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Slideshow: A Sneak Peek at Highlights From Art Basel Hong Kong
13/05/2013
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Stephen G. Rhodes at Overduin and Kite
13/05/2013
Artist: Stephen G. Rhodes Venue: Overduin and Kite, Los Angeles Exhibition Title: Peccatum Leucocephalus Date: April 21 – May 18, 2013 Click here to view slideshow Full gallery of images, press release and link available after the jump. Images: Images courtesy of Overduin and Kite, Los Angeles Press Release: Patient Logg as Uncorrelatable Travelogue (altered daily) 2/13 More restless [...]Contemporary Art Daily is produced by Contemporary Art Group, a not-for-profit organization. We rely on our audience to help fund the publication of exhibitions that show up in this RSS feed. Please consider supporting us by making a donation today. Read full article here

Slideshow: "The 11th Hour" Auction at Christie's New York
13/05/2013
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28 Questions for Narrative Painter Jose Parla
13/05/2013
28 Questions for Narrative Painter Jose ParlaPublished: May 13, 2013Name: José Parlá
 Age: 39
 Occupation: Painter
 City/Neighborhood: Brooklyn, New York You went to Cuba last year to work on collaborative project with JR on the murals that were part of the Havana Biennial, and are now in the show at Bryce Wolkowitz. You also recently completed a piece for the Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, where you live. Can you talk a little about the differences — in perspective, sentiment, process, or otherwise — between working in Havana and Brooklyn? There are a few differences in the two projects. The Barclays Center mural commission, Diary of Brooklyn, was painted indoors in my studio near the stadium. I made the painting in a period of several months that allowed me to layer the surface of the work with the stories, names, lyrics, poems, location names, homages that deal with the history and contemporary life of the people of Brooklyn and my own. The object of this kind of story telling in painting that uses abstraction as one of its components is to analyze my own experience of living in the borough through many subjects I have come across over the years. Working from memory and from literal material to translate that into visual form that can be read by onlookers as their own diary, a mirror in a language that can be interpreted as a mixture of all languages. After the work is installed in the entrance of the Barclays Center, the painting interacts with the public and engages everyone differently. The Wrinkles of the City, Havana Cuba project with JR is a unique collaboration project that involves many components such as location scouting, photography, and painting. Together we created 20 murals through out the city of Havana. Each mural is dedicated to an elderly woman or man. The project as a whole pays homage to the years or experience and physical appearance of the wrinkles of people’s faces in comparison with the deteriorated walls of Havana that show their own wrinkles representative of the struggle in life, the joy and smiling, all of the layers of the memories in their lives. JR and I both randomly met people in Havana by walking the neighborhoods and asking them to participate in our art project by introducing each other’s work. JR would introduce my “Character Gestures” painting book and I would introduce his “Shanghai Wrinkles of the City” book. We collaborated on the composition of the pictures on the murals and later pasted them the size of buildings through Havana while I later painted them by layering transparencies of color on the pictures as well as incorporated my calligraphic style, the stories of each person into the composition of each painting. This project began interacting with the public as soon as we started to work in front of everyone. Many people wanted to talk and ask questions and to be involved in the project. In Cuba there is no advertisement and in the 54 years since the revolution, most of the images you see in the city are of political icons like José Martí, Ché or Fidel Castro. For us to make 20 murals of random people was a big deal for people there. They asked questions like, “Who is it? Is this person dead? Is that Fidel?” Both projects in Havana or in Brooklyn incorporate the public in a unique way. Public art is necessary because it confronts people with art, maybe sometimes a lot of people who may not usually go galleries or museums. What was it like to collaborate with JR? How did you guys plan and execute the murals? Are there any particularly memorable