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ArtPourri

Art Center Honored – The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN, was recently recognized for its expertise in the areas of design and new media with two prestigious honors.  The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum awarded the Walker its 2009 National Design Award in the category of Corporate and Institutional Achievement.  At a recent Museums and the Web national conference, the Walker received a 2009 Best of the Web Award in the Innovative or Experimental Site category for its My Yard Our Message online political yard sign competition launched in conjunction with the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

DOJ Operation Launched—Law enforcement agents at all levels recently arrested 24 defendants in Utah following an undercover operation targeting a network of individuals allegedly involved in the sale, purchase and exchange of artifacts illegally taken from public or Indian lands in the Four Corners region of the country.  The case involves 256 artifacts totaling $335,685 and represents the nation’s largest investigation of archaeological and cultural artifact thefts.

Restoration Complete—Restoration work on the Crown Point Pier and Champlain Lighthouse (NY) has been completed and both facilities are once again open to the public.  Work on the lighthouse included restoration of a bronze bust by sculptor Auguste Rodin that was donated to the U.S. by France in 1912—the year that the lighthouse was converted into a monument to French explorer Samuel de Champlain.

Winning Project on View – The MoMA/P.S.1 Young Architects Program (YAP) annual series of competitions gives emerging architects the opportunity to build projects conceived for P.S.1’s facility in Long Island City, Queens.  The architectural firm MOS’ winning landscape, Afterparty, will be on view in the outdoor courtyard as an immersive environment for the 2009 Warm Up summer music series through Sept. 28.  An exhibition of the five finalists’ proposed projects will be on view at MoMA through Sept. 14.

Sculpture Park Open — Citygarden, a unique 2.9 acre sculpture and landscape public garden, has opened on the Gateway Mall in downtown St. Louis, MO.  Included are three impressive water features, a café, state-of-the-art LED video wall, audio tour—and 24 pieces of modern and contemporary art by artists of renown.

August Date of Interest:
9 - International Art Appreciation Day

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 19 No. 10 — August 2009