Ancient heritage, modern society

Before the arrival of European settlers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples inhabited most areas of the Australian continent. They spoke one or more of hundreds of separate languages and dialects, and their lifestyles and cultural traditions differed from region to region. Their complex social systems and highly developed traditions reflect a deep connection with the land.

Asian and Oceanic mariners and traders were in contact with Indigenous Australians for many centuries before the era of European expansion. Some formed substantial relationships with communities in northern Australia.

Seat Belt Use at Record Level in 2008

More Americans are buckling up than ever before, Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters said Sept. 17. In 2008, 83 percent of all vehicle occupants are using seat belts during daylight hours — up from 82 percent in 2007, according to NHTSA. “We have seen seat belt use rising steadily every year and that means more and more lives are being saved and countless serious injuries prevented,” said Peters. NHTSA estimates approximately 270 lives are saved for every one percent increase in belt use.

Industrial, Aerospace, and Marine Painting

The GSA Schedule 03 FAC offers a wide range of services for surface preparation and application of chemical compounds. The applications may be used on federal equipment, machinery, ships, aircraft, and vehicles. Please note that this does not include passenger cars, trucks, or buses.

Surface Preparation:

Services related to the preparation for application of chemical compounds and support training/consultation services as they pertain to preparation for and could include, but are not limited to:

* Abrasive air, wet, micro or wheel blasting;
* Vibratory and mass finishing;
* Shot peening;
* Lapping and grinding;
* Drag or high energy barrel finishing;
* Mechanical scarification;
* Acid etching;
* Ultrasonic.

Application of Chemical Compounds:

These services include painting and sealant application on ships, aircraft, vehicles and other equipment or machinery surface that requires application of chemical compound, such as paint, sealant, coatings, or adhesives. These services could include, but are not limited to:

* Bridge painting;
* Electrostatic painting;
* Engineering structure (e.g., oil storage tank, water tower) painting;
* Aluminum coating;
* Bonderizing, chasing, enameling, enameling, etching, flocking, galvanizing;
* Glazing, hot dip galvanizing, japanning, lacquering, parkerizing;
* Powder coating, rust proofing, sherardizing, or varnishing.

Identifying Arts and Crafts Made by Alaska Natives

Any item produced after 1935 that is marketed with terms like "Indian, "Native American," or "Alaska Native" must have been made by a member of a state or federally-recognized tribe or a certified non-member Indian artisan. That’s the law.
A certified Indian artisan is an individual certified by the governing body of the tribe of his or her descent as a non-member Indian artisan.

For example, it would violate the law to advertise products as "Inupiaq Carvings" if the products were produced by someone who isn’t a member of the Inupiaq tribe or certified in writing by the tribal governing body as a non-member Alaska Native artisan of the Inupiaq people.

Qualifiers like "ancestry," "descent," and "heritage" - used in connection with the terms "Indian," "Alaska Native," or the name of a particular Indian tribe - do not mean that the craftsperson is a member of an Indian tribe or certified by a tribe. For example, "Native American heritage" or "Yupik descent" would mean that the artist is of descent, heritage' or ancestry of the tribe. These terms may be used only if they are truthful.

Rococo Decorative Arts of the mid 1700s

This lady's diminutive desk has bulging, bombe surfaces. Its slanted top folds out on hinged struts that support its writing surface. Below three drawers, a false bottom pushes back, revealing three more tiny drawers. The flowers and vines that ripple across the exterior are repeated on the interior. These patterns are made of dark woods that were end-cut to create a stippled effect and silhouetted against the diagonal grain of pale tulip-wood.

Such floral veneer, making the most of natural wood tones, characterizes the style of Bernard II van Risamburgh, who stenciled his initials, B.V.R.B., underneath this piece. He often used ink stencils on his smaller works, which were too delicate to withstand blows from metal stamp punches.

Specializing in small-scale luxury furniture, Bernard was exceptionally versatile in technique. He used wood marquetry and Oriental lacquer, and is likely to have been the first cabinetmaker to decorate his pieces with plaques of Sevres porcelain. The second of three generations of Parisian furniture makers of Dutch origin, Bernard II van Risamburgh was among the finest eighteenthcentury craftsmen. For More info:

http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/gg14c/gg14c-1579.html

French Maritime Artist

These artists thought that if their work was exhibited fairly, it would gain acceptance. They sought favorable viewing conditions such as good lighting and ample space between paintings, and they also wanted to exhibit more works than the two allowed by Salon rules. In 1874, Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Degas, Morisot, and Sisley led a number of friends to form an association and publicly presented the first group exhibition independent of the official Salon. They called themselves "Artists, Painters, Sculptors, Printmakers, etc., Inc." to avoid descriptive titles and pejorative epithets. Critics noted their unorthodox style and especially a work exhibited by Monet with the title Impression, Sunrise (Musée Marmottan, Paris) and sarcastically dubbed them "impressionists." The group, which presented eight exhibitions in all, survived until 1886. By then the core impressionists were beginning to attain a degree of popular success. The exhibition strategy that had been essential to their enterprise was no longer necessary, and the group disbanded.

The audacious impressionist venture had overturned contemporary artistic institutions and freed artists to explore new forms of expression. A variety of styles arose as the impressionist movement concluded. Postimpressionism, usually associated with Seurat, Cézanne, Gauguin, and Van Gogh, was neither a style nor a movement; rather, postimpressionism was differentiated by the largely symbolic and imaginary sources of inspiration that supplanted the naturalist and realist impulses that had shaped impressionism.

Art Gallery of New South Wales - Australian collection

The Art Gallery of New South Wales has three main curatorial departments: Australian Art (including Aboriginal art), Asian Art and Western (international) Art. This page breaks these departments into more specific collection areas. In Highlights, click on the arrows to move from one highlight to the next and get a quick impression of the scope of that collection area. Alternatively, click View Slide Show, and the highlights will be automatically displayed in sequence, with an 8 second interval. Click on Search to do a search relating to that particular collection area.


Australian collection

The Australian collection provides a comprehensive overview of Australian art in all media from early colonial times to the present. There is also a separate selection under Aboriginal Art. The old courts on the ground floor display a strong representation of some of the most loved Australian painters and sculptors of the 19th century, including national icons such as Roberts, McCubbin and Streeton, while on the other side of the entrance court in the Captain Cook wing, you can find an impressive collection of key works of Australian modernism. The Aboriginal collection can be found on the third level in the Yiribana gallery as well as having a presence in the twentieth century Australian wing. This display reflects the long history of traditional art across the continent, and contemporary practice and innovation in all media.