of the week, and is seeing just how far she can push the creative envelope with diversification of the outfit.

Each day she posts a picture of herself. And each day, she looks quite different. She works the outfit with different accessories and layers which she claims to purchase from eBay and Etsy.com . You can view all of the photos which includes shopping information on where to buy all of her add-on wardrobe items.

Charity is her first motive for the project. Sheena is asking for donations for the duration of the year that will benefit Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots charity based in Mumbai, whose contributions go to fund uniforms and other school expenses for children in the slums of India. Sustainability is her second motive, which is to stop consuming and reusing. The dress was designed with the help of Eliza Starbuck, and is wearable year-round. This short-sleeve, button-down dress can be worn backwards and also as a long cardigan.

Sheena has raised over $14,000 since she began this project in May 2009. I'm looking forward to watching her remix the dress for the next six month. Who knew the power of a dress?

Would You Like Fries With Your Mona Lisa Value Meal?

2009-10-05T09:16:00.000-07:00

This tickles me. To death almost.

The Louvre is opening a McDonalds. The golden arches restaurant will open next month in the underground shopping plaza beneath I.M. Pei's glass pyramid in the museum courtyard, making it the 1,142nd McDonald's location in France. Louvre is opening up a brand new ticket area, and the new McDonald's will be the first site to visitors.

Why open up a McDonalds in the Louvre? The only official commentary was from a Louvre spokesperson who said, "The outlet would be the 'American' representative in a 'rich and varied' food court, said a spokesman for the Louvre."

I'm not surprised to hear that Louvre staffers are completely outraged at the thought of smelling a Big Mac in the galleries. "This is the last straw," an anonymous art historian at the museum told the paper. "This is the pinnacle of exhausting consumerism, deficient gastronomy and very unpleasant odours in the context of a museum." (Daily Telegraph)

Take what you will from this news bit. I'm a museum staffer, and I'm thrilled at the fact Chick-Fil-A is donating food for the next four First Friday programs at the Arts ConnectED first look pARTies! However, the French cannot deny the stats...France is the second leading country (behind US of course) in number of McDonald's location...they don't call fries French for nothing.

And the Rob Pruitt Goes To...

2009-09-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

I must admit I tend to watch the news coverage of the red carpet before the awards show more so often than the actual event. I simply rely on Perez Hilton to fill me in on the results the following morning. Plus, at this rate, the Oscars is borderline an overnight event.

There are plenty of awards in the art industry. We have our own in Delaware each year when DDOA hands out individual fellowships to emerging and established artists throughout the state. But an actual awards show for the arts? With all the glitz and glamour? You better believe it.

This fall, the Guggenheim and artist Rob Pruitt will present the First Annual Art Awards Show.

The Art Awards show will celebrate and honor individuals, exhibitions and projects that have made a significant impact in the contemporary art world from January 2008 to June 2009. There are over 11 categories with nominees chosen from a council of over 400 artists and professionals. The show (TBD Oct 29) will bring out some familiar faces to present such as Sofia Coppola and Mary-Kat Olsen.

Some of the categories will include Artist of the Year, Curator of the Year (Ryan, you deserve it!), Exhibition outside the US, Gallery show of the year, and Writer of the Year. Guggenheim and Pruitt do good at the Awards Show by donating net proceeds to non-profit arts organizations: the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation; White Columns; and Studio in a School.

So what is the actual "award"? A silver ice bucket holding a champagne bottle designed by Pruitt himself.

The concept of the awards show is great exposure for the industry in general, but I was dying to see what the "catch" was. I knew these contemporary art people were up to something. Pruitt has actually conceived the awards show as a "performance-based" work of art himself that follows the format of a Hollywood awards ceremony.

Pruitt comments on the work, “For me, the Art Awards are essentially a curated show with the curating having been done by the art community itself. I’m very interested in a type of curating that respects the art but also focuses on the selection process, patterns and trends within the art community."

This is history in the making people. No word yet if we can tune in to watch, but I'm sure we'll hear the results. I wonder if they'll tag Neil Patrick Harris to host, he did such a fab job with the Emmys.

Love (And Bad Taste) Is In the Eye of the Beholder

2009-09-18T06:58:00.000-07:00

Do these people look thrilled to tie the knot?

Every week the Dover Post comes to the house, my mother increasingly expresses her disappointment in the dwindling of the wedding and engagement announcement section. "Why doesn't anyone send their daughter's picture in anymore?! How am I supposed to know?!" She says. I don't know why recently engaged or married couples don't send in photos and announcements anymore, but perhaps this could be one of the reasons...maybe the photos are just too bad. Bad, you ask?! I know you're thinking, how could a photograph used to announce lifelong dedication be bad? You better believe it. Guidespot.com, a web-site for you guessed it, guides to anything, posted an entry this morning with a boat load of bad engagement photos. Some are quirky, some make you feel a bit uncomfortable and some leave you seriously scratching your head. Word of advice, get a second of thirs opinion before sending your photos to the paper....if you plan on doing so.

Click here for many more.

A Very Special And Colorful Delivery...

2009-09-16T06:41:00.001-07:00

"Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address. On the other hand, this not knowing has its charms."-Tom Hanks as Joe Fox in You've Got Mail

I could watch that movie over and over again. Tom Hanks charm eventually won over Meg Ryan in that famous 1998 chick flick, and now a Social Design, a division of Felismo Design House in New York can make that Tom Hanks moment come true with their latest project 500 Colored Pencils. Social Designer has created a set of 500 colored pencils, each with a name and a story. No offense ROY G BIV, but these pencils have characters, and great names as well. There is a Belisimo lilac, a Pumpkin Spice Orange and a Barbados Blue.

500 colored pencils is a huge commitment for your Jane Doe, so Social Designer has "designed" (no pun intended) up a subscription program to receive 25 pencils every month for 25 months. Who wouldn't want a nice colorful delivery of new pencils delivered to their door each month? Click here to sign up for your subscription now. And once your first set arrives, visit the Museum. Our new Fusion exhibition opened up yesterday. The vivid colors of all the Latin American Art on display are sure to inspire you.

I'd hate to close this entry without further explaining to you the scale of fabulousness of the 500 Colored Penciles Project. 1 set out of every 100 sets sold is donated to the UNESCO DREAM Centers to support arts education for underprivileged children around the world. Social Designer, the group heading up this project, is an online community born from Felissimo Design House, is dedicated to promoting social awareness through design. The group holds design competitions to create products for sale that support meaningful causes. You can submit designs for contests, vote for your favorites and then shop for the goods. A percentage of all the profits for to the charities the goods are supporting.

I seemed to have lost my "Get Out of Taxes Free" Card in Dublin

2009-09-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

Since 1969, Irish-based writers, musicians and visual artists have been exempt from paying income tax on their earnings under the Republic's tax laws. Who knew???? And because of this, why aren't all artists living in Ireland? I wonder if Damien Hirst has a holiday home in the countryside somewhere? Perhaps not if U2 had to move their business out of Ireland in 2006 because of a 250,000 euro cap-off added to the law.

The tax exemption was introduced in 1969 by Prime Minister Charles Haughey to help struggling artists. Fast forward to 2009, and Irish government is trying to rid the country of the exemption in its entirety, aiming to make the system fairer to all its citizens. Irish artists need not feel discriminated against as this is one of the many proposed tax amendments to the system.

The Arts Council across the pond doesn't seem to be too happy about the ordeal, stating that over half of the artists who are beneficiaries have average earnings of less than half the minimum wage. Furthermore, 24% earn only between 10 to 25,000 euros a month. Some believe that this will discourage artists early on in their career.

As disappointing this news may be for many of these artists, I support the government's desire to make taxation fair among everyone in the country. My words of advice, don't quit your day job. Or better yet, for many...get a day job.

Who You Callin' Ugly?

2009-09-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

There are alot of top ten, twenty, fifty and one hundred lists out there. Some of them for good...such as the Sexiest Man Alive People Issue or the NY Time's Bestsellers List. And some are bad, very bad, such as PETA's worst dressed celebrity list or the annual Razzy awards. Although many can say they've seen alot of bad art out there, but has there ever been a ranking? I haven't found a list ranking Picasso versus Van Gogh yet, but stumbled on to an interesting list in the world of architecture.

The British architecture magazine Building Design annually awards a prize to the worst building erected in Britain over the past 12 months. This contest, also known as the Carbuncle Cup, takes nominations by the mag's readers and also uses a panel of architects and critics to select the year's worst eye sore. How was the ugliest chosen? It actually wasn't just on looks alone...that would be way too shallow. The building's setting, the budget and the extent to which the client was disappointed were all considered.

Who took first? LA-based Hamilton Architects should be hiding under their blueprints for the Liverpool Ferry Terminal. Ellis Woodman of the Telegraph and a juror described the building perfectly by saying, "Looking like a karaoke version of a Zaha Hadid project, it takes the form of a skew-whiff cross-section that has been extruded like a stick of rock. The long elevations could hardly be more boring, the Dr Caligari-style end façades no more grotesque. It would be a nightmare building in any setting. The fact that it sits not only within a UNESCO world heritage site but directly in front of the Three Graces – the Royal Liver, Cunard and Port of Liverpool buildings, which for nearly a century have been the very emblems of the city – makes its construction utterly inexplicable."

Hamilton Architects didn't have the project listed on their site....wonder why. Click here to see all of the heinous buildings built from the past year. I think i'll take a stroll down to the Green just to get clear my head of all these pretty ugly projects.

Oatmeal, you never looked better.

2009-09-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

Sadly, the Biggs Shot 2009 exhibition came down late June. Back when we opened the show in early spring, Biggs staff got to choose their top pick for the on-line exhibition. It didn't take long to me to fall in love with Stephanie Kirk's Breakfast Serial photos. She had not one, but three chosen for the show! I can't truly explain to you why I was so drawn to Stephanie's photos... I could feel the morning sun coming through the window of her kitchen, hear the tea kettle buzz and the papers ruffle, and I could smell the citrus fromt he grapefruit and taste the sweetness of the jam on her toast. This photograph was so real to me; a real morning, a start to the day that many of us don't get to have... "Welcome to McDonald's can I take your order?"

Sadly, I could not afford to purchase one of her photographs, but I will keep dreaming. But I miss visiting the galleries for a second, third, fourth, fifth and six glance at them. But who knew, someone in cyber/blog space was out there answering my prayers.

Her name is Jennifer Causey and she is a photographer out of Brooklyn, NY. She writes, or rather posts to, a blog called Simply Breakfast. And that's what it is... photographs of her breakfast everyday. But this isn't your disposable camera shot of the Lucky Charms box. Her breakfast shots have a whimsical feel to them, making you want to wrap yourself with a blanket, NYT and a cup of tea all morning long. The blog is very very simple, just photographs, with text rarely, giving you the opportunity to take what you want from it.

I was delighted to see that Jennifer photographs for Anthropologie and Real Simple Magazine, two of my favorite things in life. Her style is definitely reflective of these two brands.

So if you aren't too hungry, or feeling lazy looking forward to this Labor Day weekend, check out her blog and cook yourself a gorgeous omelet tomorrow morning.

PETA is gonna have a fit...

2009-09-03T12:02:00.000-07:00

My princess Chesapeake Bay retriever, Giulianova (goes by Julia), doesn't need a costume for character. The girl watches Martha Stewart, can guard a newspaper all day, chases after her own tail for 10 minutes at a time and can imitate the Stanley Steamer commercial to the dot. Occasionally we'll throw a bandanna around her during the holidays, but as far as grooming goes, she's lucky to get herself a good scrub with the hose out back.

Well I've discovered a dog trend that Giulianova might not feel so comfortable following. It's called creative grooming. Apparently, people are taking their poodles and grooming them to look anything like, well anything that isn't a poodle. The results are schocking. I've never been to a creative grooming competition, and I'm sure many of you haven't either, so thank goodness for Photographer Ren Netherland of Animal Photography Studio in Clearwater, FL (wonder, if the Hulk has taken his pooches for a photo sess). He travels the country in a mobile photography studio and captures the walking and barking "works of art."

Now, there are some serious ethical questions about creative grooming. Is this abuse? I for one have learned from experience that hair dye and highlights can do massive destruction to your mane, so I'm sure that hot pink on a poodle isn't going to be the best thing for it. But in the meantime, scroll down for some of my "favorites" (is it ok to admit that?).

The Information Highway? A Scenic Route

2009-09-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

Warning: The next two paragraphs are alot of rambling. Looking to get straight to the point? Scroll down please.

I'm an information glutton. I just can't get enough of it. Let me illustrate by explaining to you the overload that is my daily (weekdays, mostly) schedule.

6:00 a.m. YMCA: Women's Health magazine turned to the latest health breakthroughs, while watching several televisions turned to the local morning news stations

7:30 a.m. Shower, Dress at Home: The Today Show for background noise

8:30 a.m. Kitchen: Breakfast amongst more The Today Show and The Delaware State News and The News Journal

9:00 a.m. (or usually 9:10 a.m.) Office: browse through mail, check monthly pubs for any Biggs Press

9:15 a.m. Office: Sit down at computer, check work and personal email, contains The Daily Beast, Daily Candy, and several other daily e-newsletters for art news (blog material!)

11:00 a.m. Office: Morning brain break, check Facebook and favorite cooking blogs (about 15 in rotation)

2:00 p.m. Lunch at Home: Martha Stewart Show is full of information

6:00 p.m. UD, night class: THREE hours of information in first advertising class

9:30 p.m. Cup of Tea at Home, unwind with the Wall Street Journal, breeze through Marketplace section

10:15 p.m.: Bed time, crack open my new book Buyology

10:30 p.m.: Brain dead.

I'm sure I missed some parts here and there, if you can believe it.

Now, where am i going with this? I'll take you on my information highway. One health email newsletter I received yesterday morning, contained a link to a diagram of an XY axis plotting calories versus caffeine for popular coffee shop beverages. After a click here and there I landed on David McCandless' blog, called Information is Beautiful. David is a London-based author, writer and designer. He's done alot of copyrighting, won awards for it in fact and has been published in many places many times.

He loves information, just like i do. But he takes it a step further and has a passion for visualising information, as he did in the Caffeine and Calories Chart. His blog is filled with not only his own charts but other visualizations he finds interesting elsewhere. Some are quite serious, such as how to reduce your chances of dying in a plane crash, but I find most quite useful. I was particularly intrigued by the Timeline of Global Media Scare Stories. Who would have thought that storied about violence in video games would always be prominent in the spring time right around the anniversary of Columbine?

But I LOVED the Movie Monster Comparison Chart. Does size really matter?

And don't think about finding a pie chart on his blog, he hates them. Who doesn't these days?

The Yellow Pages Are Jealous

2009-08-27T06:41:00.000-07:00

I get so frustrated that time of year when the new phone books are delivered, laying sadly in a yellow plastic bag across the driveway. Not only are they heavy to lug to your house, but you have to throw out, cough, excuse me, recycle (let's be green here) and make room for the new ones. Sadly, our year-old phone books look like they are still hot off the press. And who uses phone books still? In the age of 411 and whitepages.com, isn't anyone who's anyone not listed in those 1 million page directory bibles anyways? Next year when I get my new ones I know right where to take them, right up to Mr. Alex Queral in good ole Motown Philadelphia.

Under the radar for an unbelievable fourteen years, The Telegraph recently brought sculptor Alex Queral to our attention. Alex makes portraits out of the bound pages of telephone books. How did he get started in phone book art? About 14 years ago, he was out searching for wood for a new sculpture and came upon a bunch of old phone books kicked to the curb for trash pickup. Alex obviously feels the same way about throwing away phone books as I do and decided to find another use for them, so he picked them up and began to practice carving on them.

Since he began practicing, Alex has developed his skills and is now known for caricature portraits of celebrities. Alex explains his reasoning for carving faces in his artist statement:

" I carve the faces out of phone books because I like the three-dimensional quality that results and because of the unexpected results that occur working in this medium. The three-dimensional quality enhances the feeling of the pieces as an object as opposed to a picture. In carving and painting a head from a phone directory, I'm celebrating the individual lost in the anonymous list of thousands of names that describe the size of the community. In addition, I like the idea of creating something that is normally discarded every year into an object of longevity."

I'm sure you're wondering, how the heck do you carve a face into a phone book? Is it magic? Alex first sketches the person's face on a peice of paper, then lays it over the phonebook. He uses a razor blade to then carve away the many pages of the phonebook to create a three-dimensional look.

