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Artists Reclaim Lady Liberty
Aruna D’Souza on the iconic monument as a tool of political expression and Ed Simon on the allure and anxiety of the Hudson River School.
Operator error
“I blame myself.” Said no one, ever. At least not the consumers I know. When a careless woodworker loses a digit on a table saw, they almost certainly blame the design and instructions of the device, not their lack of care. On a less gruesome note, the user who fails to read
The Declaration of Independence Performed by Morgan Freeman, Benicio del Toro, Winona Ryder & Other Actors
Some successful Hollywood producers spend their money on yachts, sports teams, and European castles. Norman Lear’s biggest purchase, or at least his most famous one, was a copy of the Declaration of Independence. He did not, of course, buy the kind of reproduction any tourist
What Does the Statue of Liberty Stand For?
As artists like Amy Sherald, Marta Minujín, and Faith Ringgold remind us, the monument is far from a neutral symbol of so-called American values.
The Hudson River School’s American Apocalypse
One of the United States’s first major art movements registered anxieties about industrialization, empire, and environmental ruin.
NYC's Swiss Institute Heads to the Bowery
Raymond Pettibon and Abdelkader Benchamma team up on a massive mural, Seattle Art Museum's new chief curator, and more.
Hopeful Art Fundraisers for Earthquake Relief in Venezuela
Art sales featuring everything from paintings and prints to photographs, artist books, and zines are benefiting urgently needed aid efforts.
Required Reading
This week: James Turrell in Denmark, a new album by Raven Chacon, a Black radical history of the Declaration of Independence, World Cup songs across time, and more.
New York Gallery Lyles & King to Close After 11 Years
The gallery became known for championing the careers of Mira Schor, Chris Hood, Philip Birch, and Davina Semo, among others.
Hermann Hesse on Solitude, the Value of Hardship, the Courage to Be Yourself, and How to Find Your Destiny
"Solitude is not chosen, any more than destiny is chosen. Solitude comes to us if we have within us the magic stone that attracts destiny."
As it was foretold: the Trump regime gutted the NOAA and...
As it was foretold: the Trump regime gutted the NOAA and now weather forecasts are less accurate . An atmospheric scientist: “The forecasts I’m able to offer you are less accurate than they would otherwise be.”
Something for the digital crate-diggers: The 40 Best...
Something for the digital crate-diggers: The 40 Best Albums From the Last 40 Years That You Probably Didn’t Hear (But Should’ve) . I’d only heard of one or two these…
“ Dictionary of the Illegible proposes...
“ Dictionary of the Illegible proposes illegibility as a strategy for navigating a world increasingly governed by visibility, efficiency, and total surveillance.”
“ The average paid newsletter costs $10 per month...
“ The average paid newsletter costs $10 per month or $100 per year , according to analysis of thousands of publications hosted on Beehiiv.” KDO memberships start at $3/mo. and I haven’t raised prices since 2016. You folks are getting an incredible deal!
Museum of Fine Arts Boston Reimagines America on Its 250th Birthday
A Mohawk artist’s bust of George Washington, a matrilineal home altar, and a Dunkin’ cup are among the 400 objects in a new major reinstallation.
Hank Green interviews Ze Frank , who kind of invented...
Hank Green interviews Ze Frank , who kind of invented the modern YouTube format (aka vlogging). “At the episode’s end, Ze lays down some of the best advice Hank’s ever heard.”
The Brits Panning for Gold
"In remote rivers, prospectors still hunt for treasure .They even hold tournaments."
Parker Molloy on why the panic about trans women in...
Parker Molloy on why the panic about trans women in sports is not actually about fairness or protecting women & girls (in the similar way Gamergate was not about “ethics in games journalism”).
Will America Ever Give White-Man Rights to Everyone...
Will America Ever Give White-Man Rights to Everyone Else? “These documents…were written by rich white men for the benefit of rich white men, and this country has never for a day recovered from their failure.”
The US Constitution Is for Simple Folk Still Burdened by...
The US Constitution Is for Simple Folk Still Burdened by the Belief That Words Have Meaning . “The true Constitution is not a document. It’s more of a gut feeling. It is a shimmering legal gas that settles wherever conservatives need it most…”
Rebecca Solnit: What Is the United States of America...
Rebecca Solnit: What Is the United States of America Now? “The United States of America is a truck that has driven into a ditch. The United States of America is a program that has been hacked.” But also: “It is the country that gave the world jazz…”
Report from a cruise full of celebrity impersonators ....
Report from a cruise full of celebrity impersonators . “A woman sat a toddler down beside us, while another, larger toddler tugged at her capris. At this point, every child was starting to look like Wallace Shawn.”
How Mexico’s World Cup Run Brought a Small Oregon Town to Life
"A little less than eighty miles from the Oregon coast and a little more than a thousand miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, Jose was selling the feeling of being around something familiar."
Katherine Wolkoff Meditates on Absence in Her Tender Photos of Deer Beds
The artist wanders along deer paths on Block Island, which sits a few miles off the coast of Rhode Island. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article
One Last Run
"A dispatch from the final Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, where the drinks were good, and the nature documentaries were, for the most part, sad."