Glass, Sergey Brin, and Diane von Furstenberg

As Rupert Murdoch tweeted when he first saw the Google Glasses on the catwalk, “Genius! Sergey Brin showing revolutionary new glasses at DVF, can take photos, receive texts, give directions, and more.”

I want a pair, primarily for the audio visual function.  The ability to go to the zoo with my daughters and not having to carry a video camera or locate my phone quickly, works for me.

I do wonder that every day social wearing of Glass might be a bit unnerving.  If you have ever tried to have a conversation with someone over lunch while they text another person, you get the idea.  What will the social etiquette be for Glass?

Kudos to Google, and the ever gorgeous Diane von Furstenberg for the innovative pairing of tech and fashion introducing Glass to a creative crowd, otherwise in the dark about the potential of Glass.  Google CEO Sergey Brin and Diane von Furstenberg held hands walking the runway at the end of the show, symbolically marking the collaboration between fashion and tech.

GoGlass

Ivanka Trump Grants A Wish

Teen jewelry designer Linda Cifuentes was recently granted a wish to spend a day with Trump at her SoHo jewelry boutique, through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Cifuentes is 16-year-old and was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma earlier this year. Her mother brought her beads to make jewelry with from her hospital bed. A passion was born.

“She’s really, really very good,” Trump says.

Trump gifted the teen with a piece from her fine jewelry collection.

Trump also gave Cifuentes three emeralds, used to create a piece auctioned at a Make-A-Wish event. Funds raised will help grant four children’s wishes. - August 12th 2012

Artists - Keep The Heart Of A Child

I think Picasso said; I learned how to draw like Raphael in five years . . . . and it's taken a life time to paint like a Child…

Or as a very dear friend Sir Toss Woollaston told me once; I’m just trying to see with the clarity and simplicity of vision that I had when I was five years old.

TEDx Auckland

Announced today was the October 6th event in Auckland, TEDx. TED is an annual event where some of the world’s leading thinkers and doers are invited to share what they are most passionate about. “TED” stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design — three broad subject areas that are, collectively, shaping our future. And in fact, the event is broader still, showcasing ideas that matter in any discipline. Attendees have called it “the ultimate brain spa” and “a four-day journey into the future.” The diverse audience — CEOs, scientists, creatives, philanthropists — is almost as extraordinary as the speakers, who have included Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Frank Gehry, Paul Simon, Sir Richard Branson, Jamie Oliver, Philippe Starck, Sir Ken Robinson and Bono. TED was first held in Monterey, California, in 1984. In 2001, Chris Anderson’s Sapling Foundation acquired TED from its founder, Richard Saul Wurman. In recent years, TED has expanded to include an international conference, TEDGlobal; media initiatives, including TED Talks and TED.com; and the TED Prize.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.

TEDx was first hosted in Auckland in 2009 and subsequently in 2010. Previous speakers include Sir Ray Avery, pharmaceutical scientist, inventor and social entrepreneur; Wendy McGuinness, CEO McGuinness Institute; Scott Gilmour, Director at Winscribe Inc and Nextspace Ltd; and Jonathan Milne, founder of The Learning Connexion.

At the moment, the line up of speakers is still being compiled for the October event in Auckland. The speakers will most likely be New Zealanders, some currently from NZ and others in exciting roles elsewhere in the world. At the moments, tickets are still not on sale, but the date has been released. Saturday, 6 October 2012 at the ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre from 10am – 5:30pm.

New Marilyn H. and Dr. Robert B. Pamplin Jr. Director, Brian Ferriso

The Portland Art Museum is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Murawski, Ph.D., as director of education and public programs. Murawski will begin his tenure on October 15. “This is an important role at the Museum. Our education programs expand and amplify the visitor’s experience in the galleries through innovative installations, lectures with leading scholars, and special programs for school children, college students, artists, educators, and adult learners,” said Brian Ferriso, The Marilyn H. and Dr. Robert B. Pamplin Jr. Director. “I am pleased that we have been able to recruit and hire Mike Murawski, one of today’s leading thinkers around art museum education.”