These portraits do take time. Alex is able to do about two carvings per month. His work was recently on display at the Philadelphia Airport.

I'm totally digging Alex's work, are you?

What do you want always? The good news or the bad news?

2009-08-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

I'm so sick of reading about sports betting....does anyone care for some parlay? joke, joke for Delawarean readers.

No, but seriously, media outlets are chock full of negativity. Back in January, I thought I'd never turn on a tv, pick up a paper or turn on a radio without hearing, recession ever again. Last summer it was gas prices. And just when we thought we might be seeing some positive stories, we get hit with a second wave of swine flu. So what's one to do to get some sunshine on a cloudy day. Go straight to the source.

In search of blogging topics, I've recently stumbled onto a couple of sites that are dedicated to none other than happy, optimistic, smilely face worthy news. So I thought I'd share some of them with you to make your Tuesday more terrific.

HappyNews.com What you see is what you get on happynews.com. Similar to a CNN.com except a different picture of Obama isn't rotated on the homepage every twenty minutes. You can browse through the stories by different subjects such as health, sports, arts & entertainment and even environment. I just read about a Chihuahua in Oregon saving its owners from a fire. Now that pup is worthy of a Lassie meet and greet.

Darynkagan.com Who the heck is Daryn Kagan? Daryn Kagan might have shared a news story with you in the past as a CNN anchor for many years. A few years back, CNN decided not to renew her contract. But that didn't get Daryn down. She opened up this on-line community to shared positive and inspiring stories. I was almost inspired to enter the restaurant industry after I read that Johnny Depp recently left a $4000 tip in a Chicago restaurant.

Gimundo.com I found this site the most whimsical and visually appealing. In addition to news and features, Gimundo features tons of videos for the YouTubers and a great Stuff we like section with places you can visit, things you can purchase and books you can read to make your world a bit happier. They also do a weekly giveaway. I'm definitely eyeing the Beau Bain Bath Bomb Collection they're giving away to three subscribers this week.

If those sites don't work for you, I know what will do the trick....a happy baby face!

How could you ever resist?

Talk About Some "Pop" Art

2009-08-18T10:02:00.000-07:00

I can't decide if this story is intriguing, funny or just plain ridiculous, but the Chicago dailies have been burning with this story the past couple of days so I have to share it with you. Apparently Michael Jackson fans have been rushing to the Field Museum in Chicago recently to see a statue of a limestone bust, which dates from the New Kingdom Period between 1550 B.C. and 1050 B.C., (we're talking King Tut time period here) and has been on display at the museum since 1988. Why you ask? Because the bust has a striking resemblance to Michael Jackson himself. The limestone is currently on display in the "Inside Ancient Egypt" exhibit at the Field. The limestone statue has gaunt cheeks and - most strikingly - a tipless nose.

Since Jackson's death, mourners have rushed to the exhibit to pay tribute to him. Fortunately Field has the daily crowd of 4,500 visitors under control by placing the bust in a glass case, avoiding any kissing or touching of the Jackson look-alike.

Some commenters have gone so far as to suggest Jackson used the bust as a model for his own face. However, a museum spokeman said he had no idea whether or not Jackson ever visited the museum.

So what is up with the nose? James Phillips, curator at the Field, states, " We believe the model is missing a nose because early Christians or Muslims removed noses from paintings and models to make them non-human. "This was because it was against their religion to depict human beings."

Who knows, but I promise you I'm closing the book on Michael Jackson entries. What's the phrase, "laid to rest" ?

Rome Prefers Not To Paint The Town

2009-08-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

I'm going to refrain from turning this entry into an ode to my most favorite place in the entire universe, Italy (in particular, Roma), because I could go on and on and on and on and on. There's something majestic about that country from the olive oil, limoncello, abundance of Pucci scarves and Fendi bags to very beautiful monuments and landmarks that bring us back to a time when the thought of a lightbulb or even an ipod didn't exist. I studied in Rome in college (once again, I'm not going to rant on about my love affair with this country) and was flabbergasted at the idea that you could enjoy a cappuccino (or a gelato if you so please, and who doesn't?) outside a cafe in a piazza directly across the street from the Colosseum, bringing you from the 21st century right back to the 1st Century. Michael J. Fox wouldn't need a Delorian in this city.

To my delight on my most recent trip to Italy this past May, not much had changed. However, I was disappointed in the worsening of the graffiti problems in Naples and Rome, and all over the country for that matter. So many people work day in and day out to preserve and protect this history for our future generations and then someone with an aerosol can comes through in the night and "tags" (slang for partaking in graffiti art) it. But graffiti isn't just covering my Spanish Steps, it's all over the city, which has caused frustration for both Romans and tourists. People often attribute graffiti with bad neighborhoods and crime, which can cause discomfort for many roaming the city day or night.

Italian government officials have long recognized graffiti as a problem, but Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno is getting fed us from just fining caught "can-handed" artists. He wants them to clean their act up and their street art-literally. A national law he's proposing would force those who deface monuments and private property to remove their scribblings and tags instead of paying fines. Earlier this year, an amendment was made to the public safety bill stating that graffiti writers caught for a second offence face a possible jail term of six months to two years and fines ranging from 1,500 to 10,000 euros. However, the Italian legal system is already overflowing with delayed court cases and the prisons are full, leaving most of these graffiti artists off the hook. Gianni believes that forcing a cleanup will kill two birds with one stone.

Street art has long been a topic for debate. I applaud government efforts to provide designated spaces for graffiti artists to work, but I strongly believe a majority of graffiti artists out there have too much free time on their hands. I look at it this way, I wouldn't go into Michael's and start using their Plaster of Paris to make myself a wall hanging. Why? Because it's not my property, and those walls aren't those artists own either. And there ya have it. Enjoy the weekend, stay out of trouble!

You Wanna Piece of MJ?

2009-08-11T11:50:00.001-07:00

Better empty out your pockets, but I doubt they could hold $800,000; which is the starting bid for Andy Warhol's portrait of Michael Jackson, titled Green Michael Jackson.

Starting Wednesday, the Vered Gallery of East Hamption NY will display the Warhol MJ portrait in Beverly Hills, CA. The piece, will be available for private viewing by appointment only (and if you do call, I wouldn't say, "Oh, we're just browsing.") Bidding ends on August 18th at 8 PM EST.

The piece is legit, with not one but two stamps of approval by the Estate of Andy Warhola nd the Andy Warhol Foundation. With all the "pop" art (nice pun) out there of Michael Jackson, why is this piece so important? It was made in 1984 (my birth year, fancy that?) after the wild success of his Thriller video. It features a green background with Michael in a red shirt. Time Magazine commissioned the portrait for a March 1984 issue cover, that included a yellow background. It's a warming piece of Michael's history, depicting him at the height of his career in a way we all wish to remember him, smiling and entertaining.

It's hard to say at what price the bidding will end, but I know it'll be far from $800,000. The most ever paid for a Warhol piece was $71.7 million for “Green car crash - Green burning car”.

Shedding A New Concept

2009-08-10T13:23:00.000-07:00

Many people probably have the same picture in mind when they think of an art gallery. White walls, hardwood floors, wide open spaces. Focus on the art not on the place right? Well over in Berlin, Germany, the largest city in the country has just opened the smallest gallery in the country. And what better to call this 1.5 square meter sized gallery but The Smallery.

The Smallery is a small, purpose-built garden shed that manages to fit 24 pieces of art in its space. All of the pieces are small, like the space. The concept of The Smallery comes from PULK Berlin, a creative network team of professionals working on advertising, design, architecture and more. The Smallery's first exhibition opened this past Saturday, featuring pieces by internationally successful illustrators from NY, Toronto, L.A., Barcelona, Hamburg, Munich, Vegby, Sweden, and Berlin (obvi). The Smallery is sitting on one of the last empty pieces of land in the city.

If you don't plan on visiting Berlin this month, you can still get your hands on one of the pieces being shown. All pieces are going to be reproduced in 50 high-quality prints and available for a great deal of 30 Euro (X1.4 =$42 USD).

I firmly believe the Euros get it right everytime. Take out the overhead of a large space and make it pint size and intimate. The idea of the Smallery makes me want to clear the Miracle Grow out of my backyard shed and throw an art party. Granted your max capacity is going to be small, and might cause some long lines if the Smallery turns out to be popular (which I have every belief it will be), the best clubs are always hard to get into, right?

Annie Get Your Checkbook

2009-08-06T07:49:00.000-07:00

If you have ever picked up an issue of Vanity Fair magazine, chances are you've seen photographer Anne Leibovitz's work. Between the infamous nude photograph of a pregnant Demi Moore to a young promiscuous looking Miley Cyrus, and who could forget the first photos of Tom and Katie Cruise's daughter Suri (that hair, those eyes!), Anne has taken some serious shots in her day. Her career started in the 70s with the Rolling Stones and she's still hot today with a recent book "At Work" making best-seller lists everywhere. NYT's describes her work at best saying, "Her pictures do not denigrate or disparage. Instead they document the celebrity circus with an acutely literal vision, submitting the famous to playfully acrobatic postures and various acts of clownishness."

However, being good with the camera doesn't translate to being good with the finances. Leibovitz is facing serious money troubles. Art Capital Group has sued the famous photographer over a sales agreement and a 24 million dollar loan. The loan was initially taken out for "tax liens, mortgages and unpaid bills." Leibovitz pledged collateral for this loan and faces the possibility of losing her Civil War-era town houses in Greenwich Village, a home in upstate New York and the rights to decades of her work. Her archives are valued at over 50 mil and Art Capital Group is already shopping the rights around.

Leibovitz isn't know for luxuries in her personal life and the extravagances (elephants anyone) required for many of her shoots are paid for by the employers and publications. So why the need for such a big loan? Noone from Leibovitz's camp has comments on this, so we're stuck without answers.

Finance troubles seem to always loom over the art world, especially professional artists. It takes more than just a camera (and probably a very very very expensive fancy schmancy camera) to take those photographs we see in the checkout aisle at Acme. It takes staff, equipment, space, processing, time, energy, all of which aren't free. It's unfortunate that a successful photographer, Leibovitz, who commands tens of thousands of dollars for a shoot is in this sort of predicament. Maybe she should take my mother's advice, "Don't spend beyond your means." 24 mil is alot of means though...

The Wild Things Lurk In Philly

2009-08-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

“That’s the best fun in all of this—the layers of meaning, the layers of storytelling.”- Maurice Sendak

I don't think anyone in our generation hasn't been on an adventure with Max in his wolf costume through the wild forest conquering the "wild things" by staring into their yellow eyes without blinking once. Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak, was a staple in our household, my brother's favorite ( I even bought him a t-shirt with the cover illustration on it for his 21st birthday last year) and was read over and over and over again. So many people enjoy this story that Mr. Spike Jonzes made a feature film of the book, which is supposedly hitting theatres this October.

But enough with the movie talk, since we've already got Lorax on our to-do list. Maurice Sendak is one of the most famous illustrators/authors of our time, having over 80 books to his name and winning almost every children's literature award . As much as the story of the Wild Things was entertaining, it was the whimsical and large illustrations that captured your imagination. But where are all of these manuscripts, drawings and illustrations? I found out today, they aren't too far away at Philadelphia's Rosenback Museum of Art. Sendak chose the Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia, PA to be the repository for his work in the early 1970s thanks to shared literary and collecting interests. His collection of nearly 10,000 works of art, manuscripts, books and ephemera, has been the subject of many exhibitions at the Rosenbach and has been enjoyed by visitors of all ages.

Unfortunately, we all missed a huge exhibition of his works, There's a Mystery There: Sendak on Sendak (which I believe is heading to San Fran) , however, a new show of Maurice's illustrations, A Sendakian Sample: Drawings A to z,. This exhibition features 26 different themes (as in the 26 letters of the alphabet, duh), from Acrobatics for A and Zilch for Z. Something is featured from almost all 80 of his books and offers great insight into the themes that ties his works together. It's only on view through September 13th, so be sure not to miss. On that note, I think I might have some Chicken Soup with Rice for lunch today.

Oh the places you'll go....

2009-07-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

My claim to fame is that my first spoken word was "book." Definitely an intellectual step up from "Mommy" and "Daddy", don't you think?

I loved books so much, that I asked for them all the time, to be read to of course (I wasn't THAT smart, ok?) Well, Dr. Seuss was always a favorite. I read (when I finally reached that age) One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and Green Eggs and Ham over and over and over again until I had the whole book memorized. I eventually moved on to other Dr. Seuss books such as the Sneetches (I would have wanted a star on my belly if possible) and Oh! The Places You'll Go, but I was always drawn to The Lorax. The story of the big bad Onceler (who we never do see) and the Truffula Trees and the far end of town where the grickle grass grows is fascinating and still today serves as a wonderful introduction for youth to protecting the environment.

Well there's great news for Lorax and Seuss film fans everywhere. Yesterday, Variety reported that Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment will produce a 3-D CG animated feature of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. The target release date for the film is March 2, 2012, the posthumous birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, who wrote under the Dr. Seuss pen name. I think the release is timely because of the "green" trend at the moment.

Dr. Seuss has hit the big screen a few times in recent years in The Grinch, Cat in the Hat and Horton Hears a Who, but along with the excitement are the critics. Seuss' widow, Audrey Geisel has even spoken of her displeasure and has refused any more live-action adaptations of Seuss books. Either way, I find it fascinating when popular culture works have lasting power through generations. The lessons in his books are endearing and can be carried through your life.

All I know is, when Lorax hits the theatres, I'll speak for the trees.

Just a lift of the finger....

2009-07-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

is all you'll need for access to over 250 works in London's National Gallery. Last month, the Gallery launched a new iphone application, called Love Art, that allows iphone and iTouch users to explore 250 of the Gallery's best and well-known paintings right from their phone. In addition to zoom features to take an even closer look at the fine details, Love Art users can enjoy over three hours of video and audio commentary with stories behind all their masterpieces. Some of the works featured are by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Vincent van Gogh, Rembrandt, and Jan van Eyck. The application is designed to appeal to art enthusiasts and novices alike, giving peaks and hints into these works the eye might not have noticed on its own.

If you don't have an iPhone (like myself), you're not out of luck. The NG has also relaunched its website to offer a full-screen zoom function for the first time and allow users to browse the gallery room by room. The National Gallery is the first major art gallery in the world to offer a mini-tour using an iPhone application.

Love Art can be downloaded from Apple’s online iTunes Store, one of the world’s leading sites for downloading audio content. You can also read more about the app itself an Antennae Audio who was a partner in the project, here.

It's becoming more and more crucial for Museums to incorporate technology into their sphere to stay accessible, relevant and up to date with their audiences. (I finally got the Biggs on facebook about a month ago, so if you're perusing the site, be sure to become out fan!) Love Art is a huge step for Museums in general to expand their global audience. London's National Gallery is a free museum anyways, so why should we have to visit it physically to enjoy all the treasures.

Who's The Wackiest Of Them All??

2009-07-23T13:29:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love Ellen? Ever since she made her comeback in Finding Nemo a few years ago, she's been on a roll with her daily talk show dancing up a storm. The best thing about her show, it's fun...and there's no doubt about it. So it's fitting that our next partnership/contest/exhibition/shin dig is all about fun...because the winner is going to hang with Ellen on the Ellen Degeneres Show this September.

Drum roll please..... presenting Ellen's Wacky Chair Contest! Here's the low down,

Delaware State Fair loves kids, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of Delaware. WMDT loves the Delaware State Fair as can be seen in the constant coverage all ten days of the Fair in the Summer. Delaware State Fair and WMDT (an ABC Affiliate) decided to host Ellen's Wacky Chair Contest with the Boys and Girls Clubs of DE. DSF corralled 10 local artists to go to the ten B&G clubs to brainstorm ideas to create the wackiest chair for Ellen on her show. The Adirondack chairs were generously donated by Tyndall's Casual Furniture. The artists did their best to create the chairs for each club by incorporating all of the children's ideas.

So now we have ten ridiculously wacky chairs competing for a chance to be seen on the Ellen Degeneres Show this September. And let me tell you, they are wacky. Castles, mosquito nets, sneakers, Ferris wheels, roller coasters.... the list goes on and on. Who decides who is the wackiest? You and me and everyone! Voting has already begun and can be done here. The first vote is free, and all sub sequential votes are $1 a pop. All proceeds will go to Boys & Girls Clubs in DE (70%) and the Biggs Museum (30%). Even better, one voter will be the lucky winner of airfare, accommodations and two tickets to the Ellen Show in September...hello elay! (L.A.) The more you vote the more chances you have to win that trip, so get voting stat.

