Ai Weiwei and Justin Bieber Make Time 100 List, David Bowie Gets Museum Show as "Artist," and More Must-Read Art News

– The VIP List: Imprisoned international cause célèbre Ai Weiwei is the sole fine artist named to Time magazine's annual 100-person power list, but there's a slew of other cultural figures in there. Here goes: actors Amy Poehler, Colin Firth, "Jane Eyre"'s Mia Wasikowska, Mark Wahlberg, Chris Colfer (of "Glee"), Blake Lively, and Matt Damon; musicians Patti Smith, Justin Bieber, (Korean pop sensation) Rain, Bruno Mars, Sting, and Tunisian rapper El Général (whose "Rais Lebled" was the anthem of Tahrir Square); filmmakers John Lasseter (of Pixar), Matthew Weiner (of "Mad Men"), producer Scott Rudin, and Rebecca Eaton (of "Masterpiece Theater"); novelists Jennifer Egan, Jonathan Franzen, and George R.R. Martin (of "Game of Thrones" books); designer Tom Ford; and Angry Birds creator Peter Vesterbacka, because face it, it's art. [Time]

– David Bowie Gets Museum Show: Ziggy Stardust himself will be the focus of an exhibition at New York's Museum of Arts and Design, to open on May 9th. It'll be called "David Bowie, Artist," because he's more than just a musician, you know: "From his roots in such performance-based practices as cabaret, mime, and avant-garde theater, to Ziggy Stardust, his revolutionary tour that synthesized theater, music, and contemporary art into a rock spectacle, as well as his innovative video collaborations, and his work in cinema and theater, 'David Bowie, Artist' presents Bowie as one of the most iconoclastic cultural producers of the 20th century," the museum has announced. [Press Release]

– Ned Rifkin Resigns as Blanton Director: On May 31, he will step down from his post of director of the Blanton Museum of Art — which he has held only since May 2009 — and will turn his attention to teaching and scholarly work at the University of Texas at Austin. "Much as I will miss working with the outstanding staff at the Blanton, I believe my eagerness to teach more and my desire to pursue meaningful research on a variety of topics will better suit me," Rifkin says. Prior to joining the museum he was the Smithsonian's undersecretary for art. Simone Wicha, the museum's deputy director of external affairs and operations, will fill the position of director on June 1. [Press Release]