Warmer weather has finally arrived and with it the early spring-flowering bulbs. These so-called minor bulbs are such a welcome sight after our Midwest winters.

Crocus seiberi ‘Tricolor’ around Sutphin Fountain.

The three colors in ‘Tricolor’.

Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) still make me happy no matter how many years I’ve seen their spring show.

Winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) are very happy little bulbs.

Even on a gray day their bright yellow color absolutely glows.

The honey bees love them. Look at all the pollen on the bees leg.

The bees tended to take flight just as I was ready to snap the photograph.

Bee butt.

Now get your butt to the IMA and enjoy this glorious weather.

I’m going to attempt to do this as a reoccurring theme and see how it goes. Basically “Geeking Out on Art” will be a review/news of the latest innovative technology applications to the art world that I stumble across. If you have something you you think I should check out and write about, shoot me a tweet!!

This week I wanted to talk about the iPhone app “Is This Art?“.

Made with love in the STEEL City, this app is collaborative endeavor produced by the Pittsburgh-based artists and developers at Deeplocal and the Mattress Factory. Extra-special assistance was lent by C-Monster and WNYC in New York. This project was inspired by a tweet from Nina K. Simon.

First, I think this is a great collaboration of local Pittsburgh artists and organizations to make something for the whole art community. And the best part is that it’s free of course! If you have an iphone, simply fire up the app and take a photo of an object you want to check out to see if it is art… or not art.

Clearly this is an epic question that is nearly impossible to answer, but I love the humor the collaborators have injected into the app. From what I’ve seen, the results are actually pretty accurate! Also, it’s nice to have the content users are submitting added to the website on the fly if the app user chooses to do so. I’m a big fan of the super simple app interface. A job well done indeed to all those involved!

More Info: http://isthisart.org/

After three weeks in southern South Korea, I can vouch that Korean culture is rich with visual communication, design and promotion. Every city here has a brand, like “Charm Jinju” or “Sparkling Hadong.”

Many restaurant facades bear a cartoon depicting the main dish served, like a perky eel or cute cow.

Even bathroom doors have creative signage.

On the natural side, the mountainous Korean terrain inspires a terraced pattern for landscape architecture.

Ancient designs can pack the biggest wallop. The eaves of Buddhist temples are decorated with exquisite detail and color.

We all need dragons guarding our doors.

I inherited two things from my father: the dimple in my chin and the compulsion to share interesting news stories with everyone I know. Yes, I’m that person flooding your inbox and Facebook wall with “thought you might like this” messages containing links on everything from the running barefoot trend to a retrospective of Michelle Obama’s hairstyles.

Here’s a fun blog post that Matt just sent to me. (And boy, we sure do love our gummi candy ’round here.) I wonder if we could install a Gummi Bear Chandelier?

Browsing headlines this morning, I came across a few museum-related articles I thought I might share with you:

Museum Attendance Up: The American Association of Museums released a report Friday that said, “A majority of American museums report an increase in attendance 2009, in many cases despite a significant decline in funding.”

Modern Art Collector Ernst Beyeler Dies: Ernst Beyeler, 88, whose early eye for undervalued Picassos and Impressionists helped him assemble one of Europe’s most famous art collections, died Feb. 25 at his home near Basel, Switzerland. No cause of death was reported.

Sex Club Opens at Vienna Art Museum: In the name of art, an Austrian landmark is encouraging visitors to confront their sexual inhibitions by having them walk through a swingers club to reach one of Gustav Klimt’s masterpieces.

Any headlines catch your eye over the weekend? Please share!

The Pharmacy prescribes the following links to combat Monday online anemia.

The Selby

Blog: The Selby

The Selby is full of uber-cool photographs of creative people in their living spaces, taken by photographer Todd Selby. (via timesonline.co.uk)

ArtBabble Video: Director’s Journal: 100 Acres Visitor’s Pavilion