New Director Named--The J. Paul Getty Trust has announced that Michael Brand, director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, has accepted the position of Director of the J. Paul Getty Museum. He will be the first museum director to oversee two open Getty sites--the Getty Center in LA and the new Getty Villa in Malibu, scheduled to debut in early 2006.

Shortlist Announced--The Tate Britain has announced four artists who have been shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2005: Darren Almond, Gillian Carnegie, Jim Lambie and Simon Starling. The prize is awarded to a British artist under 50 for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of his or her work in the 12 months preceding May 11. An exhibition of their works will begin on October 18, and the winner will be announced on December 5.

New Home for Lady Liberty II--A monumental replica of the Statue of Liberty was gifted to the Brooklyn Museum in 2002 after removal from a Manhattan building where it was installed over 100 years ago. About 1/5 the height of the Bartholdi original, the sculpture will undergo conservation efforts in view of visitors beginning in the spring of 2006 while positioned in its new location, the Museum's Frieda Schiff Warburg Memorial Sculpture Garden (which houses a collection of architectural fragments salvaged from NYC buildings that were being demolished).

Stamps Take Flight--The U.S. Postal Service has dedicated the new American Advances in Aviation commemorative stamp sheet. Depicting 10 classic American aircraft from the 30's 50's, the stamp sheet was designed by Phil Jordan; and the illustrations and header design were painted by William S. Phillips, an award-winning historical aviation and landscape artist who also created the artwork for the 1997 Classic American Aircraft collection.

Museum Debuts--The Zentrum Paul Klee, a museum dedicated to the life and work of Paul Klee, has opened in Bern, Switzerland. Designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, the museum houses over 4,000 of Klee's works.

NEA News--In partnership with the U.S. Dept. of State and Europalia International, the Arts Endowment will present the culture of the U.S.A. at the Europalia Festival from Oct. 2007 through Jan. 2008. Centered in Belgium, europalia.usa 2007 will showcase the very best of American arts and culture.--Dr. Sarah Bainter Cunningham has been appointed the Arts Endowment's Director of Arts Education and will be responsible for providing national leadership in the arts education field, selecting panelists and managing the review panel process, and recommending grant programs and leadership initiatives.--Pres. Bush has nominated Idaho Shakespeare Festival managing director Mark Hofflund to serve on the National Council on the Arts.

Exhibitions:

Beacon, NY -- Zahra's Studio Gallery -- Spray 2005--The Airbrush in Modern Art--Four Perspectives in Airbrushing focuses on four distinctly different artists who utilize the airbrush in the development of their artwork: A.D. Cook has a traditional approach to figurative art using airbrushed acrylic artist colors; Pamela Shanteau's works are derived from many years of painting in the custom automotive field; Kirk Lybecker paints large sharp-focus landscapes in airbrushed watercolor; and John Wesley Hawkins paints contemporary and futuristic fantasy cast-resin models that have won numerous awards. The exhibition opens on September 10 with an Opening Reception and is on view through October 1. Sponsors include arttalk.com, airbrushtalk.com, Iwata-Medea, Inc., and Artool Products.

New York, NY -- Whitney Museum of American Art -- Robert Smithson is a retrospective that brings together the artist's sculptures, photographs, films and earthworks, as well as a largely unknown group of paintings and drawings from 1957-63, providing an opportunity to revisit a career cut short by his death in a plane crash in 1973. Through Oct. 23. In addition, on Sept. 17-18 and 24-25, the Whitney will collaborate with Minetta Brook, a NY-based arts organization that presents innovative public art projects, to realize one of Smithson's unrealized proposals, "Floating Island." Smithson's vision of 1970 consists of a tugboat and barge filled with earth and many different varieties of trees and shrubs that will create a manmade "island" that will circumnavigate Manhattan and be visible to viewers on the shore at a number of publicized locations on the Hudson, Harlem and East Rivers.

Minneapolis, MN -- Walker Art Center -- Chuck Close: Self Portraits 1967-2005 focuses exclusively on the artist's self-portraits in all of the media in which he works: painting, drawing, photography, collage, and printmaking. The exhibit includes a broad array of examples from throughout Close's career and provides a fascinating glimpse of an artist's self-examination through time. Through October 16 and then travels to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Nov. 19 Feb. 28, 2006.

New Orleans, LA -- New Orleans Museum of Art -- 2005 New Orleans Triennial--A Southern Perspective on Prints showcases the works of more than 40 contemporary printmakers from 12 southern states who push the boundaries of the traditional definition of printmaking. Artistic freedom is evident in this year's Triennial, giving it a fresh look and creatively expanding traditional printmaking. Through Oct. 16.

Stockbridge, MA -- The Norman Rockwell Museum -- Windblown: Contemporary American Weathervanes is a juried exhibition on view on the Museum's beautiful 36-acre site overlooking the Housatonic River. Creative designs by artists and craftspeople working in diverse media are featured in these enduring symbols of our dependence upon the elements of wind and weather. Through Oct. 30.

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 15 No. 11 -- September 2005