Soothing Art for the Road-Raged Soul: Los Angeles nonprofit The Billboard Creative turns unused and leftover billboards into public art for the benefit of the many frustrated commuters in its city. The current show, curated by Mona Kuhn, was collected through a blind selection process and intended for two different types of traffic: flowing and gridlock. Kuhn explains, “If people are passing by quickly, the graphics have to be quick, strong messages. If the audience is stopped, I wanted the work to be more poetic and sublime–able to transport them away from the traffic jam and the boredom of their daily commute.” The current show, which runs for a month, is giving many unknown artists unparalleled publicity. Hopefully the exposure to beautiful and profound works of art can help make drivers’ commutes just a little less mundane and introduce beauty into their daily routine.

World Mourns the Loss of David Bowie: The iconic singer died last week at the age of 69, resulting in an outpouring of sympathy and remembrances from fans and fellow artists around the world. Bowie had been battling cancer for 18 months at the time of his death, which according to a statement issued on his social media accounts happened “peacefully, surrounded by his family.” The singer had released an album, Blackstar, only days before his death. Bowie was an inspiration to many, unapologetically pushing the boundaries of performance and persona throughout his life. Surely he will continue to inspire even from beyond the grave, as his music and image live on.

Learning Ballet, From Afar: Australian ballet teacher Josephine Woodberry doesn’t let distance get in the way of reaching students–she has instituted a national ballet outreach program that reaches students hundreds of kilometers away…thanks to the Internet. Woodberry, 42, films her classes at her Melbourne studio once a month and then sends them via email to students across Australia. The flexibility of the program allows students, who range from 7 to 12 years of age, to watch the videos and practice at times that are convenient to them. For those young students in parts of the country that do not offer easily-accessible dance instruction, this program gives them a rare opportunity to learn ballet and pursue their passions. A great way of overcoming situational factors to bring arts education to anyone and everyone interested! One of Woodberry’s students, Eloise Griffiths, says she wants to be a ballet teacher someday, too.

A Show for the Dogs: Performance artist and musician Laurie Anderson hosted a free concert in Times Square to honor 9/11 first responder dogs. The performance was transmitted using “silent disco” headphones for humans, and low-decibel speakers for their canine friends. Anderson joined NYPD canine handlers and their dogs for the January 4th show, culminating in a screening of Anderson’s recent film, “Heart of a Dog,” a selection of vignettes that celebrate “dogs, time, family, love, memory and death.” The film will be shown on Times Squares electronic billboards throughout the month of January. What a beautiful way to honor the devoted dogs who serve the city!