The art exhibit is curated by TS + Projects. Probably named with an allusion to a show presented last year by New York’s New Museum entitled ‘Younger than Jesus,’ where all of the featured artists were under the age of 33 (the age at which Jesus died), ‘Younger than Moses’ features artists who are all younger than 120.

Notable artists include Ryan Shultz, who submitted ‘Facebook Pills,’ a three-piece oil-on-canvas painting depicting yellow, blue and purple pills embossed with the popular social networking site’s familiar logo, and Deniz Ozuygur, whose resin sculpture ‘Stuck’ offers a creative take on a common cause of teenage embarrassment. Established artist Travis Childer also contributes to the exhibit. ‘Staplerscape,’ 2010, is an artificial landscape set atop a common stapler using modeling materials usually reserved for constructing miniature railroads.

As a fan of contemporary art, I would say the art exhibit is worth seeing. Some of the artworks can be quite awe-inspiring, and all of them can provide great insight on the condition of today’s younger generation. Some of the artworks, such as the little paper-folded tanks showcased in one of Travis Childer’s installations, are even up for sale, creating an excellent opportunity to patron a young artist.

Catch the art exhibit at the Benrimon Contemporary, located in the Chelsea-Manhattan area.

Mr. Harris does this by making a point: “When you do the right thing, you get rewarded, and when you don’t do the right thing, you get to watch.” By holding events such as the year-end barbecue for students who have done well in the past school year, Mr. Harris makes a point to draw attention to students for doing a good job. This is in contrast to being called out for causing trouble, which happens far too often.

Even in the past year, Mr. Harris made waves in the district by starting a fancy dinner for honor roll students and their families. This has become a popular social event. Already, there are more in the works, including movie showings and pizza parties.

This change of attitude in education has made an impact on students. For example, from a high school culture known for fights, students have recently been getting along better. There are many programs that keep the students in the school rather than out on the streets. With the growing popularity of these events, a more positive attitude towards doing better has become apparent.

But it isn’t just the events that have changed the culture in the Roosevelt Union district. With the introduction of school uniforms, students are encouraged to focus more on academics rather than fashion. Art and music programs have also been built up. What was once a small school band in tattered uniforms is now 40-strong, all with new instruments and jackets carrying the Roosevelt initial.

The district is continuing to develop, and I’m very excited to hear more about how it will work to ultimately change the lives of the community. This fall, the district plans to offer advanced and enrichment classes in middle and high schools in tandem with the State University of New York College at Old Westbury. With New York being the trendsetter that it is, I’m hopeful that this new educational culture will catch on.

With funds from 21 donors all over the world, the project to renew the Israel Museum is by far the largest collective philanthropic effort ever undertaken for a single cultural institution in the country. But the work poured into the renewal of the institution didn’t simply stop at funding. Architectural firms in both New York and Tel Aviv worked together to bring new life into the building. James Carpenter Design Associates of New York designed the new building to resonate with the original modernist geometric plan laid out by Alfred Mansfeld and Dora Gad.

The new design offers a way for visitors to navigate intuitively through the museum’s various offerings. Among these are a chronological presentation of archeological holdings from the land of Israel, the first permanent galleries for Israeli art, and a newly configured Synagogue Route.

This Synagogue Route is one of the newest features of the institution, recreating four original synagogue interiors from Italy, Germany, India and Suriname. The Suriname synagogue exhibit has been made into the highlight of the newly installed Mandel Wing for Jewish Art and Life.

Among museum director James Synder’s goals for the institution include broadening its appeal as an international cross-cultural center. Seeing how donors from all over the world collaborated to bring this project to life, Synder is on his way to fulfilling that goal. As one of the seats of world religion, preserving and displaying the richness of Israel’s history is a task worth taking and it’s satisfying to see how people around the world have contributed to preserve the heritage of one culture.

It’s been a long time coming for some of the new additions. Amsterdam’s canal belt and France’s historic town of Albi, for instance, are already well-visited international attractions. Most of the World Heritage Sites, though, reflected the changing times and addressed the need for further cultural diversity.

When people began harnessing nuclear energy in the early 20th century, it sparked a significant era in modern history. Bikini Atoll in Marshall Islands was added to the list because it symbolized “the dawn of the nuclear age.” In the 1950’s, the atoll was used as a detonation site for early nuclear devices.

