At right: A winning design by Brandon Alms from the Desert Space Foundation’s contest to design a universal warning sign for the Yucca Mountain site.

The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to issue its first-ever Million-Year-Long regulation regarding nuclear waste. But will humans even be here in a million years (let alone Yucca Mountain???)? Here’s the background…In 2002, after Congress and President Bush approved plans to store power plant nuclear waste material inside Yucca Mountain, Nevada, the EPA was placed in charge of laying out the repository’s building codes, designed to last 10,000 years. But opponents of the Yucca Mountain plan filed a lawsuit which argued that the regulation did not extend far enough into the future. After the courts agreed, the EPA extended the regulation by 100 times, to 1 million years.

As a rebuttal, or as commentary, or as statements, several artists have created posters, sculptures, and mausoleums specifically for this issue and for Yucca Mountain. Visit the PBS article to see the work and to learn more.

International Fashion Awards will give young designers throughout the world the opportunity to participate in an international Fashion Design competition. The contest, which will take place every 18 months, has the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Catalan Government, and five of the most important Fashion Design Schools in Europe.

The aim of this event is that young fashion designers under age 35 have access to a new media platform, as well as the opportunity to commercialise their collections. The five Fashion Design Schools supporting MANGO in this event are: the Institut Français de la Mode, Paris; Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design, London; Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten van Antwerpen (The Royal Academy of Fine Arts), Antwerp; Istituto Marangoni, Milan; and the Escola Superior de Disseny, ESDi, Barcelona. Deadlines for entry: 30 November 2006 - 2 February 2007. Visit the PDF for detailed information about your entry.

CMGF07 is a four-day premier Midwestern event catering to 3D and compositing effects. It takes place 25-28 January in downtown Chicago. The festival features an awards ceremony, industry mixer, HD screening, a 4-day educational conference, and year-round online coverage. Current partners include School of the Art Institute, North Michigan Apple Store, Screen Magazine, and Midwest Media Group. This they will give special attention to work at HD resolution. The DEADLINE for entry is 8 December 2006. Visit the site to submit a motion picture for consideration.

Hey folks! It’s that time of year when bills are coming due, and I want to keep sending these competitions, news, and interviews on to you. I figured it out - if every one of you purchased a book at Amazon this next week we all would be in great shape. But, for this to work, you have to click on the link in this post or on the book at right. You don’t have to order that book, just use it to get to Amazon, order something for yourself, and we’re done.

Enjoy this week’s interview with my old friend Bradley Schenck this weekend and I’ll see you on Monday. I’m going to put poor Fred to bed - he had WAY too much turkey yesterday.

Bradley W. Schenck, also known as BWS, is a name that may seem unfamiliar to you, but as soon as you witness his artwork and computer game designs through his original Webomator site, you might immediately recognize the style if not the face behind the work. Bradley has worked as a writer, a draftsman, and a sign painter before he entered the gaming industry as an artist, a designer, and as an art director. His styles range from dark Celtic to mystical to futuristic realism – and he renders his work with a professional grace and slickness that seems to transcend all those times and places.

These days, Brad hides out in the Midwest, where he’s working on a dream that’s “bigger than the Atlantic Ocean”…. Read the rest of this entry »

American Photo was chosen as Photography Magazine of the Year on 31 October this year by the Lucie Awards, the world’s most prestigious awards honoring the greatest achievements in photography. This magazine profiles the personalities behind the lens and their contributions to art, history, fashion, journalism, and advertising. American Photo often features reviews of exhibitions and books, readers’ photos and requests and picture portfolios and stories on working professionals. You’ll also get an eyefull on digital photography.