Want to see all of the chairs? Well you can click here, but the PDF doesn't do it justice. You can see all ten chairs on display at the Delaware State Fair FFA/4-H Building (aka, the Ice Centre) starting today through Saturday, August 1st. After that, all ten chairs are coming north to Dover and will be on display at the Biggs Museum through the end of August. Voting can be made at the Fair and the Museum. The winning chair will be drawn on August 28th.

May the wackiest chair win. I'm so excited! Can you tell I'm excited?

Dash Snow, American Artist: July 27, 1981 - July 13, 2009

2009-07-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

Dash Snow, a downtown manhattan hipster artist, mostly known for his start in graffiti art died last week from a heroin overdose. And there you have it.

I'd never even heard of Dash until last week, when the art news medias went crazy with reports of his death. Dash is a member of the de Menils family, oil people from Houston who are known for their extensive collection of modern art. His great-grandmother was heiress to the Schlumberger oil fortune and his own mother is Uma Thurman's half-sister. (What's the song? Money, money money. Monay!) At only 13 he was sent away to Reform School for not so good behavior and at 15 he was released, never to return home. He ventured on to none other than the Lower East Side in Manhattan and started the Irak graffiti crew, tagging the walls of the city with his name 'Sace'. He journaled his life with Poloroid photographs and was encouraged to exhibit his photographs, which is where he got his start as a professional "artist."

There were tons of critics though, deeming him the poloroid picture taker with the drug habit. His art was definitely reflective of his lifestyle. Yet, none of the obits really talk about his "work." New York Times stated in Dash's obit, “Sexuality, violence and life’s fragility were frequent themes in Mr. Snow’s work, but there was also an air of exuberant misbehavior.” The UK Telegraph describes one of his exhibitions in which Dash experimented making a "hamster nest" installation by destroying 2000 phone books over five nights.

Stephen Marche from the Star took note that Dash had joined the 27 club, saying, "Twenty-seven is supposed to be the most glamorous age to die." Dash joins Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, all of whom died at age 27.

After perusing and googling Dash for a while this morning looking at his work, I have this strange feeling that I saw a slideshow of his polaroids at MOMA last winter. His artwork is shocking and left me with butterflies in my stomach, and they're not the same kind I get when I look at Johnny Depp. However, I don't think Dash seemed to care at the thought of social disapproval. I think he probably stopped caring when he decided not to go home after reform school. Is his way of shocking us with his work the same as a painter creating something beautiful just to have it be easy on the eyes? I'm not too sure.

Everyone seemed to think Dash was on the wagon as he was recently in rehab for drugs this past Spring. The news of his death is unfortunately cliche. All I know is this, the world we live in is a fascinating place to experience, enjoy or hate through all of our senses. Fascinating enough on its own that there's no need to indulge in substances to enhance that experience. As much as I'd like to think that Dash's death would "shock" his bohemian circle enough to wake them up out of their drugged haze as his own art shocked the rest of the world, I don't see it happening anytime soon.

People Do Really Live In A Box

2009-07-17T07:16:00.000-07:00

I must be on a Modern performance art kick this week.

Chinese artist Xing Xin has locked himself in small iron box about the size of a refrigerator on Venice's Murano Island on Monday night and plans to camp out there for 49 days during the 53rd Venice Art Biennale. What?

Xing's reasoning for hibernation is a protest against China's 30 year old one-child policy to keep population under control. What is Xing going to be doing in the box? Not some Sudoku my friend.. he is counting the characters in the 150 books that constitute China's nine-year old education program. Supposedly he will not be freed until he completes his task. Wouldn't you hate to lose track?

I don't know if you would call it "enjoy", maybe "view" is a better term, but the public can view Xing inside the iron box on two waterproof, outdoor televisions. The public also need not worry about Xing's well-being as the box is equipped to allow the artist to be fed and relieve himself. He also has two assistants monitoring him throughout the "work."

Xing Xin said of this demonstration, “Maybe because of the loneliness in my deep heart, I want to tell something. Or maybe because I am the only child, I want to show off my uniqueness.”

The title of the project is fitting as"The Black Box." Spazio Berengo, a new glass museum opening later this year in Venice is funding the project. Xing plans to repeat the project in a glass box, ridding the necessity for LED tv's.

I think Xin's box project is leaning on the political protest side more than the art performance side. However, it's a clear expression of outcry through art. I'm anxious to see the outcome of this project. I highly doubt the Chinese will be able to add more kiddies to their crews in 49 days, but it will spark conversation and debate, bringing attention to the policy, which I'm sure is what Xing is trying to stir up.

Your grand total is 30,000 pounds, paper or plastic?

2009-07-15T13:16:00.000-07:00

I'm going to have to take a trip to Londontown soon and visit the Tate because they are burning up the Art news circuits recently.....this time for one of their recent acquisitions for 30,000 pounds, which happens to be a 70 pound total grocery store receipt. I'm not joking. Welcome to the world of modern art.

The receipt, or should I say work of art, entitled Monochrome Till Receipt (White), is by artist Ceal Floyer. It consists of a receipt for 49 items purchased by the artist herself at Morrisons (a British grocery store) for a total of £70.32. All of the items on the receipt are white: including sugar, eggs and rice. Monochrome is on display at London's Tate Britain in a new exhibition, Tate's Classified: Contemporary Art exhibition, a collection of the museum's recent acquisitions.

Floyer describes the work as a modern still life where objects are imagined rather than shown and invites to try and conjure up what they will look like. Floyer now lives in Germany, but didn't leave the country without giving specific intructions, such as a list of instructions from the artist, stating that a new receipt must be used every time it is shown. Tate references Monochrome by saying the work is a reference "to the tradition and supposed purity of modernist monochromatic painting. A shopping receipt is a visually unimpressive record of a transaction. Displayed on a wall, we are invited to view it in different ways, beyond the act of shopping itself." The Tate will not disclose how much it paid for the work until the publication of its annual report in September, but three years ago the receipt was estimated to be worth £30,000.

I just really don't have much of a comment on this one. Art appreciation is a complex matter isn't it?

No Dress Rehearsal Required

2009-07-13T07:58:00.000-07:00

I'm not much on plays, or musicals for that matter. The combination of a dark room with music playing puts me right to sleep, unless it's STOMP and I can't seem to find the Advil in my purse. But there is a whole other world of performance art out there that is extremely intriguing. Prior to this gig at the Biggs, my idea of performance art didn't extend much beyond the Season Six Sex and the City episode, when Carrie and Charlotte visit a gallery where a girl is sitting without food or water for as many days as she can. To me, it was just plain strange. What would possess this woman to do this? What message was she trying to convey?

We might never find out what that artist was doing on Sex and the City, but we do know what Paola Pivi was trying to convey in one of her most recent performances at the Tate Modern.....nothing. Pivi is an Italian artist living in Alaska who is know for her surreal art, taking us away from the everyday realities and boredoms. She most recently took her art to a new level in terms of participation in 1000 at the Tate. She choreographed a performance that brought together 1,000 Brits to scream in unison at the Tate. Pivi wanted everyone to scream for whatever reason they wish (stress, anxiety, fear, anger...) and however they wish to. People of all sorts showed up to scream, including an organization screaming for a Free Tibet.

The performance went down as simple as it sounds A cue of "one, two, three" and 1,000 people screamed, followed by a round of applause as if they had just gotten through Phantom of the Opera. Best of all though, anyone can see it thanks to YouTube.

Pivi states in an interview, “I liked the notion of all these different people coming together to perform something completely unrehearsed." Pivi says her performance is not intended “to startle anyone” and does not have any “specific meaning”. After hearing this, 1,000 makes complete sense. Everyone created their own reaction to it, their own experience. But take all those provoking emotions and put them together, and it creates just one noise, a scream that blends so perfectly is caused a roaring applause.

The Biggs is doing their own community art project in August called Wish for the World. Everyone is invited to First Friday in August to write down their wish for the world, which will be hung on wish trees throughout the Museum.

When the boss is away, the music will play.

2009-07-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

I think to best define my July's at work are called, post-Gala depression: a race from December to the 3rd Saturday in May for our annual fundraiser, followed by an annual June sabbatical of vacation. I'm officially back in the saddle, but with Linda (the boss) and Ryan (curator) gone this week, it's been way too quiet in the Biggs offices. One way to liven up the joint? Music, of course, but not in the sort of "this is giving me a headache, the music is too loud in Abercrombie" kind of way. I'm not up to date with technology and don't own one of those portable ipod speakers, so I turn to on-line streaming, as it's free and I'm always surprised as to what is coming up next.

As for my radio click, Pandora is an old faithful, just type in who you're into at the moment and bam, you've got yourself a customized play list of songs by that artist and by other artists similar in nature. This was created by the Music Genome Project, a group of musicians and music technologists that study and analyze the DNA of songs, which includes everything from melody, harmony and rhythm, to instrumentation, orchestration, arrangement, lyrics, and of course the rich world of singing and vocal harmony.

As much as I love Pandora, my Phil Collins playlist was getting kind of stale. So I was exhilarated to discover the blog, I Listen to Everything, in a magazine this morning. It's written by music lover Diana Miller, who is the talent executive at the Carson Daly Show. She has the awesome day job of booking the live performances for the show. This gal just plain loves music and is open to everything, rock to rap, unknown indie to the latest Britney. I Listen to Everything is for the people who might be sick of their current ipod tracks and are looking for something new, but need a littler steering in the right direction. Along the right side of her blog you can listen to her play list, which consists of all the music she's blogged about. The word mix doesn't even begin to describe the mixture of music in the play list. As for her blog entries she does artist profiles on bands she's booked and bands she is currently obsessed with. Her approach is not typical of most music blogs, as most tend to be theoretical..."you should listen to this because of his...blah blah blah." and leaving you with the feeling, "Am I even cool enough to listen to this?" In I Listen to Everything, Diana serves almost like a personal cheerleader saying "Come on, put in the ear plugs and rock out!" So if you might be a bit nervous or intimidated by high-end music critics, don't worry and take the plunge.

Music is fun, it sounds good and deserves to be enjoyed. Intern Kath and I have been jamming all morning. Maybe the boss will take off next week too.... on that note, I'm going to get back to work.

Oh What I Would Give....

2009-07-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

To have a crowd like this in the Biggs one day....

Oh ya know, just another summer day at the Louvre. I'll give you one guess as to who all these touristas are looking at....Mona Lisa obviously. Who cares about the rest of the place? As must as I wish I was in Paris this week, sadly these are not my photographs.

They are however of another blogger's, Sebastian Puig, of C-Monster.net, a fantastic art blog I just discovered. Based out of Brooklyn, NY, this blog covers anything and everything weird, exciting and interesting about art. Sebastion was asked to write for a companion guide to a famous novel by Dan Brown and was challenged to try and figure out which painting in the Grand Gallerie could have been yanked off the wall in a key murder scene. He clearly was not alone in the Museum. Check out his entry here.

It Don't Matter If You're Black Or White: MJ Forever

2009-07-07T07:58:00.001-07:00

I've been debating in my noggin that past few days on how to best "blog" about Michael Jackson...him, his death, his history, his remembrance, and most importantly his music, which is his art. It's been a long time since his Thriller days as we've most recently been associating the words "court" and "plastic surgery" with Michael Jackson, but between the 1.6 million fans vying for a ticket to his memorial today in Los Angeles and the fact that it feels like 1984 again on the radio ( I head Man in the Mirror three times yesterday), it is clear that most of the world is celebrating his accomplishments by dis aggregating them from portions of his life most likely ruined by his fame.

This disaggregation is an important topic of discussion when referring to Michael Jackson and many other artists today and in our history we may find morally objectionable. Liz Smith of the Washington Post wrote a great article on how Michael's talent triumphed his eccentricities. She questions whether or not the public is "selling out on our own ethics" by quoting retired music critic Dimitri Drobatschewsky, "Unfortunately, there are so many 'unsavory characters' in the world of art, science, literature and general culture that if you boycotted their given genius, there would be precious little art left to enjoy." She goes on to make comparisons to Amy Winehouse's souful and beautiful voice alongside her barefoot drunk antics in London and Woody Allen's films and weirdness and state that Michael Jackson's music isn't a reflection of his personal life.

I also enjoyed a discussion on theartblog started by Libby on the physical transformation of Michael Jackson over the years, suggesting that a performer or a performance artist is the art, not just a creator of the art. She discusses that Michael was not only the medium, but the message itself and question whether or not his many plastic surgeries could ever be considered art. I especially enjoy the comment, "Van Gogh cut off his ear....Michael cut off his nose."

Love him or leave him, MJ has made a lasting impact on our world. He's created a culture that has left us with the moonwalk, a white glove and a Thriller video. Artists of all time can admire the power of one person to use a medium such as performance art to change the way the world looks at certain things.

Crossing the line?

2009-07-06T07:12:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-03T09:56:00.001-07:00

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?

2009-07-02T08:34:00.000-07:00

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....

2009-04-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

*** 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...

2009-03-06T07:47:00.000-08:00

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!

Denver Says Neigh to Airport Mustang

2009-03-04T13:40:00.000-08:00

Snow, mountains, and skiing come to mind when I think of Denver. I've never traveled there due to my lack of appreciation for winter sports, but I'm sure it's lovely for those who love to hit the slopes. And as a TravelZoo subscriber, you can't beat the airfare out there. Denver has become an increasingly popular place to visit and live...one of my dear college roommates just left my girlfriends and I in the East Coast dust to head out there. So why not make a huge statement at the Denver International Airport, for those both coming and going?

Well they certainly had something in mind, for a long time in fact. A 32 Ft Metallic Blue Mustang greets the 28 million travelers at the Denver Airport each year. However, the bright blue face and fire engine red eyes make this mustang unlike your typical fairy tale unicorn you'd like to ride on. Viewed so unfriendly, many Denver residents and visitors have deemed it the Devil Horse or the Satan Stallion. So many Denver resident are turned off by Mustang, they've started a Facebook page petition (Called Bye Bye Blue Mustang), with over 7 thousand fans, to remove it from the airport, saying it isn't what they wish to be the first thing visitors see when they arrive.

If only it'd be so easy to remove it, as Mustang's history spans over 15 years. In 1992, the City of Denver commissioned Luis Jimenez, an award winning artist to create a 32 ft horse sculpture for $300,000 by 1996, to be displayed at the Airport. The City of Denver originally wanted a stampede of buffalo, but because of their near extinction, the plans were changed to a mustang, a wild horse to symbolize the West. The Mustang was an animal that provided long distance travel, similar to airplanes. After several legal battles over the location of Mustang, the sculpture was finally installed in 2008 after being completed by Jimenez's sons, Adan and Orion. Unfortunately, Jimenez did not live to see his Mustang amongst (as he put it), the purple mountain's majesty. Jimenez was killed when a section of the unfinished horse fell from a hoist at his Hondo, New Mexico, studio.

Jimenez has definitely left her legacy/mark in Denver. Although some are outraged, a city policy states that any petition to move the sculpture would not be considered until 2013, giving people a chance to become used to any public art. Either way, people care and they're engaged by this work of art. It's sparked conversation and is evoking feeling, which is what art is all about, isn't it?

Just close little Johnny's and Jane's eyes if they look out the window when you land in Denver. Who wants nightmares on a ski trip, right?

You're a Biggs Shot....In My Opinion

2009-03-03T13:13:00.000-08:00

March sure came roaring in with a blizzard, and Biggs Shot is definitely taking storm at the Biggs Museum this week!

The 80 selected works from the Biggs Shot Photography competition are being hung on the walls as we speak (or type and click rather) and our inbox is filled with RSVPs to the First Look party on Friday. Why so popular? It's your community, your region, on the walls! Over 500 works were entered by artists from throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Hence to say, there were many that didn't make Stephen Perloff's cut...but we do only have so much wall space to hang on.

I couldn't help but wonder which works weren't selected, so I snuck into our Curator's computer files and clicked around. There were definitely some framers and keepers in my mind! So below, please find my "Close, But No Cigar: Sarah's Almost Biggs Shots 2009" If I had my own Museum with an unlimited amount of walls, you'd be there, smack center.

This girl is just dying to get out into the world....

If hailing from Dover, you should know where this is behind the blur?

Purple reflections of a snowscape...love it.

Ahoy Matey.

We've all had this moment... i did yesterday baking brownies.

Crisp fall afternoon after school.

you can feel the breeze

How could you resist this face?

