Art Survey Announced--The 2004 Carnegie International will be held October 9 through April 3, 2005, at the Carnegie Museum of Art. This international survey of contemporary art is the 54th in the survey series founded at the behest of Andrew Carnegie in 1896 and will feature paintings, sculpture, photography, works on paper and film and video works by established and emerging international artists.

9/11 Memorials Planned--Brooklyn officials have selected the design of a 25-foot bronze memorial by Brooklyn-born artist Robert Ressler as a tribute to the residents who died at the World Trade Center. "Beacon" will be located at the 69th St. Pier on the East River and is expected to be officially dedicated around 9/11/04. And Westchester County has unveiled the winning design for its own memorial. "The Rising," by Frederic Schwartz, will have 109 steel rods, with each representing a victim from Westchester. Unveiling at Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla is scheduled for 9/11/05.

NEA News--The NEA has released further details of its latest arts participation survey. The new survey shows that, despite the impact of 9/11 on travel and other plans, Americans continued regular attendance at arts events in the 12-month period ending 8/02. Of interest: Almost 40% of adults in the U.S. attended at least one art activity during the year; 76% of adults made the arts part of their lives during the survey period; about one-fourth of adults said they visited an art museum or art gallery; 40% reported personally performing or creating art, while more than half watched or listened to the arts; and about 5% took an arts-related class. Among the respondents, arts attendance rose with age, education level and income.

National Gallery Work Executed--A team of assistants have executed Sol LeWitt's "Wall Drawing #65" on the entire surface of a wall in the Concourse galleries. According to the principle of his work, people other than the artist himself usually execute the artist's wall drawings. About two weeks have been spent executing the work on a white wall using red, yellow, blue and black colored pencil, the same colors used in the four-color printing process.

Auction History Made--A 1905 painting by a 24-year-old Pablo Picasso set a new record as the most expensive painting ever sold at auction. "Boy with a Pipe" sold for $104 million, which includes Sotheby's commission of about $11 million. The previous (14-year) record was by Van Gogh's "Portrait of Doctor Gachet" in 1990.

Exhibitions:

Sacramento, CA -- Crocker Art Museum -- Renoir and His Circle--Works from an Intimate Collection presents over 30 works of art from an American private collection, including 17 by Renoir, and explores the concerns and artistic approaches of the artist and his immediate circle through drawings, prints, sculpture, ceramics and a few small-scale paintings. Through July 11.

Blue Mountain Lake, NY -- Adirondack Museum -- Adirondack Vernacular: The Photography of Henry M. Beach, 1905-1925 presents the work of this important and relatively unknown photographer for the first time. Beach devoted his entire career to postcard photography, documenting Adirondack life and culture during a time of unprecedented change. Also on view: Summering in the Adirondacks: The Artists' Views and A Paradise for Boys and Girls: Children's Camps in the Adirondacks. Through mid-October.

Washington, DC -- National Gallery of Art -- Mark Rothko--The Mural Projects is a special installation of nine works that celebrates the centenary of the artist's birth as well as the 25th anniversary of the East Building. The works are related to two mural commissions--the Seagram murals and the Harvard murals--that date from the late 1950's and early 1960's. On view indefinitely.

Mountainville, NY -- Storm King Art Center -- This distinguished 500-acre site presents a new exhibition: Chakaia Booker at the Storm King Art Center. A selection of approximately 12 sculptures is on view in the Museum Building and some eight works are installed on the grounds. Through the 2004 season--Nov. 14.

New Orleans -- New Orleans Museum of Art -- The Collector's Eye: The Louis S. Harris Collection comprises more than 170 pieces of art and studi0 glass, including most of the works in the 1988 exhibition Collector's Quest: Glass from the Mr. And Mrs. Louis Harris Collection, plus 81 subsequent additions, most of which are in the Art Nouveau, Art Deco and art glass traditions. Through Sept. 27.

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 14 No. 8 -- June 2004