This article written by Stephen Williams was featured in the technology section of the New York Times on November 20, 2008. It is about Dell hiring artists to design new covers for their laptops. These covers are inspired by the artwork of 1930s and 40s artist Joan Miro. They are creating new options, rather than just standard color, for users to choose for their laptops. Dell’s new Studio Art House computers were designed by three commissioned artists, all activists in the fight against AIDS in their countries. They created colors and patterns that decorate three 15- and 17-inch laptops in the Studio series. Each one of these artistically inspired computers is part of the RED mark, where dell promises to contribute $20 of each one sold to the Global Fund in Africa. The art designs are titled “New World” by Joseph Amedokpo, “Shine Within” by Siobhan Gunning and “Healing Patterns” by Bruce Mau. Amedokpo explians why red is so important to the movement, saying "red is the color of blood, which is life, and our soil, which feeds us.” These bod designs are perminantly fixed to the notebooks' covers and are scratch and resistant. You can get your own laptop with attached artwork for $649-$799. Join discussion...

The Palais de Tokyo is being briefly taken over by an exhibition from a young artist by the name of Loris Greaud. This exhibition is the first exhibition to use all of the 40, 000 square feet of the museum, taking two years to produce and costing over twice the amount of any show before it. Greaud's brainchild is a conceptual masterpiece, split up into various "attractions" called bubbles. Bottles contain the imagined smell of Mars and a vending machine sells brightly colored candies that don't taste like anything. The work covers many different and sometimes contradictory disciplines, subjects and concepts, such as reality and the nonexistent. A technician operates the electrical portions of the exhibit for 6 hours a day, but when he is not there, exhibit-goers are left even more to their own imagination. When the exhibition leaves the Palais on April 27, it will travel to London, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, where it will reappear as something completely different. Join discussion...

Damien Hirst, probably the richest, most famous artist of the twenty-first century so far, unveiled his new clothing line last week at a Los Angeles showing. Hirst, who set the record for largest selling at single artist auction in September, has partnered with Levi Strauss & Company to produce a line of clothing inspired by his art. Already, many critics have praised the artist's venture into fashion. Much of collection consists of "psychedelic" pants designed by Hirst. These pants are now on sale, with the price starting at roughly $80,000. Join discussion...

These days Asian art is showing up more and more in Western museums and galleries. The sheer number of Asian art in the latest Scope Miami shows this. The art ranges from colorful sculptures to paintings of women. Most of the art is different and unique. (Go check out the link to see some of the work) Join discussion...

David Alvarez has created a 10-foot mosaic of Ray Charles, the catch being that it is made solely out of post-it notes. This work was created out of over 2000 notes and is now on display at Wenatchee Valley College in Washington. His inspiration came when he used the mosaic effect in photoshop on a picture of Ray Charles. Thus inspired, created this artwork and is looking to create more pieces in the future. Join discussion...

Damien Hirst is the top artist in the world according to this year's artnews' top 100. He has created a number of masterpieces that are both unique and controversial, setting the stage for modern art. In 2006, Hirst had to replace the shark in his "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living" because it was rotting. It raised questions as to whether the replaced piece would be as valuable as the original. This article deals with another one of Hirst's masterpieces that is in need of repairs. "Mother and Child, Divided" was created in 1993 and consists of a cow and a calf in formaldehyde tanks. According to this article, one of the tanks sprung a leak and needs immediate repairing. It is held in the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art in Oslo. I think that this article was quite interesting because of the nature of Damien Hirst's work. I personally think it is grotesque and vile to take a dead animal, cut it up and display it in formaldehyde for people to view for years to come as a work of art. The ingeniousness of his work is what makes him famous and even though I think the subject of his work is disgusting, it is impossible to dismiss the cleverness of it. This article was interesting because it raised the question of whether or not Hirst's artwork was still as valuable when it needs replacing every 10 years or so. Does replacing the subject of a piece like Hirst's detract from its original message and powerful effect? This is the question that is raised by this article. It was a good article because it didnt really take a particular stand but merely provoked thought and debate among the readers without implanting opinions and decisions in their heads. Join discussion...

“School: The Archaeology of Lost Desires, Comprehending Infinity, and the Search for Knowledge,” is artist Damien Hirst's most recently displayed exhibit. Mr. Hirst creates art that evokes thought with his very graphic approach of viewing and being surrounded by a feeling of death. His past works have included a shark encased in a giant formaldehyde box and a human skull coated in jewels. His most recent exhibit is being shown in the lobby of the Lever House which is entirely glass windows. The exhibit is composed of over 30 dead animals in glass cases. It has been referred to as "a veritable Noah’s Ark of roadkill." The most interesting concept brought up about this exhibit is how it incorporates, in a some what far fetched way, many of the most famous modern artists. When I read the article about Hirst's Shark sculpture a couple weeks ago I was very disturbed and overwhelmed by the grotesqueness of his ideas but now, I am becoming more and more interested in what these crazy exhibits are actually like. Join discussion...

Bansky is a famous grafiti artist who works anonymously. No one has suspected the true identity of this artist...until now. A camera phone picture of a man painting the side of a building in Bethnal Green, East London may unmask the invisible artist. Bansky is known for his grafiti and free form sculptures that appear in public places. His works include a Stonehenge of porta-potties and Queen Elizabeth II as a chimpanzee. A common theme of his art is humor--despite being labeled as anti-establishment, Bansky often bring humor to serious subjects. He also works with political subjects, including arti-war and war opinions. His grafiti murals and his identity have remained illusive for years ever since he started paining in Bristol, England, in the 1990s. If this cell phone picture is indeed Bansky, how will his fans react? Join discussion...

This article featured in the Canadian Press on October 21, 2008, is about the new exhibit featured in the Oval Office replica at the Clinton Presidential Library. This room is an exact replica of what the White House's Oval Office would look like, with an addition of some new horsepower. The director of the Clinton centre, Terri Garner, organized the new exhibit "Art of the Chopper," which features 30 handcrafted motocycles from around the United States. Garner says that the museum's mission is to capture the American culture in the late 20th century, which both Clinton and motorcycles both accomplish. The library is approaching its fifth anniversary and the bikes have sparked increased recent visits. Photographer Tom Zimberoff displayed portraits of the chopper's creators, calling them the "rolling sculpture." Each bike took over a year to fabricate and sell for up to $275,000. The motorcycles range from the traditional chopper to the hammered-steel industrial look to hippie era bike covered in psychedelic images. The are all to the highest degree of craftsmanship, completely made from scratch. "There are probably only 50 guys on the planet who can make motorcycles of this calibre," Zimberoff said. Artists include Pat Kennedy, Shinya Kimura, Rick Fairless, Mike Pugliese, Ron Finch, and Mike Hotch. The exhibit is open through Feb. 8, open Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sundays 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Join discussion...

This article is about an exhibit called "Act/React: Interactive Installation Art" in the Milwaukee Art Museum that includes ten pieces from six artists. These pieces include a table that makes various noises when touched, a 30 by 20 foot floor piece that responds to movement, and a room filled with changing neon lights that confuses the senses into thinking that there is noise in the room. One of the exhibits more known pieces is called "Healing Pool." The artist, Brian Knep, claims that at any point, the floor will reflect everyone that has ever walked across it. Join discussion...