So Much For The Army's $600,000 Toad Art Projec

Army Scraps $600,000 Toad Art Project -- U.S. News And World Report

The Army, under public and congressional attack for a $600,000 plan to dress up a bus depot at a new military facility near Washington with three pieces of art, such as a 10 foot-tall fairy riding a gurgling toad, has scrapped the project. Instead, it will go with a simple plan to “enhance the aesthetics” of a concrete wall at the new Mark Center in Alexandria, Va.

The reversal came after Washington Whispers, the Drudge Report, and local media focused on the pricey project and one of the leading contenders for the $600,000, a proposal for two murals and a huge toad and fairy sculpture.

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My Comment: I do appreciate the concept that art is in the eye of the holder, and that some art may appear bizarre or ridiculous to some while to others it is something to be praised .... but for the Army to get involved in such a project when facing huge future cuts in spending .... hmmmm .... I will have to say no.

Women And Modern Art In War Torn Afghanistan

‘Scream’, by Marzia Nazary, at the arts center’s exhibition.
Adam Ferguson/VII Network for The New York Times

Women and Modern Art in Afghanistan -- New York Times

KABUL, Afghanistan — Under the watchful eye of a male instructor, a teenage boy is deep in focus, trying to trace and copy from a postcard as accurately as possible. For years, this has been the art scene in Afghanistan: stale, and dominated by men. Realism has long ruled as the only accepted style.

The degree of accuracy in copying from a picture — and occasionally a live model — has been the only yardstick by which artists have been judged.

The tide, however, seems to be turning, even if gradually. For one week in June two spacious auditoriums at Kabul University hosted a large exhibition on the themes of pollution and the environment.

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Hat Tip: Permissible Arms

My Comment: From the few pictures that have been published, this appears to be an awesome exhibition.