moments from the time in Cuba? Collaborations are usually not easy, yet JR and I were fortunate to be able to share the same vision of the project. His work is humanitarian and has been incorporated into walls and cities and my paintings have been largely about walls and the psychological aspect of their surfaces, what they reflect about humanity. It is a natural collaboration. For our project we made several trips to Cuba and I can honestly say that every moment and all the people involved made it always memorable. You’ve said before that you don’t feel a tension around moving from the street to the canvas because you don’t see a difference between the two and that both graffiti and fine art are narrative practices. Yet, one of the differences between making work for a gallery and making work in the street is the audience who will see it. How does, or doesn’t, your work change depending on the audience that will likely be exposed to it? I don’t recall saying there was no tension and I imagine I didn’t use the word graffiti; I probably used the word writing. To be more precise, I said that in the creation of art there is no difference between indoors and outdoors, the impulse to create is the same. The audience does not change that for me. Having been a part of graffiti since the beginning, you’ve seen it move from the fringe to the biggest museums in the world. How has this changed the art form and the people making it? Since I was a child making art, I never liked the term graffiti or graffiti art, [we] always called ourselves "writers." The beginning of the style of writers comes from a time before me. However, I clearly remember starting to write, when I was a kid the age of nine years old, artists like Lee Quiñones, Futura, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Phase 2, Keith Haring, and others were already exhibiting in major museums back in the 1970s while they were still painting trains or walls around the city. Both forms were validated to me; the city was a museum from my point of view. The art form changes because of the circumstances and the individuals’ personal experiences in life. This art form in my experience and understanding has never had a manifesto, there are no rules, and it has never been a movement, for me the art remains a phenomenon, very personal, full of characters, changes and unique important developments. What project are you working on now? The most recent projects I’ve completed were the solo shows "Broken Language" in London’s Haunch of Venison gallery, and "Prose" at Yuka Tsuruno gallery in Tokyo. Now I am back in New York to prepare with JR our Wrinkles of the City Havana, Cuba project opening at Bryce Wolkowitz gallery. I am also working on a mural-sized commissioned painting for the new Hunt Library at the North Carolina State University by renowned architects Snøhetta. What’s the last show that you saw? “The Bride and the Bachelors: Duchamp with Cage, Cunningham, Rauschenberg and Johns,” featuring an array of painting, sculpture, stage sets and musical notations, orchestrated by leading contemporary artist Philippe Parreno at the Barbican in London. What’s the last show that surprised you? Why? Dieter Roth. Bjorn Roth at Hauser & Wirth in Chelsea. First of all it was an impressive show in size and the work was revealing of the artist’s process and life in a very unique way. Certain works made me think of the Duchampian examples from the “Bride and the Bachelors” show at Barbican, but Roth was all in his own world. It was also amazing to see the gallery that is impressively built in the old Roxy nightclub. Dieter’s studio recreated inside the space gave me the impression as if he was there dancing around his space working. Do you make a living off your art? Yes. Do you collect anything? I collect paintings, drawings, photographs, music, and plants. What are your hobbies? Painting. Describe a typical day in your life as an artist. In the morning I make my famous Cuban expresso, stretch, shower, start working with my phone off for a few hours, walk, eat lunch, paint some more, travel, move, come back, play loud music, spill paint, clean up the mess, dance, dance dance, nap, wake up, eat, work again, email, text, travel, sex, more sex, sleep a little, more Cuban coffee, donate art work to a good cause, paint, meet someone about work, drink a Dark and Stormy, do some interviews like this one. What’s the most indispensable item in your studio? The studio door. Where are you finding ideas for your work these days? Traveling all over the world, randomly walking in cities or in nature. Do you collect anything? I collect