The Ballerina Project.   One of the instagram accounts that I have been following recently is the Ballerina Project.  Photographer Dane Shitagi has been photographing ballerinas for the past 14 years in urban settings.  The contrast is stunning.  View some of the photographs here.

Other-Wordly Art of Burning Man.  The Huffington Post featured a look at this year’s Art at Burning Man.  The piece that struck me was “Embrace”  – the 72-foot sculpture depicting two people embracing.  The creator (Matt Schultz) says that the piece is a reminder to take time out of your life to be with loved ones.  For more of the art, look here.

Art of the Pixel Program.   Neil Patrick Harris has partnered with LG Electronics for the Art of the Pixel competition.  Harris will act as artistic advisor and ambassador for the program that will provide more than $250,000 in student and university awards.   Harris has long been a champion for modern and digital art.  I think this is a great way for him to use the status he has gained as an actor and producer to promote the arts industry and help foster enthusiasm for new arts technology.

PayPal destroys rare Violin.  A heartbreaking story making the rounds this week surrounds the destruction of a rare violin that was destroyed due to a misunderstanding.  Erica sold an old French violin (valued around $2500) to a buyer in Canada through eBay.   The buyer in Canada disputed the label and PayPal had the buyer destroy the  “counterfeit” violin as a result in order to collect a refund.  What PayPal failed to research was that in the high-end violin market, labels mean little and are often disputed.  I’ve posted before about the importance of experts and connoisseurship.  This is a perfect example of where everyone could have benefited from an opinion of someone who is knowledgeable of violin authenticity.  I’m sure the seller would have been happy to pay a small fee to an expert to provide the verification to avoid a violin (that had survived World War II) from being destroyed.