Public art

Cycles of Violence: Standout at DUMBO Arts Festival

Filed under: Art

I trekked across the river this past weekend to check out the DUMBO Arts Festival in Brooklyn. A neighborhood known for its arts scene could not have been saddled with greater expectations. Let's face it: Manhattan has become consumed by the art market , and DUMBO is perceived as the home of raw art talent. Well, the festival itself wasn't mind-blowing, but the first display I saw caught my attention and made the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge worth it. In fact, I would have walked all the way from the Upper West Side for the first piece I saw.

As I approached the DUMBO Arts Festival, the first thing I saw was on Adams Street. In fairness, I knew about this piece in advance, but I didn't realize it would be my entry into the festival – and become the benchmark by which I would judge all that followed.

"Cycles of Violence," by Ahron Weiner, could be missed easily if you weren't looking for it. New Yorkers familiar with posters on scaffolding all over the city could tune it out all too easily. In this case, that would mean missing an impressive exhibition – of the sort that can shape your perspective on public art.

Gallery: "Cycle of Violence" at the DUMBO Arts Festival

Tags: art, art fair, art festivals, artist, brooklyn, brooklyn bridge, Dumbo, Public art

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Amsterdam's Red Light Rooms Become Art Studios

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Amsterdam's red light district has always been as much of a tourist attraction as a place of infamous business but now some of the brothel rooms are being turned into art studios. Reuters reports on Redlight Art Amsterdam, a project that is part of plans to revitalize the city by limiting the number of brothels and coffee shops selling marijuana. Prostitution is still legal in the Netherlands and some women are still in business next to the artists.

Some of the purchased buildings will eventually be given a permanent function for the city but for one year they offer national and international artists a chance to display their creations. There are eight artists participating in the project and a final exhibition is planned for the second half of the year.

Amsterdam has been wrestling with its most notorious industry for a long time. The move to legalize prostitution in 2000 took place to help curb gangster activity in the sex trade. The Dutch government is trying to clean up organized crime but some feel that it is going to far and that tourism will suffer as the city loses its edge. A large portion of the tourists who visit the city are attracted by the cannabis coffee shops and the liberal attitude toward prostitution. The city is hoping that by limiting the spread of the coffee shops and prostitution to a few key areas it will be able to attract a new crop of tourists more interested in Amsterdam's museums and scenic charms.

Gallery: Scenes from Amsterdam

40th Anniversary of the Bed In For Peace

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Tags: amsterdam, art, art studios, ArtStudios, public art, PublicArt, red light district, RedLightDistrict

San Diego Condo Tower Splashes Out On Public Art

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Real Estate Developments

The Sapphire Tower condominium project in downtown San Diego takes a unique approach to attracting attention by using public art. While most public art is at the base of a structure, the Sapphire Tower's Borgonovo sculpture will stretch 80 feet from tip to tail. The design from artist Betsy Schulz is a modern metal and glass structure with two different textured glass colors set as the shimmering gemstones. Borgonovo will be made of two-tiered mesh, aluminum panels, textured and laminated blue and clear glass, and blue-LED string lights to illuminate the glass at night. Borgonovo is one of two major art pieces being installed at Sapphire Tower both designed by Schultz and costing just under a half a million dollars total.

Sapphire Tower is a 32-story project located on the southwest corner of Kettner Boulevard and A Street in downtown San Diego. The project will include 97 units in one and two bedroom, loft and penthouse layouts. Building amenities include a pool, hot tub, sundeck and gym. The building is set to be finished by the end of the year and prices start in the $600,00s with penthouses starting at $2.5 million.

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Tags: art, betsy schultz, BetsySchultz, public art, PublicArt, san diego, sapphire tower, SapphireTower