Betye Saar Dies at 99
The beloved artist dies just four days before her 100th birthday. Also, Trump crosses a new line in his war against the Smithsonian.
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The light narrows
My father’s death sent me to the jiu-jitsu mat. Then came defeat, low testosterone and the lure of a chemical cheat code - by Wes Brown Read on Aeon
The Longreads Questionnaire, Featuring Kimon de Greef
The Ego Trip author on the sea, the pull of South Africa, and how his ecology background shapes the stories he tells.
What Miles Davis Taught Herbie Hancock: In Music, as in Life, There Are No Mistakes, Just Chances to Improvise
One of my favorite Brian Eno quotes, or rather one that became an Oblique Strategy, is “Honor Your Mistake as a Hidden Intention.” (Or to be pedantic, the original version was “Honor Thy Error…”). As a teenager growing up and trying to make art (at that time music and comics)
Christopher Hitchens Explains Why Homer’s Odyssey Still Matters to Our World (2000)
At the moment, the answer to the question of why we should read Homer’s Odyssey seems rather straightforward: so we can more intelligently voice our opinions on Christopher Nolan’s new blockbuster film adaptation. A quarter-century ago, the matter was somewhat less clear.
Betye Saar, Who Opened Portals Between Worlds, Dies at 99
Her visionary assemblages recast the debris of American history into monuments of Black resilience and liberation.
Smithsonian Hearing's Most Bizarre Moments Ranked by Tier
“Is Mickey Mouse racist?” Texas Republican Congressman Brandon Gill asked National Museum of American History Director Anthea Hartig.
We Used to Be Able to Buy Things in This Country ....
We Used to Be Able to Buy Things in This Country . “Locking up toothpaste was a warning sign that our executive class was crazy.”
Tell Us, O Muse, of Elon Musk's Racist AI Version of "The Odyssey"
The tech billionaire denounced Christopher Nolan's blockbuster, vowing to create his own feature-length film using Grok.
The Smithsonian Is Not the President's Museum
The Trump administration’s latest order marks an unprecedented effort to subordinate one of America's foremost public institutions to partisan power.
‘Colorstruck!’ Examines the Connection Between Race and Chromatic Expression
'Colorstruck! Painting, Pigment, Affect' delves into the ways that color and social, political, and cultural forces intersect in Black American art. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as
Trump Orders Installation of Warning Signs Outside Smithsonian Museum
The administration’s demand comes just days after the director of the National Museum of American History testified before a congressional subcommittee.
A Shortlist of Potential Future Euro Banknote Designs
The European Central Bank is providing a sneak peek at the next design of the Euro banknotes . From a shortlist of 10 designs created by artists and designers from across the EU, one will be selected as the basis of how Euro banknotes from €5 to €200 will look in the future.
“ Datatype is an OpenType variable font that turns...
“ Datatype is an OpenType variable font that turns simple text expressions into inline charts . No JavaScript, no images, no rendering library — just type the syntax and Datatype’s ligature substitution does the rest.”
The Batman Effect : people in an experiment acted more...
The Batman Effect : people in an experiment acted more altruisticly when the caped crusader was present.
Europeans Vote on New Leonardo da Vinci Banknote Design
The European Central Bank’s shortlist for the Euro banknote redesign also includes prints of Ludwig van Beethoven, Miguel de Cervantes, and Marie Curie.
Her Rape Kit Had a DNA Match. In San Francisco, That’s Not Enough.
"SFPD cleared 14% of rape cases last year—half the national rate. The Standard found that kits get tested fast, then cases get quietly shelved."
Once Upon a Time in Space
From the filmmakers who made the excellent Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland comes a four-part series on space exploration, Once Upon a Time in Space. A short trailer is above; here’s a synopsis: Drawing on intimate, unseen archive and powerful first-hand testimony, this
Benjamin Moser on Frederic Edwin Church
The writer and translator reviews a new biography of the Hudson River painter, plus more books to round out July.
An Exhibition Lets Self-Taught Artists Speak for Themselves
At the Folk Art Museum, “Self-Made” overcomes the problem of “insiders” ventriloquizing self-taught artists.
An Uncomplicated Man , Emily Wilson’s review of Nolan’s...
An Uncomplicated Man , Emily Wilson’s review of Nolan’s The Odyssey. “I would be ashamed to have written any part of this script. Sadly, Damon’s Odysseus isn’t complicated or wily or artful.”
Dynamic Scenes Emerge from Fumiaki Aono’s Wooden Assemblages
Dressers, chests, and cabinets stack into towering assemblages in Fumiaki Aono's imaginative sculptures. 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 Dynamic
Astronauts returning from long missions report a “jet...
Astronauts returning from long missions report a “jet lag of the self” : “a sense of watching their own lives from a half-step outside the frame”.
Trump’s Assault on Science Continues
I appreciate the plain speech of Science magazine’s Derek Lowe in his recent piece, The Assault On Science Funding Continues . When I talk to people about this subject (and that includes some journalists as well) and say what I’m about to at the end of this paragaph I am
Welp, right at the top of the CDC page on autism and...
Welp, right at the top of the CDC page on autism and vaccines : “The claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.” 🫨