Tuesday's Art Notes

_Rock & Roll devotees attend the "Hemsby Rock 'n' Roll Weekender":http://www.hemsbyrocknroll.co.uk/ on May 15, 2011 in Hemsby, England. Twice a year fans of rock & roll and rockabilly, the 1950s and Americana gather at Seacroft Holiday Camp in Hemsby to dress up in period clothing and re-live the 1950s. Every day of the four day 'weekender,' a line up of top live bands play the music of the era and devotees hit the dance floor to hop, bop, jive and rock. Photo by Christopher Furlong/ Getty Images_ * Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian, is asking employees to take buyouts or early retirement, via "The Washington Post":http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/arts-post/post/smithsonian-offers-federal-employees-buyouts-and-early-retirement-plans/2011/05/16/AFDWNB5G_blog.html?wprss=arts-post. * Modern Art Notes "links up":http://blogs.artinfo.com/modernartnotes/2011/05/nea-makes-88m-in-grants-to/ to the breakdown of $88 million in grants announced by the National Endowment of the Arts. * On Thursday, a painting by Thomas Hart Benton will be auctioned in New York that commemorates the devastating Mississippi River flood that occurred 60 years ago, via "The Associated Press":http://online.wsj.com/article/AP930c96fe8dde4bf68625ed10b6328928.html. * The Telegraph "details":http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/8511965/Mona-Lisa-crypt-found.html the discovery of a Florentine crypt that may contain the remains of the model for the Mona Lisa. * The White House says it will stop the practice of staging photos of the president after he makes a speech, via "The Associated Press":http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110512/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_photographers. * Making revisions has paid off so far for "Spider-Man", which is still in previews on Broadway, via "The New York Times":http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/16/earning-power-of-spider-man-undiminished/.