MAeX Art Blog

Hip-Hopping the Digital Divide

A student I know at FAU, Mr. Matthews, is on track working his web development skills that are impressive. He's well aware of the hip-hop audience and, it taking advantage of his skills to provide some media rich content through his web application.

Hip-Hopping the Digital Divide:

"Greater broadband access among urban minorities has spurred Russell Simmons and others to develop new, media-rich sites for this growing audience."

(Via BusinessWeek Online -- Small Biz.)

An Aging Problem: Old Have Difficulty Ignoring Information

Interesting brain research is always happening. I bought a copy of Discover several months ago about the brain and have had no time to read it. sigh But, in shorter doses, I can read some. We are just so busy with making our way through the world...

An Aging Problem: Old Have Difficulty Ignoring Information:

"A "chart mapping the performance of older people at memory tests shows they didn't do as well. 'The old have a problem with this. They don't modulate as much ... they have a harder time ignoring information."..."
"One commenter says, 'I think what they are trying to imply here is that as we grow, our brain creates more electrical paths in our brain. As more paths are created for access to new information, the brain has trouble finding a fast path to gain access to the information....'"

(Via ArtsJournal: Daily Arts News.)

The Tribes of Art Basel Miami

Yes, another day closer, another day behind. Do you have your agenda planned out ahead of time or, are you just winging it?

The Tribes of Art Basel Miami:

"More than 50,000 people will descend on Miami next week for the sixth annual art bacchanal; it’s doubled its size of three years ago. A look at its subcultures..."

(Via nymag.com: Art.)

Protecting your business' brand

TheNextFewHours.com had its pages taken and republished in Miami Art Guide a couple of years ago. I think the fallout from the incident has stayed with the art community to this day. It's one thing with a local business or individual asks to use copyrighted material but, when they don't and get caught? That is a huge problem. Flickr.com is the one web site that has had the most abuse with periodicals taking images for use in a print publication. So far, I've had a few print publication request images for use, providing a written contract as well.

Protecting your business' brand:

"Fortune Small Business offers tips on how to keep others from taking your firm's name, logo and other intellectual property."

(Via Video - CNNMoney.com.)

Arts & Letters Daily (21 Nov 2007)

Without being a scientist and, not having access to multiple studies on the subject, these two reports on IQ are again, controversial. They are interesting but, it's difficult to get behind them fully. And, being part of the educational system makes it even more difficult.

Arts & Letters Daily (21 Nov 2007):

"IQ has been rising for the last hundred years: that's the Flynn Effect. But IQ is not quite the same as intelligence..." more

"James Watson was forced to retire after he claimed that African intelligence wasn't 'the same as ours.' Was he wrong? William Saletan on race and IQ..." more

(Via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate.)

Holiday on the Gulf Coast

Okay, the invite only came at the last minute but, it was welcomed. Some very good friends have me visiting Naples, FL for a couple days. I'll be back soon. Enjoy your Thanksgiving (late) and long weekend, for those that have a long weekend. Peace!

I have finished two articles that I hope to get online although doing so will take a circuitous route from my macbook to this WinPC since I can't seem to get connected through my own. Talk soon!

Artist Entrepreneurs Meetup 10 Nov.

Miami Art Exchange is the sponsor and organizer of Artist Entrepreneur Meetup Group that met in Wynwood on the Second Saturday Art Walk. Although not focused on social gatherings, the group will have the occasional "field trip" to visit some art or concert offered by a member. However, our main topic area is the business of being an artist: protecting your rights, building a product mix, raising capital, accounting & bookkeeping, and writing a business plan.

Artist Entrepreneurs Meetup 10 Nov.:

miamiartexchange posted a photo:

Vickie Pierre at Ingalls & Asso. Gallery

(Via Photos from miamiartexchange.)

History of the Blog

How about this... history of the blog? When did you first start using a blog? Me? October, 2001.

History of the Blog:

"We all know that the modern concept of the blog developed from online diaries. The Wikipedia definition of blog is:

'A blog is a website where entries are written in chronological order and commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. 'Blog' can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.'

But do you know how the term blog actually came about? I was curious so I did some research. The term 'weblog' was actually coined by US blogger Jorn Barger on 17 December 1997. Barger is best known as editor of Robot Wisdom, an influential early weblog. Barger used the term to describe the new kind of website that was emerging at the time that was a sort of an annotated bookmarks list available for public viewing, a ‘log’ of journeys around the fledging web with links and commentaries.

The short form, 'blog,' was coined by his colleague Peter Merholz, who jokingly broke the word weblog into the phrase wee blog in the sidebar of his blog Peterme.com in April or May of 1999. You can actually see this in an archived version of the site from the Wayback Machine and he later discusses the impact his joke has had.

The word blog has now been adopted as both a noun and verb ('to blog,' meaning 'to edit one's weblog or to post to one's weblog'). But who is considered to be the world's first blogger? Ah that opens a different can of worms entirely and is a post for another day. Stay tuned!"

(Via SiteProNews Blog.)

Are Museums Academic Units?

FIU, FAU and, UM all have museums and/or galleries that are part of their institutions. They do provide a learning resource, museum studies and, art historical research, to the institutional and public citizens alike. But, like everything else in academia, it comes with a bureaucratic load that can potentially make such an institution as a museum or gallery shut its doors. Is the state budget looking to eliminate funding for our art facilities on campus?

"To what degree is a college art museum considered central to an academic mission, and to what extent is it seen primarily as a financial asset?"

Via: Are Museums Academic Units?

Are Museums Corrupted by Commercial Galleries?

Even before the opening of Art Basel Miami Beach we're getting asked some interesting questions about the non-profit/ for profit art worlds. I think the answer has to be "yes" about the influence of commercial galleries but, does influence equate to corruption? I again would have to think "yes" to that question. The power in a less ethical world would have to suggest that to be the case.

Are Museums Corrupted by Commercial Galleries?:

"Should nonprofit art museums accept money from commercial galleries with a clear financial stake in the artist’s career, and in some cases in the artworks on display? More generally, can the willingness of galleries to pony up subtly influence what a museum sets out to exhibit?"

read more

(Via NY Observer > Arts & Culture.)