“If we continue to allow the erosion of the human-scale city and long-evolved urbanism on which it depends, then I fear for the future. The first thing needed is a public exhibit of the many empty sites across the boroughs of New York, and a representation of what further, unchecked upzoning will it make possible to build in the future. But without a well-organized, well-financed campaign like the effort to save Grand Central, or a singular leader like Jane Jacobs able to take on the powers that be and a press willing to give these battles full coverage, the perilous undermining of authentic urbanism will continue.” – New York Review of Books
Blog
How Yellow Lost Its Good Reputation
The most significant development was the increasing association of yellow with vice and evil – often with the deadly sin of envy (incidentally, though green may be the traditional colour of envy in high culture, in playgrounds of the 1960s, ‘yeller’ meant ‘jealous’, possibly because it was a close soundalike). – Literary Review
The Ecological Information Embedded In Indigenous Music
For Indigenous Peoples who have lived within their traditional territories for generations, music is a repository of ecological knowledge, with songs embedding ancestors’ knowledge, teachings and wisdom. – The Conversation
Scholar Gertrude Himmelfarb, 94
Few families contributed as much to modern conservatism, although they did so in different ways. While her husband helped organize an influential network of politicians, think tanks and media outlets, and her son became a leading Republican pundit and strategist, Himmelfarb concentrated on social criticism and history’s lessons for the present. – Washington Post
Historic San Francisco Printing Plant To Become Arts Space
“The long-term vision is to create a constellation of buildings to address the whole issue of affordable space for artists.” – San Francisco Chronicle
Russia Relaunches Its First (Post-Soviet) International Film Festival
“Titled Kinotavr. Special Edition as a reference to the Russian national festival Kinotavr, … the festival will run for the first time in Moscow from late January through early February. … In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Kinotavr had an international competition that featured films by celebrated international directors. The new festival is viewed as a continuation of that effort focused on bringing the best global films to Russian viewers.” – The Hollywood Reporter
MoMA’s Accessibility Crunch: Too Many Long Lines, Too Many Stairs, Not Enough Chairs
I gave the newly expanded Museum of Modern Art a test it was bound to fail by revisiting on the Sunday after Christmas—a tourist-heavy time of year. Below is my report card, along with some pro-tips for navigating the obstacles and minimizing the amount of time wasted in waiting. – Lee Rosenbaum
Wendy Perron: The Dance I Loved In 2019
“I like it when the dancing doesn’t fall into the easy thing, the cliché, but gives off a whiff of humanity in a new way. This list is limited by what I happened to see this year. These are the (admittedly New York–centric) performances that have left me with that kind of imprint.” – Wendy Perron
How Clyfford Still, For Better And Worse, Kept Iron Control Over The Market For His Paintings
“In 1951, the Abstract Expressionist stopped working with galleries and became his own dealer. He continued to paint for nearly three decades, retaining complete authority over his canvases’ whereabouts: Until his death in 1980 at age 75, no one could purchase a Still on the primary market without going through the artist himself. This was no easy task. Content to live and paint in Maryland, selling the occasional work in order to get by, Still made admirers prove themselves worthy of his art.” – Artsy
The 20 Least Powerful In The Art World
Hyperallergic makes a list of those who “are rendered powerless in a system greatly influenced by the super wealthy and the commercial galleries and vanity museums that serve them.” – Hyperallergic