Quick sidetrack -- love these sheep!

I had to interrupt my blog thread to publish this link that my friend Richard sent me from the web site artdaily.org.   Their byline is "The first art newspaper on the net."  Here's the article:

Times Square Alliance Presents a Major Public Art Exhibition at the Crossroads of the World

A view of the art installation 'Counting Sheep', by artist Kyu Seok Oh, in Times Square in New York, New York, USA, 02 March 2011. The sheep, which are handmade of heavy paper, are part of a small, temporary sculpture installation in Times Square to promote an area art show and will be on display until 07 March 2011. EPA/JUSTIN LANE.

TIMES SQUARE, NY.- As part of an ongoing commitment to bring the best of contemporary art to Times Square, the Times Square Alliance presents a major public art exhibition at the Crossroads of the World as part of Armory Arts Week. The Times Square Show 2011, comprised of five whimsical and thought-provoking world-class sculptures, began on Tuesday, March 1. The outdoor exhibition features four sculptures presented in partnership with the Armory Art Show -- artists include: Tom Otterness, Niki de Saint Phalle, Grimanesa Amorós, David Kennedy Cutler -- and a site specific installation by Kyu Seok Oh, produced in collaboration with the West Harlem Arts Fund. 

“We are thrilled to present our first public art exhibition to highlight Armory Arts Week,” said Tim Tompkins, President of the Times Square Alliance. “Each day hundreds of thousands of visitors come to Times Square, and we can’t think of a more perfect stage than the Crossroads of the World to showcase the cutting -edge talent and creative minds of these premiere artists.” 

“This joint initiative, between The Armory Show and The Times Square Alliance, illustrates the uniqueness of Armory Arts Week, and allows our 2011 participating galleries an opportunity to explore New York City public spaces and reach larger audiences for their artists,” said Katelijne De Backer, Executive Director of The Armory Show. “Having Duffy Square available to showcase the very best in modern and contemporary art is not only an important collaboration for all of us at The Armory Show, but also for the entire arts community.” 

Sculptures in the Times Square Show 2011 include: 

• Mouse (large) (2007) by New York artist Tom Otterness with the Marlborough Gallery -- a playful 9-foot tall bronze creature that manages to be unsettling as it gazes down quizzically at the now diminutive viewer; 

• Star Fountain (Blue) (1999) by Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2001) with Nohra Haime Gallery -- an approximately 10-foot tall voluptuous female figure made of ceramic tiles, glass pebbles and mirrored glass, lent by the Niki Charitable Art Foundation; 

• The Uros House (2011) by New York artist Grimanesa Amorós with the Nina Menocal Gallery -- a 10-foot tall illuminated sculpture of frosted, translucent spheres woven together to recreate the beauty and shape of bubbling sea foam; 

• Geologies, Cosmologies, Apologies #1 (2010) by Brooklyn artist David Kennedy Cutler with the Derek Eller Gallery -- a 10-foot tall sculpture made of compact discs, plexiglass, archival inkjet print, and resin to conjure ancient monument building and human-induced geological phenomena, commissioned by Socrates Sculpture Park; 

• Counting Sheep (2011) by Brooklyn artist Kyu Seok Oh with the West Harlem Art Fund -- a 36-foot long installation consisting of a flock of 24 hand-made paper sheep designed to invite people in Times Square “to relax, count the sheep and even doze off a little.” 

New Yorkers and visitors can view all the sculptures from Tuesday, March 1 to Monday, March 7 in Times Square. The first four installations are at Duffy Square and the Broadway Plazas between 46th Street and 47th Street. The 24 paper sheep by Kyu Seok Oh are exhibited on the Broadway Plazas between 45th Street and 46th Street near the Marriott Marquis Hotel. 

Since this will be up just until Monday, it would be fun to check out.  They have so much personality, and they are Good Design.   Now, this time there are two questions for all you great minds out there:

1. Sheep have been the object of sculptors in the past, probably the most famous of whom was...who? (Hint: Yves Saint Laurent was a patron.)
2. The Mouse (see above list of sculptures) is by Tom Otterness.  Know where else you've seen his work? (Hint: E train.)

If you do go, send me your comments.  My regular blog will be posted on Sunday (unless I'm counting sheep.)

Thanks for reading, everyone!