On January 20, 2012, artist Ben Kinsley staged the first performance of his work 'The End is Nigh/A New Beginning is Imminent' at MOCA Cleveland. The piece consists of two actors, dressed as soapbox-style street preachers. Each actor broadcasts pre-composed messages with megaphones. One preacher shouts about the end times while the other yells messages about new beginnings. The preachers occasionally hand out zines containing these messages to unsuspecting passers-by.

This talk is a series of discussions between Biennale collaborators, including gymnast Dave Durante, choreographer Rebecca Davis, composer Jonathan Bailey, and IMA staff members. The IMA has recently acquired Body in Flight (Delta) by the artists Allora & Calzadilla, one of the six new works featured in the U.S. Pavilion during the Venice Biennale. The sculpture will be placed in Efroymson for six weeks and will serve as the site for regularly scheduled performances by local gymnasts.

Often referred to as the Olympics of contemporary art, the Venice Biennale (La Biennale di Venezia) has, for over a century, been one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world. Since its founding in 1895, it has promoted contemporary culture, new ideas, and artistic trends through major international exhibitions. The 54th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale took place June 4 – November 27, 2011.

Izumi Junko and Miyake Tokuro of the Izumi School of Kyogen from Japan demonstrated performance techniques and discussed their careers as the first female performers in this male-dominated field. Daughters of the nineteenth head of the Izumi school of Kyogen, Izumi and Miyake have been pioneers for opening the Kyogen stage to women while strictly following the rules of their art. Izumi Kyoko, the daughter of Izumi Junko (age 6), also appeared on stage wowing the museum visitors.

San Francisco-based poet Zach Houston wrote poems for visitors at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art from June - July 2011. On Friday, July 1, Zach took his poemstore on the road to the Blue Gallery in the Crossroads for First Friday, where he took inspiration from visitors to write poems on his manual typewriter. More information about zachhouston:poemstore, please visit: http://www.nelson-atkins.org/art/exhibitions/poemstore/index.cfm

A collection of horned speakers, made from compressed recycled newsprint and dryer lint, created by sculptor and instrument-maker Ian Schneller and composer/violinist Andrew Bird, are installed in the MCA's atrium to create a unique sound garden. Bird records the initial compositions on-site at the MCA and sends musical information to different groups of horns via multiple loops. He layers and changes the compositions throughout the remainder of the installation off-site via computer technology.

Celebrated master of Balinese shadow puppetry, I Wayan Wija performs Tantri, a collection of animal tales. Wayan Wija has created a new form of shadow puppetry, Wayang Tantri, by creating a set of characters based on the animals and human characters of the ancient Panchatantra tales.

Invited by the Hammer to participate in our Artist Residency Program, VanDerBeek spent several weeks in Los Angeles over the past year. The works included in her Hammer Project have grown out of this residency and offer a particular view into our city. After she finished her installation in the vault gallery at the museum, we spoke with her about this project.