Erin Morgenstern’s second book debuted at number three on the bestseller list after she spent years working on her sophomore venture. How did she work, especially after the events of 2016? She didn’t have internet for a couple of years, and also, well, video games. – The New York Times
Author: ArtsJournal2
Dora Maar, Long Known As Picasso’s Muse, Gets Her Own Billing Now
When Maar died at 89, Le Monde forgot to give her an obit until 10 days later, and The Independent said she’d be remembered forever as Picasso’s muse and his Weeping Woman. Now the photographer is getting her own shows, and they’re big – and meaningful: “The sense is of a curtain being pulled back. Forget those Picasso portraits: here is how Dora Maar actually wanted to be seen.” – The Guardian (UK)
Carol Brightman, The Chronicler Of The Dead, Has Died At 80
Brightman first published an acclaimed biography of Mary McCarthy, and edited the letters between Hannah Arendt and McCarthy, before she started to become fascinated by the world of the Grateful Dead and the band’s fans. “‘Deadheads are everywhere and nowhere,’ she wrote, ‘so much a part of American life as to appear almost invisible.'” – The New York Times
Nan Goldin Leads A Die-In At London’s V&A Over The Sackler Courtyard’s Name
Goldin joined another group at the protest: “About 30 protesters arrived at the recently redesigned £2m entrance in Kensington, London, and placed bottles of pills and ‘Oxy dollar’ bills stained red on the handmade porcelain tile flooring. … To a steady drum beat, the campaigners called out the slogans ‘Sackler money, blood money’ and ‘Abandon the Sackler name.'” – The Observer (UK)
Disney Spent A Lot Of Money And A Quarter-Century Getting The Internet Wrong
Kara Swisher has been writing about companies and the internet for even longer than Disney has been trying to figure out how to deal with the contemporary world. Swisher: “Forget the dashing Mandalorian. Do you remember Starwave? Infoseek? Go? Daily Blast? Spoonful.com? Club Penguin? Tapulous? Maker Studios? I’d like to say I don’t either, but I know them very well. They were among the many failed efforts by Disney that I have covered as a reporter since the mid-1990s, when it became clear to Disney that this internet thing just might be a big deal.” – The New York Times
The Neurological Connections Between Gorgeous Landscapes And Our Relentless Desire To Photograph Them
There’s a bit of a problem: At least one study has shown that we remember less about the places and things we photograph. Going outside can combat our phone addictions and calm our brains … but there’s an issue. “Your cortisol levels may decrease when traveling in Banff National Park, but they’ll still increase every time you pick up your phone to take a picture. It’s the great paradox of our globally connected world.” – The Smart Set
George Takei Says He Spent Way Too Much Money On The Broadway Musical ‘Allegiance’
But, he says, it was worth getting the info about the U.S’s WWII Japanese American camps into wider view. And he explains he’d invite all of his colleagues from Star Trek to dinner with him … “with one exception.” – The Guardian (UK)
The Trash Pirates Of Art (And Music Festivals)
There are festivals just about all of the time now, and that means there’s waste. “Garbage has long been the uncomfortable fallout of the festival world, and as these gatherings multiply like glow sticks at a Phish concert, stretching the season into a year-round party (hola, Costa Rica), its impact has roused young artists and activists.” – The New York Times
Laurel Griggs, Actor On Broadway And ‘Saturday Night Live,’ Has Died At Age 13
Griggs, who played Ivanka in ONCE: The Musical for 17 months after making her Broadway debut at age six in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, died from a massive asthma attack. – Variety
Some Schmuck In Idaho Keeps Hiding Library Books
The person doing it takes nonfiction books about Trump or guns – specifically the ones that aren’t favorable to the 45th president or gun enthusiasts – and hiding them. “‘I am going to continue hiding these books in the most obscure places I can find to keep this propaganda out of the hands of young minds,’ the mystery book relocator wrote in a note left for Ms. Ammon, the library director, in the facility’s comment box. ‘Your liberal angst gives me great pleasure.'” – The New York Times