Art in One Form or Another

MAD's Paper Ball

Make it to your 25th anniversary, and you’re endowed with silver. Make it to your 50th, and you’re gifted with gold. If you don’t croak soon after that—and we hope you don’t—on your 60th, you’re showered with diamonds.

And what do you get on your lowly first? Well, honey, you get…paper.

That was the idea behind the Museum of Arts and Design’s 2009 “Paperball,” a young patrons’ gala fundraiser that celebrated the one-year anniversary of the Museum’s opening. It was held two nights ago at its new multi-story location at 2 Columbus Circle, originally the Edward Durell Stone “Lollipop” building, which was completely redesigned and finished in July of last year. The party coincided with the opening of the exhibit “Slash: Paper Under the Knife,” set to run through early April.

Jenny Holzer Behind the Scenes

Jenny Holzer discusses the programming of her LED sculptures during the installation of the exhibition PROTECT PROTECT at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. The exhibition traveled to the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York in March 2009.

Modern and Contemporary Photography Show

Might be worth checking out Amador Gallery tonight on W57th from 5-8p to see work by Keizo Kitajima.

Wedding Registry for Art!

So smart. And long overdue. Aiming to offer a less dreary alternative, New York's nAscent Art has launched a registry service. The service, dubbed ArtWish, gives couples the chance to create a registry from art works showcased by the company. nAscent Art will then email the couple's friends and relatives explaining how they can purchase works from the list outright, or make a partial contribution as a gift.

From Waterfalls to Skateboards

Mekanism Skateboards teamed up with Olafur Eliasson to create a distortive, reflective skateboard (via PSFK).

Anish Kapoor

Being on a Kapoor tear, Galerie Maximillian in Aspen has some good pieces available. Check them out here.

Anish Kapoor Just Blew My Mind (with a Cannon)

A trip to London's Royal Academy of Arts became one of the biggest mind boggling (art) experiences of my life. Anish Kapoor is no stranger to creating unusual pieces and this exhibit is no exception. From a cannon shooting wax across a room to a conveyor belt that sends a 15' piece of wax through 4 gallery halls, the show is one of the best I've ever seen.

‘Sleepless’ in Paris as city celebrates all-night art party

The French capital stayed up until the wee hours of Sunday as Parisians marked “Nuit Blanche” – literally “sleepless night” – an annual nocturnal celebration of contemporary art. While public viewings of art installations across the city began Saturday around 7pm, most visitors on this special night opt to view the installations toward midnight.

The highlight of the eighth annual Nuit Blanche was a giant green laser beam launched by composer Jean Michel Jarre from the 14th arondissement in southern Paris, which was visible for around 5.5 kilometres right up to the heights of the Montmartre area in northern Paris. 

Every year, the all-night art party winds down at around 7am on Sunday.

Kirsten Dunst is Turning Japanese

After walking through an exhibit at the Tate Modern yesterday, I can't get Kirsten Dunst out of my head!

Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami has joined forces with Kirsten Dunst for “Pop Life: Art in a Material World,” his latest exhibition at London’s Tate Museum. He collaborated with director McG to create a short film starring Dunst crooning a cover of The Vapors’ “Turning Japanese.” The video, titled “Akihabara Majokko Princess,” is the exhibit’s final piece. Dunst romped through the streets of Tokyo, turning many heads with every wave of her plastic wand.

Did Keith Haring Invent the Pop Up Retail Store?

I just went to see London's Tate Modern exhibit about Pop Art and was completely over stimulated (in a great way). One of the exhibits re-lived Keith Harings' groundbreaking SoHo pop up retail store has been lovingly rebuilt as an exhibit. Did Haring invent the pop up retail store that is commonplace for brands of all sizes?