Each art museum houses strange, wonderful and utterly unique collections. Art moves from creator to multiple owners, until it somehow finds its way into a museum collection where it becomes public. This progression is often as interesting as the works of art themselves. The Return to the Ashcan exhibit at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale (MOAFL), features 40 works of the first modern art movement in the United States at the turn of the 20th century. This movement was called the Ashcan School by dismissive critics because of the artists’ interest in the gritty underbelly and banalities of urban […]

We have something in common with Andy Warhol (1928-87). I know it’s hard to believe. Yes, he’s the one who claimed that, in the future, everyone would be famous for fifteen minutes. Yes, many believe that he is to blame for the debasement of our culture. Yes, he’s the one whose strange appearance was outdone only by his even stranger behavior. The Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, however, presents an exhibition that reveals a more accessible Warhol, one with which we can identify, who reminds us of something we too easily forget. Organized by the Montclair Museum in […]

It’s that time of year again when you may be scratching your head trying to figure out what to give as Christmas gifts to the favorite people in your life. Here are a few ideas (all around $100 or less) that will help you create some smiles around the tree on Christmas morning. iPad Keyboard ($50-$75) If the newness has worn off on your friend or loved one’s iPad and you see it lying around more often than being put to good use, an iPad keyboard / stand combo makes a great gift. This gift instantly turns the touchscreen tablet […]

Contemporary Christian art has a way of “prettying up” disturbing Bible stories so that you can hang them inoffensively, even attractively, above your mantle or in your nursery. Jim LePage and Troy DeShano have quite a different vision for biblical art. They are the co-creators of “Old & New,” a collaborative art project that aims to create more “honest” artistic expressions of biblical stories and passages. “One of the biggest drawbacks of contemporary biblical art is that much of it is very proper, which often comes at the expense of being honest,” says LePage. “The Bible is filled with some […]