The Walker Art Center of Minneapolis is asking the public (Yes, that's YOU!) for your help! 

Open Field is an experimental project of the Walker Art Center that invites the public to help transform our big, green backyard into a cultural commons. It’s a place to share experiences, interests, and talents and celebrate the creative assets and collective knowledge that abound in the Twin Cities.

We envision Open Field as a kind of intellectual, recreational, social, and artistic platform that we create with the public. We’re building an outdoor courtyard, a tool shed with equipment for relaxation and play, a weekly Drawing Club, projects with the artist collectives Red76 and Futurefarmers—two groups that are deeply engaged in the art of social engagement, collaboration, and the spirit of the commons—and a roster of conversations, workshops, and activities for all ages.

Bring your own activity, participate, or just sit and people watch.  You won't want to miss out on this summer long extravaganza! 

Open Field: Activity Calendar
Open Field: Add Your Activity

(Thanks, Dave!)

[pictured above, Home Now, 5101 Market Street]

Love Letter is a project by Stephen "ESPO" Powers with the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program where 50 walls along a section of the Market Street corridor in Philadelphia were painted with love letters by 40 local and international artists. 

The project will encompass 50 painted walls between 63rd and 45th street on Market Street, a documentary film with scripted elements, a sign school and shop that will provide training for area youth and free signage for businesses on the market street corridor, and 2 books documenting the project. One of the books will be a small paperback that will be distributed to area businesses free of charge, for them to sell to visitors. The other book will be a larger hardcover book that will document not only the artwork, but the neighborhood and the inspirations of the Love Letter Project.

I love this project and wouldn't mind seeing something like this in struggling Minneapolis neighborhoods.

List of completed murals, titles and where they are located - Link

Related Links:
City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program (official website) - Link
Steve Powers official website - Link
Steve Powers [wiki] - Link
aloveletter4u on Twitter - Link

555 KUBIK - "How it would be, if a house was dreaming"

The conception of this project consistently derives from its underlying architecture - the theoretic conception and visual pattern of the Hamburg Kunsthalle. The Basic idea of narration was to dissolve and break through the strict architecture of O. M. Ungers "Galerie der Gegenwart". Resultant permeability of the solid facade uncovers different interpretations of conception, geometry and aesthetics expressed through graphics and movement. A situation of reflexivity evolves - describing the constitution and spacious perception of this location by means of the building itself.

Related Links:
Production: Urbanscreen - Link
Art Direction: Daniel Rossa - Link
Extended version of this documentation - Link [vimeo]

Creative genius Brian Dettmer carves into books and reveals the artwork inside creating three-dimensional masterpieces.
Link [via Centripetal Notion]

Swedish photographer Magnus Muhr takes dead fly carcasses and breathes new life into them with a few strokes of his pencil.  Link to gallery.

[Pictured above, Acrobatics]

Previously on BC:
Insect Lab: Customized insects by Mike Libby - Link

Over 4000 Rubik's Cubes were used to recreate 'The Last Supper'. Although it was mentioned in the video that it took two months to make, I believe it took an equivalent of 10 hours to make over the period of two months. [via MeFi]

Although the 2009 Sasquatch! Music Festival is long gone, we can still appreciate Invisible Creature's poster series made for the festival.  Link [via grain edit]

Feast your eyes on this Caricature Map of Europe 1914 illustrated by Keith Thompson.  Based on Scott Westerfeld's novel Leviathan, the map is separated into three groups: The Clanker Powers, The Darwinist Powers and Neutral.  What incredible detail.

Link to larger version and explanation of map

Indie artist John Martz writes:

Robots and Monsters, the charitable art project that offers custom-made robot and monster drawings, has relaunched with a slick new site, and a handful of new artists involved, inlcuding Drawn!’s own Adam Koford, David Huyck, and yours truly.

Here’s how it works: you donate a set amount for an original robot or monster drawing, and supply three words or phrases that one of the artists will interpret as they see fit to create your drawing. The current charity being supported is Water.org which provides access to safe water and sanitation to communities in Africa, South Asia, and South America.

[via Neatorama]

Here is a time-lapse video of Elvis Presley being drawn with cheese puffs on velvet. (Thanks, Dave!)