We know they call it "constructive criticism" but if you've worked at calling up the elusive spirits of inspiration in an epic effort to put together that single "masterpiece" that upstages Gogh there is no such thing as constructive criticism.

Tokyo - A Japanese design team has created pictures of chairs using an elasticated fabric that you can prop up against a wall and use to sit in.

Toronto - Thursday night at Toronto's Ryerson Image Centre (RIC) Stan Douglas was announced as the winner of the 2013 Scotiabank Photography Award (SPA). Douglas is world renowned for his brilliant skill behind the lens.

During World War II a remarkable woman lived in Sokol, Poland. She saved the lives of 15 Jews at the risk of her and her daughter's life. "My Mother's Secret" by J.L. Witterick highlights her bravery in his fictionalized tale.

Miami - For an exhibition with a difference check out 'Making Soap' at Miami's Frost Museum. Not only can art lovers enjoy the unusual exhibit of bars of soap made from the artist's liposuctioned fat, the soap can also be snapped up for just $1,000 a bar.

Toronto - Forty years ago a remarkable woman, Diane Lynn Dupuy founded the Famous People Players. Today the black-light theatre troupe consisting mainly of people who are developmentally challenged continues to amaze people every week at their Toronto theatre.

Toronto - I Am Standing in the Place Where I Live is a video exhibition at Toronto's Design Exchange that features the work of four Kenya Grade 9 students showing their concept of public and private places.

Sydney - NSW Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Hospitality and Racing and Minister for the Arts, The Hon. George Souris launched the Sydney Film Festival at Customs House on 8 May at an event attended by those involved in the Australian film industry.

Toronto - Francis Poulenc's "Dialogues des Carmélites" examines the role of faith in the face of a mob. It doesn't offer a happy ending, but it does provide a powerful opera experience. The current Canadian Opera Company production runs now through May 25th.

Santiago - At the age of 82 Omara Portuondo, “the grand old lady of Cuban bolero” remains active delighting audiences in various parts of the world. Her busy schedule brought her to Chile and Brazil in May, and is taking her to Ireland and Poland in July.

New York - AJ Sidransky's Forgiving Maximo Rothman reminds us that 'life is too short to make enemies of those we love,' and I connected with the novelist to learn more.

Berlin - A modern version of Richard Wagner's "Tanhauser" has been canceled at a Dusseldorf's opera house after some audience members had were forced to seek medical help from the disturbing scenes. The show is set during the Holocaust in a concentration camp.

Toronto - Alexander Neef, General Director of the Canadian Opera Company, recently announced the company’s 2013-2014 season. It expresses not only a vision for the COC, but of opera's role in the cultural fabric of Canada's largest city.

From April 17 until May 6, a special exhibit called "SNOOPY JAPANASQUE" takes place at the Matsuya Ginza. It is a melding of "Peanuts" with Japanese art.

Monroeville - Harper Lee, 87, has sued a literary agent she claimed tricked her into assigning him the copyright of her classic, Pulitzer-Prize winning book, "To Kill A Mockingbird."

Tulsa - An archive and interactive museum devoted to the legacy of a singer, songwriter, artist and novelist Woody Guthrie has opened in Tulsa.