Splash!

Even bigger splash!

An even harder face to resist.

Smithsonian Makes U.S. A Deal

2009-02-23T13:57:00.000-08:00

When all our friends in D.C. (Reps, Sens and Obama, oh my!) were laying out the $800 billion Stimulus a few weeks ago, one of the Amendments proposed by Oklahoma Republican Senator, Tom Coburn, sent the art world up in arms. Mr. Coburn wanted to eliminate the $50 million appropriation for the National Endowment for the Arts, prohibiting stimulus funds going to any museum or cultural center. His amendment lumped us museums and art people in with casinos, golf courses, zoos and aquariums. Now, no offense to casinos, I love a good penny machine every so often, but I don't think I've ever put an art museums on the same level as Caesar's Palace in terms of offerings.

50 Million isn't even a penny when it's split throughout the entire country. We're talking 800 Billion here total. But fortunately, it's better than nothing. On Jan 28th, the House passed the bill, that included the grant to the National Endowment of the Arts.

This march to Washington by members of the art world a few weeks ago (my inbox was flooded with please so sign petitions) has brought up a question that seems to be looming during this time of economic hardship. Are the arts necessary? Why do we need them? The Smithsonian thought, well why not see where the arts were during the Great Depression? Did they help us along? Did they inspire us? Did they contribute to the economic vitality of our country?

Beginning Friday and through January 2010, the Smithsonian will host, 1934: A Deal for Artists, an exhibition featuring a selection of 56 paintings funded by the Public Works of Art Program in the dark days following the great depression. After a year at the Smithsonian, the exhibition will tour the US for three years, giving many the opportunity to see the show. The Public Works of Art Program was established by Franklin Roosevelt and was the first federal government program to support the arts nationally. Federal officials in the 1930s understood how essential art was to sustaining America’s spirit and assisted financially strained artists by commissioning them to create works depicting the "American Scene" for public use and view in schools, libraries and post offices. The artists pained subjects that were recognizable, of landscapes and rural life, that reminded Americans in 1934 the country's beauty and values we cherish this country for.

A New Deal for Artists most certainly underlines how arts can help restore confidence in the country. The Coburn Ammendment doubted the argument that arts and culture can play a positive role in the government's recovery efforts in an economic downturn. Hey, Coburn, we're in a bad state, but nowhere near where we were in 1934...and good ole' Roosevelt still threw us a few bones.

Ok, as Linda Danko, Biggs Museum Director, would say, "I'm getting off my podium now."

But.....go see this exhibition!

Art Right Outside Your Door

2009-02-20T08:38:00.000-08:00

My office and my Safeway grocery store are about the same distance from my home, and I think I spend as much time walking Safeway's aisles as I do typing at my desk. But I had to think twice the other day as to which place I was when I stumbled upon this beautiful work of art.

OK, ok, I know, it's not exactly Schoonover, but if you've just grumbled in the produce section about $6 strawberries, wouldn't this brighten up your day?

Have a nice weekend!

U.S. Mint Calling....

2009-02-19T06:39:00.001-08:00

Delaware Governor Jack Markell got a phone call not too long ago asking him to select one favorite and three alternate Delaware national sites to be the bottom face of the new State quarter. In 2010, the Mind will begin releasing five new quarter designs annually based on the order in which the states gained federal designation....so that makes us first!

So how kind of Jack to ask us, Delaware citizens, "what should be on the quarter?" From now until February 26th, anyone can vote on a site for the quarter. This is an interesting question to ponder, and an important one....we definitely want to put our best asset on there to impress that man in Arkansas who just got change back for his cup of coffee.....he might just consider a trip to Rehoboth one day. Personally, the Charcoal Pit on 202 would be my first pick (kidding!), but your vote must be a national landmark (meaning it must appear on the National Register of Historic Places and National and Wildlife Refuges)

If you are scratching your head and might not want to look up the sites, the Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs has given us a list of possibilities based on their local and national significance. However, you can still nominate a different one of your choice. See below.

Old State House

John Dickinson Mansion

Fort Christina

Howard High School

Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church

New Castle Court House

New Castle Historic District

Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge

Bombay Hook Wildlife Refuge

I'm torn between Old State House and Bombay Hook. The Old State House is so significant to our history, but Bombay hook makes for a pretty quarter doesn't it?

Vote here today. You can vote until 5:00 p.m. on February 26th and can as often as you like!

No bobby pictures, please.

2009-02-17T10:29:00.000-08:00

Don't be a "stupid American" the next time you visit London. One of our favorite photos to take when visiting the home of Queen E, Will, Harry and Charles other than Big Ben is of the British bobby (police) and the guards. However, a new British anti-terrorism law might leave you with buying a printed postcard as your only option. The new law, that went into effect last week, makes it a crime to “elicit, publish or communicate information” about British police or military personnel, ie. taking photos. You might not even want to sneak one in, because if you're caught, you could face up to 10 years in prison or a hefty fine.

Why would London do such a thing? The act is aimed to preventing terrorist groups from taking reconnaissance shots and protect the police. But photographers say it could be misused and prevent police abuse from being documented. Photogs were so upset about the new act, about 200 of them protested outside of Scotland Yard's headquarters.

This is quite an interesting news bit as we, the Biggs, are coming up on the opening of the Biggs Shot exhibition next month. Although photography is a form of art and interpretation, it is a clear documentation of an event, place, or person. It is unfortunate that photography has been used in ways that have caused many of us to be unable to photograph that world, including those cute bobbys. Does this align with the constant celebrity paparazzi problem? I think absolutely. What do we really have the right to photograph....is it only what it ours? or what we're told we can? Either way.... to me, and any other Euro traveler, there's plenty of other fantastic things to snap with my digi around London town, so I think i'll be fine (especially if it's helping me be safer on the transatlantic flight back to the U.S. of A.)

Artfully Dining on a Friday Evening

2009-02-09T18:41:00.000-08:00

From the great company down to the last bite of my slice of carrot cake, Friday evening at the Biggs was delightful! Each February, the Biggs hosts good friends (which includes anyone who wants to be our friend) for dinner and a side of art education in the Museum's galleries. As we began to plan out this year's program in August (we work with a bit of lead time) we were worried we wouldn't be able to top last year's Artful Dining, which was a first look/preview of the Delaware Silver Study Center. So when we were approached by the Schoonover gang to host their book launch, we jumped at the opportunity. Why wouldn't we want to celebrate the The Frank E. Schoonover Catalogue Raisonne, (a two-volume comprehensive catalogue of the works of American artist and illustrator Frank E. Schoonover (1877-1972), written by John Schoonover and Louise Schoonover Smith) when we hold one of the largest collections of his work on display to the public?

So fast track a few months later with some catering calls and an invitation and you've got yourself a sold-out event on a cold winter's night. Nearly 90 guests sat down for a family style dinner of Beef Bourguignon with Shiitake Mushrooms and Carmelized Pearl Onions and more. And believe me, when I say it was scrumptious.

Although many could have called it a night due to food coma, guests piled into the downstairs media room for a special viewing of Frank E. Schoonover: A Long Life in Art, a film produced by Sharon Baker of Wilmington’s own Teleductions. Sorry you missed out? I've got two suggestions for you: pre-order the catalogue and save the date for the next one!

Lexicon of the Day: Urban Gallery

2009-02-04T06:34:00.000-08:00

There's just something about murals. I don't know if it's their size, the detailing, the underlying message or the image but I'm drawn to them.

Last Saturday, I took an impromptu trip to Philadelphia to the Auto Show to see if I could trade my 100,000 + miles logged PT Cruiser for something new and shiny. Before I spent my early evening with Honda and Mercedes Benz (just looking!), I made a pit stop at the 9th Street Italian Market. My dad considers his run-through shopping spree every time he visits Philadelphia, cannolis at Termini, tomato pie from Sarcone's, and butter cookies from Isgro's... just as important as it would be riding Splash Mountain at Disney World. As much as I enjoyed the 2.5 million grams of sugar I consumed on Saturday, it was frigid cold walking down the city streets.

However, I was able to regain a positive view of the city of brotherly love whenever I walked by one of their fantastic murals. Although most of the murals I saw were historical, paying homage to great Philadelphian leaders, after a bit of research I discovered there is an organization dedicated to creating over 100 community murals each year to provide free, quality art education programs to youth at risk. The Philadelphia Mural Arts Program works to create murals to reflect the culture of the neighborhoods they are created in.

Across the pond in London, international real estate firm Hines and the Royal Academy Schools are shaking it up when trying to "showcase the close relationship that continues to exist between art, community, and architecture in developments that reshape the city skyline." They have launched an on-line competition, One Spirit Showcase, and have invited the public to vote for their favorite artwork from a slew of talented Royal Academy School students.

The winning artwork will be exhibited on London's largest urban gallery in the form of a super-sized canvas stretched across the southern side of a street in Central London. The winning artist's work will be displayed on the building, viewable from Piccadilly.

I won't tell you who I voted for, but I'll tell you to visit http://www.onespiritshowcase.com/ and cast your vote. Between canvases and murals, urban galleries are everywhere, giving sometimes a much-needed face lift to cityscapes. As for me, it put a bit more skip in my steps down those cold city streets.

You can walk the walk, but can you paint the walk?

2009-02-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

I've never really thought too much about the way my dog, Giulianova, walks. She actually sort of prances, on her tip-toes, tail wagging whenever she is called. But when it comes to left or right leg first, you've got me.

But apparently, we've known the way our four-legged friends have been walking since the 1880s, when Eadweard Muybridge's motion-captured photographs revealed the sequence of leg movements.....left hind leg moves forward, followed by the left foreleg, right hind leg, and right foreleg, in that particular order.

What does this have to do with art you ask? Alot, according to the New York Times in an article on January 26th. A study by Gabor Horvath of Eotvos University in Hungary and colleagues shows that artists, taxidermists, toy designers and others responsible for depicting animals have not gotten it right. 300 depictions of animals walking were analyzed. "Walking" is when two or more legs are touching the ground, as opposed to galloping, when all legs are lifted.

The finding, found in Current Biology, reported that almost half are wrong! We should be ashamed!

The researchers found it in their hearts to forgive the toy makers, but not so much to those in natural history museums and science publications. I think this is a pure example of "paying attention to detail", don't you agree? Wouldn't want to see an oil painting of you walking on your hands would you?

Good News From Washington!

2009-01-30T12:27:00.000-08:00

I like good news on a Friday.

The New York Times reported that The House approved $50 million in funds for the National Endowment for the Arts on Wednesday as part of its economic stimulus bill. The plan was passed by a vote of 244 to 188 and is expected to reach President Obama's desk by mid-February. The sum was not included in the Senate's version.

Robert Lynch, president and chief exec of Americans for the Art stated,“We hope Congress can come to a sensible consensus as the bill is prepared for its final vote,” “The arts are essential to the health and vitality of our communities, and it is fiscally sound policy to invest in our nation’s arts infrastructure.”

I hate to write about the "E" word (economy), mostly because this blog is reflective of how the Biggs feels about art: it's for everyone, whichever way you like it, and it's fun (ie, free museum days, white paper headdresses and buying cookies to help girl scout troops). But I'll always welcome encouragement from key people in our industry. Budget planning for FY09-10 is creeping up on my calendar, and a little rah rah is needed.

So anyways, there was a great article in the Wall Street Journal on Michael Conforti, the president of the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD). It was actually written by one of my favorite art bloggers, Lee Rosenbaum of CultureGrrl. Lee breezed through some of the battles art museums in the U.S. are up against, some of them that would make a museum staff member want to crawl under an antique chair and say "a donor can wake me up when the recession's over." LA, Detroit and New York museums are reducing programs, exhibitions and staffing. The Getty is on a job freeze. Even the LA Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and the National Academy Museum in New York were on the verge of going bust until getting bailed. Museums are even breaking the "cardinal rule" (as put by lee), and selling artwork for cash. Artwork has only been sold for buying other art in the past.

But Mr. Conforti puts us at ease by saying that this financially difficult period is, "a great time for art museums." They are, he said, "bellwethers for people at moments like this. We saw this happen after 9/11. If we are doing our jobs well, we're the places that people can turn to in times of instability. The reality is that the Metropolitan Museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Phoenix Art Museum are not going away."

I think he's right, we're not going anywhere. If anything we'll prove to be what we are here for more than ever before, a community resource.

Chanel A'head' of Fashion with Origami

2009-01-28T17:42:00.000-08:00

I'd give any to escape the slush that is the state of Delaware today. January is almost over but we've still got February to go (even with only 28 days). Where would I go to escape this dreariness you ask? To Paris of course, for the haute couture Fall 2009 fashion shows with a seat next to Anna Wintour.

But I'll put my vacay dreams on the shelf and stay glued to the blogs and runway reports. Now before you think I'm about to give you the top ten trends for next fall, hold your horses...this is an art blog, all must be relative. While I consider fashion art, I think a majority of it isn't. But what I just witnessed in photos of Karl Lagerfield's Chanel Fall 2009 show is a perfect example of what makes so many rush to sit in a heated tent in the middle of paris to watch models strut down a catwalk in clothing the same way art lovers travel far and wide to see beautiful works of art.

Karl Lagerfeld has a new muse: 40-year-old Japanese hairstylist, Katsuya Kamo. Kamo was responsible for the ornate headdresses on the model's pretty heads at this season's Chanel Couture show. With three weeks, seven helpers and two packets of 11X17 white paper, Kano created these origami pieces. So where's the motive for using such a simple material in a couture show? I think Karl explained himself clearly while commenting on the recession in France. “The whole crisis is like a big spring housecleaning -- both moral and physical,” the designer said, adding, “Bling is over. Red carpet covered with rhinestones is out. I call it ‘the new modesty’.”

He certainly meant it when he said new modesty. From the degrading of the venue to the simple white designs, you could see the restraint on Karl's part. I hate to be cliche, but I must say these headdresses are "a work of art." I think the word for it that's becoming popular is "upcycling": meaning to take recyclable items and create something even more valuable than what the material was before. They're over the top, but are they really if they're made out of paper? All I'm thinking is if Karl wouldn't mind sending me one to wear at Artful Dining next Friday....I have nothing to wear.

I love you more than an US Weekly Magazine on Dewey Beach in June.

2009-01-26T13:32:00.000-08:00

It's only January 26th, and my intern (also known as my sister) is itching to hang hearts in my office window. However I just don't feel ready to break out the Hershey kisses and Valentine's Day cards until Feb. 1st. (I did buy my conversational hearts already though!)

For those of you that have already mapped out your romantic activities for Feb 14th, here's a treat. The ladies from Paperwhite Studio have launched a project titled I Love You More than Blank. Laureen and Yuliya want to break away from the cliche Valentine sayings (Be Mine is so last year), and start a collection of real things people use to measure their love. In other words, what would you put second for love. As you can see by my title, it's an US Weekly Magazine on a beautiful June day in Dewey Beach. You can't beat the gossip, the waves or the tan you'll soon have. But in the name of love, Dewey would have to wait. So what would you give up for love? They're dying to know so email them at love@paperwhite-studio.com and your declaration might be posted the following day.

Enjoy these warm fuzzies. I sure have. Here are some of my favorites.

I love you more than mid century furniture.

I love you more than I thought I loved the drummer.

I love you more than I love my pillow (just don't drool on it.)

I love you more than putting baby in a corner.

www.iloveyoumorethanblank.com

In The News: Please Touch Museum Makes Big Acquisition

2009-01-23T12:29:00.001-08:00

We all remember the 1988 movie Big. I think that is when Tom Hanks won over most of our hearts in the 80s (until he did Castaway and The Terminal, just kidding!) If you've seen Big, you'll never forget the scene when Hanks, a 12-year-old magically transformed into an adult, and Robert Loggia, his boss at a toy company, jump on the giant piano and play tunes including "Chopsticks" in the toy store. Even today, if i catch Big playing on a Sunday afternoon on TBS, I'm hoping I catch that scene of Hanks almost doing a split.

Although Hanks is the star of the movie, the 16-foot piano takes the Chopsticks scene. After the movie wrapped filming, the "walking piano" (made by Remo Saraceni in Philadelphia was purchased by a couple in suburban Merion. Either the couple are in need of some serious room in their home or are just feeling some leftover Christmas spirit, because they have just given the walking piano to the Philadelphia Please Touch Museum. Please Touch is obviously thrilled.... Museum President Nancy Kolb states, "I am thrilled to add this icon of the big screen to our collection. The movie as a whole and the piano scene in particular captures the innocence and enthusiasm of childhood. Much like a children’s museum, it is about the joys of childhood and how, as we grow older, we play less but we never completely lose that desire to be a kid again.”

