Microsoft pokes fun at Apple and Google; Amazon.com’s amazing biodomes; and other top posts of the month

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May was a busy, busy month for us here at GeekWire. We hosted more than 800 of you at our big awards event at the EMP in Seattle and instituted some core changes on the backend of the site to help speed up delivery of pages. And things aren’t slowing down now that we’re entering… Read More…

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen just sold this abstract painting for $43.8 million

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Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen — one of the richest men in the world — must have a pretty good eye for investing in art. Allen sold the above 1953 abstract painting by American abstract artist Barnett Newman at Sotheby’s for $43.8 million on Tuesday, a whopping price tag that exceeded the $30 million to $40 million… Read More…

Commentary: Why every artist should work at a startup

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Hi, I’m Clayton Weller. I’m a director, performer and writer. I would most definitely consider myself an artist. I’ve worked for years to hone my craft. I’ve taken classes, held myself to a relentless production schedule, and worked under people who have been producing art for longer than I’ve been alive. Still, the best thing… Read More…

Startup Spotlight: Online art classes look to inspire a new breed of innovators

Thrive founder Theresa Harris

Nearly every day we hear about the importance of STEM education — science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. But what about the power of art? Theresa Harris, the 40-year-old founder of Thrive, wants to make sure that art isn’t forgotten when it comes to the educational system. After all, in her view, nothing better prepares a person… Read More…

Museum of the future: Trover hosts cloud-based, crowdsourced art exhibit

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Here’s an example of a museum adapting to the digital age. Born from conversation by Southern Polytechnic State University new media students and officials from High Museum in Atlanta, #HighWithoutWalls is a crowdsourced, cloud-based museum exhibit that gives visitors voice and choice in the life of a museum. The exhibit, hosted on Seattle-based photo-sharing website Trover,… Read More…

Geeky art project coming to Seattle utility poles this July

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We’re fascinated with stories where the physical and digital worlds come together, and each day it seems there are more examples of it. Here’s another one that caught our attention today. Seattle artist and photographer Kevin Wildermuth plans next month to install his art project — yellow placards displaying QR codes — on utility poles… Read More…

Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’ just sold for $119 million, and Paul Allen isn’t the buyer

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Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen owns sports teams, massive yachts and even his own island, though that San Juan island property is currently for sale for $13.5 million. So, did the globe-trotting billionaire just supplement his many interests by picking up one of four copies of Edvard Munch’s classic painting The Scream? Allen was one of… Read More…

Museum exhibit casts video game art in a new light

Asian American Arcade art by Ken Taya

It’s a bit hard to believe that an industry which started with something as basic as Pong could now be perceived as high art. But video games certainly have achieved that status. A new exhibit which opened Thursday night at the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian American Experience showcases and celebrates the “creative power of this… Read More…

Check out this startup’s amazing office mural, created by the aerosol artist Weirdo

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Some companies reward staffers with holiday parties. Others give a nice little bonus or extra time off. Evo Media Group co-founder Mark Michael wanted to do something a little different, so he commissioned renowned Seattle graffiti artist Jeff “Weirdo” Jacobson to spice things up around the office. Weirdo’s work with spray paint can is truly striking,… Read More…

Tweets and Swype as art? Museum of Modern Art explores new masterpieces

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I usually don’t think of mobile software — or Tweets for that matter — as art. But, then again, the definition of modern art often eludes me. Nonetheless, a new interactive exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York called Talk to Me: Design and the Communication between People and Objects will certainly spark interest… Read More…

Getting games from good to great with Bungie’s Rick Lico

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It’s an overcast summer’s evening in Seattle’s University District, and in the warehouse-like space in the back of an arts supply store, game designer Richard Lico is stabbing the air with his hands. “Immersion is what games are all about,” he says, emphasizing how a character’s movements can tell stories on their own. But getting someone… Read More…

What do you think of the Smithsonian’s new Bill & Melinda Gates portrait?

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The National Portait Gallery in Washington D.C. features some of the country’s most influential Americans, from Abraham Lincoln to Martin Luther King Jr. to Bob Dylan. Now, Seattle’s most famous philanthropic couple have joined those ranks. A new portrait of Bill & Melinda Gates was unveiled today. (See large version below.) “I cannot resist saying… Read More…