Author: ArtsJournal2

The Boundary-Pushing Artwork Of 93-Year-Old Artist Zilla Sanchez

The Cuban artist has been making important work first in Cuba and then in Puerto Rico for decades. “But outside the Caribbean archipelago, she has been largely ignored. Until the mid-80s, major art institutions in Europe and the United States rarely granted exhibitions, let alone solo shows, to Latina artists, and Sánchez’s identity as a gay Cuban woman rendered her especially invisible.” Until now. – The New York Times

Aleshea Harris Is A Young Playwright Fiercely Confronting U.S. Audiences On Race, History, And Power

Playwright Aleshea Harris, who won the Obie Award in 2018 for Is God Is, “is part of a vanguard of young, African American playwrights boring into questions of race and history through humor, drama, absurdity and tragedy. Their works reveal how the legacy of slavery continues to twist through the American consciousness.” – Los Angeles Times

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Climate Change Christmas At The Tate

And a very merry apocalypse to you too. Artist Anne Hardy got the Tate Britain commission this year, and she says she worked back from the Winter Solstice, “creating what could be a ransacked temple with tattered banners and tangled cables of lights. On the stairs are pools of ice and sculptural patches of river mud and broken columns. … Something has happened and whatever it is, it’s not good.” – The Guardian (UK)

As Fines Head To The Scrap Heap, Libraries Tear Down (Self-Inflicted) Barriers For Low-Income Patrons

Fines probably seemed like a great idea at the time – an encouragement for children (and adults) to keep track of time, keep track of library books and DVDs, and go back into the library to return books and encounter yet more of a library’s offerings. Yet libraries have realized fines and overdue fees are agents of inequity: “The penalties drive away the people who stand to benefit the most from free library resources.” Scrapping fines is one part of the answer. – NPR

Ski Architecture That’s Meant To Be Egalitarian And Perhaps Has Aged Better Than It Began

One of the ideas of Les Arcs was to make skiing holidays easier and more affordable for French holidaygoers. “This huge block of holiday apartments is cantilevered into the hillside, one side tilting outwards so that each floor gets the same amount of sunshine bouncing off the snow. The balconies are on the other side – again each set so that no apartment has more light than another.” – The Guardian (UK)

The Latin Dictionary That’s Been Underway For 125 Years And Isn’t Finished Yet

German researchers started working on this new dictionary in the 1890s, thinking it would take 10-15 years of work. But “the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae (T.L.L.) has seen the fall of an empire, two world wars and the division and reunification of Germany. In the meantime, they are up to the letter R. This is not for lack of effort.” – The New York Times

A Massive Art Theft In Dresden Is The Biggest Heist Since WWII

Uh, wow, Dresden: “The exact details of the operation, and what was taken, are not yet clear, but local news outlets report the thieves targeted the jewelry section of the historic Royal Palace after entering the building through a small window. Authorities said three diamond jewelry sets, consisting of as many as 100 pieces of diamonds, pearls, and rubies, were taken from the Grüne Gewölbe (or Green Vault) housed in the downtown palace.” – Slate