Lyn Bishop : Sharing Secrets

Shakespeare Santa Cruz is on the verge of permanent shutdown. The 27 year old company is one of the countries best, and provides Santa Cruz and the community with culturally rich artistic performances to attend and enjoy.

The budget cuts inflicted upon the University of California system have required reductions of 1.1 million to the Arts Division, where Shakespeare Santa Cruz resides. This huge amount is in addition to previous cuts already made this year.

An urgent message posted to their website reads: “Our challenge is simply put – raise $300,000 in a week’s time or cease to exist. Talk about “to be or not to be”? The question is, can you help? Yes you can. Click here to donate immediately, or keep reading to get further energized! Do it NOW or forever hold your peace. Read the rest of this entry »

Artist Josiah McElheny has been collaborating with cosmologist David Weinberg, Ph.D. on a series of objects that reflect cosmological theories such as the Big Bang. Walking into the lobby of the Phoenix Art Museum last night was to come face to face with McElheny’s The Last Scattering Surface, a large glass sculpture that seeks to explore issues of modernism and cosmology.

The work, hung at eye level at the museum entrance,  is a handsome piece that pulls us back to a late 1960’s aesthetic. A central glowing orb made of multiple smaller lights explode outward in space, forming clusters of glass galaxies at each endpoint. Read the rest of this entry »

For the last several weeks friends have been sending me all kinds of election year artwork. Barack Obama’s candidacy inspired artists wordwide with his Hope and Change campaign. I’ve posted some favorites below. Visit the Art of Obama site for even more artwork. Leave a comment with URLs to share other election year art.

OBAMA Anatomy of a World Leader, by Alex Grey

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Have you noticed the number of social networking sites specifically created for artists these days? It seems like there is a new one coming online daily. Could this be an indicator of the growing influence that the Internet offers in showcasing and, dare I say it, selling art.

These online communities are often free services (or pay to upgrade) where artists can showcase their work, chat with fellow artists online, build their network, host a blog, and create an online portfolio without having to build a stand alone website. It offers a venue for the artist to share their skills and receive feedback on their work from an international community. Read the rest of this entry »

The Sunday evening reception at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery for DigitalEyes 2008-2009: New Esthetic Dimensions in Computer Visualization Technology was a wonderful mix of art lover and computer geek.

Jennifer Gray, guest curator of the show shares with me that this is “the first international digital show at a major civic institution in the city of LA, and that in itself, makes this a historic event.” I get the feeling that she wishes it had happened years ago. Read the rest of this entry »