The Most Famous Art Galleries in Europe (part 1)

If you are a bit of an art lover, head to Europe that boasts some of the best museums in the world. There are several incredible arts to see if you are traveling cities to cities. Make sure to check out the most famous galleries, paintings, and contemporary art on your trip.

  1. The Louvre, Paris

Add: 75001 Paris, France

Let’s start with the biggest. As the famous home of the Mona Lisa, the Louvre is a spot not to be missed when you visit Paris because just the actual building itself is piece of art. Admire the world-famous pyramid, the beautiful architecture, magnificent ceilings, and the spectacular pieces of classic art residing there.

The gallery is presently hosting the Leiden Collection’s masterpieces, showcasing the work of 17th-century Dutch painters including the largest collection of works by Rembrandt.

  1. The Tate Britain and The Tate Modern, London

Add: The Tate Britain Art Gallery, Milbank, London SW1P 4JU

        The Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG

They are considered as the art enthusiast’s paradises. For those who first visit London, the Tate Britain is a must-visit spot. Home to British art from 1500 to the present day, this art gallery gives the visitors a comprehensive view of Britain’s culture within the art world.

The Tate Modern is the younger sibling of the Tate Britain. It is home to a collection of international art from ‘1900s to modern-day with an amazing mix of exhibitions, and contemporary art forms.

Located in an old power station, the Tate Modern often comes with an experimental twist, being home to the likes of Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, and Tracey Emin. It offers paintings, sculptures, and installations that you have never seen before.

  1. The National Gallery, Prague

Add: Staroměstské nám. 12, Staré Město, Staré Město-Praha 1, Czechia

The National Gallery of the Czech Republic is home to the nation’s largest collection of art. It exhibits a mix of Czech artwork, Cubism, and Baroque pieces. The gallery will exhibit items like 14th–16th Century Panel Paintings and the Charter 77 story this year. This is a unique opportunity to see the work of Prague’s most famous artists.

The eight best sporting artworks (part 2)

  1. Pulcinella and the Tumblers, 1797, by Tiepolo

Museo del Settecento Veneziano, Venice

Those traveling gymnasts are putting on a show in 18th century in Venice, where Tiepolo painted the scene as a fresco. Pulcinella refers to the hook-nosed trickster in a black mask, a Commedia del’arte figure somewhere between Punch and Harlequin, which is responsible for turning the world upside down. This is exactly what these gymnasts are enacting with all of their springy athleticism. For what Tiepolo depicts is the ability of the gymnast to walk on one’s hands meanwhile appearing to tumble all around the place and to topple while keeping one’s balance.

4. The Biglin Brothers Turning the Stake, 1873, painted by Thomas Eakins

Cleveland Art Museum

The Biglin Brothers Turning the Stake commemorates America’s first pair-oared sculling race, which was held on the Schuykill River in Philadelphia in 1872. The painting shows the Biglin brothers turning the stake with John pushing his oar and Barney pulling his to create the gliding movement that was repeated in Eakins’s beautiful composition. The Biglin brothers are winning as their opponents are still rowing towards their flag in the distance. The picture well celebrates their team spirit and closeness. The great realist Eakins painted from personal experience when he was a dedicated oarsman on the very same river, too.

5. A Rally, 1885, Sir John Lavery

Glasgow Museums Resource Centre

Lawn tennis was quite new when the young woman in Sir John Lavery’s painting A Rally hit the ball back across the net. The Anecdote has it that Major Walter Clopton Wingfield started playing outdoors with vulcanized rubber balls in London in 1874 and Sir John Lavery, the Irish-born painter, got the bug on his return from Paris only a few years later. His painting emphasized on the woman in her hopelessly impractical but fetching dress, dramatized her energy and concentration. Sir John Lavery also painted some tennis scenes in Scotland, each regarded pioneering, rather like the player herself.

New Arts and Crafts Spots for Kids in New York City

It’s time to get messy, creative, and make some arts and crafts. Arts and crafts classes give kids the opportunity to develop some new skills and unleash their imagination. In this article, we introduce two new arts and crafts spots where kids can get creative in New York City.

The Craft Studio

174 Duane St.

Tribeca

Online: craftstudionyc.com

646-922-8823

Regulars and newcomers rejoice: The Craft Studio has a new spot in Tribeca. The studio was originally intended as a pop-up, it is now officially here to be a permanent addition to the Craft Studio family. The welcoming environment has made the studio a favorite in its original version, and it is really warming hearts in the new nabe.