paintings, drawings, photographs, music, and plants. What is your karaoke song? I don’t have a favorite, I choose randomly because I’m terrible and just end up drinking and watching everyone get crazy, specially in Tokyo. What’s the last artwork you purchased? A beautiful work by Cuban American artist Teresita Fernandez. What’s the first artwork you ever sold? A denim jacket I painted for a girl named Christy in 1986. What’s the weirdest thing you ever saw happen in a museum or gallery? The weirdest think I ever saw was someone run out with a painting and get chased by security, then the robber fell in the street and got beat up in Chelsea. What’s your art-world pet peeve? I don’t have one. What’s your favorite post-gallery watering hole or restaurant? The Standard. Do you have a gallery/museum-going routine? Nothing routine, always random or with a defined destination. What’s the last great book you read? “Clyfford Still: Paintings 1944-1966” [James T. Demetrion]. What international art destination do you most want to visit? I’d like to go to Istanbul again. Who’s your favorite living artist? Rey Parlá.   Read full article here

John Turturro is "The Master Builder" in New Production of Ibsen Play
13/05/2013
John Turturro is "The Master Builder" in New Production of Ibsen PlayPublished: May 13, 2013At first glance, Henrik Ibsen’s “The Master Builder” is simple: an architect, obsessed with the younger generation in his wake, channels his neurosis into the young women in his life, ultimately leading to the demise he feared. It’s been performed hundreds of times, in almost as many languages, and is widely known as one of Ibsen’s most accomplished works. But it’s also known as one of his most perplexing. “In February 1893,” according to the Guardian, “the first London production at the Trafalgar Square Theatre met with puzzled incomprehension, even among Ibsen’s supporters.” One critic called the production a “pointless, incoherent, and absolutely silly piece.” “I had a love/hate relationship with Mr. Ibsen for a long time,” said Andre Belgrader, director of a new production of “The Master Builder” that stars John Turturro and premiered May 12 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. “I could see that the play was fabulous, but I thought, my god, if people say these words, sometimes so heavy and intellectual that it gave me a headache, I’m in trouble.” When it comes to Ibsen, a headache is an understatement. His plays are dark psychological studies, thin on plot and emotionally exhausting; productions tend to lean toward the histrionic and veer into melodrama. Reading the early, dry, translations of Ibsen’s work can be like trudging, all alone, through the icy Norwegian tundra. “The first time I read ‘The Master Builder,’ there was nothing about that play that attracted me to it,” said Wrenn Schmidt, who plays the beguiling Hilde, seducer and destroyer of the main character. For the actress, the new translation by British playwright David Edgar turned the play around. “It’s a lot less wordy and I feel like, although the heart of the play is still there, at the same time the words don’t feel strange in your mouth, like you’re saying something in a convoluted manner.” “The Master Builder,” like many of Ibsen’s later works, straddles a line between the naturalism of the period and a heightened, dream-like atmosphere. This unique quality has caused proponents from both sides to champion his work, while others are left bewildered. “I’m more attracted to the plays that have more myth and symbol,” Belgrader said. “I’m not attracted to the kitchen-sink realism. ‘The Master Builder’ is a very interesting combination of both.” For the new production, the set design, by Santo Loquasto, is stripped down, rejecting the elaborate, naturalistic sets that Ibsen, like his contemporary Chekhov, hated in his time. Belgrader refused to elaborate, but promised there will be one surprise he’s extremely excited about. The director previously collaborated with Turturro in 2008 on Samuel Beckett’s “Endgame,” and in 2011 on Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard.” Their relationship is one of theatrical symbiosis, a true collaboration built over a long friendship. When the chance arrived to tackle Ibsen, Belgrader could think of nobody more suited for the role of Halvard Solness, the architect at the center of the play, than Turturro. “He’s a powerhouse, but he’s a wildman, which is what this part needs,” Belgrader said. “There’s something very deeply wild about the part, and John can go there. Not too many actors can, and that’s amazing.” Belgrader paused, before adding, with a laugh: “He is the master builder.” Read full article here

