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MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — South Florida has a variety of exciting events for residents to choose from this weekend.

The annual Miami International Boat Show began on Thursday.

Over 2,500 boats will be on display, and over 100 sailboats will be docked at the Bayside Marina for the yearly event. The most expensive sailboat: the Gunboat, which is worth $4.5 million.

At the Miami Beach Convention Center, event attendees will see tons of powerboats and personal watercrafts on display. The PWC that will have everyone talking is the Sea-Doo RXP-X. Its got flowing facet design, it kinda looks like a transformer on the water. It looks mean, it looks fast, said Tim McKercher of Sea-Doo.

Avid boater Ron Hamme said, Im very impressed. Theres some high-quality stuff that Ive never experienced before.

Keith Ammons of the National Marine Manufacturing Association said, Its absolutely free. Anybody that pays to come to the show, they can sit through, meet with a certified marine mechanic thatll teach them how to do general maintenance on the boat.

The boat show will also feature a unique learning experience that teaches boaters how to properly maintain their vessels.

The annual event will also feature the Yacht and Brokerage Show. A fleet of luxury vessels are lined up along Collins Avenue, in anticipation of one of the highlights of the five-day event, which will last throughout the weekend.

For art fans, the Coconut Grove Arts Festival will kick off on Saturday.

The festival will feature the work of dozens of local and international artists, and more masterpieces than ever before will be on display. I know this is one of the best arts shows in the country, one man said.

Another man agreed. Its the number one festival in America, he said. Weve been judged number one five out of the last ten years, so were very excited.

(Copyright 2012 by Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Walking into Beneath the Valley of the Lowest Form of Music,” an ebullient survey of art, ephemera and artifacts charting the 30-year history of the Los Angeles Free Music Society, is like walking into the garage of a cool, eccentric uncle. In the cavernous main space of the Box’s new Traction Avenue location, one wall is plastered floor to the ceiling with concert posters advertising the many bands affiliated with this loose collective of experimental musicians (Le Forte Four, Doo-Dooettes, Smegma, Extended Organs and Airway, among others).

On another wall, an immense grid of black and white photographs introduces viewers to the musicians themselves: a gaggle of gangly, often goofy young men (and the occasional woman) — a dozen or so in the core group, many more, it would seem, in the extended circle — who came together in the pre-punk days of the early 1970s to explore the outer reaches of rock, using instruments, electronics and just about anything else they could find.

It began with “shock and awe,” but ended in a cloud of moral ambiguity, doubt, and recrimination. President Obama announced yesterday that he was officially declaring the end of the United States’s nine-year-long engagement in Iraq. The war, which cost thousands of American and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives, has defined a generation, and left behind scars that won’t go away – not overnight, probably not ever.

Before the economic nightmare of 2008 pushed it from the center of consciousness, debate about the Iraq War pretty much defined political discourse, and naturally became a reference point for art. In some cases, the strong emotions triggered by the war pushed contemporary artists to their strongest work. Mark Wallingers 2007 Tate commission State Britain, a meticulous recreation of an antiwar encampment in front of the British Houses of Parliament, found a way to take the language of appropriation and fill it with topical outrage, while Omer Fasts The Casting (2007) took the hoary avant-garde film trope about the ambiguity of narration and applied it to a very concrete situation — the confusion that led to the accidental killing of Iraqi civilians after a roadside bombing. 

It is important to note that Iraqi artists, despite being hard-pressed amid the post-war chaos in their country, have not been silent, drawing on their rich artistic tradition to make works that responded to the conflict all around them. Iraqi painter Hana Malallah — one of the countrys most significant contemporary artists, and an exile since 2006 — produced moving abstract paintings, their seemingly burned surfaces evoking the tragedy of the war, while Qasim Sabti created a series of painted collages made from torn books salvaged from the looted libraries of Baghdad after the invasion.

These are far from the only examples of the Iraq Wars reverberations in art. Here, we offer a few of what seem to us to be the most notable examples.  

To see 10 works of art about the Iraq War, with our commentary, click on the slide show.

Posted at 03:00 PM ET, 12/15/2011
Art in focus: ‘Are We There Yet?’
By Michael O’Sullivan

Piles of artfully arranged consumer goods (including these Costco-size containers of Utz Cheese Balls) fill a gallery at the Corcoran in “Are We There yet?”.
(Michael O’Sullivan/The Washington Post)
Artists Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro, an Australian married couple who often work as a team, offer a sharp, multi-pronged critique of consumerism, the U.S. space program and mass media in “Are We There Yet?” Centered ostensibly on the theme of space travel, the Corcoran Gallery of Art exhibition includes a single-gallery installation featuring enough food, booze and cigarettes to sustain an astronaut for 520 days (which by some estimates is the time it would take to travel to and from Mars). The show also includes several quasi-abstract pictures — made entirely of Lego bricks — based on television images of the Challenger space shuttle disaster.

