Art News: ‘The Cars’ Ric Ocasek First Ever Art Show, Museum Guards Magazine & Chile’s New Logo

‘THE CARS’ RIC OCASEK ART EXHIBIT SHOWS DRAWINGS SPANNING 30 YEARS

Who knew Ric Ocasek was so talented in fine arts? I find this bit o’ news quite coincidental as I was just thinking about Ocasek over the weekend, when I heard one of The Cars’ songs on the radio, and wondered ‘what ever happened to him’?

His show titled “Teahead Scraps” marks Ric Ocasek’s first art exhibition in New York and features never before seen drawings selected from a body of work that spans the last 30 years. Like the music of his beloved rock band “The Cars”, his drawings are unabashedly pop- and yet unlike his music’s super sleek veneer, these works are a bit more raw and unedited, revealing meditative moments of a Zen-like drawing practice. Never intended for public view, these works on paper are fluid and unselfconscious abstractions made with colored pencils, pens, and markers. via artdaily.

The show is currently running through April 25, 2010 at the Cinders Gallery in NYC.

MUSEUM GUARDS PUBLISH THEIR OWN MAGAZINE

What an interesting idea.  It would be a hoot if they dished the dirt on people acting badly in museums, but I’m sure they’d want to be more professional than that.  Here is what the editors’ interpretation is on the magazine:

This journal is the tireless work of a group of people who share a particular relationship. What makes this publication unique is that all the participants are, or were, at the time they created these works, museum guards at the most prestigious cultural institution in New York City.

SW!PE is what we are called.

This magazine exists to disseminate and exhibit the artistic output of workers, in turn exposing the dignity, humanity, and brilliance of these works and the people who created them. It is both a celebration and a battle cry, not only of the artists showcased inside, but for all workers. via fad.

I’d love to get my hands on one.

CHILE GAINS A NEW LOGO

After the devastation caused by a 8.8 earthquake, 210 miles south from Santiago, an aftershock destroyed a cubed logo used during ten years of socialist Presidents (Ricardo Lagos, Michelle Bachelet). On March 9th, two days before Sebastián Piñera inauguration, his appointed-to-be speaker announced a new official logo for the incoming administration.

The new government speaker, Ena von Baer, is quoted as saying: “In these hard times this country’s on, it’s necessary to appeal to the nation’s unity. That’s why we were finding a symbol that could represent our history and that could make every Chilean identified with”.

There seems to be a ruckus over the new logo. Since this logo was announced, people (design professionals or not) say through social media this mark is too expensive — a reported US$200,000 — to be that ugly. Others say this is a clip art and Word art combined. Webzines are challenging their readers to design something as cheap as the official logo. Read whole article: underconsideration.

What do you think of the new logo?