The piano will be on display starting in February. There's no word yet as to if we'll be able to jump up on and step out a tune. But it is the Please Touch Museum, so keep your toes crosses. In the meantime, enjoy the scene below, it's Friday.

Remembering: Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009)

2009-01-22T10:14:00.000-08:00

If you could rewrite the phrase "Keeping up with the Joneses" for artists in Delaware and Pennsylvania, it is likely you would say, "Keeping up with the Wyeths." Often considered America's most famous artists, Andrew Wyeth, died in his sleep at his home in Chadds Ford last Friday, January 16th. He died after a brief illness at the age of 91, and was surrounded by his family.

There's much to say about Andrew Wyeth, the son of internationally renowned painter and illustrator N.C. Wyeth. I could sit and tell you of all the record he broke at his exhibitions ( Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2006 drew 177,000 visitors in 15 1/2 weeks, the highest-ever attendance at the museum for a living artist), the number of Museum which hold his works (The Museum of Modern Art in New York City and the National Gallery of Art), and his awards (He received the COngressional Gold Medal in 1990. Most recently, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2007.), but that wouldn't even begin to detail the degree to what Andrew and his works mean to his followers.

Andrew broke boundaries. There is no denying his talent, but his paintings were haunting, which made them all the more intriguing. Whether is was "Christina's World" or the "The Witching Hour", you could feel the moment and are often left wondering, "what is really happening here?" In 1950 at a time when abstraction was the theme, he went the other direction. A closet-showman, he never dabbled in the celebrity-ness of the artworld in New York.

With all of the articles and all of the great commentary, I'm almost compelled to create my own "due" to Andrew Wyeth. But so many others, including himself, have described him and his work to a T.

I read an interesting quote of Wyeth's this morning in an article about his work and winter.

“I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape - the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show.”

So many of his works reflect this preference, so it is almost comforting to know that he passed on one of the coldest days of the year thus far.

As you can tell below, he's inspired us and has left us with works to treasure forever, and he wasn't ever too far away.

"I dream a lot. I do more painting when I'm not painting. It's in the subconscious."- Andrew Wyeth

“He was a painter of emotions -- to hilt,” said Richard Meryman, author of “Andrew Wyeth: A Secret Life.”

"I think one's art goes as far and deep as one's love goes." - Andrew Wyeth

"What you have to do is break all the rules." - Andrew Wyeth

"For the people he paints wear their noses in the usual place, and the weathered barns and bare-limbed trees in his starkly simple landscapes are more real than reality."- Reporter

Non-Profit (or Doing) of the Week: Satisfy your Sweet Tooth and a Troop

2009-01-16T09:59:00.000-08:00

I'm a Thin Mint kind of gal. Always have. A veteran Girl Scout myself (Brownie and Junior level), after tallying up all of my cookie sales, I always asked Mom to order 3 extra boxes of Thin Mints to freeze. My brother Will always went for the Peanut Butter Do-Si-Dos, while my sister, the sweet freak that she is, went for anything she could get her hands on.

Everyone has a favorite Girl Scout cookie and memory, whether it be selling or buying them. So if you've been craving a Trefoil or a Tagalong, you're in luck! Girl Scout cookie sales have just begun throughout the country, and there are bright young scouts looking for your order for the next 3 months.

Not only are they delicious, but your sweet tooth is helping your local Girl Scout Council. About 70% of the cookie sales goes directly to the Council, our being the Chesapeake Bay Council. I must admit, the number of choices have increased since I was going door to door. This year they've even introduced a new flavor Dulce de Leche, featuring gooey caramel drizzled over a crunchy, caramel-filled cookie. Sounds delicious! Even if you're on a diet for your new year's resolution, the scouts are offering Sugar Free Chocolate Chip!

Working in a small office and living in a small neighborhood, there's a chance I may not cross path's with a Girl Scout in the next few months. No need to worry, you can visit the Girl Scout Cookies web-site to find your local Council and a rep will follow up with you or just call 1-800-YUM-YUM-2. In addition, when placing your order you can also place an order for military troops. This year, the Girl Scouts are hosting Operation "Taste of Home" and encouraging the public to place orders for additional boxes to be sent overseas to our troops. What a great idea.

I can just taste the chocolate on my Thin Mints now.

Google Your Way to Museo Del Prado

2009-01-14T12:06:00.000-08:00

Spain is a great place to visit, especially Madrid. While the tapas, sangria, paella, and night life are fantastic (restaurants don't serve dinner til 9!) the country is right up there with other European countries when it comes to art. However, anyone feeling a pinch in their pocket (Euro exchange rate=death to my savings account), is probably not making the trip across the pond anytime soon. So how is one to ever see some of the masterpiece works on display in European art museums; particularly The Museo Del Prado in Madrid? With the help of Google Earth, you can now view and study their 14 masterpieces in minute detail, without ever leaving your computer. Even better, a 3-d reproduction of the museum building creates a virtual experience of almost "real" visit to the Museum.

If you haven't heard of Google Earth, you are clearly not a seasoned googler'. Google Earth is a free program (download and install it through google onto your computer) that allows its users to see any place in the world from a real photographic aerial view. Want to check on your house while at the office? Type in your address and you'll see if it's gone down in blazes or not? Wondering if Disney has done anything seasonally special to decorate the Magic Kingdom? Google Earth your way to Orlando to see if Mickey has strung up some lights on Cinderella's castle.

Now you might be wondering, "I can see images of plenty of objects in art museums on their web-sites. What's so special about these images on Google Earth?" The images you'll see at the Museum del Prado from Google earth are 14,000 mega-pixels and offer a precision 1,400 times greater than that of a 10 mega-pixel digital camera. Over 8,200 photographs were taken over 3 months in order to create a zoom-in effect, making it possible for virtual visitors to see even the tiniest details of brushstrokes, some even a visitor behind a velvet rope may not see.

Although, nothing beats seeing the real thing in person. If air fare has got you down, go to Google Earth.

Do you see what i see?

2009-01-13T09:53:00.001-08:00

Now I've been to many cities in my short lifetime just short of 25 years, but I don't think I've ever seen people white water rafting down a sidewalk approaching an evil-eyed alligator (or crocodile, depending on your preference). But I can wipe my forehead in relief that this is the work of whom many call the Pavement Picasso, and his name is Julian Beever. Julian hails from the U.K. and has become famous for his anamorphic art. He can take his 100% flat images and turn them into 3-D effects by the art of morphing. As a result, looking at these anamorphic images from the correct angle seems to defy the laws of perception.Although Julian has a technical day job creating murals for companies, he is a freelancer when it comes to chalking. I used to use the chalk on the black top at Holy Cross elementary, but my art only went as far as the outline of boxes for hop scotch.

How did this pseduo-street performer get his start? After art school Julian supported himself by making 2-dimensional drawings for passerbys for pennies to get by. With trial and error he eventually was able to move to 3-dimensional, with the help of the camera.

An interesting article on him was written on him by CBS last March. Julian is definitely one of these internet-sensation artists out there, and he agrees that the Internet serves as his gallery, "That's my medium, really. If it wasn't for the Internet, my work would be totally unknown."

I sure enjoyed the work from afar in Internet-netherland courtesty of a forwarded e-mail, some of them can be worth scrolling down for after all.

Bravo! Millions say bonjour to Louvre.

2009-01-12T06:42:00.000-08:00

I'm just digging for some good news in the museum world and I think I've just hit g0ld.

The Musée du Louvre in Paris set a new attendance record in 2008 with a stunning 8.5 million visitors. Anyone who has ever visited the Louvre can say that it doesn't take these numbers to agree that this museum is a must see for all art lovers and travelers throughout the world. With over 35, 000 works of art, each trip to the Louvre can be completely different. I've only been twice, and I don't think I've even strolled through half of the galleries. Although the Mona Lisa was as impressive as I expected, its only a starting point to the breathtaking collection that is in the Louvre.

What is even more impressive than the increase of about 200,000 visitors from 2007 is that the largest group entering the museum (40%) are 25 years and younger. This is quite surprising as many museums struggle to attract the younger set to visit. So what is the Louvre doing right? Having the Mona Lisa doesn't hurt, does it?

Bravo Louvre!

Thomas Campbell Takes It to YouTube

2009-01-09T08:04:00.000-08:00

He may not grace the Star Spotting pages of the weekly celebrity rags, but he certainly is Page-Six worthy. Thomas Campbell has officially begun his new role as Director of the MET this month. As a curator with a specialty in European tapestry working for the MET since 1995, Campbell is well-bred for Directorship. And his first act of duty, address the public. Now I'm sure everyone on the MET's mailing list received a formal letter from the Director, but there are world-wide fans of the MET wanting to know what Campbell has up his sleeve. So what better way to speak to all MET fans than to go on YouTube!

The video is short and sweet at a minute.5 long. Any no-long term plans were addressed, but Campbell pin-pointed the MET as "the greatest art museum in the world" and that he looks forward to following former director Philippe de Montebello's footsteps. The art world has a pretty gloom outlook for 2009. Chicago Field's Museum is cutting staff and GM announced less financial support for the arts in Detroit. One can appreciate Campbell's modest optimism for the MET. If MET truly is the greatest art museum in the world, then Campbell is expected to be a true leader for museums into the future.

Could Free Admission Beat Your January Blues?

2009-01-08T06:32:00.000-08:00

It sure could for me! I don't know if it was the torrential downpour of rain last night or the bare-shelved Gap store at the Christiana Mall on Sunday, but the week after New Year's always feels like a Debbie Downer to me. Other than a boost in the form of no work on MLK day, it's a long stretch to spring. However, the Brandywine Museums and Gardens have something fantastic to offer you this Saturday, January 10th, and it won't cost you a penny. Literally.

All 8 of the Brandywine museums are offering free admission this Saturday for all ages. Between Longwood Gardens, Delaware Art Museum, Winterthur and more where is one even to start? As a veteran ultimate Disney-World park hopper (I've done all 4 in one day), I'm here to offer you an itinerary for your free museum day. I'll even tell you how much you'll save the entire day.

9:30 a.m.: Rise and Shine! Start in the southern Wilmington area along Rt 141 with some DuPont lovin' at either Hagley Museum($11) or the Nemours Mansion ($12). Depending on the weather you may or may not want to take in all of their outdoor property, which gives an excuse to host a Spring Open House (take notes Brandywine Museums!)

12:00 p.m.: Hungry for lunch? Not just yet, grab a granola bar and a coffee at a Wawa and get on 95, depending on your art tastes, stop at DCCA (free normally) or Delaware Art Museum ($12). They're both so fantastic I really couldn't reccommend one over the either.

2:00 p.m. Ok now you can have lunch. The possibilities are endless, head into Little Italy, or keep heading down Rt. 52 to Buckley's Tavern. Just don't fill up on too much of their crab dip or a food coma might prevent you from getting to your final stop.

3:00 p.m. Last but not least, go right to Winterthur ($22) or left to Longwood ($16). It is the last weekend you can see the Christmas decor at Longwood so if you aren't too sick of the holidays, this is the spot for you. The current exhibition at Winterthur, Feeding Desires, has gotten rave reviews so if spoons and knives are your thing, make that right to Winterthur.

Good luck, and if you can't make the trip from Dover to Wilmington, just come to the Biggs..... we're always free. :)

UPDATE (1/9/08): Trish from comments made me aware of two museums out of the ten Brandwine Treasure are not offering free admission on Saturday. Both Longwood and Nemours are not offering free admission. I did overlook Rockwood Museum, Brandywine River Museum, and the Delaware Museum of Natural History as options. These are three great museums to visit as well!

Non-Profit (or Doing) of the Week: Holey Mole! The Ink is Gone!

2009-01-06T07:13:00.000-08:00

The only way to explain my relationship with our office printer is, "Can't live with him, can't live without him." If I ever were to attempt to divorce myself from this machine, it would erupt with a Heather Mills/Paul McCartney court case involving dozens of transcripts describing the damages to my level of stress. Even when I try to perform the required maintenance and change the ink drums, it still manages to spit back at me and cover my clothes with neon brite colored powder ( I looked as though Rainbow Brite had attacked me that day, neon green is not my color).

So how do I improve my relationship with this machine I need so much to exist (marketing means promotion means materials means paper means printing) that is not only expensive (paper and ink costs) but also stressful (I'm currently waiting with baited breath for my IT guy to show up). I download EcoFont of course, to save some mula on our ink costs. So what do fonts have to do with saving ink, you ask? Everything. It's not just those 4X6 color photo prints of Uncle Moe's Christmas party that are draining your cartridge. Ecofont is a brand new font designed by Spranq, a group of Dutch researchers who have done boat loads of testings trying to figure out how much of the letters we can remove for it to still be legible.

Why did Spranq spend so much time on creating a new font with holes making it look similar to Swiss cheese? Well, in addition to printers wasting papers, it's also wasting printer cartridges that are likely to end up in landfills. I'm sure you can agree that printer cartridges are not biodegradable like a banana peel. Hence to say, we're hurting the environment. EcoFont users will use 20percent less ink by removing as much of each letter as they can while still being able to read it.

So if your new resolution was to be more kind to the earth, this is a great jump-off, then go sign up for the curbside recycling.

http://www.ecofont.eu/

My MOMA moment.

2009-01-04T19:52:00.000-08:00

Having lived in Manhattan for a short period of time, and visited a plethora, the shiny'ness of the great big city has become a little tarnished. However, my first visit to MOMA on a chilly Saturday afternoon this past weekend left me with that little girl in the big city feeling, or more like "Toto, I don't think we're at the Biggs Museum anymore."

From a visitor standpoint, all you might think of is "swarms", of people that is. The second to last day of the Van Gogh: Colors of the Night exhibition combined with the tail end of many holiday vacation weeks filled the MOMA with packs of people of all types. Tourists, internationals, families, couples, hipsters couldn't get in the revolving doors fast enough, whether it was anticipation for the art or just to get out of the frigid temperatures. Granted, I could have done without the pushing, getting my feet run over by several strollers and the few hipsters who were stealing my caption reading view, as an art museum employee I reveled in the crowds. Of all the things to do in Manhattan, there are this many people here, in this museum, enjoying and experiencing this art. They want to see it, get it, feel it, make an idea of their own and they want to be a part of it (hence the bare shelves that normally hold prints in the MOMA store).

So what was the highlight of my MOMA trip? Have you ever heard of brides buying the first dress they tried on? Well, my MOMA moment was the very first thing I saw after handing over my admission ticket. It was Swiss artist's Pipilotti Rist's installation, Pour Your Body Out. MOMA clearly had some space to fill in their atrium, at the size of 7354 Cubic Meters. As I walked up the stairs to the second floor, my vision was smashed with massive projections of pink tulips on all walls and I look towards the ground to see a crowd of people surrounding a circular cushion with white carpets. In a moment of modern art pessimism (shame on me), I thought to myself, "now what in the world is this?"

But the writing on the wall from Ms. Rist invited me to kick back, stretch out, meet people, and sing or even dance. Although visitors are experiencing video, Rist mentions that Pour Your Body Out is quite different from watching YouTube saying, " “The visitors bring their bodies to the museum. That’s different from the mass media coming to your living room.” The sixteen minute video encompasses all there is in nature, sort of like speeding through a day of programs on the Discovery Channel. I must be honest, I didn't kick my shoes off and parade around, as I had four floors of galleries to get through, but I did take it all in. Ms. Rist clearly has created a convening space for the public in MOMA, what you do in it is up to you. So, my final review of MOMA? I'll admit I'm an amateur for modern art, just dying to "get it," but everything I saw was well worth working for.

Top Ten Biggs'est Moments of 2008

2008-12-31T08:03:00.000-08:00

Dick Clark's countdown has nothing on my Top Ten list of best Biggs moments of 2008. This past year has been nothing but fantastic, groundbreaking and inspiring for the Biggs Museum. I think the best way to put it is, "we're on the map!" Just this week, the Biggs Museum has been mentioned in Art Knowledge News and The Baltimore Sun, showing just how much the Biggs Museum is beginning to be noticed as a major and important museum in our country. We are looking forward to 2009, which I'm beginning to think will be The Year of You & Art. All three exhibitions on tap for next year, Biggs Shot, Award Winners and Biggs is for Kids, consist of the same major component: you and your art. We are encouraging our visitors not only to experience the Permanent Collection and its history but also to engage in creating art and enjoying work made by local artists, all the while connecting with the people in your community. So cheers to a great 2008, and onward and upward to an even Biggs'er year in 2009.