The Tribeca spot is similar to the UES location such as Toddler Art and Little Hands, where the littlest artists can get down and dirty with some fun arts and crafts. Besides the usual classes, it also offers fun classes like The Coolest Art Craft Ever, introducing kids to edgy and fun new crafting techniques and materials, or Creative Movement and Art, combining jumping and active play with art-making.

Moreover, the Tribeca location is open for walk-ins almost every day and has a lot of options for tweens and teens who need a spot to hang out. It also offers private classes, birthday parties, and adult nights.

Midwood Arts & Crafts Studio

1701 Kings Highway

Midwood

Online: midwoodarts.com

718-737-9700

 This Arts & Crafts Studio in Midwood has been around for a few years, but a recent increase of offerings is the added reason to check it out. The spacious and bright second-floor studio gives kids over four-years-old a fun and educational experience. Led by kind English- and Russian-speaking teachers, classes range from individual instruction to groups and allow kids to use their hands for everything, from pencils and paints to professionally modeling clay. All of these things are very great for the development of fine motor skill.

Midwood Arts & Crafts Studio has its plans to expand to more events, including adult classes and paint-n-sips, and artsy birthday parties for kids.

All events and classes are drop-offs, so you can leave your kids in the capable hands of the teachers to explore any of Kings Highway’s other offerings.

Best DIY and Crafting Apps (Part 2)

Guidecentral (Android, iOS) (Free)

Wikihow features everything, from projects to life and relationship advice. However, it also acquired Guidecentral, a bit more focused on DIY and crafting projects that are divided into broad categories like Style, Beauty, and Technology. Guidecentral covers a wide range of topics, from making your own home organizers to computer stands and crafted jewelry, completes with instructions, photos, lists of needed supplies, and other details. Users can freely browse through guides and signing up allows you to like guides, add comments as well as follow specific Makers to get updates on their latest guides.

DIY App (iOS)

The DIY App is designed to bring the DIY and crafting mentality to kids with interesting, easy-to-learn projects, and a community which is moderated to ensure a fun, kid-safe, and friendly experience. Kids can try thousands of projects and challenges from the online library, including stop motion animation, crafting, acting, and more. Kids can share the results of their projects, comment on, and encourage the works of others. Additionally, if kids complete enough challenges, they can earn Skill Badges that allows them to display on their online profile and buy embroidered patches of the same from the online market.

Houzz (Android, iOS) (Free)

Known as the “Wikipedia of Interior Design,” Houzz is a social network that is dedicated to architecture, interior design, and home improvement. The official Houzz app is a massive repository of articles, photographs, and discussions that budding interior design addicts and home improvement mavens can consult for inspiration and help. If you are looking for design inspiration, DIY ideas, interesting pieces of furniture, or simply want to get in touch with talented amateurs or local professionals, Houzz has something for you.

BrightNest (iOS) (Free)

Part home improvement app, part household management tool, BrightNest is a great addition to the homemaker’s toolkit. Create a personalized home profile, listing whether you have kids, pets, and appliances which require special maintenance and BrightNest will help you set up to-do lists with scheduled tasks for maintenance. Moreover, this app provides thousands of articles with DIY projects, lifehacks, organizing tips, and more.

The eight best sporting artworks (part 1)

Let’s enjoy the art of physical exercise, from the famous Scottish skating minister to Rousseau’s footballers and Manet’s racehorses…

  1. The Races at Longchamps, 1867, by Edouard Manet

Art Institute of Chicago

During the Second Empire (1852-70), horse racing enjoyed a revival and the Longchamps track was built on the banks of the Seine near the Bois de Boulogne, a park on the outskirts of Paris. Being opened in 1857, it is still one of the leading thoroughbred racetracks in the world up to now. In 1863, Edouard Manet began to plan a large, horizontal work which would convey the dynamism of its races and the bustle of its crowds. Manet ultimately abandoned this panoramic composition; however, the smaller variant of the Art Institute retains its gist in more concentrated form.

