Product designers Chen Chen and Kai Williams have devised an ingenious way to kick it off the launch of their online shop. For thirty days the duo will be selling an edition of primitively designed and constructed knives and tools. Dubbed the Shank Shack–a new shank will be unveiled daily for thirty days. They’re on the ninth day today. The shanks are purely an exploration of form and scale, say the designers. It’s up to you to interpret them the way you want. Treat them as art, daily instruments or protection for when you find yourself in harms way.

During the 1990’s an art scene emerged in the Mission District of San Francisco that consisted of graffiti, hand signed paintings, folk art, and found objects. It was derived from an urban street culture and grouped together to what is known today as the Mission School. Participants of the scene included the late Margaret Kilgallen and her husband Barry McGee. Together they were a creative force that influenced numerous other artists in fine art and graphic design. Though the school became enveloped into the broader street art movement, the two artists consistently stood out amongst its peers as the leaders of the scene. Next Tuesday, Doyle New York will be hosting an auction on Street Art featuring 46 works by artists including Kilgallen and McGee along with their contemporaries, KAWS, Banksy, Stephen Powers, David Choe, Shepard Fairey, and others. A three day preview will on view from October 13 through 15.

Jeffrey Deitch’s tenure as the director of MOCA has been a rough one. There’s no dispute that he’s brought a lot of attention to the museum, his knack for showmanship has not disappointed. But it hasn’t translated into more funds and people are displeased with the direction he’s taken the established and respected art institution and turned it into a pop scene. Adding to this “pop” MOCA announced on Monday the launch of MOCAtv, a YouTube channel that is described as “a new contemporary art video channel for the expanding, international, online audience interested in visual culture.” The description is very broad but the series mentioned in the press release gives a better idea of what the channel will provide. Videos by and about artists like Spike Jonze, Raymond Pettibon, Chris Johanson and series like CINETHESIS a program about the merging of artists and musicians. Bjork’s video for Mutual Core will premier on the channel next month. We’re excited about the development of MOCAtv and hope that this will be a long and concerted effort from the museum.

Designer, teacher, and author, Karel Martens is widely respected in the design community, even considered a legend. His seminal book, Printed Matter has seen three editions since 1997 with earlier versions fetching for as much as $1000. Though his work is experimental, there’s been real life applications to them. The most well known is the digital wall coverings for Maharam. We’re offered a rare opportunity to see Martens’s prints on view at P!, a gallery that opened over the weekend in Chinatown. For its inaugural exhibition, Martens and two other artists, Chauncey Hare and Christine Hill, have been brought together to cover purposefully vague subjects. As the gallery explains, “topics that periodically appear, disappear, and reappear in and out of contemporary discourse: labor, alienation, and the love of work.” Process 01: Joy will be on view till November 3rd.

On the occasion of Chris Ware’s latest release, Building Stories, two galleries will be hosting simultaneous exhibitions – Adam Baumgold in New York and Carl Hammer in Chicago. The show consist of 126 drawings that are over 10 years in the making. Some were previously published in the New York Times Sunday Magazine and The New Yorker while the others are original artwork for the book. A special print will be produced for the exhibitions that can be assembled to make a model of the building from the book. The show opens Saturday at Adam Baumgold and Friday at Carl Hammer and will both conclude on October 27.

Big things have small beginnings. For a group of friends that beginning is now. A collective of artists and designers have come together to open a storefront gallery in Greenpoint, aptly titled Beginnings. Off the main drag of Manhattan Ave, this area is more akin to the neighborhood bodega than a gallery. But with Eat just up the block and a location bordering Williamsburg, it was an ideal situation that the group couldn’t pass up. When an opportunity presented itself, they capitalized on the moment. It was a way for them to break the confines of a traditional gallery system that was restrictive and exclusive. This offered a space for their network and beyond to exhibit work in ways that other institutions might avoid. The do it yourself mentality isn’t new to the team, many of whom have had gallery experience. Matt Leines and Anni Altshuler were former Space 1026 members, a gallery founded by artists for artists in Philadelphia. The crew also includes artist Caroline Hwang, designer Joel Speasmaker of Forest, Archie Lee Coates IV from Playlab, artist and organizer of Artypes, Matthew Giordano, and artist Andy C. Jenkins a former gallerist himself. The inaugural exhibition will take place on September 27th with a massive group show consisting of nearly 30 artists. Beginnings is located at 110 Meserole Ave, Brooklyn.