Groundbreaking Planned-On July 4th ground will be broken for the Freedom Tower to be built at the World Trade Center site. The 1,776-foot glass and steel tower was designed by architect David Childs and will have an open area with energy-generating windmills above 70 floors of office and retail space--and be topped by a 276-foot spire.

Portraits Unveiled--Official portraits of former President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton by artist Simmie Knox have been unveiled at the White House. Knox is a graduate of the Tyler School of Art at Temple University, has taught at various colleges, universities and public schools and has specialized in oil portraiture since 1981. Commissions by respected political and civic leaders, sports figures, entertainment celebrities, religious leaders and others fill his resume. See www.simmieknox.com.

Awards Given--The Japan Art Association has announced the recipients of the 16th Praemium Imperiale, including Georg Baselitz (Germany) for Painting and Bruce Bauman (USA) for Sculpture. The artists are recognized and awarded for their achievements, for the impact they have had internationally on the arts and for their role in enriching the global community. The five recipients each receive $135,000 and a diploma and medal presented by honorary patron of the Japan Art Association Prince Hitachi in an awards ceremony in Tokyo on October 21st.

Mobile Refurbished--The 76-foot-long mobile designed by Alexander Calder for the central court of the East Building of the National Gallery of Art has been removed from public view for the second time since its installation in 1977. Gallery staff and engineers, including Paul Matisse, disassembled the sculpture in order to clean the multicolored parts and repair the worn metal surfaces. It will be reinstalled by summer 2005.

Site Winners Chosen--The Joyce International Dance Center, the Freedom Center, the Signature Theatre and The Drawing Center have been chosen from 100 applicants to anchor a new cultural space at the World Trade Center site. The Drawing Center's new home will provide program and administrative space and feature up to six gallery spaces for historical and contemporary drawing exhibitions as well as a gallery space for a new initiative to bring world-class fine art together with related drawings that show the artist's creative process. There will also be dedicated spaces for public programs, educational programs and special events.

Estate Sale Triumphs--Sotheby's two-day auction of property from the estate of late actress Katharine Hepburn brought a stunning figure. The most expensive lot of Miss Hepburn's own artwork (and the entire sale) was her 3" bronze bust of Spencer Tracy (which sold for $316,000) that she considered to be her most-prized possession.

Artists Named--The Port of Los Angeles Bridge to Breakwater Art Panel has announced the artists for the first of three public art opportunities that will transform 400 acres of Port waterfront into a dynamic public area that incorporates promenades, plazas, gardens and spaces for future recreational activities. The selected regional artists are: Veralee Bassler, Stuart Bender, Roberto Delgado, Trace Fukuhara, Frank Minuto and "Slanguage," a San Pedro artist collective. This project includes a series of 24 benches surfaced with original tiles to be located in the Cruise Ship Promenade, with a projected completion date of Dec. 2004. Also, San Francisco artist Douglas Hollis has been commissioned to create a major work to be located in the same area.

NEA News--Boston U. Professor David Steiner has been appointed Director of Arts Education. He will be responsible for the panel selection and grant-making process in arts education and will provide professional leadership to the field.

--Recipients of the NEA National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honor in the folk and traditional arts, have been announced. Ten fellowships, which include a one-time award of $20,000 each, are presented to honorees from 10 states.

--$7 million through 366 grants in the Challenge America: Access to the Arts category will be awarded. These awards support projects that provide opportunities for people to experience and participate in a wide range of art forms and activities, enable arts organizations to expand and diversify their audiences, and emphasize the underserved populations whose access to the arts is limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability.

--$58 million in awards through 576 grants in the second major round of grantmaking for Fiscal Year 2004 has been announced. The funds will be distributed to nonprofit, national, regional, state and local organizations and fund projects in the categories of Arts on Radio & Television, Folk Arts Infrastructure, Heritage & Preservation, Learning in the Arts, and State and Regional Partnerships.

Exhibitions:

New York, NY -- The Frick Collection -- The Unfinished Print addresses the complex issue of "finish" in art through the presentation of more than 60 print impressions in varying degrees of completion. Featured artists, European masters from the fifteenth to the early twentieth century, include Durer, Goltzius, Parmigianino, van Dyck, Rembrandt, Piranesi, Manet, Degas, Rodin, Bracquemond, Gauguin, Munch and Villon. (NOTE: Children under 10 are not admitted to the Collection, and an adult must accompany those under 16.) Through August 15.

Bermuda -- Bermuda National Gallery -- The Bacardi Limited Biennial 2004 features 82 selected works from 42 artists and ranges from paintings, drawings and photography to sculptures, conceptual works and video installations. This sixth Biennial includes work completed in the past two years by Bermudian and resident artists and has charted the development of the island's modern art scene. Through Sept. 3.

New York, NY - Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum -- Constantin Brancusi: The Essence of Things seeks to capture the essential character of Brancusi's sculpture. This carefully selected group of works, primarily carved from wood and stone, traces themes that preoccupied the sculptor for more than 30 years. Through Sept. 19.

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 14 No. 9 -- July 2004