Read my review of the show, and take a look a few more images of Healy and Cordeiro’s work after the jump.

The centerpiece of “Are We There Yet?” is the figure of an astronaut, lying face down on a bed. Surrounding him, like found-object sculptures, are 10 piles of food, drink and cigarettes.
(Tony Brown)

Although “Are We There Yet?” includes enough nutritious food — such as evaporated milk — to maintain a diet of 3,800 calories for 520 days, the installation also includes boxed wine, beer and Marlboro cigarettes.
(Tony Brown)

News photos of the 1986 Challenger disaster, including an iconic image of the exploding shuttle’s smoke plume, were the inspiration for several of Healy and Cordeiro’s works at the Corcoran.
(Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro and Gallery Barry Keldoulis)

Brightly colored Lego bricks represent pixels in “T+79_yellow,” a picture based on news footage taken 79 seconds after liftoff.
(Michael O’Sullivan/The Washington Post)

The pictures in Healy and Cordeiro’s series of Challenger images are beautiful but disturbing, both for their morbid subject matter and the aestheticization of tragedy.
(Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro and Gallery Barry Keldoulis)

By Michael O’Sullivan
 | 
03:00 PM ET, 12/15/2011

Categories: 
Events,
Museums

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Celebrating the success of their August Asian sale, Kaminski Auctions will showcase a stunning array of Asian porcelain, ceramics, furniture and fine art in their Fine Asian Art and Antiques auction on December 8th, 9th and 10th 2011 at their auction gallery in Beverly, MA.

Boston, MA (PRWEB) November 22, 2011

Top lots in this auction include a rare Chinese rhinoceros horn Buddhist stupa, of classical form with a circular stepped plinth supporting a double lotus throne with four seated Buddha, and a spiral carved with lotus petals surmounted by a tapered parasol. Standing at 7 1/2 inches high on a carved wood stand, it is estimated at $30,000-$50,000. There is also a strand of 19th century Chinese rhinoceros horn prayer beads, comprised of 108 beads interspaced with carved coral and ivory beads, with an overall length of 59 inches, which estimated at $20,000-$30,000.

Some interesting entries in the sale include a pair of large recumbent enameled wood rams from mid 19th century. They are entirely decorated with auspicious animals and longevity motifs. They are estimated at $30,000-$50,000. From the Qianlong Period (1736-1795), there is an exquisite set of semi-precious stone ornaments, featuring jade, jadeite, lapis, coral, seed pearls, and turquoise. Totaling sixteen pieces, the delicate ornaments are in their original fitted silk-lined box and are estimated at $20,000-$30,000.

Important porcelain pieces in the sale include a Ming Dynasty blue and white bowl decorated with scrolling floral design, ruyi motif and Sanskrit characters estimated at $20,000-$30,000. Another highlight of the auction is a collection of rose rose mandarin porcelain, including a pair of rose mandarin jars with covers, decorated with figures and auspicious emblems. Standing at 24 inches tall, they are estimated to bring $22,000-$26,000. Another is a pair of 18th century rose mandarin vases with square stemmed bases, decorated with figures in courtyard scenes. They are estimated at $18,000-$21,000. Sure to bring spirited bidding is a very large single rose medallion vase (34 inches tall) with a flared and scalloped rim and gilt handles in the form of twin foo dogs is estimated at $15,000-$20,000.

A highly sought after item in the sale is a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) musical instrument. The top is decorated with calligraphy and inlays of mother-of- pearl and stones depicting musicians .The hardware is of jade carved with the ruyi design. A similar instrument in the August Asian sale brought $64,000.

This auction also features unusual brush pots. One is Chinese late Ming to early Qing dynasty brushpot of natural tree root form that is estimated at $18,000-$25,000 and a Yongzheng Period (1722-1735) coconut brushpot of cylinder form carved with intricate scrolling floral motifs and a base carved with dragons and lotuses estimated at $15,000-$20,000.

From a private collection in California comes a pair of 19th century Chinese Lokapala guardians, carved of Shoushan stone estimated to bring $20,000-$30,000. There are also several antique Buddhist stone panels in the sale, including one with a rectangular base decorated with the head of a mythical beast flanked by two seated Bodhisattvas, with a central panel carved with a seated Buddh, valued at $20,000-$30,000

Antique paintings represented in the sale include a Ming Dynasty silk painting of a procession scene, estimated at $3,000 to $5,000, as well as an early Qing Dynasty landscape with calligraphy, signed and marked with two seals, valued at $10,000 to $20,000. Other highlights include a Song Dynasty (960-1276) silk painting of fruits, as well as a 19th century scroll painting signed Lin Liang, of a pair of eagles perched high on a mountain, with an estimate of $4,000-7,000.