There was also a concerted effort during the World Heritage Committee’s meeting to rectify the long-prevailing imbalance in the list, which has made cultural assets in Africa, Latin America, and part of Asia, not as well represented as those of Europe.

Some of the most notable additions to the World Heritage List from the developing world are: the historic monuments of Dengfeng in China, the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long-Hanoi in Vietnam, a shrine in Ardabil, Iran, the Jantar Mantar astronomical observation site in India, and the archaeological site Sarazm in Tajikistan.

To date there are 911 World Heritage Sites. With UNESCO’s seal, these areas are elevated to symbols of national pride and indispensible value. The government as well as the public is obliged to preserve the location’s original state. It is commendable that so many historical and cultural sites are gaining recognition. We need tangible reminders of our culture and heritage to keep us from forgetting our roots, and the values that come with them.

Thanks to the media, we have heard countless stories of what happened during those terrifying 35 seconds. We have read the experiences of workers, family men, and pottery makers. But what about the children?

From June 17 to October 17, The Smithsonian’s S. Dillon Ripley Center shall feature an exhibition of the nearly 100 paintings and drawings created by the young victims of the Haiti quake. Entitled The Healing Power of Art: Works of Art by Haitian Children after the Earthquake, the artworks are the output of a project started by First Lady Elisabeth D. Preval in coalition with Haitian artists including Philippe Dodard and a motley team of psychologists, educators and politicians, to create a safe outlet for the children to express themselves after the quake.

Aside from the artworks, the exhibition includes an 18-minute film entitled Thirty Five Long Seconds: Haiti’s Deadly Earthquake and two short videos, one about Plas Timoun (The Children’s Place), a place that served as a creative haven for the children, and another about a visit to Haiti by First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden.

Although most works created immediately following the disaster were dark in both the colors and imagery used, they soon became hopeful, depicting scenes of a better future. This serves as a testament to the resilience of children and to the healing power of art.

For many, art is not simply the mixing and splashing of colors onto a piece of canvas. Rather, it is the most open and creative way they can express their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. It can be a form of healing and a means to engender hope.

This line of thought was taken up by Universal, the largest of four major record companies. They believe that perhaps there is room in the Western audiences’ auditory palate for more of the spice of South Asian music. Teaming with Desi Hits!, a New York-based company promoting South Asian entertainment on its website DesiHits.com, Universal plans to create a label for musicians with South Asian roots. Through this label, the record company’s ultimate goal is to give South Asian music and its artists global exposure.

“It’s far from a vanity project for us,” said David Joseph, chief executive of Universal Music U.K. For him, South Asian pop music holds great potential as a relatively untapped art, presenting a huge amount of opportunity.

The new label, called Desi Hits! Universal, would give the music genre a “home,” a way for the music to be shared with Western audiences. According to Anjula Acharia-Bath, chief executive of Desi Hits!, after the success of the 2008 hit, “everyone saw that with some resources some of these songs really popped.”

Although mainstream western acts and Indian music have shown some mingling, the success of Desi Hits! Universal could be an excellent untapped resource for those looking for the next new sound. And, modernizing some of the more traditional South Asian music with elements from pop music can bring it to a wider audience, even within its country of origin. “Jai Ho” showed the ability of good music to transcend cultural affinities. I look forward to more endeavors that get the music of a rich culture reach out to more of the world.

The news couldn’t have been timelier as, over the last weekend, Rome celebrated the 400th anniversary of Caravaggio’s death. Attributed as one of the forefathers of the Baroque school of painting, only 80 of his works have supposedly survived into the 21st century. News of discovering a lost Caravaggio painting is hardly far-fetched. During his lifetime, he was well sought after for his distinctly emotive style of painting. It was a notorious reputation and lack of an established workshop for protégées that caused his legacy to wane almost immediately after his death. It was only in the 20th century that his significance in the development of Western art was rediscovered.

The newly discovered painting, entitled ‘The Martyrdom of St. Lawrence,’ was recently found among the possessions of the Jesuits in Rome. It depicts an almost naked man leaning over flames, one hand stretched out and carrying an expression of apparent desperation.

