The Digest. 09.03.08. On-the-road edition.

Micanopy. (Photo by C-M.)

Hey Folks: Had an unexpected window of free time, so here’s a little Digest for y’all, straight from the wilds of Florida. xox, C.

• The type of public sculpture we just don’t hear enough about: garden gnomes.
• The 50 Greatest Arts Videos on YouTube, according to the Guardian (via The Slog). How could they fail to include this one in the line-up?
• Museum Director Musical Chairs: The Guggenheim’s new director may be Richard Armstrong of Pittsburgh’s Carnegie. In related news: Ann Temkin to succeed John Elderfield at MoMA.
• Art Blog Post of the Day: “What do you get when you mix religious overtones, memories of a few former vegan college roommates, comic book-inspired heroes and elegant ballerinas prancing around the stage in funny costumes? . . . a lot of conflicting clichés: archetypal values with a bit of a focus on flesh, eggs, and orifices.”
• Damien Hirst tells Looking Around that Charles Saatchi is his “biggest influence.” More Hirst here and here.
• Jonathan Jones at the Guardian is surprised that more people haven’t destroyed Lucien Freud’s paintings.
• The Day in Artistic Boners: Christian sues an English contemporary arts center over a sculpture of Jesus with an erection.
• A convict on death row has said that if his final appeal fails and he is executed, he will allow a Danish artist to feed his body to the fishes. For reals.
• Call for Entries: The Japan Media Arts Festival is looking for art, animation and manga, among other things, and the Graffiti Gallery in Winnipeg is look for work on vinyl.
• The $1 art grant. (Via AFC.)
• Miami’s Moore Space is closing.
• “Oh, Lynch is way weirder than I am. That’s obvious.” – David Cronenberg on who is weirder. Him or David Lynch.
• Surreal playground photo of the day.
• Graff of the Day: Roa in Belgium. More here.
• Hurricane of Hype, Continued: Banksy in Alabama.
• Vertigo-inducing shot of the Burj Dubai. (Via Skyline.)
• Frank Lloyd Wright’s Dana-Thomas house, in Springfield, Ill., to be shuttered due to budget cuts.
• In case you needed more excuses to be a daytime drinker: “We all know the expression ‘the night is young,’ but with happy hour that idea is bullshit. Not only is the night not young, it hasn’t even been born yet. Happy hour is the fetal stage of the night: so why not get the party started at the moment of conception?“
• Fracking hilarious: The Daily Show’s Obama bio film (via Hrag). Plus, Off Center has a round-up of all things RNC-related.
• Greg.org takes on the G.O.P Veep nominee’s taste in home décor. (Via Art to Go.)
• Your moment of sublime Spanish pop. (Courtesy of Mlle. Connasse.)