Forward-looking organizers have turned to thinking inside the box for a new way to promote visual artists. Some of the artists, meanwhile, are thinking outside the box to produce 50 small works each. Modeled after community-supported agriculture programs in which participants buy shares in a farm and later receive boxes of produce, community-supported arts initiatives have sprouted on both sides of the river.

The exhibition, organized by The Costume Institute, celebrated the late Alexander McQueen's extraordinary contributions to fashion. From his Central Saint Martins postgraduate collection of 1992 to his final runway presentation, which took place after his death in February 2010, Mr. McQueen challenged and expanded the understanding of fashion beyond utility to a conceptual expression of culture, politics, and identity. His iconic designs constitute the work of an artist whose medium of expression was fashion. The exhibition featured approximately one hundred ensembles and seventy accessories from Mr. McQueen's prolific nineteen-year career. Drawn primarily from the Alexander McQueen Archive in London, with some pieces from the Givenchy Archive in Paris as well as private collections, signature designs including the "bumster" trouser, the kimono jacket, and the three-point "origami" frockcoat were on view. McQueen's fashions often referenced the exaggerated silhouettes of the 1860s, 1880s, 1890s, and 1950s, but his technical ingenuity always imbued his designs with an innovative sensibility that kept him at the vanguard.

- See more at: http://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/about/#sthash.C6y9TWmk.dpuf

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Home > Local News > Riverside County > Riverside > Riverside Headlines RIVERSIDE: Art Make event takes activities to the community /COURTESY OF RIVERSIDE ART MUSEUM Riverside-area crafters work in March on a mural that depicts the La Sierra area in yarn and fabric. The mural will be on display at the La Sierra Community Center starting Tuesday, April 1, as part of the Riverside Art Make offered by the Riverside Art Museum. 1 of 2 75 0 15 A Text Size BY ALICIA ROBINSON STAFF WRITER March 31, 2014; 02:46 PM On the premise that everyone can make or enjoy art, the Riverside Art Museum is launching a series of free activities and exhibits in four Riverside neighborhoods on Tuesday, April 1. The Riverside Art Make will feature activities such as kite making, a writing workshop, a sculpture of car parts that makes music and a photo still life project in the city's Eastside, Magnolia Center, La Sierra and Orangecrest neighborhoods from April 1 to May 17.

Los Angeles officials are starting to get serious about freeing up $7.5 million in city government funds that are earmarked for visual art, performances or other cultural events, but have been wrapped tightly for years in legal red tape. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-los-angeles-cultural-affairs-department-garcetti-arts-funding-20140411,0,4081296.story#ixzz2z84TawfZ

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa announced today that the NEA plans to award $74.85 million in 971 grants to nonprofit organizations nationwide as part of the second half of its fiscal year 2014 funding (including $2.7 million to U.S. theater and musical theater nonprofits). In addition to direct grants through the Art Works category, this round of funding also supports the state arts agencies and regional arts organizations - the NEA's partners in bringing the arts to all parts of the nation - as well as grants for research projects that build evidence on the value and impact of the arts.

The vibrancy of the Mission District is due in large part the artists, art galleries, and arts-based non-profits that call it home. But the once-predominantly Latino community is in the midst of several large changes that will completely alter the vibe of the Mission.