Michael Kimmelman: “By far most promising aspect of the plan is to open the park up to a neighborhood it has long walled off. It aims to rectify an approach to city building from the bad old days of urban renewal.” - The New York Times
“In dozens of fiction and nonfiction books,” the Kenyan writer “traced his country’s history from British imperialism to home-ruled tyranny and challenged not only the stories told but the language used to tell them.” - AP
“While organizations of all kinds were impacted, it is the small and midsized institutions that lack endowments, prominent donors, and broad outreach whose futures are particularly in jeopardy.” - The Guardian
Iranian director Jafar Panahi won the prestigious Palme d'Or for his film It Was Just an Accident on Saturday, a political drama inspired by his time in prison. Following the win, French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Panahi's win was "a gesture of resistance against the Iranian regime's oppression". - BBC
Cartoon Network is an excellent case study for how the conditions of media conglomeration shape how media is made and curated. And in making a wide variety of animation available, Cartoon Network also helped make audiences think differently about animation. - The Conversation
The State Senate’s Finance Committee decided against eliminating the NH State Council for the Arts. Instead, by a 5-3 vote, the committee gave the Council a budget of $1 and suggested raising funds in the private sector. - InDepthNH
In the vast majority of education systems, you still see these disciplinary and coercive roots very embedded in the character of how schools today continue to operate. - Asterisk
There is a lot of happy talk among gerontologists about how people can remain open to new ideas and able to reinvent their lives late in life, and that certainly happens with some individuals. But the truth of the matter is that fundamental change in mental outlooks becomes much less likely with age. - Persuasion
Paros wasn’t just rich in natural resources. It was also a hub for artistry and culture. At a dig on the site of Floga, Parikia, archaeologists found a large number of unfinished marble statues—evidence of the organized production of artwork in an ancient sculpture workshop. - Artnet
Says executive director Pamela Tatge of the original: “It didn’t have a lot of modern amenities. It was not handicapped accessible, and it did not have a lobby or an exhibition space. It didn’t have adequate dressing rooms for artists to work, or even storage.” All that has now been addressed. - The Berkshire Eagle
A parade of golden objects march across the mantel, relegating the traditional Swedish ivy to a greenhouse. Gilded Rococo wall appliqués, nearly identical to the ones at Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, are stuck to the fireplace and office walls with the same level of aesthetic consideration a child gives her doll’s face. - The New York Times
How did a trilogy of novels about wizards and elves and furry-footed hobbits become a touchstone for right-wing power brokers? How did books that evince nostalgia for a pastoral, preindustrial past win an ardent following among the people who are shaping our digital future? - The New York Times
Even when we criticise individualism, we remain entrenched in individualist modes of thinking. Liberal and conservative, religious or secular, hip-hop or punk or country – in countries like the US, these are merely different names for the competing brands by which individuals define themselves. - Aeon
Virginie Despentes: “I attend a lot of plays, and I realized that theater audiences are very curious. They really show up, even for demanding or radical works, which made me want to try it. I feel good when I’m in a theater — and these non-virtual moments feel important nowadays.” - The New York Times
They are as propulsive and viscerally affecting as Arthur Miller plays, but those who haven’t heard them often think they’re esoteric, strictly for connoisseurs. Nothing could be further from the truth. - The New York Times