William E. Jones at The Modern Institute
13/05/2013
Artist: William E. Jones Venue: The Modern Institute, Glasgow Date: March 23 – May 25, 2013 Click here to view slideshow Full gallery of video, images, press release and link available after the jump. Video: William E. Jones, Shoot Don’t Shoot, 2012. Sequence of digital files, colour, sound. Duration: 4 min 33 sec William E. Jones, Actual [...]Contemporary Art Daily is produced by Contemporary Art Group, a not-for-profit organization. We rely on our audience to help fund the publication of exhibitions that show up in this RSS feed. Please consider supporting us by making a donation today. Read full article here

VIDEO: Brooklyn Historic Cemetery Celebrates 175 Years with Exhibit
13/05/2013
VIDEO: Brooklyn Historic Cemetery Celebrates 175 Years with ExhibitPublished: May 13, 2013Decades before New York's Central Park was created, Green-Wood Cemetery's ponds, hills and winding paths provided not only a pastoral final resting place for the nation's elite but also a recreational spot for picnics and horse-drawn buggies. The still-active cemetery in Brooklyn was the largest cemetery in the world at the end of the 19th century. It was also the second most-visited tourist destination in New York behind the Niagara Falls. The 478-acre site is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year with an exhibition opening Wednesday at the Museum of the City of New York. While it cannot replace a visit to the cemetery grounds, "A Beautiful Way to Go: New York's Green-Wood Cemetery" provides historical context for one of only four U.S. cemeteries to be granted National Historic Landmark status. Founded in 1838 in what was then the City of Brooklyn, Green-Wood was an early example of the "rural cemetery." In contrast to the somber church graveyards in lower Manhattan that were rapidly filling up, it offered vistas of the New York Harbor and a new view of death that essentially said: "If you live a good life, this is the kind of afterlife you will have. It will be a place like this," said curator Donald Albrecht. Visitors enter Green-Wood through the soaring spires of Gothic Revival-style gates designed by Richard Upjohn, the architect of Trinity Church in lower Manhattan who is buried there. "It became THE place to be buried because of the varied features that it has," said Green-Wood historian Jeff Richman, and it attracted such luminaries as actress Laura Keene, who was on stage when President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, New York Tribune founder Horace Greeley and "The Father of Baseball" Henry Chadwick. "There was no Metropolitan Museum of Art or Brooklyn Museum, so you went to Green-Wood," he said. The scenic place offered an escape from crowded and unsanitary streets and an outdoor museum of hillside mausoleums, obelisks, statues and tombs designed by leading architects of the day. Decades later, Green-Wood's natural topography became the model for the creation of Central Park, Brooklyn's Prospect Park and Llewellyn Park, N.J., America's first planned suburb. By 1890, the cemetery encompassed 478 acres. Today, it is the largest New York City cemetery in terms of acreage with 560,000 people interred under or within 100,000 monuments or tombs. Among them are Cooper Union founder Peter Cooper; "The Father of the Erie Canal" and New York Gov. DeWitt Clinton; composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein; and graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. The exhibition, which runs through Oct. 13, transplants visitors to the cemetery via a giant Green-Wood map superimposed on the gallery's floor and walls. Important gravesites are marked by illuminated glass cases. It addresses five major themes: Green-Wood and popular culture; the Hudson River School painters buried there; Green-Wood's architecture; Green-Wood's influence on American parks and suburbs; and Green-Wood and mourning, which includes such 19th-century objects as a locket containing the hair of the deceased. In the early days, when the combined population of Brooklyn and Manhattan was 1 million, 500,000 people a year visited Green-Wood. Today, it has 200,000 to 300,000 annual visitors. Souvenirs and prints with Green-Wood imagery were wildly popular. People bought them to hang on their walls or view them through 3-D stereographs. Two vintage clocks decorated in Green-Wood motifs are among the artifacts in the show. One thing visitors won't see at the exhibition is a singing docent. On a recent cemetery trolley tour, volunteer guide and