The Whitechapels Collections gallery is a place for curiosities. It houses small exhibitions chosen from different collections – first, from the British Councils holdings, then from a Greek private collection, and now, a group of shows from the Government Art Collection. You dont come for exquisite, minimal displays, but to see often wildly disparate objects which reflect the purpose and idiosyncrasies of collections public and private.

At the helm of the third GAC show is historian Simon Schama. His eye is good and theme convincing – he looks at the influence of travel on British art, from artists on overseas journeys to British ex-pats reflecting their surroundings to migrant visitors who have influenced our cultural landscape.

Some conjunctions are rather too novel – Richard Longs lyrical and peaceful text describing a 24-hour journey through Dartmoor atop Grayson Perrys Portrait of an Englishman (2004), a gothic map of his own mind, is a neat meeting of a physical journey and a mental one, but aesthetically jarring. Other pairs work beautifully, though – Thomas Phillipss portrait of a young Lord Byron in sumptuous Albanian garb converses delightfully with Vanessa Bells Byzantine Lady (1912). Both reflect a desire to cultivate exoticism – Byrons in his self-image, a reaction to what Schama calls conventional Englishry and Bells in her art, rejecting the insularity of much British painting of her time.

Many works are born of a melancholy essential to literary and artistic descriptions of place.

Howard Hodgkins Mud on the Nile (1993), with swathes and smudges of grey, black and green, suggests inner turmoil as much as the sludgy waterway of the title. Tacita Deans six photogravures of the now-demolished Palast der Republik, former seat of the communist GDR parliament in Deans adopted home, Berlin, capture the reflections in the mirrored windows of a building condemned to history.

Schamas theme is worthy of a larger show, but in the meantime, this is a hugely enjoyable vignette.

Until Feb 26 (020 7522 7888, whitechapelgallery.org)

Work of Art on Bravo entered its final elimination round on Wednesday, booting two contestants in advance of the climactic showdown set for next weeks season finale. In Wednesdays episode, the remaining five hopefuls hopped aboard the Metro North train for a quick jaunt to the hamlet of Cold Spring, NY, where they were challenged to find subjects for a portrait

Nerves were clearly on edge this week as the contestants contemplated their TV mortality. But there was also a whiff of sentimentality in the air — a few misty eyes and and an impromptu dance in the art studio brought home the finality of it all. Sniff.

The cold reality of elimination seemed to inspire some of the strongest work in weeks. Sara struck gold by finding a local fireman who has worked for more than 50 years. Her portrait of him was an unconventional diptych that used aluminum to create an abstract likeness.

Dusty used brightly colored candy pieces to create a portrait of young girl he met on the towns main street. The candy started falling off his artwork during the presentation period, but the raining sweets didnt seem to bother the judges, who thought it actually enhanced the piece.

Young — who has been the one to beat all season — took a meta approach by choosing to portray a local artist who had created a portrait of Young. Lola attempted something even more unconventional — a non-figurative portrait of local collectors who gave her an old $5 bill.

(Spoiler alert: Stop reading now if you dont want to know who won and who was eliminated in the episode.)

The Northern Art Prize is a prestigious prize for contemporary artists of any age, working in any media and living in the North of England. Each year a number of artists are selected by a panel of industry professionals for the quality and creativity of their work at this point in their careers.

This years finalists are Liadin Cooke, Leo Fitzmaurice, James Hugonin and Richard Rigg and their work comprising sculpture, photography, painting and installation pieces is being exhibited in a group show at Leeds Art Gallery until 19 February 2012.

The judging panel includes Caroline Douglas, Head of the Arts Council Collection, Turner Prize-winning artist Simon Wallis and chair Sarah Brown, Curator of Exhibitions at Leeds Art Gallery. The winner will be announced on 19 January 2012, and will receive a cheque for £16,500. The three other finalists will each receive £1,500.

Extra members can win one of 12 pairs of tickets for a private tour of the Northern Art Prize exhibition at Leeds Art Gallery. The prize also includes an invitation to the prize giving event on Thursday 19 January 2012.

The competition closes at midnight on Friday 30 December.

Enter this competition

Click here to enter the competition

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oExtra is free to join. You need to be a member of Extra in order to see the redemption pages. To register your email address for the first time, press on the Click here … link above.

oMembers also need to sign in to guardian.co.uk at the top left of the screen to be able to take up offers, book tickets or enter competitions.

MIAMI, Dec. 15, 2011 —

MIAMI, Dec. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ –#xA0;While sightings of Santa and his reindeer are on display at many a South Florida doorstep, a leading, boutique wealth management firm has decided to share in the holiday spirit in a very unique and environmentally conscious way: through the exposition of art made with recyclable plastic.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111215/FL23888 )

This public art display is BiscayneCapitals way of showing its continued commitment to corporate social responsibility while displaying its passion for contemporary art.

