With all the heartbreaking stories and images about Hurricane Ike and the Wall Street woes in the news, I think the short film "Historia de un Letrero" ("The Story of a Sign") is well worth the couple minutes it takes to view. The film, produced in Mexico and the United States by 24-year-old Alonso Alvarez Barreda, won a Cannes Film Festival prize this year and was brought to our staff's attention by one of our freelance writers. It brings to light the kindness of strangers and helps us focus on our blessings, as well as the beauty still abundant in the world around us.

To view the movie, click here.
To learn more about the movie and the contest, click here.

We've all heard those terrible stories about artists being scammed out of hundreds, even thousands, of dollars—and sometimes losing their artwork as well. The website www.artscams.com gives you tips for protecting yourself and descriptions of the latest Internet frauds. Be smart; be informed—don't be a victim.

… a place to rest the body and the eyes. Sculptor S. Gallina Simpson has just begun carving The Stones at Atlas Park, three sculpted limestone benches at The Shops of Atlas Park in Glendale, New York. She plans to hammer, chisel, saw, sand and grind seven days a week until the project is complete in late September. (My arms ache just thinking about it.)

Although now in their permanent home, the 23 tons of limestone that will make up the benches/sculptures are remarkably well traveled, having been quarried a year ago in Bloomington, Indiana, and then shipped to a sculpture fabricator in New Jersey. After having the blocks hewed to the necessary basic shapes, Simpson further shaped the stones with handheld tools. Simpson will allow final design details to evolve during her carving, as nearby architecture, landscape, history and the play of light and shadow weigh in their influences.

If you live in the Glendale area, you can stop by periodically this month to see the sculpted benches taking shape. Otherwise, I’d suggest visiting Simpson’s website to see a slide show of her Atlas Park sculpture plus pictures of her previous work—both benches and figurative pieces.

Photos used by permission;
at top: aerial view of blocks
at right: sculptor S. Gallina Simpson carving with a cutsaw