Scene in New York

Johnston Foster’s “The Natural” opens at Rare on Thursday, May 24th

This week’s collection of openings, performances, and happenings. (All locations in Manhattan unless otherwise noted.) 

The Art and Design of Craft

Rebecca Medel’s “The One” is a work in the “Craft Spoken Here” exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Craft Spoken Here, an exhibition of work by 39 craft artists from 11 different countries recently opened at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Fundamentally, this is an exhibition of the handmade that implicitly asks viewers to ponder the continuum on which both art and craft lie. When does craft become art?

In the News: Murals

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  The recently discovered ancient Mayan murals in Guatemala’s Xultún archeological debunks many myths about the culture.

  The Washington Post profiles Baltimore’s Open Walls project, which brought murals to the city’s Station North Arts a& Entertainment District created by artists from all over the world and curated by 23-year old street artist Gaia. [WaPO]

• The Wall Street Journal’s Anthony Paletta writes about the challenges of mural preservation. [WSJ]
• The San Francisco Chronicle reports on the newly unearthed murals at Guatemala’s Xultún archaeological silent that offer new insights about ancient Mayan culture, and discredit many myths about the civilization. [SFChronicle]
• Philadelphia Mural Arts Program had a kick-off celebration for Philly Painting, a project of large-scale murals that will transform a four-block stretch of the city’s Germantown Avenue, and give full-time pairing jobs to area residents. [Newsworks]

Knock Knock: Opportunities for Artists

This week’s collection of opportunities for exhibition, residencies, papers and proposals.

Links List: Cave Painting Porn, Amy Winehouse-Pete Doherty Blood Painting, and Marc Jacobs profits from Kidult’s Graffiti

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  Pete Doherty’s “Ladylike” includes a ‘self-portrait,’ of Amy Winehouse, drawn in her own blood. The painting sold well below expectations.

  Researchers have discovered graphic depictions of female anatomy, dating back 37,000 years, in a rock shelter located in the Vézère River valley in Southwest France. [NY Times]

• “Ladylike,” a collaborative painting made by Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty that was made, in part, with Winehouse’s blood before her death in 2011, has sold for £35,000, about half of what it was expected to go for. [The Guardian]
• Earlier this week, French graffiti artist Kidult graffitied Mark Jacobs’ Soho boutique with giant pink letters spelling “ART.” The designer quickly capitalized on the vandalism, tweeting a photo of it as “Art by Art Jacobs” and printing the image on a t-shirt, which retails for $689.00 [Boing Boing]

Scene in New York

Gereon Krebber’s “Contrary Data” opens on May 17th at numberthirtyfive

This week’s collection of openings, performances, and happenings. (All locations in Manhattan unless otherwise noted.) 

Knock Knock: Opportunities for Artists

This week’s collection of opportunities for exhibition, residencies, and papers.