When the artists go out, they find more than their favorite cafés: "Walking is their research. They photograph graffiti, look out for curious new images of street life, which make their way into their montage prints: canisters of clubbers’ laughing gas; women in burqas." - The Observer (UK)
"People in power have always had a way of working nuance to their advantage. If consent is also nuanced, are we ready to admit that creativity and power go hand in hand?" - Hyperallergic
But not for its skill or beauty. One complaint: "Nothing could be less representative of Maria Callas, as no opera singer, not even a second-grade student at music school, would ever adopt such a pose with crossed arms in front of their chest." - The Observer (UK)
During a light show on a replica of the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan, "vendors walked among the crowds selling Aztec-style souvenir headdresses with colored lights, filling the Zócalo with flashes of revelry." - Los Angeles Times
Once you cut through the blather, the letter basically said the museum had looked critically at its corps of docents, a group dominated by mostly (but not entirely) white, retired women with some time to spare, and found them wanting as a demographic. - Chicago Tribune
Robert M. Levy: "In order to succeed, the Art Institute and our peer group must let go of the museum tenet of “this is how we have always done it” and explore new ways to ignite enthusiasm in our visitors." - Chicago Tribune
Since 1984, the Broad Art Foundation (yes, as in Eli and Edythe) in Los Angeles has made more than 8,700 loans (well over 200 a year) to nearly 600 institutions. How does it work? Here's a look at the operation's logistics. - ARTnews
Julie Bargmann, whose firm is called D.I.R.T. ("Dump It Right There") has been given the first Oberlander Prize, a $100,000 biennial award for landscape architecture. Justin Davidson explores how Bargmann's approach leaves onsite as much as possible of what’s there and uses nature for cleanup. - Curbed
More than 18 months since the coronavirus pandemic hit Britain, its long-term effects on the country’s museums are becoming clear. Months of closures have caused havoc with their finances, and as a consequence, many museums expect to be strapped for years. - The New York Times
Rules restricting the use of wood in UK buildings are hampering the switch to low-carbon building methods, according to timber architecture expert Andrew Waugh. - Dezeen
"Graphene is a two-dimensional carbon allotrope whose molecules bind together through a phenomenon called Van der Waals forces. … It can be produced in large, thin sheets; it blocks ultraviolet light; and it is impermeable to oxygen, moisture, and other corrosive agents." - Artnet
"Mehrdad Sadigh pleaded guilty to seven felony counts that included charges of forgery and grand larceny. … The prosecution of Mr. Sadigh was something of a departure by the Antiquities Trafficking Unit, which generally pursues people dealing in artifacts that have been looted." - The New York Times
The Faculty Paintings — three allegorical works titled Philosophy, Medicine, and Jurisprudence — were likely destroyed in a fire near the end of Word War II; all we have today are black-and-white photos and verbal descriptions. Here's how Google and Vienna's Belvedere Museum recreated the artworks. - Smithsonian Magazine
