The Design MMoCA 2008 exhibit continues today and Sunday with lectures and gallery talks. The exhibit features 15 living spaces, each created by a local designer and each directly inspired by a work of art from the museum’s permanent collection. The 15 spaces are all vastly different. Some designers chose to literally interpret the painting, and some chose to use it as a jumping-off point. The more successful and interesting designs managed to keep a firm grasp on the featured piece, but reinterpreted it with a smart and imaginative point of view.

Tania S. May’s interpretation of James Rosenquist’s 1978 lithograph Terrarium is more literal, the living space mirroring the clear turquoise and red of the piece. The spherical light fixture in the center reflects and distorts images, much like the glass bottles in the artwork. The sense of humor in this design was clearly evident. On a first pass by, I wondered why there was a round fishbowl full of bed-frame wheels on the dark-wood dresser. On a second look, I realized that there is a mattress and wheeled bed frame featured in the lithograph. May cleverly mixes literal reflections and abstract allusions, keeping intact the coherence of a comfortable living space.

Something odd happened while the 40th Anniversary edition of Planet of the Apes was showing at the Wisconsin Film Festival on April 6, the news broke that the film's star, Charlton Heston, had passed away at the age of 84. This evening Madison once again taps one of Heston's most well known films as Cha Cha Hair Salon opens the doors to a second space on Willy Street. To celebrate the opening the Salon will be teaming up with Anxiety Gallery to present a night of art featuring unique local and national artists. The Cha Cha Planet of the Apes 40th Anniversary Art Show and Party starts at 7 p.m. Below I have written up some brief profiles of a handful of the artists put together based solely on what I could find on MySpace profiles and personal blogs or websites.

Earlier this week the website for The Radar Group revealed that a sequel to Madison-based Human Head's first person shooter, Prey, was in the works. Then, almost as quickly as it appeared, the website went offline. We had screen capped the page (left) in anticipation of our weekly "Notes on a Screen" round up, but it doesn't really matter because yesterday it was officially announced that Prey 2 is indeed in development and Human Head is indeed overseeing that development. So much for being all savvy and then sitting on the news. Our big yellow highlighted screen cap just doesn't seem as exciting as it did on Monday. sniff.

The announcement explains why Human Head has been actively hunting for level scripters and the like over the past month (dare I say "Human Head Hunting"? No.) This is good news for Human Head as they suffered a massive fire early last year. We are happy to see they are up and running at full capacity.

Kim Keyes and Marina Kelly put together a stupendous one-day show called "Immersed" Friday night January 25 at the nonpareil Commonwealth Gallery. Being lukewarm on Ansel Adams-sorts-of-endeavors I was very happily surprised to enter into a multi-sensory experience at the Baldwin Street gallery, that combined numerous mediums, pushing typical limits of local art show paradigms. These two artists have high standards for their photo and video work, and they appeared to put equal attention into the presentation of the material,transforming the gallery into another world for the evening. Words can’t really do it justice because this was truly an experiential show.

Below is a press release from the Madison Arts Commission concerning a temporary winter public art program called BLINK!

Flat Atom, for those of you who don't know, are a local high-energy rock/metal band who play one damn good show and try to get a message out while doing so. Their latest offering to their purchasing public is a DVD called "Transmit," available beginning at their DVD release party this Saturday, November 17th, at the Annex (starting at 9 p.m.). Along with Flat Atom, Harsh Reality, Bible of the Devil, The Skintones, and Slough Feg will also be playing. Expect a visual/live video mix by Chicago's VJG and Madison's theAssassin.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an early copy of the DVD (*cough* fell off the truck *cough*), and I'm here to give you the low down (people still say "low down" right?). First, let's begin with what you'll see when you get this shiny plastic case in your hands.

