Aesthetic Grounds

Ave Maria, Florida, is the first 21st Century town created in the "middle of nowhere" with a Catholic oratory and university at its heart. The future 11,000 houses, townhouses and apartments will consume the 5000 acres (2000 hectares) "nowhere" of farms and wetlands and force the future residents to drive miles to work and the local cities. The final result will be 5 houses to the acre - very … [Read more...]

Patrick Renner in the Christmas Tree exhibition in Buffalo Bayou Artspark, Houston, Texas In my backyard of southern Florida, not much great Christmas art emerges. Most public Christmas trees, Santa sleighs and Bethlehem manger scenes are of the lowest quality. The people that create the Christmas displays for governments and religious institutions are only interested in visual prominence, not … [Read more...]

Charities have been utilizing the thinking and skills of artists for many, many years. From donated works for art auctions - to - donated design and labor for special events. Artists share the values of the charity and the charity typically needs the energy and positive spirit of artists. The Make It Right for New Orleans is one such project of mutual assistance. The difference with Brad … [Read more...]

When I fall off the volunteer writing wagon, I need to start up in little bits. So here is one. Art Basel Miami reminded me of the conservative tendencies in public art. Even the quasi-sponsored public art projects, were without energy. Only the muralist at the primary flight project brought a little freshness to outdoor Miami. My photographs and few downloaded ones are at the AestheticGrounds … [Read more...]

From the Trontoist and Wooster Collective Text from Trontoist. Images from Artist. Last April, 2007 Henk Hofstra created an "urban river" in Drachten, The Netherlands. The Blue Road installation is an example of what mind-blowing urban public art can be. Featuring 1000 metres of road painted blue and the phrase "Water is Life" written in eight-metre-high letters across it, the Blue Road is … [Read more...]

Submit by November 19, 2007, photographer Orrin has sponsored a public art photography competition on the Flickr site "Theme Competition/Discuss". Flickr has a very simple system for the competition. Each person easily "tags" his/her photograph with a competition specific code. Great way to link up images on the net. The leftside photo is one image "tagged" by Damiel from a cinema in Prague. As … [Read more...]

Thanks to Joey at Curbed, check the info on the construction barrades in Lower Manhattan. Joey photographed one barricade in process and spotted the NYTime story. The project is documented with complete photographs on how to construct this street elements at reconstructionnyc.org. Re:construction is organized by Alliance for Downtown NY in collaboration with the Lower Manhattan Cultural … [Read more...]

Over at artblog, writer Andrea Kirsh took the opportunity to dump on Philly's public art as an introduction to her review of two new books about public art in New York City. As Public Art Network gathers in Philly next June, here is my response to her. Ms. Kirsh. Your assessment of the public art in Philly fails to grasp Public Art in its cultural and artistic role. Your critique is fine for … [Read more...]

For artists, designers, architects and city planners, global warming is not a complete disaster. Suddenly the bureaucracies and politicians are willing to consider new directions in built forms. An explosion of actual possibility. Global warming has two responses. 1. New carbonless energy sources will be harnessed to human use and the Chinese and Indians can join the middle class consumer … [Read more...]

Some tiny parts of Miami wish to be sophisticated, but what can you do?!?!?! At home in Buenos Aires, Bogotá, London, New York and Berlin, the same people support a refined sensibility. But at their second home (or third or fourth) condo, they just let it all pass. Boats, nightclubs and alcohol - socializing, not thinking. The Sagamore Hotel with its hip contemporary art collection in the lobby … [Read more...]

One sequence from Mira Nair's 2006 film, "The Namesake" features the public art project "Travelogues" by Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio. Nair is mixing the storytelling of travelling in the film with the storytelling and animation of the artwork. Also a good film. In a mindless moment, I was flipping channels and discovered the "Notila Fairytale" video by Venessa Carlton. According to my … [Read more...]

Romero Britto's Company is attempting to become the Dale Chihuly of Miami. Like Chihuly in Seattle, Britto is basically a local boy that is achieving worldwide artistic fame from home and thus emerges as an image for the City itself. Unlike Chihuly, the Britto Company ignores the museum circles or artculture. His team follows Peter Max nearly step-by-step minus some association with Rock and … [Read more...]