Stop thanking Shakespeare and Falstaff, and start looking at Vermeer's women. "Into the mundane and commonplace, this master of stillness and of light manages to infuse a beguiling lyricism. His brushstrokes conjure up a shimmering, almost otherworldly, mood that is bewitching." - The Observer (UK)
"To achieve the specific sense of degradation, ... the team would build sets then wear them down, wreck them, or, as Paino refers to the process, 'desiccate them,' as if 20 years had truly passed." - Fast Company
The survey "exposes how many artists, especially those from less privileged backgrounds, have to sustain multiple additional jobs to subsidise poorly paid commissions in the public sector. Some told of deciding to leave the art world entirely to protect their mental health and financial security." - The Guardian (UK)
"We had nothing, so we made art out of nothing. We drew with tea powder on toilet paper. We painted our walls with soap, and carved Styrofoam cups and food containers. We sang, danced, recited poetry and composed songs. We were always punished." - The Guardian (UK)
Valparaiso, a Lutheran university in northwestern Indiana that is struggling with the declining enrollment seen at many schools, is planning to sell several works from the collection of its Brauer Museum of Art to raise $10 million for the renovation of two freshman dormitories, which it sees as key to securing its future. - The New York Times
We think of these buildings as expressions of faith, but they were more than that. They were ways of conceptualising faith in stone and glass — what the scholastic philosopher Peter Abelard called “geometrised theology”. - The Critic
"There has been an inextricable link between new buildings and economic growth in the 20th century, but that relationship must change because the climate impact from unfettered development is so great, says Kengo Kuma." - Bloomberg CityLab
The essential difficulty is that the vast majority of art museum professionals have limited training in how to identify and address contemporary manifestations of this history. - Hyperallergic
Weinberg’s departure is not entirely unexpected given his age, 68, and his long tenure at the museum. But his departure also signals an inevitable changing of the guard that promises to substantially alter the landscape of the museum world — particularly in New York. - The New York Times
The new contract "will increase salaries by 30 percent, on average, with entry-level employees set to receive a greater raise, to $54,101 from $40,500. Employees will also receive a one-time bonus of $1,000 because the deal was ratified." - The New York Times
"The Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced on Tuesday that its $750-million fundraising campaign for a new building — the David Geffen Galleries, designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor — is 98% complete, now standing at $736 million." - Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)
"The rules of physics that apply in a real scene appear to be optional in a painting; they can be obeyed or ignored at the discretion of the artist to enhance the painting's intended effect. ... Our visual brain uses a simpler, reduced physics to understand the world." - The MIT Press Reader
Idaho Code 18-8705 states that public funds cannot be used “to perform or promote abortion, provide counseling in favor of abortion, make referral for abortion, or provide facilities for abortion or for training to provide or perform abortion.” - Hyperallergic