Monroe Street had a festive Halloween vibe Friday evening – not because of the temperature, which pushed 80 degrees, but because of the number of groups of gallery-goers, chatting animatedly and walking door-to-door for visual and edible treats. The venues involved in October 5th’s Gallery Night, organized by the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, featured work by local artists and often served refreshments. Local artist Jen Clausen and I made the rounds by bike, stopping first at Monroe Street Framing.

theCDP.net is the best locally written website for any Lost fanatic. Every Friday theCDP founder Ryan Zeinert takes an irreverent look at that week's episode - often catching things the casual viewer may miss. Recently Zeinert ran a "hit or miss" article for the Fall 2007 television season. We asked if he would take a couple hours and write a shorter version for Dane101 and he was kind enough to oblige. It is also worth noting that Zeinert's team was the highest scoring during our recent All Star Wars pub quiz.

With the new television season just days away from a full-blown kickoff, here’s your quick reference guide to the hits, misses and fence-leaners of Fall 2007.

Monday’s Best Bet – Heroes – Premieres 9/24 at 8pm on NBC.

Will Heroes fizzle out in their sophomore season, or will they cement their place in TV history? Based on early projections and previews, they seem to be getting the job done. Honestly though, I'd watch two hours of men pooping into plastic bags if it were hosted by Hayden Panettiere.

Before Madison Metro demolishes and replaces them at the end of this month, the seven bus stops around the Capitol Square are getting a "creative farewell" from artists.

The idea for the public art project ("Destination") comes from Mequon-native Melanie Kehoss, 27, who just finished her Master of Fine Arts at UW-Madison. She arranged a grant from the Madison Arts Commission through their BLINK Temporary Public Art Program and got the green light from Madison Metro in late May.

On Sunday, July 1, seven artists – Kehoss, Nina Bedarsky, Sean Bodley, Craig Grabhorn, Nick Hartley, Darryl Jensen and John Riepenhoff – assembled on the Square to make art on each individually-assigned bus shelter. The art ranges from quiet and sly to loud and sloppily exuberant.

Most cities in the country with a vibrant art scene have some sort of monthly arts night out. Whether it be called Gallery Night, Art Walk, Arts in Motion, or what not, they each serve a purpose of uniting the city's art scene. This Friday Madison will finally join those cities with a monthly Arts Crawl.

One of the most common scenes when walking around Madison, be it State Street or Willy, is the vast forest of rock poster art that can often be found hanging in store fronts and on kiosks. The posters often seem to utilize nearly as much labor in production as one would expect from a band performance. Often limited edition, these works of art are also very often short-lived in the life span of kiosk advertising - competition or unappreciative advertisers quickly cover them up or the city workers tasked with making sure the kiosks don't burst with paper slash them down with razors. This week we begin a new feature on Dane101 where we attempt to preserve some of this art on the internet.

Japanese street fashion hits the High Noon Saloon Sunday night alongside magic, acrobats, b-boys and b-girls, Jamaican-funk, and spoken word. Dubbed, Tokyo in Spring, this cornucopia of entertainment is the brainchild of clothing designer Charity Robinson and freelance make-up artist and hair stylist Alice Ezrow. The duo decided to combine their talents to help raise money for two local organizations, Elements of Change and The Exchange Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse.

Ezrow, a stylist at Cha Cha Hair Salon, spoke with Dane101 Wednesday morning as she prepared to roll up her sleeves and work on painting stages and putting the final touches together for the event.

1. Rhythm Attack vs Warriors
2. I-90 vs Anonymous
3. Rhythm Attack 1 vs Lunchbox Jam

Click here to read more.

The fourth annual “Breakin’ the Law” b-boy and b-girl battle brought some of the best break dancers and a capacity crowd to the Memorial Union’s Grand Ballroom this Saturday night. The event was held as part of the Hip Hop as a Movement week, the result of collaboration between a large and diverse group of people from all over Madison and beyond.

I don’t attend as many art shows as I used to. It’s a little like open mics: you tend to go more when you are making art or poetry, music or whatever, because of the inherent debt you feel to your peers – I come to yours, you come to mine. It isn’t as literal as that, (no one really keeps track on their belt or bed) but somehow we all know that things won’t keep flowing unless we buy other artists' art, or albums, or at least show our faces at the often agonizing openings that litter the weekly listings on The Daily Page. Because I recently had a well-attended show (“Gratitude” at Escape Coffee Gallery last month), I am especially feeling as if I need to get back out there and give back to the art world. Plus, it’s just inspiring to see others' work.