10. Our smashing new web-site and blog. Anyone in the world can now see why we're such a Biggs deal.

9. Our new clock! The Biggs Museum recently acquired a James Kinkead walnut clock for the Permanent Collection.

8. The Biggs nabs the back cover of the February Antiques Magazine, promoting the Delaware Silver Exhibition.

7. The Biggs opens Forgotten Dreams, the first ever comprehensive display of the works of Delaware painter, Edward Grant.

6. Biggs gives back to local artists of all abilities by hosting the Expressions of Time Photography exhibition and Young at Art, an exhibition featuring artwork made by children with disabilities supported by the Child HELP Foundation and VSA of Delaware.

5. Biggs shakes things up at the fall Margarita Tastings. Those mini-quesadillas were good enough to make it number one.

4. The Biggs' Delaware Silver collection served as the special loan exhibition for the DE Antiques Show in November 2008.

3. Over 400 guests attended the 2008 Biggs Museum Gala, held in May.

2. The Biggs' received an education grant for $5,000 from Kraft Foods Inc.

1. And by far the biggest endeavor ever taken on by the Museum, the Biggs opens the Delaware Silver Study Center in March 2009, accompanied by temporary exhibition, Masters in Our Midst, a 100+page publication, and a slew of programming, causing the largest growth spurt in the number of visitors ever.

"Oh Be Nice!"

2008-12-29T09:47:00.001-08:00

I read an interesting article yesterday about the "Happiness Effect." Apparently, researchers are studying the effects our social network's (also known as our friends, family, coworkers) moods have on our moods the same way their behaviors might. For example, Joe Schmo in the next cubicle whom you eat lunch with every day has just started the South Beach Diet, and suddenly your #4 Double Cheeseburger Value meal isn't looking so healthy. Researchers believe that if your network is happy, then you are likely to be happy. I don't recall every meeting someone who didn't have the desire to be happy, so how to we give our so called "network" a little "smile injection"? You be nice of course. And that is exactly what Melissa Morris Ivone over at the Operation NICE blog is doing daily, giving us daily tips on how to be more courteous, fun, warm and make the world a much more lovely place to exist in.

From her Nice News bits and Nice Assignments to her Nice testimonials, there's such a warm feeling to her blog that you only get from a warm chocolate chip cookie out of the oven. After reading a few of the testimonials this morning, you realize, as she puts it, "a little nice goes a long way." So just in time for your New Year's resolution, think about how you can be nice in 2009. And if you're in need of some tips, Melissa is sure to help.

http://www.operationnice.com/

Time's A Tickin' For 2008

2008-12-23T09:37:00.000-08:00

My daily morning routine includes a steaming cup of English Breakfast Tea with my Mother and the News Journal. Her comment, "There must really be nothing going on if the News Journal put Longwood Gardens wedding proposals on the front cover," justifies my enjoyment of news broadcasts and publications this time of year: it's complete recap (kind of like Sportscenter on steroids) with side servings of warm fuzzies. All the Best of 2008s remind of us of the bad (economy, gas prices, what else is news?), the good (gas prices right now and hello, Michael Phelps?) and the ugly (Hurrican Ike, bernard madoff).

My most recent countdown included Time Magazine's Person of the Year issue with who else on the cover, but Barack Obama. Included in the issue were Pictures of the Year. The photos document every breathtaking world story of the year, from the massive earthquake in China, Phelps taking a plunge in the Olympics, to the Democratic and Republican National Conventions and scenes of soldiers heading to Iraq. From there we go back to the Person of the Year, where president-elect Barack Obama has got himself a new photo album. Time Magazine stresses that being named Person of the Year is not an honor. In fact, their definition of the designation goes like this: “The person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or for ill, and embodied what was important about the year, for better or for worse.” While the photos of his college years are interesting, Obama's Nation of Hope Collage definitely show that we as a country are anxious for more groundbreaking history to come, no matter how it comes or who it comes from.

While some of 2008's events may not leave you feeling with the urge to raise the champagne glass, there's always a reason to celebrate the future and the endless possibilities of what is to come. And if we didn't, what would we recap in December 2009?

P.S. Don't forget the Runner-Ups. It is my personal belief Tina Few should have made the cover, but that's just me.

Tired of just "untitled"?

2008-12-22T09:14:00.000-08:00

I'm always frustrated looking at art work with "untitled" titles. I compare it to buying a puppy, naming the little dog is the best part! So I constantly fail to comprehend why artists, after all the blood, sweat, and tears put into their piece, don't even bother to throw a title line on their work. They certainly can't use the excuse, "I'm not really creative."

I'm not sure if Mark Kostabi has an inability to name his works, but he certainly has a fun way of doing it. You may not have heard of this American artist before but you may have seen his work on several commercialized products. He designed album covers for Rolling Stones and the Ramones and numerous products such as a Swatch watch, limited-edition vases, espresso cups, computer accessories and a Giro d'Italia pink jersey. He's been a leader of the Lower East Side art scene for many years and has just taken the leap into the TV Scene in his show, Title This.

Plain and simple, Title This, is a tv show hosted by Mark Kostabi in which he invited celebrity contestants to compete in creating titles for his works for cash rewards. Now before you think Hulk Hogan and Ryan Seacrest are dueling it out renaming Mona Lisa, this is not your typical reality tv contest. By celebrity, I mean well-known art critics, dealers, jounralists and such. Although us Delawareans are unable to watch Title This live every Wednesday, as it's only broadcasted in Manhattan, you can watch any episode on their web-site. (Thank you You-Tube). Depending on your humor personality, you may or may not appreciate Title This. It's intellectual sarcasm at its finest, but i see it as wit at its best. Who doesn't love a good tag line anyways?

Louvre Loves Lost DaVinci

2008-12-19T06:34:00.000-08:00

If you've ever stumbled upon a long lost pair of socks you thought was gone in the laundry mix years ago, I'm sure you can imagine the degree of excitement of one of the Louvre Curators yesterday when they made a fascinating discovering of some unknown drawings on the back of a painting by Leonardo da Vinci. These drawings, found on the work, "The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne" (circa 1500)were accidentally discovered when the painting was unhooked for restoration as part of a program that was in the mix with the "Mona Lisa." The drawings found by the staff included a horse's head and half of a skull, and left the staff so surprised they almost wrote them off as stains.

This is an exceptional discovery because the Louvre had already conducted extensive testing on the back of the painting. After infrared camera photographs were taken, an additional drawing, portraying Child Jesus playing with a lamb was shown. Although these drawings are believed to be done by Da Vinci himself as they are of his style, drawings on the back of paintings are rare and Da Vinci did not partake in this prior. Further research will soon tell whether or not these drawings were done by Da Vinci.

Either way....talk about an early Christmas present at the Louvre. Maybe I should head over to the Schoonover Gallery and double check the backs of all the illustrations.

Hit Us With Your Best Shot

2008-12-12T10:41:00.000-08:00

Here ye, Here ye, All Photographers living in the Mid-Atlantic, we need your works!

The Biggs just announced a "Call for Entries" for the Biggs Shot 2009 Competition. Biggs Shot 2009 is the second juried photography competition and exhibition hosted by the Museum. Stephen Perloff will serve as the juror this year. He comes with an impressive background as the editor of The Photo Review Magazine and The Photograph Collector Magazine. The theme for the competition is open and any medium will be accepted. The 2005 Biggs Shot exhibition featured 40 selected works and the 2009 exhibition will feature double the amount. In addition, Biggs Shot 2009 will be the first on-line exhibition hosted by the Biggs Museum.

You've got until January 31, 2009 to get your entries yet, but don't wait til the last minute. All of the details are on our web-site. You can even submit an application on-line this time around. So hop to it, chop chop, and hit us with your best shot.

Non-Profit (or Doing) of the Week: The Ultimate Soup Kitchen

2008-12-10T09:46:00.001-08:00

Feeding America has just one up'd the McDonald's dollar menu, in a big way. Feeding America, formerly known as 2nd Harvest, is the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, providing food assistance to more than 25 million low-income people facing hunger in the US each year. Feeding America distributes more than 2 billion pounds of food through their network of more than 200 food banks that serve all 50 states.

In this economic climate, the issue of hunger is apparent more than ever. The strong increase in unemployment has sent droves of people to local food banks, pantries and kitchens in search for a meal for themselves and their families. As hard as both our local and national food charities work, they are all equally having trouble keeping the shelves stocked. Hence to say, our help is needed. Even though we are all feeling the pinch, it is now more than ever we reach out to those who are in need.

The Fill a Bowl, Feed America is the perfect solution to those who wish to support hunger, but may not have the time to purchase those non-perishables and get them to the food bank. Simply make a donation on their web-site and the money will directly go to feeding the hungry. Just a donation of $1 provides 16 bowls of food for the hungry!, proving that donations in any amount can make a difference. $20 will provide 640 bowls of food! I'm thrilled to share that one of our greatest supporters of our educational programs, Kraft Foods, is taking our donations further, by matching every dollar donated up to $200,000. This gift is in addition to the 4.5 million dollar gift over three years to Feeding America to purchase and operate up to 25 mobile pantries. By making an average of three trips a week, each mobile pantry can distribute the equivalent of 1,143,042 meals annually to Americans who might otherwise go hungry.

I know you've got a few bucks to spare, so instead of your Starbucks latte this afternoon, fill up some bowls for hunger instead. Your donation will even be recognized on their interactive donor wall.... i dare you to be the top "bowler!"

Cycle Your Way To A Beautiful Christmas Tree

2008-12-09T08:19:00.000-08:00

When it comes to "going all out" for holidays, museums are right up there with Macy's. A combination of cold weather and hometown visits, leave many families searching for ways to entertain in much warmer indoor environments. Delaware historical and cultural museums are no exception...Yuletide at Winterthur, Longwood, Hagley, the Delaware Agriculture Museum...Warm up to the Biggs Museum....it's no hard task to fill your December Saturdays with morning shopping and afternoon Museum visits.

But it wouldn't be the holidays without all of the decor. We Museum peole want to make sure we spruce the place up for all of our visitors. Wherever you may visit, the Christmas tree is always the center of attention. However, year after year, I feel like I'm seeing the same tree, same angel, same lights, same glass ornaments, yawn. So when I read about Tate Britain Museum's Christmas Tree in London, I almost wanted to hop a transatlantic to see it myself.

Each year, the Tate Britain selects an artist to create a Christmas tree for the gallery. This year's selected Multimedia artists Bob and Roberta Smith went all out and created ‘Make Your Own Xmas’ a tree you not only view but also interact with. The tree, made from timber, bicycles and lamps, will be brought to life by the visitors when they provide pedal power to illuminate the tree. Eight bicycles of various sizes to fit all have been fixed to stands around the trunk, each holding a generator that is connected to a set of light bulbs that decorate the tree. Make Your Own Xmas is a spirited, thought-provoking response to the season of contemplation, celebration and consumerism. The artist's aim was to introduce an energetic, hands-on approach to art by getting the public actively involved in his work.

So much comes to mind when thinking about this work....going green through self-power, interactive art with the public, .... art is moving in a direction that we never might have expected, and everyone is invited for the ride.

Mindless Monday Fun: Wordle Out

2008-12-08T07:52:00.000-08:00

Mindless Monday Fun this week gets wordy when you visit Wordle, a new toy that generates "word clouds" from any sized combination of words you could think of. I think of it as boomeranging your favorite saying out into wordle space and it comes back as a beautiful and colorful jumple image.

Why make a wordle? Why not is the question. But from I see this is a great way to creat a visual using words. We may view the words differently in a wordle, than we would on a college ruled notebook. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.

A picture is worth a thousand words…

Non-Profit (or Doing) of the Week: Xerox Helps Us Give Thanks

2008-12-05T12:40:00.000-08:00

Whenever I see a member of our Armed Forces, I almost always feel compelled to tell them "thank-you" for their dedication to serving our country. With millions overseas as we speak, there are plenty of troops that I (or you) will never get to thank. Xerox has decided to help us and increase community morale with their project, Let's Say Thanks. Originally started in local communities as campaign drives, Xerox hosts a free service that allows visitors to select from a range of postcard designs created by US children and add a personalized message to a soldier. The cards are then printed out and delivered to soldiers deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations.

There are no tricks up Xerox's sleeves, just good will. Let's Say Thanks is an easy way for anyone to send thanks and good wishes to deployed servicemen and women. their way to provide. All you have to do is pick a design (a nice stack of them picked from thousands of entries drawn by children in the U.S.) pick a standard message or write your own and send! Xerox then prints all the cards and mails them in care packages made by military support organization Give2TheTroops®.To date, more than 12,000 postcards have been mailed to soldiers. With the launch of Let's Say Thanks, more soldiers can expect to receive messages from home.

So take just a minute to write a warm message to travel far, someone is sure to love it. Now, I wonder if Xerox will send my Christmas Cards for me? Nah.

Dancing Makes Temporary Exhibition Double Club Interactive

2008-12-03T07:28:00.001-08:00

This is definitely a first for me. I write on installation art frequently because it always intrigues me how we bring art literally into our living environments. German artist Carsten Höller’s seems to take his work a step further, stretching the definition of art, and literally create the environment. Holler, who currently has a revolving hotel room installation on display in the Guggenheim, has just opened up his newest installation: Double Club, a form of a fully operational bar, restaurant and nightclub. Double Club, commissioned by the Fondazione Prada, features two entertainment environments as the bar is divided between two cultural influences: the culture of the West and the culture of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A line in the middle of the club divides the club from the Congo side, decorate with neon palm trees and the Western side filled with lush leather sofas, similar the neighboring urban night clubs.

Is the music? Of course, but how do you choose the type with two cultural influences? You don't play Carrie Underwood in a sushi restaurant do you? The rotating dj sits in the middle of the club and switches up the genre depending on which side he is facing? And if you're there for nourishment? You shouldn't have any problem finding something to eat on the two separate menus?

Still not enticed? Make your evening visiting this installation a good cause. A percentage of the profits from The Double Club will be donated to the City of Joy charity, which is a hospital for victims of violence and rape in Congo.

So why Congo, ArtInfo sat down with Carsten and asked. Carsten responded, I’ve been asked “why the Congo?” a lot, but why not? It is an interesting place. For many people the name “Congo” has some sort of trigger function — they just think of the political troubles and the wars. We’re trying to propose looking at it in a different way."

And why do this at all? In a sit down with Bloomberg, Carsten says, "Art — I mean its representational function — is in my opinion very exhausted. Art should be experience more than representation. You make your own representation of it. You don’t go through somebody else."

So what to make of this endeavor? Is it for self-promotion? Is it for a good cause? A good time? Is it really art? I'm all for fundraising, but is the distinction between art and entertainment becoming cloudy? Or is entertainment a form of art?

Google Your LIFE

2008-11-28T10:20:00.000-08:00

It feels like yesterday I uploaded my first "album" on Webshots so that all of my college co-eds could see my photos taken with my new digi cam. Photo sharing on-line has come a long way since then and LIFE magazine's new album created with Google definately takes the cake for most forward thinking.

I couldn't recall a single article I've ever read in LIFE magazine, but I could definitely remember some of the photographs I've seen, documenting some of the biggest events in my lifetime. So wouldn't it be awesome if you could flip through an album of all LIFE mag's photos, even some of the ones that never made it to print? Well Google and LIFE are making that possible in their new on-line album. You better set aside some time for clicking, because there are millions to see, stretching back all the way to the 1750s. Now how does one shuffle through millions of photos without a headache? No worries, Google has done all the proper filing and organizing. You can search by decade or subject, such as people, travel, sports and events. So you can go from a Kennedy Family Photo op to the 1984 Superbowl, to an African desert quite easily. I've already fallen in love with the Pablo Picasso section. How could you not resist this face?

http://images.google.com/hosted/life

Art all the way down Broadway, with a pit stop at Macy's

2008-11-25T08:42:00.000-08:00

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a holiday tradition for most, whether it involves braving the crowds and cold to watch it up close or at home on the couch with a play-by-play by Matt Lauer. Besides the live entertainment and plethora of marching bands, the large scale helium balloons are my favorites. Who wouldn't get excited at the site of a 50 foot helium Snoopy?