The Races at Longchamps is startling as a pictorial conception. Manet, a keen visitor to the Longchamps track, records the last moments of a race, showing the thundering horses as a single vignette, separated from the spectators just by a fragile fence and raising clouds of dust. The race is so fast that the crowd’s heads are merging into a blur while turning to follow.

Unlike traditional sporting artists, always showing races from the side, Manet composed the scene so that the throng of horses thunders straight toward the viewer.

  1. The Football Players, 1908, by Henri Rousseau

Guggenheim Museum, New York

Henri Rousseau’s artwork The Football Players is a primitivism style oil painting that was created on canvas. In the present, it is located at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.

In 1908, The Football Players was created to show modern times instead of historical images. The painting features a landscape with rich colors in the background and trees with four football players running on a path, tossing around the ball. They are wearing striped pajamas, having smiles on their faces and each of them has a handlebar mustache.

 

Best DIY and Crafting Apps (Part 1)

 

It seems that there are apps to help us with everything these days, but apps are particularly useful for those who like hands-on hobbies because they’re easy to share ideas, experience, or patterns, and transfer information about projects. The most basic and popular craft-related apps, like Pinterest and Wikihow, belong firmly on every crafter’s phone. There are many helpful DIY and craft apps that offer assistance, tutorials, inspiration, and also a way to keep track of how much thread you have left.

Pinterest (Android, iOS) (Free)

Pinterest is among the best-known mobile craft apps, showing you a bunch of cool stuff that is doable by yourself. There are cooking recipes, decorations, home improvement projects, and arts and crafts ideas for kids. You can easily pin the stuff you like. However, if you haven’t seen the UI beforethe, you will find it a little bit difficult to use this app. Like most social networks, Pinterest is also totally free.

WikiHow (Android, iOS) (Free)

WikiHow provides thousands of how-to guides ranging from quick repairs, tech and life hacks, DIY projects, and even some food recipes. Ever wanted to clean and maintain a rain barrel? Learn how to change your car’s oil? WikiHow has it all with clear illustrations and videos. Users can search categories, select featured articles, and bookmark ones for later offline reading.

SnapGuide (iOS) (Free)

SnapGuide is one of the most visually attractive how-to apps online, offering numerous projects, recipes, repairs, and hacks with detailed instructions and photo guides. Users can check out a variety of topics ranging from arts and crafts, gardening, automotive, as well as popular and recently uploaded guides. Users can like, share, and comment on guides, or even create their own new guides.

Craftsy (iOS) (Free, Class subscriptions)

Craftsy is suitable for those who are looking for a more guided class experience, offering more than 500 online video courses from photography, painting, jewelry, sewing, woodwork, quilting, and more. Craftsy allows you to take your video courses anywhere or sign up for classes through in-app purchases.

How to Find Local Art and Craft Shows To Take Part in

 

Finding local craft shows is an effective way to make a living selling what you make. Regional shows help you save your travel costs and also are a great place for connecting with fellow makers. Selling at local craft shows can be a great way to build a loyal fan base for your products by putting you in front of customers that want to support the makers in your region. However, it is important to choose the right ones because each craft show has its own flavor as well as attracts a different type of buyer. So, you must spend your time learning about all shows in your area to decide to spend your time applying to and hauling your products the right ones.

Here are some ways to find the local art and craft shows that are suitable for you:

Etsy Teams

Many Etsy sellers don’t know that the best way to find local shows is on the site itself. The Teams section of Etsy has groups that are located throughout the U.S. with each team’s own forum being where members interact. Many local teams have an ongoing thread listing upcoming events of interest to crafters, such as SF Etsy. Try to find an active team with such a thread and access to upcoming events in your area.

Event Listing Websites

There are many event listing websites which keep track of craft shows throughout the U.S. You can get basic information on events from them and register for an account when you need to get more details. Here are a few event listing sites:

Community Facebook Pages

Many neighborhoods have their own Facebook pages for local makers to share information. On these pages, you can often find smaller organizations post when they are searching for vendors for upcoming events or you can let the community know that you are looking for art and craft shows and crowdsource a list of leads to check out.

