Art & Design

Arts

Vishaan Chakrabarti: How Can We Design More Welcoming Cities?

12:52pm September 28, 2018

by NPR/TED Staff

Architect Vishaan Chakrabarti says many modern cities feel cold, austere, and anonymous. He advocates for designing more vibrant and inclusive cities that are reminiscent of the scale of older cities.

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In 1897, Belgian King Leopold brought 267 Congolese people to his country estate to display them in a mock African village — a practice referred to as a human zoo.

Where 'Human Zoos' Once Stood, A Belgian Museum Now Faces Its Colonial Past

7:30am September 26, 2018

by Joanna Kakissis

When the Royal Museum for Central Africa reopens, it intends to finally confront a sordid part of Belgium's history — the exploitation led by King Leopold II which killed millions in Congo.

British artist Jason deCaires Taylor's Coralarium sits in waters off the Maldives.

Maldives Police Use Pickaxes To Destroy Artwork Deemed Un-Islamic

11:03pm September 25, 2018

by Lauren Frayer

The 20-foot-tall stainless steel cube was decorated with life-size human statues and semi-submerged in a coral lagoon. The artwork was criticized because it depicted human figures.

Robert Venturi poses in front of a model of a new hall for the Philadelphia Orchestra. He died on Tuesday.

Arts

Architect Robert Venturi Dies At 93

8:29pm September 19, 2018

by Vincent Acovino

A giant of postmodern architecture, he said he rejected unity, consistency and clarity: "All of those things made ... not for beautiful purity — but dead purity."

Photographer Bill Cunningham outside Skylight Clarkson Sq during New York Fashion Week on July 15, 2015 in New York City.

Books
Arts

Bill Cunningham: A Memoir Of Style On All Levels, High And Low

6:18am September 15, 2018

by Karen Grigsby Bates

"The best fashion show is definitely on the street — always has been and always will be." Bill Cunningham

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Arleene Correa Valencia works on a painting in her latest series: In Times of Crisis, En Tiempo de Crisis.

After The Wildfires: Artist Captures Plight Of Napa's Undocumented Workers

8:36am September 01, 2018

by Rachael Bongiorno

Napa Valley's wine industry relies heavily on immigrants, but the undocumented are often ineligible for services when disaster strikes. An artist depicts how the 2017 fires impacted this community.

Artist Sam Gilliam is known for his vibrant, draped fabrics such as Swing from 1969.

Arts

Hard At Work At 84, Artist Sam Gilliam Has 'Never Felt Better'

7:37am August 30, 2018

by Susan Stamberg

"I stopped drinking, I stopped smoking. I live for this period of being in the studio," he says. Known for his vibrant, draped fabrics, Gilliam is currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity.

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Oran Z. Belgrave, founder of the now defunct Oran Z's Black Facts & Wax Museum in Los Angeles, stands in front of the shipping containers that have held most of the contents of his independent African-American history museum since it closed in 2011.

Through A Looking Glass Of Black Americana: The Long, Strange Journey Of Oran Z

7:09pm August 07, 2018

by Samir S. Patel

For decades, Oran Z collected everything he could about black America, from racist tchotchkes to wax figures of Malcolm X, displaying them in his own museum. Now, his life's work is in jeopardy.

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From March 4 to September 3, conservator Chris Stavroudis is part of the exhibition Jackson Pollock's Number 1, 1949: A Conservation Treatment at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

Arts

A Jackson Pollock Painting Gets A Touch-Up — And The Public's Invited To Watch

8:06am August 06, 2018

by Susan Stamberg

Those drips and dribbles collect a lot of dust, so conservator Chris Stavroudis is cleaning decades of accumulated grime off Pollock's Number 1, 1949 at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

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Museum Dedicated To Comedy Opens In Lucille Ball's Hometown

5:55pm August 03, 2018

A national museum devoted to the history of comedy has opened in Jamestown, N.Y., the birthplace of Lucille Ball. Executive director Journey Gunderson and comic Lewis Black talk about the project.

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