Required Reading
This week, a new film on Amílcar Cabral, protecting Odesa’s historical buildings, rumors of the first US bullet train, pranking Google Maps, and much more.
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Migration Stories From World War II to Now
The fact that more than a fifth of Utica’s residents were born outside the US inspires the group show Between Worlds at the Munson Museum.
When Keith Haring Painted a Mural for an Iowa Elementary School
Kids and parents were "captivated" by the artist's visit. Now, his mural for the public school's library will go on display for the first time.
Just a Beautiful Drawing of Bluebells
… By the artist Skevoulla Gordon. ( Prints are available, too, and she’s a good follow on Instagram !) Tags: art · bluebells · flowers · Skevoulla Gordon 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
What’s Behind the Recent Wave of New York Gallery Closures?
From pandemic-related economic blows to technological evolutions, dealers share why they’re shuttering their physical spaces.
My Grandma’s Doilies Are Not a Joke
When will art institutions finally pay respect to our foremothers’ artistry?
Goya and Dix Just Needed a Rainbow
The problem with a show in Venice on war is the insistence that there had to be a bit of hope too — and the hopeful element of this show is feeble, if not schmalzy.
When Will Women Artists Be Equal?
After decades of work, expectations for women artists to prioritize family — or male peers — remains the prevailing norm rather than the exception.
A View From the Easel
“Entering the studio, my ritual is to transform the space by turning on all the lights.”
Louvre Museum Launches … a Fitness Program?
Visitors can stretch, sweat, and drop-split in the presence of priceless artifacts as Paris gears up for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Life-Ruining Mistakes?
The other day, the novelist Robin Sloan mentioned in his newsletter that he really liked the Financial Times. It seems everyone’s talking up the Financial Times lately, so I went and followed them on Instagram. The first post in their feed was for an essay by Janan Ganesh,
The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed
Here is a pleasantly painful trailer for a new movie from the filmmaker Joanna Arnow . It opens this Friday, April 26, at IFC and Lincoln Center in NYC. I don’t know if I’m going to watch it, but I couldn’t really look away. Arnow also stars as… an emotionally detached young
Size XXXS, Miniature Sweaters
Oh my god — this video about making the teeny-tiny sweaters seen in the movie Coraline! Says artist Althea Crome: I think knitters are often fascinated by the fact that I use such tiny needles. Some of the needles are almost the dimension of a human hair. Sublimely absurd,
Nadya Tolonnikova Headlines American Folk Art Museum Benefit Event
Recent artworks by the co-founder of Pussy Riot will be featured in a pop-up exhibition, along with an artist Q&A and performance, on May 16 in NYC.
“I have no training for this work. I got the job by...
“I have no training for this work. I got the job by bringing in my posters to be framed … and asking the frame shop guy—my boss—if he needed an assistant.” I loved this essay about working in a frame shop (and beyond). “My life has gone off the map, it seems.” 💬 Join the
In His World-Building Series ‘New Prophets,’ Jorge Mañes Rubio Cloaks Basketballs in Beads
Beginning with an iconic yet common spherical form, Jorge Mañes Rubio reimagines basketballs as powerful entities in his series New Prophets. Ornamented with stylized creatures, botanicals, and figures, each sculpture tells its own enigmatic story, drawing on the inextricable
Diary Comics, Dec. 15 & 16
Hello! Here are a few more journal comics from last December, these are a bit cheerier than the ones from last week . Tags: comics 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
A Huge Collaborative Flipbook Animation
I love this: The Pudding ran an online experiment where they started with a shape (like a straight line or circle) and asked people to trace, as best they could, the tracing of the person before them. This resulted in a series of “flipbook” animation of how the shapes evolved
Informed by Research Aboard Ships, Elsa Guillaume Translates the Wonder of Marine Adventures
Whether capturing the sights of a dive in the remote Mexican village of Xcalak or the internal mechanisms of a sailing ship, Elsa Guillaume ’s stylized sketchbooks record her adventures. Glimpses of masts, a kitchen quaking from shaky seas, and a hand gutting a fish create a
Kelly Hayes: the double standards of conservatism (i.e. “there must be in-groups...
Kelly Hayes : the double standards of conservatism (i.e. “there must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind…” ) are about hierarchy (or caste , if you will). “They are outlining the world they want, including who should be victimized at will.”
The Biden administration is imposing new regulations on coal burning power plants....
The Biden administration is imposing new regulations on coal burning power plants . “Taken together, the regulations could deliver a death blow in the United States to coal, the fuel that…has caused global environmental damage.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
What Bird Is That?
As someone who is interested in birds but doesn’t know a whole lot about them, this new animated video series from Will Rose is right up my alley. What Bird Is That? is a beginners guide to birding. The second episode, embedded above, is all about how to identify birds from
Ronald Jackson’s Masked Portraits of Imaginary Characters Stoke Curiosity About Their Stories
Six years ago, Ronald Jackson had only four months to prepare for a solo exhibition. The short time frame led to a series of large-scale portraits that focused on an imagined central figure, often peering directly back at the viewer, in front of vibrant backgrounds. But he
How teens benefit from having the choice to read “disturbing” books. They...
How teens benefit from having the choice to read “disturbing” books . They reported being more empathetic, thoughtful, happier, and better readers. I read a lot of “age-inappropriate” stuff as a preteen & teen (Stephen King, etc.) and it was fine. 💬 Join the discussion on
A Message from the Chancellor on the Recent Student Protest. “But this...
A Message from the Chancellor on the Recent Student Protest . “But this recent protest is different. These students will never inspire change. Fifty years from now, we will definitely not pretend that we agreed with them the whole time.”
25 Great Pop Culture Stories You Won't See Anywhere Else
Who else would publish something titled “Pat Sajak Has Always Been a Dick”?
Here, hopefully
For an aspiring nurse, staying in the US holds out the precarious promise of a life far from China’s strict gender norms - by Aeon Video Watch at Aeon
Emergency action
Could civil disobedience be morally obligatory in a society on a collision course with climate catastrophe? - by Rupert Read Read at Aeon