The renovation of the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center is the product of two famous arts uniting under the same roof. The Opera and Ballet made an infinite number of compromises and the new hall is scheduled to open November 5th. Although the Ballet is better off financially, the Opera is a very important, and exciting, part of the new center. The project cost about $107 million dollars. I am excited, the Ballet's season officially starts in November with the start of "The Nutcracker" Join discussion...

Art sales are experiencing an upward trend in spite of the recession. Auction house executives in New York have recently found that pieces which aren't actually that valuable are in fact selling for more than they ever have before. For modern and Impressionistic art is becoming increasingly scattered throughout the world or locked up in museums; and apparently it has nothing whatsoever to do with the recession! Some of the not-worth-THAT-much pieces were jokes or sketches done somewhat haphazardly by renowned artists like Duchamp and Pissarro. Join discussion...

The New York Public Library is undergoing great renovations, bringing with them concern for the historical aspects of the building. The architect of the project is Norman Foster, who along with his London firm, London & Foster, must update the inside of the museum, while maintaining, particularly, the outside of the museum and the historical architechture. The library dates back to 1911. The major issue people have with this project is that Foster's previous renovations, such as the British Museum in London and the Reichtag in Germany, have resulted in extremely modern architecture, that many believe does not blend in with the cultural architechture of the buildings. Another aspect Foster must acknowlege in his renovations is the fact that many people do not come to the library to do book research, but rather to use the free internet sources. While this use of technology is an important part of the modern world we live in, it also takes up substantial space within the library. However, by moving many books and research materials to a vault nearby, builders hope to maximize internet space within the library, while still having older research materials available. The underground vault will be built across the street in Bryant Park. Another concern of many individuals is that in renovating the library, particularly in rearranging the sizes of the rooms to accomodate the many uses of the library, some of the original building support will be replaced with modern support, that again may alter historical value of the library. On the otherhand, the renovations to the library will make it more accessible and useful for those who use it on a daily basis. Join discussion...

When the poop hit the fan in the financial world recently, New York artist Laura Gilbert decided to let out her frustrations and perhaps get some answers to unanswerable questions through her "Zero Dollar" project. The artist utilized her computer graphics skills to produce 10,000 prints of the no-value currency, then stood on Wall Street handing out sheets of paper with the money (both front and back) printed on it. Gilbert joined many other artists in expressing the feelings of a nation disgruntled by the bailout package and the apparent downwards direction of the economy. While others put on tuxedos and held signs reading "Billionaires for the Bailout", Gilbert approached passing businessmen and asked them for their view of the situation. Instead of a cathartic experience of vented frustrations, the artistic experiment has resulted in depressed non-answers from the business people on the street. Art often reflects the mood of society- today, the financial situation is bleak, and artists like Laura Gilbert are chanelling that gloom-and-doom sentiment into art that asks real questions. Join discussion...

Next Wednesday will mark the opening of an amazing piece of sculpture. Sitting outside of the Rockefeller Center in New York City, where the Christmas tree stands every year, will be a 35 foot tall fountain constructed from steel, neon tubing and thousands of LED light bulbs. The artists behind this masterpiece are Tim Noble and Sue Webster. They have been working together since art school, creating large sculptures that encompass light. They have spent two years creating this fountain. It was the second design proposed to be used for the Rockefeller Center. They know that it is the right thing because the theme of fountains is also represented by a mural of the fountain of youth in the lobby. This sculpture will be on display until April 4, 2008. They are expecting an astonishing 250,000 people to view this sculpture everyday. I am amazed at this work and I love the idea that the artists put across that it is really about danger...electricity and water meeting. Join discussion...

In the New York Public Library, they display exhibits on the occasion. Currently there is an exhibition of prints located in the New York Public Library, called "Multiple Interpretations," that is causing some stir among its viewers. Much of the work takes the shape of political satire. However, none of it is as provocative as the show "Line Up" by Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese. The article discusses the impact of this show which is comprised of fake mug shots of Bush and his administration with identification plates with dates of supposed lies posted on them. Alone, these images would convey a strong message, but they are accompanied by a video of the individuals in the shots speaking the words referenced by the identification plates. This Exhibition shows that art is used to display strong political messages and to act as a means of expressing personal statements about politicians and their efficiency or successfulness. This message shows the dissatisfaction and mistrust of the American people with Bush and his terms in office. Considering the nation is currently in the process of campaigning for an upcoming election, I think that this article did an excellent job of analyzing the reasons behind this outburst of political sentiment and the motivations for creating such a body of work. It was and interesting article and an even more interesting series of prints. Join discussion...

A New York contemporary art auction, hosted by Sotheby's Auctioneers, raked in $315,907,000 on the evening of November 14. The auctioneer, Tobias Meyer, managed to sell 65 of the 71 pieces up for auction. The two pieces that sold for the highest were of Francis Bacon. Join discussion...

Francis Alys, a Belgian artist long-based in Mexico has accumulated nearly 300 portraits of the Catholic Saint Fabiola over a span of many years. Though the portraits were rendered by artists in varying styles and media, they all follow the same form and basic color scheme. The installation exhibits a multitude of interpretations of realistic portraiture, and the fact that the paintings are so similar in form highlights their differences in style. The exhibit is a sort of snapshot history of art, with some portraits in oil and others crafted out of colored beans. Check out the article- it's really interesting! Join discussion...

This article is about a man, Edward Longo, who converted and old studio into his own studio. He is holding an auction there and has over 100 peices. One of his pieces hasnamed Au Natural (#108) was submitted to the Christiania Art Competition, which had been viewed displayed at the Christinaked website www.christinaked.com. Join discussion...

Marcel Wah is organizing the first International Carribean Art Fair in New York from November 1-4. Wah, a life-long artist, was frustrated by the lack of exposure for Carribean Art and decided to take charge. Recently as the Haitian goverment underwent political stress, the art is severely impacted. Wah realizes that there is a lot of potential found in the carribeans yet due to the lack of exposure, few know about it. In the carribeans, there is a wide range of artistic styles found within the artists; many of them are experimenting with new and innovative ideas. Now 32 galleries across the United states will be showing Carribean art thanks to Wah's work. Join discussion...