Wednesday's Art Notes

_A 100-year-old doll cat quartet is part of an exhibition called "From Christmas To Christmas" at the Supreme Burgrave's House in Prague. The historical Christmas decorations and children toys belong to Czech artists "Eva and Ivan Steiger's collection":http://www.ivan-steiger.de/en/. (Photo by Michal Cizek/AFP/Getty Images.)_ * A non-profit that enlists artists to help beautify rundown houses in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles "got a $125,000 boost":http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/12/andy-warhol-foundation-funds-bid-to-rehab-homes-near-watts-towers-as-livein-art-objects-.html from the Andy Warhol Foundation. * A group of eight artists who run an organization called the _Oubliette_ ("dungeon" in French), have "claimed some pretty un-dungeon-like new diggs":http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/dec/21/oubliette-art-group-not-squatters in one of the nicest neighborhoods in London. Though they eschew the term "squatters," they have been living and working in a huge, empty nine-story building that's owned by an offshore investment company. * Sesame Street has lost one of its friendly, former tenants. Alaina Reed Hall, who played "Olivia" on Sesame for 12 years, "died in Santa Monica of breast cancer at the age of 63":http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-me-alaina-reed-hall22-2009dec22,0,2109886.story.