Further analyses and in-depth, critical examination are still needed to verify the authenticity of the artwork. What is certain, however, is that the painting is stylistically impeccable. It appears to have all the characteristics of a Caravaggio painting, including stark contrasts and dramatic lighting effects.

Earlier this year, Italy started marking the artist’s anniversary with a variety of events. This weekend, several churches and an art gallery were kept open all night to showcase some of Caravaggio’s greatest masterpieces. Major art exhibitions have also been held to honor the influential artist. The kick-off event, which was held at the Scuderie Del Quirinale in Rome, drew more than half a million people from around the world to view his paintings.

This is an extremely important discovery for Italian art. It’s almost giving new life to an artist who is long gone. The crowd that it attracted just goes to show that great art and their artists can achieve a timeless appeal.

Among these efforts is the Hong Kong Contemporary Art Biennial Awards Exhibition, which runs from August 1 at the Hong Kong Museum of Art, where local artists will be given a platform to showcase their works.

The local government has also planned other projects to encourage the blossoming of Hong Kong art culture, such as the creation of a projected $2 billion West Kowloon Cultural District and the development of an empty police station into “a self-sustaining, non-profit site that will be home to designers, art studios and exhibition spaces,” according to a government press release.

Perhaps as a result, though underrepresentation of Hong Kong art seems like common knowledge among influential names in the art scene, some acknowledge that, slowly but surely, Hong Kong’s own local talents have begun to rise up. “Arguably, it is this freedom from market pressure that has seen the emergence of a group of artists in Hong Kong whose works are conceptually very strong. You won’t find any grinning faces staring back at you,” says Claire Hsu, founder of the Hong Kong-based Asia Art Archive.

Hong Kong style art is strikingly different from Mainland Chinese art but with the global art community already flocking to Hong Kong for its art galleries, the gap won’t be very hard to bridge. Hong Kong culture may rise in the wake of China’s recent cultural success and attention gained in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.

Just recently, several delegates at the Council Meeting of the 2011 Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia presented the proposal in order to help reduce the costs involved in fielding their teams. Among delegates were representatives from Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Indonesia had hoped to hold the Games in four different cities (Semarang and Bandung, Jakarta and Palembang), emulating the 23rd SEA Games in 2005, hosted by the Philippines. Competition venues during the 23rd SEA Games were spread throughout several cities within Metro Manila, as well as in Bacolod City, Cebu City, Tagaytay City, Laguna, Angeles City, and in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales. The event allowed participants and spectators to visit more of the Philippines instead of being confined to the congested Metro Manila area. However, participating countries did not have the same economic considerations to make at the time.

In response, Olympic Council of Indonesia chief, Rita Subowo, said she would talk to the government about it.

Unfortunately, if Indonesia agrees, it won’t be able to take full advantage of the tourist potential of the SEA Games. However, I wouldn’t consider it a loss. It would show a true adhesion to the spirit of camaraderie among nations that the Games aim to promote in the first place.

The gallery, which recently made room for a site-specific exhibition of Richard Wilson’s 20:50, first opened in 1985. It has always provided free admission to the general public, and plays host to various special events and exhibitions. Aligned with School of Saatchi, a television program that showcases young aspiring artists, the gallery even includes a dedicated space for Saatchi Online artists to exhibit and sell their work, for which Saatchi does not accept commission.

The Saatchi Gallery was one of the launch pads for the Young British Artists movement of the ’90s, which brought about the creation of “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living.” The 14-foot (4.3 m) tiger shark preserved in a tank of formaldehyde was commissioned by Saatchi and was later sold for $8 million.

To ensure that the government won’t drop the ball, the collection includes other works that can be sold to make new acquisitions.

Saatchi “wants to give London and the country something it wouldn’t have otherwise, which is a very agile collection that can respond quickly to developments in contemporary art from all over the world,” said Rebecca Wilson, associate director of the Saatchi Gallery.

The donation could not have come in a timelier manner. Countries in recovery around the world have been experiencing record budget deficits and, though all sectors are feeling the crush, many governments seem to cut heavily on arts, culture and public attractions. I am hopeful that Saatchi’s vision will set an example for others.

View a previously written post by Mouli Cohen about Arts and Culture.