New Organization Alert!

www.alternatemuseum.org

Alt M is a brand new organization that is looking for artists, companies, schools, and museums!  They are a match-making service for traveling exhibits…absolutely brilliant!   Check out their website to see what they are all about, but here is a short snippet:

Preserve world heritage. That is our philosophy here at Alt M. We are a group of individuals dedicated to using the world as our museum. Culture is not limited to one group of people or one nationality, it is a common thread among all mankind. It may differ from place to place, but the basic definition of what makes us human does not change. With that in mind, it is our goal to make this world identity available to just that — the world.

In order to accomplish this task, Alt M has been created as a web-based organization designed to facilitate traveling exhibits from around the world to be accessible to institutions globally. We provide for organizations and individuals the ability to post any exhibits they are interested in having available to the world, and conversely, we allow organizations to search for any exhibit they are interested in acquiring. We also offer a variety of programming and administrative assistance for those unsure of how to proceed in this global trade. We serve as a communication platform for institutions worldwide to discuss issues and ideas, and we serve as a networking platform to connect institutions from the far corners of the world.

So, if you are an artist looking to get your work out to a broader audience, or a smaller organization looking for some more recognition, or how about a large institution that doesn’t have time to search far and wide for your own exhibits, this is your place!  Sounds great to me!

Treasure Forever

Home | Treasure Forever | The National Trust.

What will you treasure forever?

Share the story behind your most treasured possession, that may be worthless to others, but is utterly priceless to you…

To win the chance to have your item displayed alongside the National Trust’s most visited collections, simply upload a picture of your most treasured possession and tell us why it means so much to you.

What a great competition!  (and wonderful marketing strategy!)

Museo internazionale e Biblioteca della musica di Bologna

Museo internazionale e Biblioteca della musica di Bologna.

Love their use of flash on the website!  I know this makes me sound like a super tech geek, but it’s great especially for a government organization!   The rest of the website, not so great…but that’s ok, it still grabbed me!

On a more useful note (no pun intended), I am really looking forward to checking it out and seeing a performance while I am here in Bologna.  The building itself is nestled in between porticos and frescoes, pure romantic Italy.  I think it will be a great visit!

The Museum of the Cherokee Indian

The Museum of the Cherokee Indian gets my top vote for Native American cultural preservation and educational outreach programs.  I stumbled upon the website earlier today and I was just so impressed that I had to share it.  Their exhibits are wide ranging, their store sells amazing pieces and informational books, they give links to genealogists, there are places to access the archives, and of course there is your typical tourist information.  They offer heritage trail guides, language courses, culture and history courses, cultural experiences, and many other outreach programs.  I am definitely marking this down as a MUST SEE when I get to North Carolina!!

My artist of the week: Joseph Caroppoli

Google Image Result for http://www.caroppoli.com/show-image/632388/Joseph-Caroppoli/African-Woman-III.jpg.

Check out the African Woman III for a piece of EXCEPTIONAL art!!

I once read somewhere that Artists were the guardian angels of humanity. I laughed at this statement. However, out of my naiveness, a bell rang and I realized what these words meant. We, as artists, explore, exploit, and expose the essence of all things from the Alpha to the Omega. We imploy humanity to impose free will and to look upon the past, present, and the unknown. We guide and stimulate imagination, ignite humanities dreams, and share an entity and its infinities. I am the artist who explores, exploits and exposes the essence of all things. I imploy upon you to impose your own free will, stimulate your imagination, ignite your dreams and share in my creativeness. Think art, its everywhere.

Fashioning Felt

Fashioning Felt.

 

Textiles will always have a special place in my heart, and this exhibit just fuels my desire.  On display at the Smithsonian National Design Museum, Fashioning Felt, is a gorgeous display of textiles ranging from home decor to clothing to bags and so much more.

This exhibition will explore the varied new uses of felt—an ancient material, believed to be one of the earliest techniques for making textiles. Made by matting together wool fibers with humidity and friction, felting requires little technological expertise and is an extremely versatile material. The exhibition will begin with historic examples of felts, showcase innovations in handmade felts, and feature contemporary uses of industrial felt in a range of fields, including product design, fashion, architecture, and home furnishings. The exhibition is being organized by Susan Brown, assistant curator, Textiles.

(My favorite is the dress and scarf combo on page 2!!)

 

Kilkenny Arts Festival

Kilkenny Arts Festival Blog.

While all the art at the festival looks amazing, I was really impressed by the Mick Turner video.  I love how he took an old painting and just repainted it to make it his own!!  

Bord Snip reveals €5.3bn savings plan…but loses hundreds of arts jobs

RTÉ News: ‘Bord Snip’ reveals €5.3bn savings plan.

After a governmental meeting this week, Irish cultural institutions are recommended to cut hundreds of jobs across the board, and charge admission fees to the public – something that has never been done before.

Working in one of those institutions, I feel that this is going to have an adverse effect on local visitor numbers.  While most foreigners are not going to be affected by this change since they are used to entrance fees in their own countries, the Irish population will not respond kindly to this kind of change.  They are used to the institutions being free and in these times of recession, the last thing they will want to do is put forth more money.  Irish numbers are very low compared to foreigners anyway, and I think this will drive them away even more.

These recommendations, if put through, will in my opinion drive away one of the most important groups of visitors these museums could have and will drop the moral of Irish people across the board.

Target wants to foot your cultural bill this summer

Target wants to foot your cultural bill this summer | Culture Monster | Los Angeles Times.

Target is making 12 cultural institutions FREE this summer!  

I knew I loved Target!!

Strange statues around the world

StumbleUpon WebToolbar – Strange statues around the world | haha.nu – the lifestyle blogzine.

Some very interesting modern artworks.  Have to say they look more aimed at tourists than actual art lovers…