By Marilyn Bauer
The Cincinnati Enquirer

So many galleries, so little space.

One of the frustrations of many Cincinnati artists is what they say is a dearth of places to show their work. Mark Fox recently told me he could count the number of spaces on four fingers. Studio space is plentiful and comparatively inexpensive, which is why some artists cooperatively rent out space at say the Pendleton to show (not do) their work. It's also, I've been told, why many artists stay in town.

The same lack of sales space occurs at biennials and art fairs. So many galleries, so little space. Well, Art Basel Miami Beach (Dec. 5-8), one of the must-see shows this year, wins my vote for the most innovative solution.

The first-time show, a sister event to Art Basel Switzerland held at the Miami Convention Center, will offer 20 galleries shipping containers in which to show their work. These cutting-edge dealers will set up in South Beach - a short walk from the convention center - grouped into a container village.

The village is a cost-efficient format for new art, and more than 60 international applications came in for the 20 spaces.

The standardized shipping crates had to meet the strict safety regulations of the Miami buildings and fire departments, so Basel architects Steinmann & Schmid lined the containers with white wood walls, left room for shelving and hung silver-colored plastic sheets over each "white cube" to protect the containers from the elements.

And each crate has electrical outlets, air conditioning and space for a gallery sign.

Shanghai and Bali: A new importer of antique Asian furniture, The Shanghai Connection, has opened at 24 W. Seventh St., downtown. The shop, run by Jim Caskey, is filled with not only Ming and Qing dynasty chests, chairs and consoles, but 1960s political posters. The posters are exceptional graphic renderings of propaganda during the People's Revolution. A poster with Mao floating above a crowd of workers who are holding high their little red books is remarkable

But there's other art on display: hand-painted silk wall hangings, more than 100 years old, signed and marked with the hand print of the artist on the back; and contemporary abstract paintings by Balinese artist Galung Wiratmaja.

Mr. Wiratmaja's highly emotional acrylics are done in deep colors achieved through a subtle overlapping of tones. He has exhibited at several galleries and museums in Denpassar and says Jackson Pollack is his idol. For more information, call 665-4200.

Bargain book sale: The Cincinnati Art Museum, Eden Park, is hosting a used book sale Fiday-next Sunday featuring art, architecture, travel, music and cookbooks. House and auction catalogs will be included, as will postcards, posters and fine magazines. Items start at 25 cents.

Enter this free event at the DeWitt Entrance located on the ground floor on the south side of the museum. All proceeds will benefit the museum's Mary R. Schiff Library and Archives. Hours are 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and noon-4 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call 639-2978.

Many masks: More than 90 masks representing the cultures of five continents, 40 countries and 11 American Indian communities are on display through Nov. 24 at the Huntington Museum of Art in Huntington, W. Va.

To help you enjoy these 20th century beauties, retired anthropology professor Dr. Claire Horton will hold gallery walks at 2 p.m. next Sunday and Nov. 24. Admission is free. For more information, contact the museum at (304) 529-2701 or visit www.hmoa.org.

Public art: Last month LEGACY, an organization dedicated to developing future community leaders, unveiled the first two panels in the Roebling Murals Project - two scenes painted on the flood wall at the base of the Roebling Suspension Bridge. Over the next five years, artist Robert Dafford will create a series of 15 to 20 murals depicting the history of the area and the bridge.

Money, money, money: The Taft Museum of Art has reached 86 percent or $16.3 million of the funds for its $19 million renovation and expansion project.

Meanwhile, it is one of 179 museums in the United States and one of three in Ohio to receive a two-year, $112,500 General Operating Support Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Of the 839 applications received, museum peers ranked the Taft as a leader in the field.

More money came to the Taft by way of a $40,000 Charles H. Dater Foundation award. The money is to support educational programming and will help fund programs such as Artists Reaching Classrooms, Galleries on the Go, and the museum's Theatre IV productions.

Tragic accident: Cincinnati Art Museum's Timothy Rub and Taft Museum of Art's Philip Long describe it as their worst nightmare: The most important Renaissance sculpture in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art crashed to the floor last month. Tullio Lombardo's 1,000 pound "Adam" fell off its pedestal after hours, damaging extremities and breaking arms and legs. Broken shards were pulverized. The museum says it will take about two years to restore "Adam."

Call to artists: Summerfair 2003 is accepting poster competition entries. The winner will receive a $2,000 prize. The deadline is 5 p.m. Nov. 22. The artist must live within a 50-mile radius of Greater Cincinnati and the entry may be in any medium. For details, contact Summerfair at 531-0050, or visit summerfair@fuse.net or www.summerfair.org. The festival will be held May 30-June 1 at Coney Island.

People: The Fitton Center for Creative Arts reports artist and educator, Aimee Edwards, has designed ornaments that will hang both in the Governor's office and the White House this year. She will teach an ornament making workshop at the center on Saturday . For more information, call (513) 863-8873.

Lisa Freiman was appointed associate curator of contemporary art at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Destiny Martin has joined the Taft Museum of Art as membership coordinator. Helen Molesworth was named chief curator of exhibitions, effective Nov. 18 at the Wexner Center for the Arts. Betty Meyer's Row House Gallery received the Milford/Miami Township Small Business Award for 2002.

Paul Brown Stadium is one of 11 of the American Institute of Architects BW/AR Awards. It's given to honor architects and their clients who combine good design and strategic goals. New York graffiti artist, Stephen Powers was at the Children's Hospital Medical Center's new Teen Health Center last week to unveil the murals he and 15 teenage artists made last summer. You can see them in the Teen Clinic's examination rooms.

Married couple, Barry Anderson and Diane Kruer of Fort Thomas, are exhibiting their photographs on Nov. 10 at the Studio San Giuseppe on the campus of the College of Mount St. Joseph. Ms. Kruer is an art teacher at Seven Hills Upper School and Mr. Anderson is a professor of art and photography and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at NKU.

Ruth Meyer reports her Internet site iRhine.com won a grant from the NLT Foundation in Boston. The grant is for coverage of the visual arts in Cincinnati with an emphasis on Over-the-Rhine.

E-mail mbauer@enquirer.com