MAeX Art Blog

Eighth wonder of the world? The stunning temples secretly carved out below ground by 'paranormal' eccentric | the Daily Mail

An amazing secret was revealed in northern Italy.

Nestling in the foothills of the Alps in northern Italy, 30 miles from the ancient city of Turin, lies the valley of Valchiusella. Peppered with medieval villages, the hillside scenery is certainly picturesque.

But it is deep underground, buried into the ancient rock, that the region's greatest wonders are concealed.

House of secrets: Below this house is the Damanhurian temple which is one of the largest temple complexes in the world

The Temple

Via: Eighth wonder of the world? The stunning temples secretly carved out below ground by 'paranormal' eccentric | the Daily Mail.
Originally posted on NEW MAeX Artblog view it here.

The World's Greatest Art Heists

The World's Greatest Art Heists:

"The theft of masterpieces from a Swiss museum is just the latest in a long line of spectacular robberies."

(Via Forbes.com: Collecting News.)

Originally posted on NEW MAeX Artblog view it here.

What PayPal does with your money

What PayPal does with your money:

"Next month, eBay intends to implement a controversial new policy that will entail holding payments sent through PayPal for up to 21 days for certain 'high-risk transactions.'"

(Via CNN - FORTUNE Small Business.)

Originally posted on MAeX Artblog view it here.

Does Great Art Require Suffering Artists?

Does Great Art Require Suffering Artists?:

"'The image of the penniless artist quietly expiring in a Parisian garret assumed its emotive power during the Romantic period. So do we, as today's consumers of art, still expect its creators to suffer? Do we still picture them in a modern-day equivalent of the draughty attic?'"

Tortured soul ... Frida Kahlo's The Two Fridas. Photograph: PA

"The panel agreed on the fact that the vast majority of artists - with big earners like Hirst and Jeff Koons as notable exceptions - find it very difficult to make a living from their work. This fact can be both liberating, allowing them to further push the boundaries without worrying about whether or not the piece will sell, and galvanising, preventing them from settling into complacency and becoming stale."

Undoubtedly, difficult life circumstances can be transformative but, difficult life circumstances do not guarantee an artist can translate that experience to their art. Having economic hardships might force that artist into a more creative mindset when finding materials for their art but, that doesn't mean the created object will be what a viewer, collector, or whomever will really want based on the humble or poverty origins of those materials.

"They may not all call it suffering, but every artist I've spoken to for Portrait - even those whose art has brought them fame and fortune - has described the real sacrifices, whether personal or economic, that they have made to dedicate themselves to their work. Yet very few of them have said they regret them."

One of the reasons for the group South Florida Artist Entrepreneurs is to help artists be successful in both their art and their economic lives. We try to provide some answers at our monthly meetings but, there are times were a topic might not relate to your exact circumstance. For instance, my experience says that I have more understanding of the internet and how to make a "good working" web site in relationship to that knowledge than the "average" artist. However, everyone has some experience to share and, that's part of the goals: to build strong networking relationships through sharing.

(Via Guardian Unlimited: theblogart&architecture.)




link to NEW MAeX Artblog

Geoff Dyer celebrates the passing of the Polaroid

Photography is in flux right now. Why is it some people and institutions fail to understand that many photographic processes are quickly becoming archival processes?

Geoff Dyer celebrates the passing of the Polaroid:

"This week Polaroid announced that it is to stop manufacturing its legendary film. Geoff Dyer celebrates the passing of the 60-year-old art form with a collection of photographs found in unlikely places"

(Via Guardian Unlimited Art.)

Open Source Movement

Open Source Movement:

"

At 89 years old, American dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham has pushed many boundaries in his celebrated career. Long associated with the avant-garde, he has invited numerous collaborations with new media artists over the years. Since 1991, he has used software to choreograph his works, and the resulting sensor-based animations have recently been exhibited as works in their own right. Now the artist is moving his practice towards an open source direction. Longtime Cunningham collaborators Marc Downie, Paul Kaiser, and Shelley Eshkar, who together form the OpenEnded Group, are releasing an open source recording of Cunningham performing a new version of his renowned piece, Loops. Loops was originally performed in 1971 as a solo dance. In this special re-configuration, Cunningham focuses only on his sensor-laden hands and the resulting work is a graceful visualization of his fingers moving through space. The transition into this form indeed visualizes how the artist has evolved over the years. Cunningham is also releasing the score under a Creative Commons (non-commercial/attribution/share-alike) license, so that it can be more closely studied and remixed in the future. For an artist with such a long-standing interest in chance operations, it's a bold and exciting move to see his work opened up to others in this way. - Marisa Olson

Image: Merce Cunningham, Loops, 2008

http://www.openendedgroup.com/index.php/in-progress/loops-open-source/

"

(Via Rhizome News.)

