Shephard Fairey is not alone in, um - what's the word? - building on other people's work. Thomas Garvey takes in an exhibit of ICA Foster Prize winner Kelly Sherman's work at the Barbara Krakow Gallery:

... Now I admit I kind of admire Sherman's conceptual chutzpah here - Prince and Levine appropriated other people's imagery, so why not just appropriate them? There's a neat little thrill to be had in that (along with extra points for ripping off those rip-off artists during their big Met show). Of course you have to be careful, and vary things just enough to avoid legal action, like the kind Shepard Fairey visited on those with the temerity to appropriate his own, plagiarized works. I admire this line of endeavor so much, in fact that I am willing to download any of Sherman's works from the Internet for you, and print it out with my signature for $1 less than she's going for at Barbara Krakow. ...

Joel Brown reports the Roses for whom the Rose Art Museum is named are gathering at Brandeis on Monday; things could get pretty thorny for university President Yehuda Reinharz:

More than 50 members of the Rose family have come together to condemn the actions of the current Brandeis administration in closing the Edward and Bertha C. Rose Art Museum and selling the art works in its renowned collection.

Booking photo courtesy Suffolk County District Attorney's office. Art via Obamafy Yourself.

The Herald talks to Boston's top graffiti cop (yes, of course Boston has one) about his arrest of the street-art guy:

... "He's always been a big problem," Kelley said. "He'd go from city to city to do this." ...

He's also the guy who brought down the tagger known as Spek.

The other day, I left my hermit's cave and actually ventured into Kenmore Square for a lunch engagement. Andre the Giant and oversized Red Revolutionary Peasant Women stared at me from every available surface, it seemed (except, of course from the world's largest anti-gun poster and the soft green that surrounds our local field of dreams). It was quite a shock for a country boy from the sticks, where the public art consists of a) A bust of Alexander the Great and b) Gang tags on the pedestrian bridge over the Amtrak tracks.

Anyway, UnlikelyWords reports on Fairey's talk at the ICA:

... There was a lot to like. Fairey was enthusiastic and genuinely seemed to enjoy talking about his art. He didn’t come off as pretentious or idealistic, which is always a possibility with celebrities famous for their political activism. ...

Ryan Weaver also reports on Fairey's talk.

Kerry, meanwhile, reports Fairey showed up at his club to do some DJing (as DJ Diabetic):

... He was also a really nice guy, posing for photos and signing Obey propaganda. And the best part was to both of our surprise, he was repping the Proletariat. ...

Finally, Dan Kennedy explains why AP would likely lose a copyright suit against Fairey for basing his iconic Hope memey thing on one of its photos.

Jeff Hayes paints a still life and blogs as he goes.

Joel Brown reports that on Friday, ART will sell $25 tickets for early performances of its current season shows.

With Thanksgiving around the corner and the holiday season fast approaching, many people are in the market for holiday greeting cards for family and friends.

Project Bread, The Walk for Hunger is offering a wide variety of holiday cards for the 2008 season with unique images and heart-warming messages that will appeal to all. “Through the sale of holiday cards we help hungry families in need during the winter months,” said Ellen Parker, executive director of Project Bread. “It’s a program that does a lot of good.”

ATM Envelope Art by stevegarfield, on Flickr CC BY-NC-SA

I saw this art on an ATM envlope yesterday at the Bank of New England on Centre Street. I thought it was cool so I took a picture and uploaded it to flickr.

Come join the Boston Firefly Project for a night of art, poetry, and activism as we raise awareness around the issue of poverty worldwide. Local artists, poets, and writers will be presenting and displaying their work on Thursday, August 14th from 7-9pm at the Lincoln Institute for Land Policy on 113 Brattle Street in Cambridge, a short walk from the Harvard Square T stop. Come meet other activists in the area and take part in the convergence of art and human rights - snacks and beverages provided!

Somerville has a well-deserved reputation for fostering and supporting the arts.

Some residents near Foss Park want to change all that. They've hoodwinked a couple of aldermen into asking the state to paint over a mural in the park, claiming that it somehow interferes with their ability to sell their houses.