professional singer Marge Raymond regaled a group at Bernstein's gravesite with a rendition of his "Somewhere" from "West Side Story." The graves of Bernstein and Basquiat are simple and among the most visited. Basquiat's, located in a row of small gravestones, stands out for the paintbrushes, stuffed animals and other souvenirs left by fans. The cemetery also houses 30 catacombs, built because of the Victorians' fear of being buried alive. Since a coma could mimic death, they were equipped with skylights, air vents, safety caskets with buttons that flipped open the lids and bells that would sound above ground. Battle Hill, the highest point in Brooklyn and the first major Revolutionary War battle fought after the Declaration of Independence, also is found in Green-Wood. A statue of the Roman goddess of wisdom, Minerva, marks the spot, positioned to face the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. From the gravesites of 5,000 Civil War soldiers to the handsome chapel designed by the same architects of Grand Central Terminal, the cemetery is a symphony of art, architecture, history and nature. Yet today, there are New Yorkers who have never set foot in Green-Wood or know of its rich history. "The goal of the exhibition," Albrecht said, "is to convince people that this incredible national treasure is sitting in plain sight." Read full article here

Massive Hot-Air Balloon Art Oddity "Skywhale" Takes Flight Over Australia
13/05/2013
Massive Hot-Air Balloon Art Oddity "Skywhale" Takes Flight Over AustraliaPublished: May 13, 2013You may remember seeing an article on ARTINFO Australia in December 2012 about a giant sculptural hot-air balloon by world-renowned Australian artist Patrica Piccinini that had been commissioned to celebrate the 100th birthday of Australia’s capital city, Canberra. Well, the balloon dubbed the “Skywhale” has been revealed in all its glory and sent on its maiden voyage for its official unveiling in Canberra this past Saturday. With a turtle-like face and ten udders hanging from its undercarriage, “Skywhale” has a strangely serene presence that belies its somewhat grotesque form. Through the unmistakable maternalism of the giant floating creature, Piccinini asks viewers to question the relationship between people, nature, and technology as well as contemplate issues relating to genetic engineering and biotechnology.  The strange yet beautiful creature created by Piccinini has raised eyebrows around Australia and received mixed reviews. Comments so far have ranged from “hideous” to “innocent and naive.” But regardless of whether or not the work is to your taste, one thing is for sure, you can’t miss it. And this is one of the reasons that it will go down in history as such a memorable and remarkable gesture. “I imagine it against the clear blue canvas of a Canberra sky, odd yet somehow comforting,” Piccinini said in her original vision for the commission. “It plays on the idea that the relationship between planning and nature can lead to outcomes that are extraordinary in ways that are unanticipated.” It may resemble what one person described on Facebook as a “10-titted dodo,” but those who follow Piccinini’s career will recognise the commission as a grand and wonderful continuation of her favourite theme of questioning our responsibility to the creatures we create. My work rarely attempts to present the viewer with a definite answer to the great questions of our day,” Piccinini explains on her website.  “I believe it is up to the community to discuss and resolve these issues. However, I do have very clear views about some things. I strongly believe that we have a responsibility to anything that we might create, regardless of whether we judge it to be useful or successful or otherwise. I am also convinced of the intrinsic value of diversity. As far as I’m concerned, the more different creatures there are in the world the better it is.” See a video of the “Skywhale” on its maiden flight below: Read full article here

U.K. Government Says Crafts Aren't a "Creative Industry," Drawing Protest
13/05/2013
