1) Artists  Fill Ad Space With Artwork

This week marks the launch of Art in Ad Places, a year-long campaign by a number of artists to put artwork in spaces normally reserved for advertising. The campaign will see art installed in bus shelters and payphone booths throughout New York City. Though the works are not all explicitly anti-advertisement, the organizers of the campaign see the artworks as a way of questioning and protesting the ubiquity of advertisements designed to make the viewers feel self-conscious or in need of physical change. The article also lists a number of similar campaigns that have taken place throughout the world.

2) Google Tilt Brush Launches Artist In Residence Program

Google’s Tilt Brush is bringing art into the realm of virtual reality. The program, now an app for the HTC Vive virtual reality set, allows users to create paintings, drawings and even sculpture seemingly in midair. This article draws parallels between the Tilt Brush and Picasso’s light paintings, which were made with the help of photographer Gjon Mili, who had discovered at way to photograph trails of light. Just as the light paintings were only visible once captured on film, the Tilt Brush works are only visible to those wearing a VR headset. Currently, Google is testing the app with the help of 60 artists-in-residence.

3) More Schools Investing in The Arts: Art Newspaper

This hopeful article in the Art Newspaper sheds light on a new trend among universities and other academic institutions to invest more heavily in the arts as of late. According to many university officials, the arts are increasingly viewed by students as a way to encourage creative, non-linear thinking that can be useful in a variety of fields and disciplines. Increasing demand for arts options in schools has led many universities to invest in more arts programming – as well as for donors to give funds specifically for arts-related pursuits and projects. Even schools that have traditionally disassociated from the arts have found increasing donations in support of arts research.

4) Legendary Art Critic John Berger Dies at 90

The art critic, novelist and essayist John Berger died at the age of 90 on Monday. Berger’s Ways of Seeing, a book and television series broadcast in 1972, became widely celebrated as an important perspective on art critique, introducing audiences to concepts including the male gaze, the effect of photographic reproduction on art creation and viewing, and the overall structure of the greater art industry. The series is available for free streaming on ubu.com.