May 23, 2006 

"ECOTOPIA" FOR ICP TRIENNIAL
The International Center of Photography in New York has set the lineup for its big fall show, "Ecotopia: The Second ICP Triennial of Photography and Video," Sept. 14-Nov. 26, 2006. Organized by ICP curatorial staffers Brian Wallis, Christopher Phillips, Edward Earle and Carol Squiers, with assistant curator Joanna Lehan, "Ecotopia" features works by 39 artists that reflect a growing concern about natural disasters and global environmental change. "We found very few artists relating to the theme in an overtly political way," said Wallis. "Rather, the sense was of something ominous looming on the horizon."

Artists in the show -- many of them contributing new works or installations -- include Robert Adams, Doug Aitken, Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla, Wout Berger, Patrick Brown, Catherine Chalmers, Oliver Chanarin and Adam Broomberg, Stéphane Couturier, Lou Dematteis and Kayana Szymczak, Yannick Demmerle, Goran Devic, Mark Dion, Sam Easterson, Mitch Epstein, Joan Fontcuberta, Noriko Furunishi, Marine Hugonnier, Francesco Jodice, Harri Kallio, Vincent Laforet, Christopher LaMarca, An-My Lê, David Maisel, Mary Mattingly, Gilles Mingasson, Simon Norfolk, Otolith Group (Anjalika Sagar, Kadwo Eshun, Richard Couzins), Sophie Ristelhueber, Clifford Ross, Thomas Ruff, Carlos and Jason Sanchez, Alessandra Sanguinetti, Diana Thater and Qingsong Wang.

The ICP’s first photo triennial, mounted in 2003, took up the theme "Strangers," and focused on people -- often with the same sense of anxiety. "Ecotopia" is sponsored by United Technologies Corporation.

SUN SHINES ON ISLAND ART FAIR
CIRCA Puerto Rico ‘06, the first international art fair in the Caribbean, opens at the new Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan, May 25-28, 2006, with nine galleries from Puerto Rico and nearly 20 from abroad, as well as other participating organizations like nonprofit art spaces and museums. Elvis Fuentes and Celina Nogueras are artistic directors of the fair, which also features two special exhibitions: "10 x 10," organized by Fuentes, featuring works by Andres Serrano, Nari Ward and eight other artists; and "In the Spot: States of Anxiety," organized by Spanish freelance curator Paco Barragán.

Circa also presents "Solo," a selection of five independent artists -- Arnaldo Morales, Dhara Rivera, Jorge Ramos Cordero, Rabindranat Díaz-Cardona and Zilia Sánchez -- and "District CIRCA," a section devoted to museums, magazines and art schools.

Participating galleries include A. Cueto Gallery, Aldo de Sousa, Art Nouveau, Bernice Steinbaum, Botello Gallery, Casas Riegner Gallery, Cernuda Art, Diana Lowenstein Fine Art, Espacio 304, Espacio Líquido, Galería 356, Greenaway Art Gallery: Adelaide, Hardcore Art Contemporary, Jacob Karpio Gallery, KBK, Latin Art Gallery, Lyle O. Reitzel Gallery, Ninoska Huerta, Praxis International, Praxis Mexico, Galerías Prinardi, Punto Gris, Galería Raíces, Schubbe Gallery, Space Other, Spativm, Viota Gallery and Walter Otero Gallery. 

The schedule of panel discussions includes one on "Fairs and Biennials," featuring Manifesta director Hedwig Feijen, artist and Manifesta curator Anton Vidokle and El Museo del Barrio curator Deborah Cullen; "The Art of Appreciation: Collecting Latin American Paintings and Sculpture," a seminar with Maria Bonta de la Pezuela of Sotheby’s; and "Artistic Practices in Puerto Rico," a panel moderated by Mercedes Trelles. For further details, see www.circapr.com

NESHAT FILM, ONLINE AUCTION BENEFIT CREATIVE TIME
A few tickets are still left for Creative Time’s "Anti-Benefit Benefit" -- no black tie required -- featuring cocktails and a silent auction, then a showing of three films selected by Shirin Neshat, followed by a conversation between Neshat and Marina Abramovic and a performance by Sussan Deyhim, all scheduled for June 1, 2006, at the City Cinemas Village East on Second Avenue and East 12th Street in Manhattan. Tickets begin at $250; for more info, contact maureens@creativetime.org.

In the meantime, the silent auction has already begun online, featuring works by artists who have worked with Creative Time over the years. The benefit includes a drawing by Rita Ackermann for her Creative Time-sponsored mural in Coney Island, Cory McCorkle's photographs from his trip to Cambodia for The Plain of Heaven, the last of Marilyn Minter's "Billboard Project" photo edition, and works by Neshat (Creative Time commissioned her first film in 1996), Dana Schutz, Thomas Struth, Gary Hume, Aida Ruilova and more.

NEW "CULTUREGRRL" BLOG
Ready for a little "grr" with your culture? Fearless art reporter Lee Rosenbaum, who contributes to Art in America and regularly takes the museum world to task on the Op-Ed pages of the New York Times and in the arts and leisure section of the Wall Street Journal, now has a new venue -- her own blog, dubbed CultureGrrl. In one recent post, Rosenbaum suggests that New Yorker critic Paul Goldberger is a little slow on the uptake with his review this week of Renzo Piano’s expansion design for the Morgan Library (she also says Piano’s earlier expansion for the High Museum in Atlanta is "an architectural flop"); in another entry, she suggests that the high-flying art market, which previously crashed in 1974 and 1990 -- precisely 16 and 32 years ago -- may be ready for another fall.

JOAN MITCHELL GRANTS FOR 2006
The Joan Mitchell Foundation has awarded ten grants of $10,000 each in its 2006 MFA grant program, founded in 1997 and designed to help MFA painters and sculptors in the transition from academic to professional studio work upon graduation. The winners of the 2006 grants are Shalini M. Bhat, Emmeline Cho, William B. Cravis, Regan Golden-McNerney, Joseph Gottlieb Kopfler III, Maya Onoda, Tivon Rice, Andrew Ross, Brian S. Shaw and Jared Steffensen.

NYERGES TO VMFA
Alexander Lee Nyerges has been named director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. He had been director of the Dayton Art Institute since 1992. Nyerges succeeds Michael Brand, who now heads up the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

URBACH TO SFMOMA
New York art dealer Henry Urbach has been appointed curator of architecture and design at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Urbach, who succeeds Joseph Rosa, founded Henry Urbach Architecture in 1997, where he organized more than 50 exhibitions by artists and architects including Diller + Scofidio, LOT-EK, Le Corbusier and Lebbeus Woods.

contact wrobinson @ artnet.com