U.K. Government Says Crafts Aren't a "Creative Industry," Drawing ProtestPublished: May 13, 2013MANCHESTER — Nearly 16,000 people have now signed an online petition protesting against U.K. government plans to re-classify crafts as a “non-creative” industry. The petition, organized by Manchester property developer and broadcaster Sian Astley, pictured, raises concerns over a consultation paper, “Classifying and Measuring the Creative Industries,” published from the from the U.K. government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport last month. The paper proposes to remove “crafts” as a “recognized” creative industry. Craft occupations, the document reads, are “concerned with the manufacturing process, rather than the creative process.” While the DCMS says this proposal will not affect funding for crafts, members of craft occupations are concerned that without being measured, their endeavors are “less visible” than other creative activities. “The sector understandably has concerns…on the principle that ‘what doesn’t get counted, doesn’t count,” writes The Crafts Council research and policy manager Julia Bennett in an article for the Guardian earlier this week. The Crafts Council has been inviting people from within the sector to comment on its Facebook page, with many expressing concerns against what is being proposed. “Scary stuff, for the single-minded, unimaginative, box-ticking report writers at DCMS,” writes one commenter. “Craft forms an integral part of British heritage, and many making and craft skills are slowly dying,” says another. “It is important for the DCMS to do everything it can to encourage and support craft skills.” Astley told BLOUIN ARTINFO UK that she had decided to set up her petition after reading about the government’s proposals on the design website Dezeen.  Astley said: “The U.K. craft industry is undergoing a grass roots revival at the moment, in both traditional and contemporary forms, and the government should be supporting, celebrating and championing small business and craftsmanship, not undermining, insulting and potentially damaging it and them. What nonsense to suggest the craft industry shouldn’t be classified as a creative one. “For craftspeople, it feels like they are being downgraded, their work disrespected and has been called a ‘slap in the face’,” she continued. “At times of such economic hardship, the government should be working hard to support such small businesses, not ostracising, belittling and failing to even try to understand them.” The DCMS consultation period ends on June 14. This article has been updated since its original ARTINFO U.K. posting to reflect recent changes.    Read full article here

Voina Action Foiled in London, Punks Picket Met Costume Show, and More
13/05/2013
Voina Action Foiled in London, Punks Picket Met Costume Show, and MorePublished: May 13, 2013– Bobbies Bring Down Voina Protest: British police put a stop to a protest in support of the Russian anarchist art collective Voina in London on Sunday after activists hung a banner with the image of the group's imprisoned leader, Oleg Vorotnikov, from London's Tower Bridge. The action was part of "Cultural Hijack," a "survey of provocative interventions" organized by the Architectural Association School of Architecture, which also pays homage to the likes of Allan Kaprow, Tatzu Nishi, Krzysztof Wodiczko, and the Clandestine Insurgent Revel Clown Army. After their initial hanging was halted, the group strung up the banner from the facade of the Architectural Association. [Moscow Times, CulturalHijack] – Punks Protest Met's Punk Show: On Friday a group of a dozen protesters lead by photographer and writer Gerry Visco gathered outside the Metropolitan Museum to call out its new exhibition of punk fashion, "Punk: Chaos to Couture," for its lack of punk authenticity. "We're not mad, we're disappointed," Visco said. "They did not fulfill the concept of punk. They should have gone a little further." [DNAinfo] Watch video of Met's punk show here.  – Hirst Blew Turner Prize on Bar Tab: The morning after he received his £20,000 Turner Prize check from Brian Eno in 1995, Damien Hirst couldn't find the money, and eventually realized that he had spent the whole thing on celebratory drinks at London's Groucho Club, the artist revealed in a recent BBC 4 interview. "Being Damien Hirst was difficult," Hirst said. "I saw myself recently getting the Turner Prize and I was out of my mind drunk, slurring my words… It makes me cringe." [Independent] – Dasha and Bloomberg Launch Art-Tech To-Do: Last week New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and Russian art patron Dasha Zhukova — in the presence of Leonardo DiCaprio, Anna Paquin, and 100 other artists, collectors, and collectors — launched Circle, a new art and technology conference to be held on New Holland, the island owned by Zhukova's partner Roman Abramovic in St. Petersburg. "I think St. Petersburg is an incredibly important city in many respects, obviously," Zhukova said, "but it hasn't necessarily crossed the bridge to the now. In many ways, it's asleep, and it needs an infusion of young energy. I hope that by bringing this