In his new position, Murawski will be responsible for creating a vision for the Museum’s public programs for families, students, and adults and ensuring the highest quality for all education programs.

“I am so excited to step into this new role at the Portland Art Museum and become part of a distinguished institution dedicated to creating compelling experiences for all visitors,” said Murawski. “I look forward to working with their exceptional team to further strengthen the Museum’s role in the community and help shape the Museum’s vision for the future.”

Murawski is currently the director of school services at the Saint Louis Art Museum. In this role he directs all school, teacher, and docent programs for the Museum and creates programs, tours, and partnerships for K-12 students, facilitating innovative museum learning. The programs serve approximately 35,000 students per year.

Prior to his work at the Saint Louis Art Museum, he was the coordinator of education and public programs at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University, Saint Louis.

Murawski holds both master and doctorate degrees in education from American University, Washington, D.C. and received a bachelor’s degree in art history from Truman State University, Missouri.

“We are confident that Mike will continue to strengthen our existing programs such as Object Stories, Shine a Light, and Artist Talks while creating a vision for the future to help the Museum deliver its important mission in our community,” said Ferriso.

Philip Vela Family Trust Supporting the Waikato Society of Arts

The winner of the 2011 Waikato Society of Arts New Zealand Painting and Printmaking Award is Taranaki artist John McLean. His Dinghy and waka with unstable foreshore was picked for the $20,000 prize from 52 finalists by judge Warwick Brown.

In addition, the work valued at $28,000 was purchased by sponsor, the Philip Vela Family Trust, netting the artist a stunning total of $48,000.  Lyn Vela represented the family.

“This year‟s show is of exceptionally high quality” said Brown “and selecting one work above the others was a most difficult task” The finalists range across most contemporary art styles from expressionist to minimalist.

The deciding point for Brown was that McLean‟s painting represented the high point of an important series that the artist has been working on for sometime.

1,582 Artists from 36 Countries and 43 States Will Participate in ArtPrize 2011

1,582 artists from 36 countries and 43 states will show their work in 164 venues within three-square miles of downtown Grand Rapids, Mich. Each artist will compete for the world’s largest prize for art, which will take place Sept. 21-Oct. 9, 2011. Participating artists and venues can all be viewed on the Artist List. Event organizers today closed Connections—the period when artists can officially secure a venue and participate in ArtPrize 2011. Applications for entries were open to any artist who could secure a location to display their art.

“ArtPrize facilitates relationships between artists of the world, venues in Grand Rapids and people from all over,” said Catherine Creamer, executive director of ArtPrize. “We broaden the conversation about art by making it accessible to everyone who comes to the event, inviting each person to create and discuss their own story.”

While Michigan is home to a large number of participating artists, as an international competition, artists from as far as Singapore and South Africa will descend on Grand Rapids. Canada, with 23 artists, has the greatest number of artists participating in ArtPrize 2011 who are coming from outside of the United States.

The number of national artists has also increased in 2011. Illinois alone has more than 96 artists traveling to Grand Rapids. New York artists total 29 participating artists, while California and Ohio will send 30 artists each to ArtPrize 2011. Hundreds more are coming from Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin.

Inspired by such competitions as the X-Prize and large-scale events like the Sundance Film Festival, ArtPrize is among the most unique competitions in the art world. It has no formal jury, curator or judge, asking the public to vote and decide winners using mobile devices and the web.

During its 2009 inaugural season, more than 200,000 people attended ArtPrize and more than 334,000 votes were cast. Numbers swelled in 2010 to more than 400,000 people and 465,000 votes cast. ArtPrize organizers expect more than 500,000 people to attend the 19-day event.

