Vancouver

Artist Steven Shearer to represent Canada at Venice Biennale

Vancouver multimedia artist Steven Shearer and his images of heavy-metal jam sessions and other scenes of disenfranchised youth will represent Canada at next year’s Venice Biennale... In a temporary move, the National Gallery will take over management of the program. Globe & Mail, Aug. 3, 2010

Victoria

Donation of $50,000 puts Emily Carr statue fund over the top

As a young lad in Goldstream Park, Frank Garnett saw artist Emily Carr amid the West Coast nature she loved as she camped in her round grey trailer -- the Elephant.  Nearly 80 years later, Garnett has donated $50,000 to bring a two-year fundraising campaign for the "Our Emily" statue to the finish line of the $400,000 minimum required.  Times Colonist, Aug. 3, 2010

Toronto

Toronto artist turns into 'rock star'

The mysterious appearance of two dozen precariously balanced rock sculptures in a Toronto river was revealed Tuesday to be the work of an artist simply looking to clear his head on a Sunday afternoon. CBC News, Aug. 4, 2010

Los Angeles

The Getty's Man Of Research

"In his three years of running the Getty Research Institute, Thomas Gaehtgens has gained the admiration of his staff for making the institute a more open and collaborative place. His employees even wonder whether trustees are looking at him for the top job once held by James Wood." Los Angeles Times, August 4, 2010

Detroit

Wringing Art Out of Rubble in Detroit

Detroit’s particular brand of civic and economic decay has also drawn something unexpected: a small but well-publicized movement of artists. New York Times, August 4, 2010

New York

New York As Cautionary Cultural Tale
"New York is the ideal city from which to explore the question of what happens to the arts when private money runs the show. As with so many other things in the city, whatever you're seeking you can probably find it, but you have to be able to pay for it. Art here is eye-wateringly, and often prohibitively, expensive." The Independent (UK), August 4, 2010

London

A Look At This Year's Stirling Architecture Prize Shortlist

A gallery of projects that made this year's list... The Telegraph (UK) 08/04/10

Guangzhou, China

Arts Playground Sprouts in China

An opera house and museum — with a public library and children’s arts center to come — connected by outdoor walkways and green spaces emerge amid the factories of booming Guangzhou.  New York Times, August 4, 2010