The giant, 8 -foot Pink Snail, made of recyclable plastic, is on display courtesy of the world-renowned Galleria Ca dOro.

In addition to showcasing this outdoor art installation at its global headquarters, BiscayneCapital will also host a Pop Art Gala on December 19th, to honor the works of internationally acclaimed, contemporary artist Leonardo Hidalgo.

During this event, Hidalgo will showcase his new, limited edition collection of portraits of famous faces (ie Sophia Loren, Al Pacino) while paying homage to the cities that have inspired his artistic creativity.

The Pink Snail and Hidalgos artwork will be available for public viewing from December 19th through mid January 2012, during regular business hours.

For more information about the Pink Snail visit www.pinksnails.com.#xA0; To learn more about artist Leonardo Hidalgo, go to www.leonardohidalgo.net.

About BiscayneCapital#x2122;:

BiscayneCapital#x2122; is one of the preeminent providers of wealth management services to high-net-worth individuals and families in Latin America.

Founded in 2005, BiscayneCapital has distinguished itself as an industry leader in Latin America by offering objective, personally tailored investment strategies that meet the specific goals and objectives of its clientele.

Through its customer-centric approach to relationship building, BiscayneCapitals highly experienced professionals are able to offer a global array of product offerings through an open architecture platform that uses state-of-the art technology.

The firms clients also benefit from a number of valuable alliances with top US investment banks and Swiss and German financial institutions.

BiscayneCapitals global headquarters are in Miami, Florida, and has a central operations center in the country of Uruguay along with satellite offices all throughout Latin America.

www.BiscayneCapital.com

SOURCE BiscayneCapital

LAND OLAKES

If Jill Hallauer heard the question one time, she heard it 100 times as she walked the halls of Pine View Elementary School. Is the art room finished? At noon Thursday, HGTV designer Bob Novogratz gave the answer everyone was waiting for. The art room is finished, he announced to a cafeteria filled with cheering children.

Then came the big reveal of the $25,000 classroom makeover, which Pine View won from Bounty paper towels and its teacher-support website, teacherwishlist.com. Hallauer, who said the wait made her feel like a kid on Christmas Eve, could barely express her excitement at the overhaul.

Her jaw dropped, then a huge smile crossed her face, as Hallauer entered the redesigned room for the first time. Bob and Cortney Novogratz took the mostly white space and transformed it into a colorful, technology laden place for teacher and kids to experience art.

Oh my gosh, she repeated. Its too much.

The 20 students randomly selected to join in the ribbon cutting werent at such a loss for words.

Awesomeness, said fourth-grader Michael McBride, as he sat in one of the rooms new brightly colored seats.

Its very cool, chimed in fourth-grader Raygan Alvarez. I like the chairs.

The floor, said second-grader Andrew Murray, pointing to the black and white pattern that replaced the old tiles that no one even remembered. I like this pattern. Its the same room, but.

Its a lot different, added Raygan.

Hallauer said it would probably take her days to take in all the things that the makeover added to her work space, from the many art books that the Novogratzes picked out during a Barnes amp; Noble shopping trip to the iPads and digital cameras now available to integrate technology into her lessons.

She was thrilled with little touches, which the Novogratzes called the layering, which included of all things a hole punch (she didnt have one before) and a blue and white paisley pillow that adorned her new bright orange teachers chair.

Cortney Novogratz hit a couple of shops before finding the pillow during the Tuesday shopping trip. She liked what she saw in Pottery Barn, but rejected the choices because the colors are going to be too muted in here. I like something bright.

The trip continued.

On the way to Pier 1, the designers made an impulse stop at Target, where Cortney Novogratz immediately headed to the home design section. She traversed the aisles, eyeing a black pillow with white dots, then a lime green one with white stripes.

Ill keep these as options, she said, carrying them as she walked on.

She turned up the next aisle and stopped short.

I found the perfect pillow, she said, dropping the others. How cool is that? Blue goes with orange, and she likes paisley. That was a score.

Hallauer agreed Thursday as she hugged the pillow, saying simply, Paisley! Oh my goodness.

Bob Novogratz was elated with the response to their design. The goal all along was to create a fun environment to work in, he said, one that met the schools needs but also surprised.

We have seven guinea pigs of our own, he said, referring to his own children. We know what kids respond to. The youth keep you relevant and they keep you cool. I felt comfortable they were going to love it. It worked out.

Jeffrey S. Solochek can be reached at jsolochek@tampabay.com or (813) 909-4614. For more education news, visit the Gradebook at tampabay.com/blogs/gradebook.