Lessons for Artists From Ursula K. Le Guin
The insidious ubiquity of application fees, a bill to fund the arts advances to the Senate, and a sexual history of the internet.
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The Persimmon Tree at Stand Five
"My Japanese-American grandma spent her final years on a hunting preserve in Alabama. She taught me how to be comfortable as an anomaly in the South."
A Lone Louisiana Lawyer’s Fight against Trump’s Deportations
"Louisiana is home to a higher concentration of migrant detention centers than almost anywhere else in the country. Many in the region don't seem to mind too much. Lawyer Christopher Kinnison, though, is an exception."
“It’s not for you”
Nothing important is for everyone. When we encounter a thoughtful critic, we need to quickly understand who is speaking to us. If the work we made was intended for someone just like this, and they don’t like it, we need to do a better job next time. The criticism will help us
When Pianist Maria João Pires Prepared to Perform the Wrong Mozart Concerto, Then Recovered Miraculously
Imagine, if you will, taking a seat at the piano before a full house of 2,000 music lovers ready to hear Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor — and, more importantly, on stage with an orchestra and conductor more than ready to play it. That would be difficult enough, but
“Riders on the Storm” Performed by John Densmore, Robby Krieger and 20+ Musicians Around the World
Formed in 1965, the Doors burned hot until Jim Morrison died in 1971, and the band finally broke up in 1973. The group left behind more than a few fine songs—“Light My Fire,” “Break On Through (To the Other Side),” “L.A. Woman,” and “Roadhouse Blues,” to name a few. Above, the
North America kind of sucks at elevators. “Elevators cost nearly three times...
North America kind of sucks at elevators . “Elevators cost nearly three times as much in North America compared to its peers. What is going on here?” (Maintenance fees can be 10x as expensive.) 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
How to Hold the Darkness: Notes on Living Through Uncertainty
There are times in life when the continent of certainty parts underfoot and, as the ash cloud of the old world rains darkness upon us, we are asked to swim in the rivers of lava that will make the new. “Almost it would appear that it is useless in such confusion to ask,” wrote
Why Are We Paying for the Privilege of Rejection?
Application fees are one of the least examined but most pervasive forms of class stratification in the arts.
The Internet According to Sex Workers and Cyberfeminists
Mindy Seu’s A Sexual History of the Internet is part performance, part artist book, and part financial experiment.
How Will the Miracle Happen Today? “Kindness is like a breath. It...
How Will the Miracle Happen Today? “Kindness is like a breath. It can be squeezed out, or drawn in. You can wait for it, or you can summon it. To solicit a gift from a stranger takes a certain state of openness.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
House Votes to Fund the Arts, Despite Trump Threats
The Senate must now vote on the bill, which sets annual allocations for the NEA, NEH, Smithsonian, and other cultural programs.
RIP MetroCard
The Transit Museum honors a NYC icon, Ayoung Kim goes stargazing at MoMA PS1, a puppy persona performance, and more to plan your week in New York.
Montreal’s Ice Surfer
There’s a guy named Orion who surfs the St Lawrence River in the winter , sometimes dodging massive chunks of ice and sometimes riding them downstream, looking for waves. If you’ve ever been in Montreal near the river, even in the summer, you know how scary the water looks —
Giving and Receiving: Memoirs of an Immigrant Curator and Philanthropist
Marica Vilcek shares her story in a new memoir, from her early life and escape from Czechoslovakia to her 30-year career at The Met, and the decision to create the Vilcek Foundation to champion immigrants in the arts.
Thoughtful lessons from a Google software engineer. “The punchline isn’t ‘never innovate.’...
Thoughtful lessons from a Google software engineer . “The punchline isn’t ‘never innovate.’ It’s ‘innovate only where you’re uniquely paid to innovate.’ Everything else should default to boring, because boring has known failure modes.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Curating a Show on My Ineffable Mother, Ursula K. Le Guin
I would never have proposed this exhibition in her lifetime. This is, after all, a writer who said in an interview, “Don’t shove me into your damn pigeonhole, where I don’t fit, because I’m all over.”
Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about this 2015 observation on Tumblr...
Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about this 2015 observation on Tumblr about the dangerous conflation of respect of personhood and the respect of authority.
Develop Your Work and Aesthetic Philosophy at New York Studio School
Forge a lifelong art practice with NYSS’s unique MFA and Certificate programs. The priority application deadline for financial aid is February 15.
Wade into Slow-Motion Suspension and Anticipation in the Radiant Film ‘Divers’
Glimpse an atmospheric day in the life of an elite high-diving camp in a short film by Geordie Wood. 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 Wade into
The America That Could Be
The main point of Adam Bonica’s post The Wall Looks Permanent Until It Falls is about the optimism of this moment: that the US could be ripe for a Berlin Wall-falling moment that opens the door for a better future. I’m not in the mood for that message these days (IMO, our
Astronomers have discovered an “almost-galaxy” called Cloud-9 (no, really), a failed galaxy...
Astronomers have discovered an “almost-galaxy” called Cloud-9 (no, really), a failed galaxy that contains no stars. “There’s nothing like this that we’ve found so far in the universe.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
‘Making the Invisible Visible’ Highlights an Ambitious Digitization Project at Harvard
More than 3,000 historical scientific microscope slides are conserved and digitized to enable greater access. 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
Condé Nast forgot to renew the trademark for Gourmet and so a...
Condé Nast forgot to renew the trademark for Gourmet and so a group of journalists grabbed it and are relaunching the food magazine as a worker-owned co-op . Love it . 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
The Aldrich Names Artists for First-Ever Decennial
The contemporary art museum's new exhibition, opening in June, will focus on artists living and working in Connecticut.
Discover the 100-Year-Old Self-Playing Violin, One of the Most Complex Music Players...
Discover the 100-Year-Old Self-Playing Violin, One of the Most Complex Music Players Ever Made . “It featured three vertically mounted violins, each with a single active string, played by a rotating bow of 1,300 horsehairs.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Rep Your Love for Independent Arts Publishing
Our new line of merch is here. 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 Rep Your Love for Independent Arts Publishing appeared first on Colossal .
New Museum in NYC to Reopen in March
The contemporary art institution in Manhattan shuttered in 2024 to undergo a 60,000-square-foot expansion.
