Ohio now offers a new design for license plates called the "Beautiful Ohio" design. It costs a little more but it looks cool and is a good way to spice up your ride. They still offer the old plates Join discussion...

The Miami Design Preservation league is celebrating the 30th anniversary of it's success at saving Miami's art deco architecture from bulldozers, and getting the district designated on the National register of Historic Places. The preservation is celebrated because it was a crucial part of the South Beach renaissance. The art deco architecture has now become a popular backdrop and theme for cafés and hotels. Many of the old buildings were renovated and now serve as an important relic of Miami's latin history and culture. Join discussion...

Major auction houses in London have estimated sales at less than a quarter of the sales of last February. In response to this, auction houses are being more careful about which pieces they take on for sale, only choosing quality works that are correctly priced. They are also taking on less works, so as not to be left with a surplus. Join discussion...

A painter in Washington DC named Allison Reimus has been using her blog to encourage people to jump in museums. Reimus writes on her blog that sometimes she feels the urge to jump out of excitement when visiting museums. This feeling inspired her to start this project. The idea is that you jump in front of a piece of art that inspires you, and then send a picture of it to her. She then posts the best pictures on the blog. The Museum of Modern Art has announced that it will stay open until 8:45 for one Monday a month to allow such jumping! This is a fantastic new way to enjoy art. Join discussion...

The council in Marrickville, Australia recently completed a report that labels graffiti as an art form with significant cultural value. The council is considering a policy that tolerates and even possibly protects some forms of graffiti on public buildings, when the owner is not bothered by it. The plan does , however, involve continuing the abrupt removal of tags because tagging is a territorial action that facilitates gang violence. Join discussion...

Over the weekend, at art auctions coinciding with the Frieze Art Fair, major auction houses pulled in revenues much less than estimates predicted. This was the first big test for the art market after the recent economic turn for the worst, and the market did not perform well. Some cool headed buyers believe that the prices that were expected for the artwork were much too high, and are resolved not to buy until prices drop. Join discussion...

Peter Macdonald received this year's John Moores Contemporary Painting Prize. His painting, called Fontana, depicts A man slashing a canvas with a knife. The painting is loosely based on a series of works by Lucio Fontana of slashed canvases. The Judges were very impressed with MacDonald's painting, finding it innovative and relevant. Join discussion...