ARTS TRAVEL

The Empire State Carousel at the Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., features handcarved panels.

Go for a Spin
It’s not often that you can describe a carnival ride as a work of art, but the Empire State Carousel is a singular exception. Handcarved by volunteers for more than two decades, the carousel features animals representing New York’s natural resources, as well as folklore and portrait panels depicting some of the state’s notable residents, including Susan B. Anthony, Grandma Moses and Jackie Robinson. A new portrait panel will be unveiled in May. The carousel is housed at the Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., and is open for rides during museum hours. — Christine Kloostra

City Lauds Public Art Program
For three decades, the city of Albuquerque has been dedicated to beautifying itself with works of art by setting aside one percent of city construction funds for the acquisition of public art.

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Public Art Program, the city spent $39,000 to acquire 19 works by 17 New Mexico artists, including Cheryl Dietz, David Pittis, Peggy Trigg and Paula Castillo. The works were selected to represent both emerging and established artistic talent in the state.

After a seven-week exhibition of the works at the city’s Open Space Visitor Center this spring, the art is now on display at City Hall.

Other highlights of the Public Art Program include:

“Celebrating Nature/the Landscape Underground,” a neon and sound installation in the underground passageway from Civic Plaza to the Convention Center, by Barbara Grothus and Steve Peters.

“Bus Stop,” by Juan and Patricia Navarrete, a steel and ceramic tile installation at Broadway Boulevard and Avenida Cesar Chavez.

“Nob Hill Gateway,” a steel, concrete and neon structure by Terry Conrad over the intersection of Central Avenue and Girard Boulevard. — C.K.

Culture in Context
Do you want a mental jog and don’t mind sore feet? Then check out Context walking tours. Led by scholars and experts, the tours launched in New York and London this spring.

The company is a network of English-speaking docents who include art historians, writers and architects, and organize and lead themed tours. Context also offers walking tours in a number of European cities, including Rome, Paris and Venice.

Docents in New York offer a variety of programs, including “Cloisters: Medieval Art & Architecture,” “Art Galleries of Chelsea,” “Dutch and Flemish Painting at the Met” and “Architecture of New York.” Additional tours on immigration and the landscape of Central Park are in the works.

London programs include visits to the British Museum, Inigo Jones’s Queens House and an introduction to London architecture.

Most tours last three hours and cost about $65 per person. Tour size is limited, but private groups can be arranged. For additional information, visit www.contexttravel.com. — C.K.

Conferences Coast to Coast
From Florida to Oregon, collectors of studio furniture, glass and fiber arts have a number of conferences on the calendar:

The Glass Art Society (GAS) travels to Portland, Ore., for its 38th annual conference, “Forming Frontiers,” June 19-21. The event brings together glass artists, collectors, students and educators for demonstrations, workshops, exhibitions, lectures and tours at a number of venues throughout the city.

The rare person with a specific interest in glass furniture will have to choose between the GAS conference and The Furniture Society’s annual event, held June 18-21 at Purchase College State University of New York. “Furniture08: State of the Craft” features presentations by artists, demonstrations (including chainsaw carving), exhibitions, and live and silent auctions.

More than 5,000 fiber aficionados will head south for “Convergence 2008,” a biennial international conference hosted by the Handweavers Guild of America. The expansive event takes place June 22-28 at the Tampa Bay Convention Center in Florida. With more than 100 seminars, 40 classes, 30 workshops, 25 exhibitions and three featured speakers, the conference focuses on a wide range of fiber arts, from sewing, dyeing and knitting to weaving and spinning. — C.K.

Got the Blues?
Last year, it saw red. This time around, The Textile Museum is feeling blue. Capitalizing on the success of its 2007 exhibition “Red,” as well as Pantone, Inc.’s declaration of Blue Iris as the color of the year, the Washington, D.C., museum hosts “Blue” through Sept. 18.

The exhibition traces the meaning of the color blue in textile arts through history, with a special emphasis on contemporary artists’ use of natural indigo dyes.

Among the works on display are a Navajo Chief ’s wool blanket from 1850, a 19th-century Japanese fireman’s coat and installations by contemporary Japanese artists Hiroyuki Shindo and Shihoko Fukumoto. — C.K.

A Splash of Summer Color
If you’re ready to pull on your tennis shoes and walk around town, then Wilmington, N.C., is your ideal summer destination. The Pedestrian Art Program, an outdoor public sculpture program, is showcasing new work by Carl Billingsley through July.

The project’s motto, “Art Everywhere, Everyday, for Everyone,” rings true. Billingsley’s sculptures practically jump off the sidewalks with bright colors. Located on medians, in the central business district and other downtown properties, this art isn’t just accessible, it’s pleasantly unavoidable.

This is the first time the sculptor has integrated color into his work, and he still considers it secondary to form and light. When challenged by a colleague to add color, Billingsley paired yellow with orange and blue in “Prism Arc I” and “Prism Arc II.” Although the yellow paint in both sculptures came from the same can, the light and contrasting colors make that fact questionable.

Sponsored by nonprofit WilmingtonCreative, the Pedestrian Art Program selects a new artist to feature every six months, spurring constant dialogue with its citizens, tourists and landscape. Visit www.pedestrianart.com to learn more or see it for yourself. — C.P.

A Capital Celebration
Moving beyond its reputation as the birthplace of the Beatles, Liverpool was recently named the 2008 European Capital of Culture by the Council of Ministers of the European Union.

In celebration, the city has assembled a massive calendar of cultural events for the year, and kicked off the festivities in January with a performance at the St. George’s Hall Plateau that attracted tens of thousands of visitors.

• “Gustav Klimt: Painting, Design and Modern Life in Vienna 1900,” at the Tate Liverpool May 30- Aug. 31, is an expansive exhibition covering the artist’s life and work.
• Design Show Liverpool at the Crypt, Metropolitan Cathedral, June 19-22, offers work from more than 150 top-notch designers.
• “Le Corbusier—The Art of Architecture,” at the Crypt, Metropolitan Cathedral, Oct. 2-Jan. 18, 2009, will showcase the architect’s accomplishments.