In 2005, Macy's introduced the Blue Sky Gallery series in the Thanksgiving Day Parade, when they invited artist Tom Otterness to create a balloon version of one of his classic peices of Humpty Dumpty. This was a strong effort by Macy's to inject contemporary art into a pop culture phenomena. Jeff Koons followed up in 2007 with "Rabbit.) The parade is paying tribute to beloved art Keith Haring, who would have turned 50 this year by featuring one of his ink on paper drawings, Untitled (Figure with a Heart, 1987). During his career Haring devoted much of his time to works that carried social messages and often dreamed of having one of his works turned into a balloon. In 1988, Haring was diagnosed with AIDS and went on to work with his self-titled Foundation to support AIDS & HIV research until his death in 1990.

The 48 foot tall, three-dimensional balloon of his work sends a message at a very relevant time of year. I can't wait to see it on the big screen Thursday morning.

Mindless Monday Fun

2008-11-24T07:21:00.001-08:00

I can make a sure bet most of us are easing our way through the short work week on Wednesday. For me, the corn casserole can't come soon enough, not to mention the Black Friday bobbie sandwhiches the day after. Hence to say on this gloomy Monday, let's just have some good ole' internet fun with one of my recent favorite sites.

When I was in college in Baltimore, whenever one of us was down in the dumps we went to a place in Towson called Just Puppies. Self-explanatory, is was a place with Just Puppies. Armed with anti-bacterial wipes, you could run in, play with a poodle, a Yorkie, a Golden Retriever, get hassled to buy one and walk out 20 minutes later feeling warm and fuzzy with no worries. Well, before I disappoint you, Just Puppies is not coming to Dover, but there is a fantastic new web-site that fits the bill for anyone no matter where they live. It's the puppy cam.

Over four million people have viewed and been fascinated by this live video feed of a San Francisco family's five Shiba Inus named, Autumn, Ayumi, Amaya (the girls) and Aki, Akoni and Ando (the boys). Only six weeks old, the owners put in a puppy cam so that they could monitor them while out of the house. A coworker of the owner's saw the video feed and asked for the link, from there you've got six new puppies as famous as Lassie and Beverly Hill Chihuaha. So check these guys out and ready, set, awwwww.

A Delaware Delight: Christmas comes early for Hospice

2008-11-21T06:56:00.000-08:00

I don't remember too much from early childhood (under the age of 4) but I do remember my Pop-Pop. A great man, mostly known for Republican Politics and his buffalo in the community, had his life cut short by a brain tumor. To this day I can still have a photographic memory of his last days, visiting his home with my parents, running up the stairs into his bedroom and spending time with him watching tv, reading and listening to stories. To this day, I still hold those memories close to my heart. I was too young to fully understand how seriously ill my Pop-Pop was at the time, but I knew he was in the best place to spend the last few days of his life: at home and with his family.

Those memories would not be possible if it wasn't for Delaware Hospice. DE Hospice made it possible for my Pop-Pop to spend the remaining days of his life at home and with his family, as opposed to hospital, where he and our family, may not have felt as comfortable. Since his death in the late 1980s, Delaware Hospice has continued to grow immensely this year. Since 1982, Delaware Hospice has provided exceptional care and support to 30,000 patients and their families. Its mission is to help each patient, each day, live the fullest, most comfortable life possible. Just this past Spring, the Delaware Hospice Center opened in Milford, meeting the needs of those who require short-term stays for symptom management. Visiting hours are unlimited and care is never denied, the 16 suites provide a comfortable home-like atmosphere to patients.

The mission of Delaware Hospice alone is enough to motivate and inspire anyone in our area to support and help this organization. This week-end is their biggest annual fundraiser, The Festival of Trees kicks off the holiday season and raises funding to support its programs and services. The New Castle and Kent County festivals are this weekend, followed by the Sussex County event (at Georgetown DTCC) next week. The festival of trees features a beautiful display of trees and wreaths, sponsored by local businesses and individuals and were decorated by local artisans. Some of the trees are available for purchase and some are raffled. On Saturday, the Festival is for families, including photo-ops with Santa and loads more fun. Check the web-site for the times and admission for the Festival of Trees closest to you. This is the time of year we spend most with the ones we love, so help make it possible for all families to do the same.

Taking a Shot at Proving a Point

2008-11-18T09:59:00.000-08:00

Ever since Damien Hirst made big bucks a couple of months ago stepping away from the dealer-artist relationship norm, he has shaken the force beneath artists who may feel controlled by their dealers. Case in point, see below:

In Toronto, art dealers normally collect 30-60% in commission on all artwork sold. Do the math, and very little is left for the actual creator of the work sold. Seem fair? Because there is no existing rank, certification or organization protecting artists, they're most times left as easy prey for art dealers. You can compare the artists to damsels in distress, or your mother-in-law (can't live with them & can't live without them), artists rely on these dealers to stay afloat in the art market, but often times they're taken advantage of.

One Toronto artist in particular, Viktor Mitic had just about had enough after a local art dealer came to his studio. He tells the media, "He came into my studio talking on his cell trying to sell a painting by Pistolleto to someone in New York. Without even pausing, he just said that my paintings need to be more penetrating and left. That same day I drove down to a gun range in Buffalo N.Y.; I rented an assault rifle and blasted a "more penetrating" painting, a portrait of Christ named Hole Jesus."

Hole Jesus will be on display at Trias Gallery Nov. 27- Dec. 18. 2008 in Toronto. While Viktor's motives were quite loud, I completely empathize with his frustration. Just as artists need art dealers, the dealers need the artists as well, being Damien Hirst as a perfect example as to the potential losses art dealers can incur when an artist sells directly to the public. As much as the dealers recognize the public's tastes and needs, in no way does that give them the same credibility to instruct artist's on their work. And so the story goes in the Art Market world......

Non-Profit (or Doing) of the Week: The Consignment of Your Life Line

2008-11-17T09:25:00.000-08:00

In my bottom night stand drawer, I've got a Star-Tac, Color LG, and a Nokia cell phone. A cell-phone user for over 8 years, I've got quite a collection going as a result of a rotating 2-year contract with Verizon. Every two years, right around Christmas time, a new phone arrives (with a manual, thank goodness) and the old one goes right in the drawer. Can't throw them away, would be too harmful for the environment, but what am I to do with them? Recently, I've learned, just flip them for cash! Better yet, flip them for a cash donation to a charity!

The folks over at Flipswap have answered all the questions when it comes to your old cell phone devices and even your ipods. The average cell phone user changes their device every 18months, leaving millions of unused cell phones out there. As electronics aren't biodegradable and even contain toxic parts that could leak into landfills and pollute our environment, we should put our old cell phone junk to better use.

Flipswap lets you get rid of your cell phone while helping those in need (an if you're in need, you can even take the cash yourself, but let's stick to being philanthropic here). In just three simple steps you can help your environment by properly recycling your cell phone and send your favorite Charity a little cash as well. Here are the steps.

1. Look up the value of your cell on Flipswap.com. for an instant quote. It's like the Kelley Blue Book of Cells, be honest here!

2. Print out the prepaid shopping label online.

3. Drop the phone in your mail box.

And voila! Once they've received your phone, they'll process it and send the check to your chosen charity. With free shipping, there is no reason not to partake. Once my new phone comes in December, my Motorola Q is going right to the Biggs Museum.

Free Gift With Purchase

2008-11-14T09:52:00.000-08:00

Aren't those words just music to your ears? Well, lately Museums have been just as generous with incentive gifts as your local Clinique Cosmetics counter.

In honor of Philadelphia’s remarkable World Series champions, the Phillies, the Philadelphia Museum of Art will give away its own signature baseballs—Philly All Star and All Star Artists—to the first 100 Museum members and the first 100 general purchasers when tickets for the upcoming exhibition, Cézanne and Beyond go on sale. Member tickets have already gone on sale, but beginning 9 a.m. Saturday, November 1, and tickets for the general public go on sale at 9 a.m. November 15.

Cézanne and Beyond (February 26-May 17, 2008) will present some 150 works, including 60 paintings, watercolors and drawings by Cézanne (1839 – 1906), along with those of 16 later artists for whom Cézanne has been a central inspiration and whose work reflects his extraordinary legacy. Although Cezanne was not known to have played baseball, the PMA created the first Cezanne baseball in 1996. The Museum developed the Philly All Star and Artists All Star baseballs later. The Philly All Star baseball reproduces autographs of Thomas Eakins, Mary Cassatt, Benjamin Franklin, and others; the Artists All Star baseball represents the international league, including signatures of such luminaries as Henri Rousseau, Leonardo Da Vinci, Claude Monet, and Benjamin West.

If Philadelphia is not on your agenda anytime soon, the Biggs Museum is offering our own incentive gift in November and December! If you sign up for a new membership, renew or gift a membership in November and December, you'll be the lucky new owner of either a Greetings from Delaware Exhibition Catalog or a Greetings from Delaware Christmas Card Set. And no one is saying you can't regift your gift from us. We can keep a secret.

Non-Profit (or Doing) of the Week: Ch Ch Ch Check It Out

2008-11-13T13:26:00.000-08:00

I'm at WAWA daily, for coffee that is. I just can't seem to get enough of that Hazelnut flavored goodness brewed fresh for me (or atleast I believe it's for me) in a hot pot. Unfortunately, many (or millions) of people also enjoy WAWA, so I find myself frequently in line to pay for my $1.35 cup. Normally I'm staring at the Tasty Kakes and Entenmann's wishing one day they wouldn't contain 45 grams of fat, but today I noticed tons of post-it flyers strung along the counter that read, "Check Out Hunger." So while waiting to check out my thirst for caffeine, I was intrigued to know more about the possibility of checking out my hunger.

Entering into its ninth year, WAWA is hosting the Check Out Hunger Campaign to benefit local food banks in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia from Nov 3. through Nov. 30 in all of its 570 stores. And all it takes to help combat hunger is adding $1, $3, or $5 to your bill. Your donation comes with a "soup bowl" cutout that is displayed in the store with your name. The donation will directly benefits the Feeding America food banks in the area.

I love this campaign because I know my support will go directly to my neighbors in need. Last year, Check out Hunger received over $100,000 in donations providing 1 million meals to local food banks. In light of this economic crisis, there is more of a need than ever to help those struggling in our community, especially during the holidays. So next time you're checking out your hoagie, Herrs chips and a Nantucket Nectar, add a dollar on there..... as a convenience to something important.

Caution! A Fragile New Year

2008-11-12T08:54:00.000-08:00

There are several fantastic go-to sites for every New York visitor (who really wants to be called tourist?)... Empire State Building, Radio City Music Hall, Central Park, Macy's, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, the list goes on for days(and alot of your hard earned cash to see it all). In the next two months New York enhances all of their attractions, making it a must go holiday destination; the most popular of course being the Times Square Ball that drops at midnight New Year's Eve kicking off a brand new year and a morning full of hangovers.

Yesterday, the 2009 Times Square Ball was revealed and it's smashing. The Waterford Crystal ball is bigger than ever, coming in at three-and-a-half meters in diameter and weighing nearly 6 tons. Last year's ball was less than two meters across and less than a ton. A new shaft was built to withstand the increase in size, able to hold the ball almost 145 meters above Times Square.
What's the ball made of? 2,468 Waterford crystal triangles, each etched with a stylized star burst or a stylized angel. Pretty fancy. Some people consider this object a work of art. Is it? It certainly has a design aspect and enough detail to go along with it. The ball is a symbol to many of the new year, of what is to come in the future.

Have you wondered what would happen if the ball ever truly dropped? Or smashed into a million pieces? No Worries, the ball has been tested for winds up to 225 kph and in temps ranging from -20 to 120.
Coming in at a cost of several million dollars (paid for privately), this is the seventh ball in the 101-year history of ball dropping in Times Square. In addition to the news of a new ball this year, it was announced that the Ball will be displayed year-round, not just during the Christmas season. For those of thus who couldn't possibly bear the shopping crowd in early December or the craziness that is Times Square on NYE, this is great news. Just one more thing to add to the agenda on my next trip.

Non-Profit (or Doing) of the Week: Stuff that Bus!

2008-11-06T10:24:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not pretending to be Ty Pennington on Extreme Makeover Home Edition, although I could use a megaphone when trying to promote this fun event.

Talks of favorite Thanksgiving side dishes (my mother's corn casserole is to die for) were talked amongst Biggs staff members the other day, meaning this "stuff yourself" holiday is right around the corner. If you're not the family chef, it's likely you may take for granted how lovely it is to sit down to turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, pumpkin pie, galor. So when comfort food holiday season comes along, so do food drives; our opportunity to make sure everyone in our community sits down for a warm meal this Thanksgiving. If you're within the Delaware community, I've got just the drive for you.

Food Bank of Delaware and DART (Delaware Bus Transit Service) have teamed up, along with many other partners such a local radio stations and Chick Fila to host the 11th annual Stuff that Bus Food Drive. Last year, they collected over 8 tons of non-perishable foods! The drive begins next Monday, November 10th at the Dover Acme and the Milford Wal-Mart, and continues through the rest of the week in several Wilmington locations. So get to your pantry this weekend and gather up those Tomato Soup and Cranberry Sauce cans. They're looking for tons of items, such as Macaroni & Cheese, Mixed Vegetables, Instant Mashed Potatos, Beans, canned fruits, paper products, laundry detergent and diapers.

Chick Fil-A is helping Food Bank of Delaware to increase participation this year by holding a food drive through November 10 at their Camden location. Bring in 3 cans of food to donate for a FREE chicken sandwich. And if you donate 6 cans, a FREE combo meal is coming your way. If you're unable to make it to Stuff the Bus next week, check your local paper for food drives in your area. Remember, every bit (and bite of food) counts.

Grant Us A Little Of Your Time

2008-11-04T13:49:00.001-08:00

After you have voted today of course! No excuses! I stood in line 45 minutes to press that green "vote" button, and I walked out feeling like a certified good citizen. But tomorrow after all the Election Day hoopla, not only will we have a new President, but we shall also have a brand spanking new exhibition at the Biggs Museum, and I must tell you it is fantastic.

On display beginning tomorrow through the end of February, visitors to the Biggs will get a chance to see the brilliant work of regional painter, Edward Grant. Often times not recognized, this exhibition is the first retrospective look at never before seen work of this painter. Born in Wilmington in 1913, Grant (I have nick-named him Mr. Ed myself) studied with some of the most recognized Delaware painters such as Frank E. Schoonover and N.C. Wyeth. With a career spanning over 70 years, Edward Grant dabbled in just about every artistic style including illustration, murals, Photo Realism and Abstraction. Most of the pieces are form Grant's studio, and from what I've heard there was so much to choose from our Curator, Ryan Grover, felt like a kid in a candy shop.

So what should one expect from Edward Grant? I consider this Edward Grant's "hello, world" introduction, so it is definitely comprehensive, displaying examples from all periods of his career. Anyone who appreciates regional landscape will enjoy Grant's work. Many of the depicted "forgotten" scenes of Eastern Shore Maryland and the Delmarva Peninsula will leave anyone wondering, "I've seen this place before."

Well, I don't want to give too much away, mostly because I want you all to visit, you've got plenty of time, but don't you want to be first? Join us Wednesday night for the opening reception, beginning at 5:30. If it isn't the art, Nage Catering should be more than enough to get you through the door.

Putting Good Ole Abe in the Top Right Hand Corner...

2008-11-03T08:43:00.000-08:00

of your envelope that is! With all of the promotional material the Biggs puts out each month, the post office feels like my second home, so much that the PO Box stuffing crew knows me by name and PO box number. On the side of personal side of my mailings, am I the only one still trying to use up my 41 cent and 1 cent stamps? My 41 cent American Flag stamps are really starting to bore me, but a penny saved is a penny earned these days. To that end, I wanted to share some news released today about a new set of stamps coming out next year to celebrate a big birthday of a man who made big history in the United States, Abraham Lincoln.

Last Thursday in Springfield, IL, the United States Postal Service gave the public a sneak peak at the artwork design of the four stamps to be issued next February to celebrate Abraham's 200th birthday. And since Mr. Lincoln was a postmaster in Illinois, Springfield was selected as the First-Day- of-Issue city when the stamps are issued on Feb. 9, 2009.

The stamp art was designed by Mark Summers, who has created several portraits for previous U.S. postage stamps. Mark used a scratchboard technique, a style distinguished by a dense network of lines etched with exquisite precision. Each stamp commemorates four stages of Lincoln’s life and legend:rail-splitter, lawyer, politician and president.