Louis, The Movie, by Dan Pritzker

Louis, a silent film directed by Dan Pritzker, starring Jackie Earle Haley and Shanti Lowry, will premiere in US cities in late August with live musical accompaniment by Wynton Marsalis, renowned pianist Cecile Licad and a 10-piece all-star jazz ensemble. Marsalis will play a score comprised primarily of his own compositions. Licad will play the music of 19th century American composer L.M. Gottschalk. The group will perform live with the film in a series of special performances in New York City, Chicago, Washington DC, Detroit and Philadelphia. Shot by Academy Award-winning cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond as a modern re-imagining of early silent film, LOUIS is an homage to Louis Armstrong, Charlie Chaplin, beautiful women and the birth of American music. The grand Storyville bordellos, alleys and cemeteries of 1907 New Orleans provide a backdrop of lust, blood and magic for 6 year old Louis (Anthony Coleman) as he navigates the colorful intricacies of life in the city. Young Louis’s dreams of playing the trumpet are interrupted by a chance meeting with a beautiful and vulnerable girl named Grace (Lowry) and her baby, Jasmine. Haley, in a performance reminiscent of the great comic stars of the silent screen, plays the evil Judge Perry who is determined not to let Jasmine's true heritage derail his candidacy for governor.

"The idea of accompanying a silent film telling a mythical tale of a young Louis Armstrong was appealing to me,” says Marsalis. “Of course, calling it a silent film is a misnomer -- there will be plenty of music, and jazz is like a conversation between the players so there'll be no shortage of dialogue."

International Competition Offers World's Largest ARTPRIZE

ArtPrize invites artists of all kinds from around the world to participate in an unprecedented competition that will award nearly one-half million dollars to prize winners, including $250,000 to the artist who receives the most public votes. Details of ArtPrize, which will run from Sept. 23 through Oct. 10, were announced today from the competition’s host city of Grand Rapids, Mich. ArtPrize will have no formal jury, curator or judge. The public will decide who wins the prizes by voting, using mobile devices and the web.

“It’s time to reboot the conversation between artists and the public. ArtPrize will be a celebration of art, design, and innovation that will bring artists and the public together like never before,” said ArtPrize creator Rick DeVos.

The city of Grand Rapids will become art gallery. ArtPrize art works and performances, professional and amateur, will be exhibited at hundreds of venues, all within a three-square mile area in Grand Rapids’ downtown riverfront district. The city has offered up parks and bridges for outdoor venue displays. Scores of businesses will convert lobbies and public space for displays.

“Our family sees ArtPrize as a new and innovative way to engage and support the arts for the future,” said Betsy DeVos. The Dick & Betsy DeVos Family Foundation is underwriting ArtPrize. “Dick and I share our son’s vision for encouraging everyone to explore the arts in a truly democratic way.”

Grand Rapids, a city of about 200,000 amidst a metropolis of more than a million people, has an impressive cultural urban core and a rich history of supporting public art. It is home to Alexander Calder’s “La Grand Vitesse,” the first community sculpture project funded through the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as major works by Mark di Suvero, Robert Morris and Maya Lin.

“It is increasingly important to find new ways to engage people, especially young people, in the arts,” said Michael Kaiser, president of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. “ArtPrize is a dynamic and creative way to use technology to engage people of all ages.”

ArtPrize is expected to draw thousands of entries, and art enthusiasts from across the globe are expected to attend. The ArtPrize team directly communicated with about 10,000 artists, design schools, art schools, museums and galleries worldwide as part of today’s launch. “This is a bit of an art revolution,” said Jeff Speck, former director of design for the National Endowment for the Arts and author of Suburban Nation. “It will be exciting to see a city use its downtown area as an art gallery to share with the world.”

“I’m astounded by the potential for social networking, community involvement, and the expanded view of the role of art,” said Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell. “ArtPrize will excite the world, and the world will look at our city differently because of it.”

Artists Representation

I'm now representing the Artists Marlana and Sienna !!!! They may be the next Pollack or Rothko or Jasper Johns???

Marlana signs her art sometimes the way DiVinci wrote..mirror image..blows me away!

Kids Are Installation Artists

Marlana one of my daughters did an 'installation' last week. 'Dinosaur...with pink hand bag' ...it must be in the genes... I'm going to send you a picture..I think you'll love it....Donnell was pleading with me to drop everything and capture it.....