initiative there we can help stir something up." Circle will launch in July 2014. [HuffPost] – Auctions Flooded With Freshly Looted Egyptian Antiquities: This month's auctions in London have been plagued by last-minute withdrawals of antiquities that have recently been smuggled out of Egypt. The hot artifacts include six pieces stolen from Thebes that were withdrawn from Christie's May 2 sale, while Egyptian authorities claimed Bonhams's May 1 sale included 200 stolen items — though that number was reduced to 17 upon closer inspection. A man was arrested in London on May 3 in connection with the objects that were offered at Christie's; according to the Metropolitan Police's art unit, he was detained "on suspicion of handling stolen goods, tax and fraud offenses." [FT] – Money Launderers Using Art: Thanks to the art market's unique combination of anonymity and a general lack of transparency, it has proven an increasingly popular channel for drug dealers, smugglers, weapons traffickers, and other international criminals to launder money. "You can have a transaction where the seller is listed as ‘private collection’ and the buyer is listed as ‘private collection,’ " said Sharon Cohen Levin, the United States attorney’s office in Manhattan chief of asset forfeiture. "In any other business, no one would be able to get away with this." [NYT] – Boosted Banksy Back to Auction: "Slave Labour," a mural by the British street artist Banksy that disappeared from north London in February only to turn up at auction in Miami before being pulled from the sale at the last second, is among the offerings in the Sincura Group's June 2 sale in Covent Gardens, prompting protests from locals who want the work returned to the public. "The 'Slave Labour' Banksy belongs to the people of Haringey, not to a wealthy private client," said local Trades Union Congress secretary Keith Flett. "We want the sale stopped and the Banksy back where it belongs in London N22." [Guardian] – El Museo's Board President Departs: The president of the board of El Museo del Barrio, Yaz Hernández, will step down from her position on June 30; the institution's former director, Margarita Aguilar, named Hernández in a recent discrimination claim stemming from her firing in February. "I deeply believe in El Museo’s mission to honor Latino, Caribbean and Latin American cultures and believe the institution has a bright future," Hernández said. "Because of my other board commitments, I will be stepping down as president of El Museo’s board when my term expires in June. However, I will remain actively involved, and my husband, Valentín Hernández, has been proposed to join the board because of my family’s deeply held commitment to the success of the institution." [NYT] – Museums Loosen No Photo Laws: More and more major museums are adjusting their photography policies due to the overwhelming ubiquity of camera phones in their galleries, with institutions including the Metropolitan Museum, the National Gallery of Art, the Getty Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and others letting visitors take photos in parts or all of their permanent collection galleries. Others like the Whitney or MoMA PS1 remain staunch in their old-fashioned photography bans, however. "You are fighting an uphill battle if you restrict," says Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History director Nina Simon. "Even in the most locked-down spaces, people will still take pictures and you’ll still find a million of these images online. So why not support it in an open way that’s constructive and embraces the public?" [ARTnews] – Cranston Claims NADA Award: Artist Meg Cranston was selected as the winner of the Artadia NADA New York Fair Award for her painting "Emerald City" in Fitzroy Gallery and Newman Popiashvili's joint booth at last week's NADA New York fair. The award comes with an unrestricted $4,000 cash prize. Cranston was selected by a two-person jury consisting of Participant Inc. founder and director Lia Gangitano and 2013 Carnegie International co-curator Daniel Byers. [Press Release] VIDEO OF THE DAY Activists preparing to drop a banner on London's Tower Bridge ALSO ON ARTINFO See Top-Notch Art From Every Fair of Frieze Week in New York See the Faces of Frieze Week 2013, From Anne Hathaway to Hans-Ulrich Obrist VIDEO: Hidden Gems of Frieze New York 2013 VIDEO: 60 Works In 60 Seconds at Frieze New York VIDEO: NADA New York Courts Buyers VIDEO: Highlights from Inaugural Collective Design Fair VIDEO: The Pulse of PULSE New York 2013 For breaking news throughout the day, check our blog IN THE AIR. Read full article here