It’s hard trying to keep up on what’s what.  Here is round-up of art news that came our way:

• More than just a hobby — There are some people making serious cash with arts and crafts.  No macaroni sculptures or macramé to be found.  And it will make you want to consider taking up knitting.  [New York Times]

• Don’t just dress like an artist –  Read like one, too.  Inspired by Jerry Saltz’s book, An Ideal Syllabus, Tyler Green asks artists their favorite or most-valued books.  Your Amazon wishlist will be growing.  [Modern Art Notes]

• The Power List – There aren’t too many power suits to be found in the art world.  Well, maybe a few.  Here is Art + Auction’s list of power players for the year.  [Art + Auction]

• ‘Tis the season for top tens — Here we go: fascinating museum exhibitions, architecture moments, classical music moments, and theatre productions.  [LA Times]

• Lost, then found — A Leonardo da Vinci painting stolen in 2003 has been recovered and is now exhibited at the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh.  Whew!  Close one…  [BBC]

• Not just regular ol’ archaeology — It’s artist archaeology?  Teams of scientists are looking into where’s the final remains of Caravaggio. [Telegraph]

• Yes or no? — What is contemporary art and what isn’t contemporary art.  You decide.  [e-flux]

• The course load — It isn’t Drawing 101 anymore.  Here’s a few art classes across the country that weren’t offered when you were in school.  Times are a-changin’.  [Art Net]

• New year, new leadership – The Downtown Art Walk announces a new executive director: Jay Lopez, the force behind Beyond Eden, East Hollywood Day of the Dead, and the Silver Lake Gallery Alliance. [LA Magazine]

• In the knick of time – The Centre Pompidou reopens after a 24 day strike just in time for your Christmas in Paris.  That is, if you are getting sick of your 80 degree weather in LA.  [Art Info]

While some of us have been working hard, others among us have been hardly working during the Frieze Art Fair in London this week. Whether or not your headed to Heathrow, we thought you might like a roundup of what’s been happening…

-       Globetrotting… In case you’re itching to travel in the name of art and have missed Frieze, you’re in luck.  The 11th Annual International Istanbul Biennial is on through November 8.  Curated by Croatian collective WHW, this is a biennial that respects the city in which it’s based and stays “true to its creative philosophy of the past decade without being seduced by being in the global spotlight.”  The theme of this year’s biennial is “What Keeps Mankind Alive?” and it will draw artists from near and far.   (NY Times Travel Blog)

-       On Trial… In the midst of the well-covered lawsuit between Shepard Fairey and the Associated Press, Fairey has recently admitted to a bit of wrongdoing.  The case revolves around a copyright protected photo that the AP claims Fairey used in the design of the Obama HOPE poster.  Now Fairey has admitted to having discovered his mistake early in the trial and subsequently deleted evidence in order to conceal his error and protect his innocence.  (LA Times Culture Monster)

-       The One That Got Away… A potential new work by Leonardo da Vinci has been discovered all because of a fingerprint.  A laboratory in Paris found a fingerprint on Portrait of a Woman in Profile that very closely matches a fingerprint on one of da Vinci’s pieces in the Vatican.  A painting that was once considered German, early 19th century, and was bought and sold for a paltry $19,000 could now be sold for more like $10 million and could date as far back as the 15th century…  (BBC News)

-       Ruscha’s Eurail Pass…A show celebrating Ed Ruscha’s work over the last fifty years went up this week at Hayward Gallery in London.  It will then travel to Munich in February and followed by a stop in Stockholm in May.  The show puts on display just how complex Ruscha’s minimalist works actually are.  Hayward Gallery director Ralph Rugoff says that in putting together this show, he’s discovered “layers and layers to these deceptively simple-looking paintings.”  The show features 78 of Ruscha’s pieces that were created prior to making a name for himself in the art world – they represent his time as a student of art.   (The Art Newspaper)

-       Head West… Now through November 29, you no longer have to head to Las Vegas to see extreme feats of acrobatic prowess!  Cirque du Soleil’s touring Kooza has arrived in Santa Monica to rave reviews.  This year marks the troupe’s 25th anniversary, so they’re going back to their roots with Kooza – they started like this, as a troupe performing around the country in circus-style tents.  (Cirque du Soleil / LA Times)

-       Auction Block… Sad bank Lehman Brothers has got a large, impressive art collection that’s hitting the auction block on November 1 at Philadelphia’s Freeman’s gallery.  The auction will include hundreds of paintings, photographs, and drawings that they hope will garner $760,000.  The entire collection of pieces that once “lined offices, executive dining rooms, club houses, and storerooms” will be auctioned off over the coming months.  (Wall Street Journal Blog)