The question: How can public art affect, and reflect, communities and the time we live in? The answer, by artist Abigail DeVille, is a reinvention. “The piece summons ‘a long line of freedom fighters who have been protesting to exist in this nation from the very beginning.'” – The New York Times
Author: ArtsJournal2
How Do Crime Writers Reconcile Their Fictional Good Cops With Reality?
It’s not easy, especially for Black women writing crime fiction. Rachel Howzell Hall: “I think for the most part, people of color, writers of color who write mystery and crime, have written the proper cop. … There are those cops that don’t do the right thing and we reflect that in our novels because we’ve lived it.” – Los Angeles Times
The Limits Of Extreme Comedy
Well, probably not, says an expert. “Becker found that audiences tended to react to those situations along party lines: If they already believed what they were being told, they were likely to find the comedy credible. If they don’t hold the same beliefs, the opposite effect can be seen.” – CBC
Pandemic Entertainment When You Don’t Have A Bubble
It can be creepy to feel extra alone when pods are enjoying concerts, drive-in movies, and more. But: “As we slowly adapt to living with the pandemic, many of us are realizing that the connection we miss to art and entertainment is as powerful as it is to our social relationships. It’s art, after all, be it a concert, a theater, a museum or even a theme park, that helps us make sense of or simply survive the moment we’re living in.” – Los Angeles Times
The Worst Book Endings Ever
At least, according to readers. (Yes, yes, everyone hated the end of Gone Girl.) Think of Atonement, for example: “‘I’ve never been more mad at an ending to a book, and will never read another word Ian McEwan writes as a result,’ wrote Brenda M. ‘Why would I ever trust a writer who has so much contempt for his readers?'” – Washington Post
City Ballet Cancels Spring Performances
The dance company says it will make a return in the fall of 2021. “We’re deeply sad and we’re disappointed that we have to keep ourselves off the stage for this much longer.” The plan is to help the dancers, who are trying to stay fit at home, ramp up to City Ballet skill and performance levels. – The New York Times
Milkman Author Anna Burns Wins Massive Literary Prize
Burns, who won the Booker Prize for Milkman in 2018, has won the International Dublin Literary Award. She’s the first Northern Irish writer to win the prize (and was the first to win the Booker as well). She thanked the Belfast Library and said, “There seemed to be a black market in library tickets when I was growing up. … I managed to go into the building with about three to five cards and come out with about nine to 15 books.” – BBC
The Photographer Who Took Original ‘Fatima’ Photo Says She’s Hurt By British Government’s Campaign
Photographer Krys Alex, on the subject, young dancer Desire’e Kelley: ““I immediately thought about Desire’e and how her face was just plastered all over social media and the internet, different news articles, and memes were created, and she had no clue. All of that really hurt me.” – Classic FM
People Aren’t Flocking To Europe’s Open Museums
That’s probably good; who wants museums to be responsible for the spread of more Covid-19? And yet it’s also challenging for certain museums. Not great right now: “In recent years, however, governments in many countries, including the Netherlands, have been cutting support of museums, as politicians have encouraged the ‘American model’ of funding, with more reliance on earned income.” – The New York Times
The Formerly A Bit Secretive, Now All Up On YouTube World Of Diary Hunters
Diaries come from estate sales and garage sales, from where they get bought and sold on eBay or elsewhere online. Some buyers read them as a series on their YouTube channels; others collect them for more altruistic reasons. “Although the trend is undeniably voyeuristic, many collectors have a grander purpose. Polly North is the 41-year-old director of the Great Diary Project. Since 2007, she has rescued more than 10,000 of them.” – The Observer (UK)