Miami-Dade public arts program in shambles, auditor says

Our worse fears have again been realized...

Miami-Dade public arts program in shambles, auditor says:

"Miami-Dade County's $28.2 million Art in Public Program is a mess, with 13 pieces of art worth $12.6 million not recorded in an inventory, 24% of the collection in need of maintenance or repair and items on public display susceptible to theft.

In one case, an item that cost $400,000 was destroyed instead of moved elsewhere because the artist felt the piece was site-specific. The artist was paid $24,418 to come up with a plan to remove the piece that was later rejected, and then hired to do another project for $900,000 — in violation of the county's competitive process. [editor's note: how do these things get through the approval process, are not these issues looked at by an oversight committee? Well, Miami's corrupt politics are well known so, it just filters through all aspects of government, both city and county. Can this system be overhauled?]

Many artworks were found gathering dust and racking up storage fees of more than $24,000, and scores of others valued in the tens of thousands of dollars were missing. [editor's note: the latter is not news as the missing art was brought up in recent memory.]"

(Via Miami Today News.)

Museums are swamped by kids

Although most of us are busy working during the day, are our local museums filled with kids? In some ways it seems like a good idea to introduce young people to art and culture but, has this idea turned into a giant joke? Do certain age groups produce better benefits to the museum than others? Does having all these kids around really enhance the mission of the museum or, are we just making a ton more museum party goers?

Museums are swamped by kids:

"Museums [in Britian] have Disneyfied culture and turned our institutions into playgrounds. Forget children, what about the adults?"

(Via Guardian Unlimited Art.)

Where US Presidential Candidates Stand On The Arts

Where US Presidential Candidates Stand On The Arts:

"The arts aren't an issue in this year's election, and it's even difficult to find out what the candidates' positions are. But here's a helpful guide......

Barack Obama:
-Supports increasing funding for the NEA from $125 million to $175 million annually
-Wants to expand both public and private partnerships between schools and arts organizations
-Supports the creation of an "Artists Corp" to work in low-income communities
-Promotes cultural diplomacy (send performance artists abroad)
-Welcomes international artists into the US
-Wants to provide health care to artists and their family members
-Supports ensuring tax fairness for artists
-As Senator, co-sponsored and passed legislation to honor the legacy of Katherine Dunham
-Supports the Artists-Museum Partnership Act, which allows artists to deduct the fair market value of their work when making charitable contributions

Hillary Clinton:
-Supports the NEA's mission and increasing Federal funding for the NEA
-Wants to reform No Child Left Behind to strengthen funding for arts education in public schools
-Believes in international cultural exchange as a form of diplomacy
-Supporter of Public Broadcasting
-Created the Finger Lakes Trading Cooperative, an initiative that links local businesses with artisans in upstate NY
-Helped to develop affordable living/work space for artists in Buffalo
-Entered a statement to the Senate Congressional Record in support of creative arts therapies
-As First Lady, was the honorary chair of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities

John McCain:
-In 1999, voted NO on funding for the National Endowment of the Arts
-Does not support abolishing the NEA
-Voted in favor of the Helms Amendment to withdraw Federal funding grants to art considered "obscene"
-An honorary member of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, 1997-present
-2007, proposed a bill to protect Indian arts and crafts
"

(Via My Dance Place.)

Grove Art Festival

Although I haven't been to Coconut Grove Arts Festival since I lived in the Grove, a recent potential client shows on the arts festival circuit. Being on that circuit makes artists realize they are in business as small businesses. Gallery artists sometimes think they are above that type of thinking but, that is so untrue.

Grove Art Festival: What to see:

"Put aside galleries and museums -- at least for the time being. The Coconut Grove Arts festival [was last] Saturday, and while its called an arts festival, the thousands of people expected at Myers and Peacock parks throughout [last] weekend [were] in for a lot more than strictly paintings."

(Via MiamiHerald.com: Visual Arts.)

Yesterday and today I've received several boxes of materials to give to the members of South Florida Artist Entrepreneurs Group from our sponsor, OPEN American Express for small business, to help them grow their businesses. Part of that material is an accumulation of all the work we did in NYC during our "meet the sponsor" back in January. The amount of data we produced was amazing yet, they gathered it all together into a booklet and a power point presentation (which I made into a PDF to present at our February Meetup.