Brandeis' The Future of The Rose Committee is not inspiring confidence and drawing comparison's to Stalin's committees even. How can the Rose be a functioning museum without a director and curators? How can this committee be anything more than a desensitizing tool if it doesn't have suggested members from outgoing Rose staff? To answer one question... would it be a permanent black list... yes almost certainly! This will be remembered as one of the most foul museum raids by caretakers in recent memory.

PORT pal Tom Webb opines on a better use for the memorial coliseum... and better design of the concrete wasteland aka the grounds is key.

David Adjaye will designing the new National Museum of African American History and Culture. Surprise surprise, it's based on sculpture... and though the design is decent it's hardly mind blowing... maybe that is the point, the building will have to stand on its programming ultimately.

Portland Architecture has joined PORT in calling for a design competition for the Columbia River Crossing and gives the Governor a lesson in the difference between aesthetics and design to boot. Design Competition Now... right now the process has been driven by very unimaginative, extremely orthodox... even rigid thinking and we won't get an actionable design until some serious architectural talent is brought to bear. This job is beyond the capabilities of all but the best architects working in conjunction with innovative engineers. Right now it is being driven by standard engineers and nominal architectural talent. A design competition will bring some real solutions quickly for quite a bit less than millions that have been wasted already in this false design process.

C-Monster digs Huang Yong Ping's snake tower... we do too. I wish more Chinese art had Ping's thing, but alas...