Thursday's Art Notes

_Salt statues by French sculptor "Jean-Pierre Formica":http://formica.typepad.fr/jeanpierre_formica/sculptures_de_sel/ are displayed in the prestigious cellars of Champagne Pommery in Reims during a contemporary art exhibition called 'Surnature'. With the humidity level at 95% in the former chalk pits (now converted into Champagne cellars), Formica's salt statues are due to 'melt' gradually under a bas-relief depicting Silenus, a satyr who symbolized drunkenness in Greek mythology. The exhibition runs until August 26, 2010. Photo by Francois Nascimbeni/ AFP/ Getty Images_ * On Wednesday, a 15-ton, three-story copper Buddhist sculpture by contemporary artist "Zhang Huan":http://www.zhanghuan.com/ was dedicated in the civic center of San Francisco, via "San Francisco Chronicle":http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/cityinsider/detail?entry_id=63414. * The Associated Press "details":http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jhemZpdy6tD_6Pv8Epkx_sg8MALgD9FLCC001 the plans of the future September 11 museum on how it will honor the victims who perished in the attacks at the World Trade Center. * "Lincoln Center":http://new.lincolncenter.org/live/ plans a fall festival devoted to spiritual music, via the "New York Times":http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/13/arts/music/13light.html. * "Christopher Knight":http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/05/supreme-court-nominee-elena-kagan.html at the Los Angeles Times takes the occasion of Elena Kagan's Supreme Court nomination to reopen "the decision to redirect court visitors to the side entrance":http://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/blog/2010/05/tuesdays-art-notes-21.html instead of having them enter through the inconic front doors.