Forwarding along from our good friends at Lumpen.org in Chicago.

Many of you may already be aware of the situation but for those who do not please read, pass and forward.

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An Iraqi born artist, now US citizen, Wafaa Bilal's ( http://wafaabilal.com ) work was shut down at the West Hall Art Department Gallery and will now be reopened tomorrow (March 11), but conservative public pressure threatens to close it once again.

Thought I would forward this late breaking news.
Cheers, Lee

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The New York Times - February 28, 2008
Guggenheim’s Provocative Director Steps Down
By CAROL VOGEL

After nearly 20 years, Thomas Krens, the provocative director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, is stepping down, its board announced on Wednesday.

Perpetual Art Machine invites you and the community to participate in the [PAM] 3rd Annual Open Call for New Video Art - Scope New York at Lincoln Center.
Deadline for submissions: Friday February 29, 2008

for more information go to http://www.perpetualartmachine.com

Group Launches Virtual Campaign Space on Sixth Anniversary of Illegal Detentions at Guantánamo

CONTACT: media@aclu.org; (212) 549-2666

NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union today announced a new site in Second Life (SL) as part of its Close Guantánamo campaign. January 11, 2008 marks the six-year anniversary of the arrival of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay. The new virtual space includes "Gone GITMO," a program produced by Nonny de la Peña and Peggy Weil and built by SL architect Buhbuhcuh Fairchild. The program gives Second Life residents a glimpse into the inhumane conditions of indefinite detention at Camp X-Ray. While visiting the space, residents can also sign a petition and wear virtual orange clothing as a way to express opposition to torture and indefinite detention at the U.S.-run prison.

Rodney Dickson- Love at it's Best
Gasser & Grunert Gallery

148 Ninth Avenue, at the Northeastern corner with 19th Street.
Tuesday, January 8th – Saturday, February 9th 2008
Opening Reception January 8, 6.00PM - 8PM

Hi Thing:

If you are free this tuesday and are in New York we recommend stopping by Rodney's first solo exhibition with Gasser & Grunert Gallery in Chelsea. Love at it's Best a multi-media installation, is a culmination of many years work and research. Those of you may know his work through his performance installation The Queen Bee Snake Bar and his more recent Queen Bee War Remnants Museum that premiered as a featured special project at Art|Basel Miami Beach. His work is very strong and engages in an honest and informed social dialogue about War that you dont get to see everyday, especially in Chelsea.

This exhibition is sure to inspire others to become more socio-politically concerned and to make more art with meaning in these days of an overly commercialized artworld and big brothers clones knocking at our doors. Show is up through February 9th.

Love at It's Best is an analysis of warfare, sexual exploitation and genocide, which aims to shed light on the plight of the civilians whose lives have been tainted by these brutal realities.

TELECULTURE
November 13 - December 14, 2007

Video based artwork by Chris Borkowski, Bethany Fancher, Gerald Förster, Taras Hrabowsky, Jennifer Jacobs, Eric Payson, Second Front, Mark Tribe, and [dNASAb]
Curated by Lee Wells

To view the exhibition goto: www.pace.edu/digitalgallery

Here are a couple photos from Saturday nights Artists Meeting performance installation at the Art Under the Bridge Festival in Dumbo.

PAM is very happy to have been invited to Amsterdam to participate in this years Robodock Festival. Here is a short clip of [PAM] in action from last nights opening event.

More to come.

Robodock 2007 "Rhythm and Time / Ten years Transformation". This is the guide for the programming and serves as source of inspiration for the participating artists. This 10th year edition is celebrated with a festive pick from the highlights of the past and present, but also looking closely at the future, where everything is possible. Robodock will show how the festival has evolved over the past ten years. While it started out as a modest experimental festival, it is now transformed into a major event, with almost 12,000 visitors in 2006. In these ten years Robodock has evolved into an internationally renown festival at the fringes of the industrial era!