Basic Principles for Organizing an Art and Craft Event (part 2)

 

  1. Create your plan

You should think about the schedule and the deadline when each item on your To-Do-List needs to get completed. Some factors to consider when creating your plan are:

  • Suitable space
  • Parking
  • The number of items
  • Number of artists
  • Event Day and Time (does it conflict with anything else?)
  • Marketing and Promotion
  • Signs and Directions
  • Decoration
  • Responsibilities and point of contact on the event day and crowd management
  1. Marketing and Promotions

This is critical, but a lot of fun. It is clear that the more people know about your event, the more will attend. Firstly, you have to create a flyer with all information about the event. This flyer can be printed, scanned, e-mailed, or posted on a webpage. You must make sure that all your marketing and promotions are consistent. Here are the most effective and maybe the least expensive ways to promote for your event:

  • Word of Mouth: Every communication is an opportunity for you and your staff to talk about your art and craft event as well as ask to pass on that same message.
  • E-Mail: This is the easiest step. Send e-mails to all of your contacts and then ask them to forward the information of your event to everyone they know.
  • Local Organizations: You can connect with local organizations, churches, and clubs, and have them share the event among their communities. Consider the win-win proposal and how they can benefit as well.
  • Social Media: It is simply word of mouth on the internet. For example, if you are using Facebook, you can create an event and invite all your friends to attend. If you are using Twitter, you can connect the event to your tweets.
  • Advertisement: Advertisement is the last option as this is the most expensive. You can print flyers or buy advertising space in magazines, etc.

 

The Most Favorite Artistic Sports

 

According to some websites, people have voted on their most favorite artistic sports. These sports are so well-known around the world that any kind of audience can enjoy them.

  1. Figure Skating

    Figure Skating

Figure skating requires the maximum amount of focus. People who practice it have to spend many long hours on perfecting their art. This sport is the combination of dancing and skating on ice. It has to be nice to look at as well as entertain and amaze the viewers. Moreover, figure skating is pretty dangerous because it carries certain risks. Injuries can occur; therefore, maximum caution is advised. Figure skating also requires stamina. Each skating session can last about up to twenty minutes, so a lot of strength is required. If there are two people practicing the sport on the ice, it becomes more challenging and more beautiful to watch.

  1. Competitive Dance

When competing, dancers are only scored for their art. This art form has been practiced since the beginning of the known history. And it was always joyful to watch and participate in. Nowadays, dancing gave birth to competitive dancing with professional dancers spending years on perfecting their art.

  1. Synchronized Swimming

Synchronized swimming requires great timing and perfect coordination of all swimmers. It also requires a lot of energy to perform. It is so interesting to watch the swimmers doing complicated moves.

  1. Ice Dancing

Ice dancing is 100% viewed as an art form and is also judged that way as well. It is gorgeous to watch ice dancing.

  1. Archery

This art form requires a lot of skill. It has been enjoyed since the early days of humanity. People were competing for the best place as soon as it was discovered. Practicing this sport has had huge value to people who possessed it. Today it is a respected sport as well as an art form.

  1. Skateboarding

Skateboarding is a lot of creativity. This art form is very popular among the younger generations.

Basic Principles for Organizing an Art and Craft Event (part 1)

 

You know that a well-organized art and craft event can leave a long-lasting memory and can even help build lifetime customers for your business.  The local craft fair or Saturday market are great places to showcase your crafting work; however, organizing your own event can provide a unique environment for attendees to connect with your business, resulting in more customers and sales. Although it’s certainly not as easy as opening your front door, if you follow these basic principles, it will not be too difficult but very effective and fulfilling.

  1. Involve your community

Involving the community around can help you reach out to more people than you have ever imagined. Your art and craft event can be just only you or as many of your friends as you like. Remember that the more the merrier and you can provide the attendees with a variety of options by connecting with your local art and craft community.

  1. Find the anchor

Every event should have a well-known artist to pull people in – the anchor artist. If you are not the anchor artist in your community, try to connect with one to participate in your event. This will establish buzz and credibility for your event.

  1. Create a catchy name

The name of your event says it all!  Therefore, you have to create a catchy name for it. It should be intriguing, descriptive meanwhile showing that it is a local community event so people around you can relate. For example, The Fall City Stimulus Art Fair name not only describes the event but also intrigues and invites everyone to come to support their community.

  1. Connect with your local organizations

A great way to spread the word is to connect with your local organizations and invite them to help and collaborate with you. You can connect with your local charities and help to raise donations during your art and craft event. Another great way is to have a local business sponsor your event such as offering coffee and snacks for the attendees.