The stamps will be available in post offices across the country on Monday, February 9, three days before Lincoln’s 200th birthday. Besides stamps, alot is being planned to celebrate Abe's Bicentennial. Visit http://www.abrahamlincoln200.com/ to see more ways Lincoln's legacy will be celebrated. Now, the problem at hand is, am I going to get through my 41cent stamps before February? Time to find a few pen pals I suppose.

A Hard Knock-Off Life With a Warhol

2008-10-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

Warhol is huge in the U.S. His Jackies, Edies, and Elvises are our country's Mona Lisa's to France. One would only expect the demand for an original Warhol would be high, not to mention the nice price tag along with them. But just as Andy Warhol is one of the most famous painters in the U.S., he is also one of the most faked. Because Warhol used production methods of “mechanized” art, utilizing employees for help, it is easy for forgers to start with the photographs and create silkscreens similar to the originals. In an effort to protect his legacy, in 1995, the Andy Warhol Foundation established the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board. Since its inception, more than 3,000 Warhol works have been submitted. To date, the board has rejected about 10 to 15 percent of the works as inauthentic.

As convenient as this board may sound, it's caused quite some controversy. Number one, the board never gives a reason for denial. This leaves those rejected with no direction as to what to do with this work of art they could have potentially spent loads of money on, sort of like a 25 year old woman on the streets of Milan after buying a fake Fendi handbag and the strap breaks. In particular, there is one rejected man, who really doesn't agree with the board, and he's not about to give up.

Joe Simon, a British film producer purchase a Warhol self-portrait painting in 1989 for $195,000. The image is a stark, black-and-white image on a bright orange-red ground, and had been authenticated by Warhol factotum Frederick Hughes. In 2006, he hit a huge payoff when he was planning to sell the piece for a cool 2 million, under the condition he would submit the piece to the Authentication Board. The dealer convinced Simon this would only be beneficial as the piece would then be included in the catalog raisone, which is the mission project of the Andy Warhol Foundation. Simon was confident as the authenticity had previously been confirmed by a member of the foundation. Bad news for Simon: REJECTED, and the value was decreased significantly. As you can only imagine, Simon was ready to fight, and filed a $120-million lawsuit against the Warhol board in July 2007.
The fight is still not over today, it's just getting started. An interesting story like this deserve a web-site and Simon has that task down pat. His web-site, www.myandywarhol.com, provides extensive information about his battle with the Board, articles, the evidence and the ability to download the piece for your own display. Talk about rallying the troops.

Taking a walk on the wild side of Delaware.

2008-10-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

It's only the end of October as we're reaching the opening of Edward Grant next week and I'm already working on our next exhibition Biggs Shot opening in March of 09, a juried photography exhibition. Photography, to me, is one of the most engaging and impactful medias used in art today. It's fascinating how general public are drawn to photography, perhaps it is because of how real it is. It's not A reflection of something, it's THE reflection of something. Although our photog fun doesn't get rolling until December (when entries begin to be accepted), there is some exciting photog news to report from our area. You may or may not have heard of him, but chances are you've picked up one of his "coffee-table" books at a friend's home killing time til the food's ready browsing beautiful Delaware scenes. His name is Kevin Fleming, and he's awesome.

Kevin Fleming, a Delaware Native and Wesley College Graduate, has traveled all over the world shooting for National Geographic. In recent years, he's focused on creating books, some of which have focused on Delaware landscape. Looking at his background, his next book, Wild Delaware, is comprehensive of his character. Fleming has spent the past year shooting thousands and thousands of Delaware wildlife. Throw in essays by local wildlife experts and you've got yourself a snazzy 240 page publication.

Fleming fans were able to follow his year-long journey on his blog, which gave sneak peaks at shots in the book and even allowed Fleming followers to choose the cover. Dragonflies, raccoons, owls, snakes, crabs, and geese galor, this book is sure to fly off the shelves. And it's perfect timing, because Christmas is just around the corner.....

Wild Delaware will hit shelves on November 1st. images from http://www.wilddelaware.com/

I'm Meltingggggg

2008-10-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

Reading this subject line may have already brought you to the Wizard of Oz, but I'm not about discuss a witch but am going to refer to something else melting in our world that is quite wicked these days: the economy.

You may or may not be aware, but October 29th, next Wednesday, is the anniversary of Black Tuesday, the stock market crash that caused the Great Depression in 1929. On this day next week, artists Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese (also known as Ligorano/Reese) are going to meltdown the "Economy", literally.

This new time based event, title Main Street Meltdown, Ligorano/Reese will install the word “Economy,” carved in ice, in Foley Square, using the New York Supreme Court as a back drop.

And this is not your standard country club wedding swan ice sculpture, measuring at 15 feet long, 5 feet tall, and weighing almost 1,500 pounds. As a temporary monument, Ligorano/Reese estimated the piece will take anywhere between 10 & 24 hours to melt.

This will be Ligorano/Reese's fourth series of ice sculptures dealing with political issues. Earlier sculptures included "Democracy" during the Democratic and Republican Conventions in Denver and St. Paul. Next week's sculpture will be close to the heart of Wall Street, as to symbolize the current financial crisis. Ligorano/Reese claims this sculpture “metaphorically captures the results of unregulated markets on the U.S. economy.”

This is quite an interesting way of mixing business with art and I think Ligorano/Reese are creating an impactful visual of the current state of our economy. However, as a overtly superstitious person, wouldn't you not want to jinx it by displaying a meltdown on the meltdown anniversary?

Boo! Vote your favorite spooky art!

2008-10-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking of ideas to incorporate Halloween on the blog. Judging by our full-registration for the Pumpkin Decorating this Saturday, there are quite a few mixers of Halloween and Art out there. However, it seems Art Blog by Bob has beat me to the best idea on his monthly poll!

Bob's October poll topic is spooky art! Visit his blog to vote on which piece of art you think is spookiest. You can vote on the main page of his blog, however to see the different pieces, visit the entry.

The Race Track (Death on a Pale Horse) by Albert Pinkham Ryder gives me the most creeps...

But as a Delawarean, I'm partial to Andrew Wyeth's Jack Be Nimble. You can't really resist a jack o'lantern can't you?

Chanello! Mobile Art

2008-10-20T12:43:00.000-07:00

What do you think of when you hear "Chanel"? The two C's logo right? What do you think of when you hear the words, "Chanel Purse"? The quilted chain strap purse most likely.

Well Mr. Karl Lagerfield must think a majority of the public to consider the quilted chain strap purse to be synonymous with Chanel when he came up with his most recent project Chanel Mobile Art. Karl took the idea that fashion spreads throughout the world and personally commissioned architect, Zaha-Hadid, to design a collapsible pod that could travel to each continent to showcase the exhibit. This futuristic structure is called the Art Container and will host 20 contemporary artists' work inspired by Chanel’s classic 2.55 quilted-style chain handbag.

So far, the pod has been to Tokyo and Hong Kong. Lucky for us Americans, Chanel has landed, right in the middle of Central Park. Opening today, free of charge (however, you must book a timed ticket!) anyone in the area can see these fantastic interpretations of the quilted handbag as a cultural icon. It will be here only until November 9th, before the pod collapses again and heads off to London.

So does fashion inspire art? Or at least inspire us to run into a spaceship in Central Park to see both? Mr. Lagerfield put it well when he said, “Art is art. Fashion is fashion,” Mr. Lagerfeld said. “However, Andy Warhol proved that they can exist together.”

Go before they're gone! Treehouses

2008-10-19T18:34:00.000-07:00

I FINALLY saw the treehouses! I'm sure you can sense my excitement over them. On display since early March at Longwood Gardens, with fantastic reviews, I've been meaning to get myself up to Kennett Square to see them. On my way home from Baltimore early Saturday morning I couldn't not take advantage of the beautiful fall day and made an impromptu phone call to my Grandparents asking them to join me. Two hours later, scarf and map in tow, I was on my way around the small lake and approaching the first of three treehouses, the Canopy Cathedral. And let me tell you, it was an impressive set of digs.

The Canopy Cathedral (along with the Birdhouse) was designed and constructed by Seattle-based TreeHouse Workshop. Now of course, in-line with Pierce DuPont's mission to preserve the green life on Longwood Gardens, the tree houses were built as to never harm the trees, but to be harmonic with them. Called a Pin Foundation, the treehouse is anchored to a series of long pipes driven into the ground, leaving the trees limbs and roots unscathed. The other two tree houses, the Lookout Loft and the Bird House are just as impressive (a million dollar price tag and four months to construct would further explain), but I won't spoil the surprise with too many photos! I took my time to awe, as did the many other families, adult and children of all types did that afternoon. Whether tree houses are an adventure, a dream of your own or simply nostalgic, they are a must see, and you're lucky if you haven't because they'll be on display until November 23rd.

Normally I visit Longwood come Christmas time as do many, but there is much so see during Autumn. The children's garden recently reopened with a spanking new look and a water theme. And to my pleasant surprise the Lilypads were still out, possibly due to an Indian Summer?

Hungry? You can't go wrong in the Longwood neighborhood. If you're going back to Wilmington, Pizza By Elizabeth's is the way to go, or Buckley's Tavern. However, I was in route through Kennett Square and Hockessin, and had a late lunch at the The Back Burner. And I've got 2 words for your Pumpkin Bisque.

Airigami

2008-10-16T07:02:00.000-07:00

As embarrassed as I might be to admit it, I watch the Martha Stewart Show. But honestly, there's not much else on t.v. at 2:00p.m. when I go home for lunch daily other than the soaps. But before I divulge too many detail of my daily turkey sandwich inhalation, I'll tell you about an interesting guest on Martha Stewart yesterday, who happened to be an artist. And I'm sure that many of you have met artists of this type before, however you may not have considered their work pieces of art.

Larry Moss was the guest and he is an Airigami artist: partaking in the art of folding air in specially prepared latex containers.... also known as balloon art! But Larry's work goes way beyond your basic children's party puppy dog. Originally a performance artist, specializing in juggling, Larry became more interested in Airigami. From there it became a full-time job. He still performs for audiences today, but now teaches balloon art and is setting world record for large scale Airigami. In 2000 he set the world record for the largest non-round balloon sculpture in the world. Using 40,781 balloons and using no other materials for structure, a total of 44 people constructed a soccer player that stood over 25 feet tall.

On Martha Stewart yesterday, Larry was promoting his recent project called Balloon Manor. Larry has constructed a 10-room, 10,000-square foot, walk-through haunted house made from 100,000 balloons in hist home base town of Rochester, NY. Anyone can go see Ba loon Manor, and with profits from tickets sales going to Teens Living With Cancer, it's a sure bet.

Even if you can't make it to Rochester, rule of thumb here is, give those heart-shaped balloon creaters some more credit, for art's sake.

The Power of the Blog: Blog Action Day 2008:Poverty

2008-10-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

ou already know what a blog is. If not, you're very very lost in Internet space (word of advice, go back to google). Today, there is an immense community of writers of all kinds typing away daily to entertain, educate and inspire millions of reader on just about any topic under the sun.

When I heard about Blog Action Day, I'm sure you can imagine how thrilled I was to join an initiative with fellow bloggers around the world. Considering blogs are a type of media outlet, they can be a powerful message outlet. Blog Action Day was created as an annual nonprofit event that unites bloggers to post about the same issue on the same day to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion. Hence to say I signed up as it makes a great topic for this week's Non-Profit of the Week entry!
The topic of discussion this year is Poverty. Talk about general. I've been thinking this through all day as to what to discuss (all the while dropping off a bulk mail, finalizing Gala Sponsorship levels and completing the Edward Grant invites) and I kept thinking, Poverty is an issue drilled into our head, "Poverty is bad, we must solve." But has anyone really gone in to further thought of the roots of this crusade to end poverty?

This question sent me right back to Holy Cross Elementary School, circa 1991 in theology class. We were learning about the 3 necessities of life. My dearest teacher Mrs. B told us that everyone in this world deserves food, clothing and shelter; meaning a full belly, clothes on your back, and a roof over your head. Anything else is an added plus that we don't necessarily need. Jumping right back to 2008, i define poverty as the exact opposite: those without food, clothing and shelter. Put those two together and you have inequality. By fighting to end poverty in every way around the world we are working towards equality between every person on this earth.

As one of the biggest issues facing the world, right up next to war, it's going to take alot to solve it. So where do we start? Can one person make a change? Of course you can. And you don't have to empty your pockets on every city street corner to help either.

You can start by making a food donation to your local food pantry. Thanksgiving is just around the corner so make sure every family has stuffing and cranberry sauce to eat.
Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity one Saturday afternoon. You'll literally be building the roof for someone else.
Or go on-line. I just discovered a great site called Save the World With Music. There you can answer music trivia questions and every time you answer a question correctly, we give a donation which is enough to provide one person with clean water for one day.
There are an infinite amount of possibilities out there for you, you just have to find one.

Artists Give Amsterdam's Red Light a Green Light

2008-10-14T13:16:00.000-07:00

Through the city-wide project initiative, called Project 1012, Amsterdam is pulling a Giuliani and cleaning up the streets, especially the notorious Red Light District.

This lovely city filled with wooden shoes and windmills (not to mention plenty of other things for adults only) has made a promise to the people of Amsterdam to clean up its world-famous Red Light District by upgrading the 750-year-old neighborhood over the next ten years including a ban of window prostitution. By closing most of the windows the city hopes to curtail both human trafficking and the white-washing of money by criminal gangs. So, by clearing out most of the "windows", coffeeshops and "riff raff", the city hopes to recapture the historic sense of Amsterdam and preserve the architecture.

So with all this real estate popping up, who is coming in? I'm glad to say it's artists! The city government is working with private enterprises to replace the bordellos with studio space for fashion designers and artists. Real Estate company, De Key, has already purchased ten buildings in the Red Light District to accommodate painters, sculptors and other visual artists. These spaces will be made for both living and working. De Key hopes "to strengthen the residential quality and livability of the area, as well as to contribute to the preservation of its rich historical architecture." De Key has even announced that in the beginning phases they will collaborate with Topstad Amsterdam and Kunstenaars and Co., to select young Dutch artists to live and work in the new properties and also exhibit their work. So there will still be something to look at in the windows of the Red Light District wont there?

It's pleasing to see that cities continually recognize that art in the community not only raises real-estate values but also contributes to the general quality of life of everyone living in it. As seen in Amsterdam, artists living, working and exhibiting in the city are helping to improve the city and the district for everyone. The Biggs is working hard to do just the same: to not only contribute to making the city of Dover a wonderful place to live, but for the entire State of Delaware as well. I guess I should put it as, "We're here for ya."

In The News: WAMU Whams Seattle Art Museum

2008-10-09T13:23:00.001-07:00

Banks have been falling like prices at Wal-Mart these days. This is leaving most museums and non-profits in the U.S. stir crazy. Most of us are thinking... what happens now? The Seattle Art Museum certainly has a few words to toot after the collapse of Washington Mutual Bank (WAMU).... What kind of relationship does WAMU have with Seattle Art Museum you ask? Seattle Art Museum happens to be WAMU's landlord.

In 2007, Seattle Art Museum made an impressive expansion to their building, to 268,000 from 150,000 square feet, so that it could persuade local donors to augment its permanent collection, in time for its 75th anniversary. This expansion added almost 1,000 new objects to the permanent collection, a Curator's dream basically. Seattle Art Museum partnered with WAMU and leased the top 8 floors of the building to them for use, which then prompted WAMU to build its own new headquarters on museum land adjacent to the expansion, purchasing development rights for $18 million, an $8-million discount on the appraisal. Will JP Morgan Chase then occupy the building since their foots are in WAMU's doors? According to SAM, WAMU is still paying rent.

On the East Coast in good ole' Philadelphia, Philadelphia Museum of Art is in Partnership with Wachovia, which was just bought out by Wells Fargo (too bad, Citigroup). Wachovia charitable giving focused on community development and education. Wachovia funded the Wachovia Education Resource Center at PMA to promote arts education with Philly kids. A pretty nice gift with a tag of $750,000 to construct the center, which opened in 2007. They also threw in another $500,000 for good measure for free admission to the public for the past four months.

So... the question is, will this become the Wells Fargo Education Resource Center now? Or does that depend on future funding from Wells Fargo.

I'm sure this is happening around town alot for both large and small art museums. Banks are good to art museums when it comes to grants and funding for programs, restoration, preservation and fundraising. But with all the falling, will there still be enough to go around?

We shall see.

Blips taken from Culturegrll and Art Net News.