Art & Design

An aerial view of Washington, D.C., shows the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument as well as the U.S. Capitol.

Biden Just Purged 4 On The Arts Panel That Advises Congress On Public Architecture

8:04pm May 25, 2021

by Elizabeth Blair

On Tuesday afternoon, President Biden announced four new appointees to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, replacing four commissioners appointed by former President Donald Trump.

Adri Quiñones, center, leads the prayer during Saturday morning Shabbat services at Beth Shalom on Jan. 18, 2020.

The Youth Of Cuba's Tiny Jewish Minority

2:55pm May 23, 2021

by Rachel Wisniewski

Cuba doesn't have a single rabbi and the Jewish population numbers only about 1,200 on the island. Those left have formed a tight-knit community, with pressure on the young to sustain their religion.

The 'Forever Marilyn' statue by artist Seward Johnson was first in Palm Springs from 2012 to 2014. Now, she's headed back to the resort town permanently. But her return is sparking a backlash.

Giant Marilyn Monroe Statue Returns To Palm Springs, But Its Backside Faces Backlash

7:54am May 16, 2021

by Matt Guilhem

Some see "Forever Marilyn," the 26-foot statue of the Hollywood icon, as sexist. Others see it as tacky. City officials see it as a major tourist draw.

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Amanda Gorman - National Youth Poet Laureate - photographed for the Check The Coast campaign for the California Coastal Commission

Books
Arts

Amanda Gorman: Using Your Voice Is A Political Choice

8:56am May 14, 2021

Poet Amanda Gorman has often been asked to write poems that aren't "political." In her 2018 TED Talk, she explains why her writing inherently carries messages greater than her words.

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Arts

Alice Neel's Paintings Meet The Moment At The Met

5:00am May 14, 2021

by Susan Stamberg

Painter Alice Neel's first retrospective in 20 years is both timely and ambitious. And people are flocking to see her portraits, a chronicle of the 20th century through expressive faces and figures.

Arts

How The Sewing Machine Gave Power — And Fashion Cred — To African Women

5:52pm May 13, 2021

by Masego Madzwamuse

In 'The African Lookbook,' Catherine McKinley bends, stretches and tears the fabric of what mainstream history has been telling us about African women in the clothing industry.

A rendering of new signage designed for the National Gallery of Art.

National Gallery Of Art Rebrands To Emphasize The 'National' In Its Name

1:19pm May 13, 2021

by Elizabeth Blair

The federally funded museum has been accused of "institutional misconduct" including racism and sexual harassment. A petition claimed some employees call it "the last plantation on the National Mall."

Album Leaf of Flowers and Insects, bequest of the Hofer Collection of the Arts of Asia, 1985.904.6

Arts

Brood X Is Back — But Cicadas Have Been In Chinese Art For Millennia

4:58pm May 10, 2021

by Neda Ulaby

The insects' appearances stretch back 4,000 years, to a time when ancient settlers carved cicadas from jade and put them on tongues of the dead before burial, evoking transcendence and eternal life.

"Recycle art activist" Thomas Dambo makes gentle giants from scrap wood, old pallets, twigs and debris. Above, the troll Marit in It Sounded Like a Mountain Fell in Wulong, China.

Arts

Far From The Internet, These Big, Benevolent Trolls Lure Humans To Nature

4:39pm May 06, 2021

by Elizabeth Blair

"Recycle art activist" Thomas Dambo makes these gentle giants out of scrap wood, old pallets, twigs and debris. Dozens of them now preside over mountains, forests and parks around the world.

COMIC: Teaching Kids To Make Art Out Of What You Have In The Pandemic

6:00am May 04, 2021

It's been a year since teachers were handed an unprecedented request: educate students in entirely new ways, amid the backdrop of a global pandemic. This week is a first-grade teacher in Los Angeles.