"Amid a labor battle, a pandemic that surged again and again, and a war, it was as if the real drama was in simply getting the doors open. Once that was achieved, what followed ... was like icing on the cake." - The New York Times
The artist "created them for Maya Ruiz-Picasso when she was aged between five and seven. On some pages, the little girl made impressive attempts to imitate the master. She also graded her father’s work, scribbling the number '10' on a circus scene, to show her approval." - The Observer (UK)
"Legions of Stranger Things viewers have been recently indoctrinated into a secular belief system that has already transformed millions of lives. The text that led them there? Kate Bush’s 1985 song 'Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God).'" But there's more. - Los Angeles Times
Sure, gladiators, but: "The recent restoration of a 17th-century wall painting of ancient Jerusalem on one of the Colosseum’s main interior arches is shedding new light on another centuries-old use of the Roman landmark: as a sacred site for Christian worship." - The New York Times
Amid an absolute avalanche of online criticism, the SMH has activists shaking their heads. "The 42-year-old Australian actress, who is known for roles in Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect among others, said it was a 'very hard situation but trying to handle it with grace.'" - BBC
Theaster Gates' design for the Serpentine Pavilion 2022 reveals that there's slavery behind many contemporary building materials, and buildings: "To the greatest extent possible, Black Chapel was built without any materials produced by slave labor." - Fast Company
As Lansbury wins and Chita Rivera is in the audience, we see how "the theater, for all its physical hardships, can provide actors with pretty good third or fourth acts to their careers." (Of course, for some of the Tonys winners, this is a first act.) - The New York Times
The Cosquer cave is "an underground grotto off the coast of Marseille that was once home to more than 500 works of prehistoric art." Now 150 remain, and climate change is rapidly destroying access (and the paintings themselves). But a new museum gives everyone access. - Artnet
Elizabeth Shaw had quite a life: "From a childhood living above the Ulster Bank in Belfast's York Street, via the London Blitz to four decades spent as an artist in communist East Germany, hers is a remarkable 20th century life story." - BBC
"Guest speakers, frequently invited, included Margaret Sanger, the poet Amy Lowell, Emma Goldman speaking on 'Anarchy,' and Edith Ellis, a lesbian writer in an open marriage with the scandalous sexologist Havelock Ellis, speaking on the topic of 'Love.'" There were even "husbands' evenings," when men were allowed. - LitHub
Her father, a doctor who resisted Nazi orders, "had stored the painting in the Amsterdam Bank in Arnhem, thinking it would be safe there. But the Nazis broke into the vaults and seized it, amid widespread looting, destruction and devastation." - The Guardian (UK)
That's a summary, but: "Latinos age 55 and over who participated in a culturally relevant Latin dance program for eight months significantly improved their working memory compared with peers in the control group who attended health education workshops." - Neuroscience News
In the 1970s, "there was a backlash against reclaiming of the naked body, from feminist polemicists campaigning against pornography, to feminist artists and critics who were concerned that any image of a nude woman would play right into the male gaze." Is social media criticism similar now? - Aeon
It all depends on the voters, of course, but there's a good chance: "Hudson was a producer for A Strange Loop, which is nominated for best musical." (More Tonys predictions and wishes? The New York Times and Vulture have you covered.) - NPR
Luella Knapp, a member of the clan, said, "As a caretaker of these clan items, it is an honor. Receiving them back, one by one, brings back the spirit of the person who wore them. We are so happy to have them returned to Wrangell’s Naanya.aayÃ." - Oregon ArtsWatch
