ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

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How Architecture Shapes/Frames Politics

While it’s easy to see buildings and public spaces as somewhat neutral or superficial, it’s not. Like the frame of a painting, it frames the spaces in which politics takes place, both literally and symbolically. - The Conversation

How The Trump Administration Is (Mis)Appropriating Norman Rockwell

“They used . . . as though his work aligned with their values, i.e., promoting this segregationist vision of America. And so of course we were upset by this, because Norman Rockwell was really very clearly anti-segregationist.” - The Bulwark

UK Taxpayers To Insure Bayeux Tapestry For $1 Billion While It’s At British Museum

The UK Treasury is guaranteeing around £800 million to insure the 230-foot-long tapestry against damage or loss during its journey to and from its home museum in France to the UK. No money will be paid in advance, however; the £800 million comes into play only if something goes wrong. - ARTnews

A Biennale That Wants To Make The World A Better Place

There are more than 1,200 works by 125 artists and collectives in the exhibit, titled “Not All Travelers Walk Roads,” with many of them proposing ways of creating new, kinder, more just forms of existence. - The New York Times

Kyiv’s Rebuilders Try To Retain Architectural Heritage In The Midst Of War

“A group of activists have been attempting to preserve the city’s crumbling mansions, built in a playful style known as Ukrainian modernism.” - The Guardian (UK)

Apparently, One Can Insure The Bayeux Tapestry

Does £800 million seem like enough? Hm. - The Guardian (UK)

The ‘Craftivists’ Using Fiber Arts To Fight Back Against The Current US Regime

“For some fiber artists, craft is inherently political. ‘Creating in a time of destruction and chaos, that is resistance in and of itself,’ said Downey. … But she thinks one of the other successes of craftivism is that “‘it centers joy’” - The Guardian (UK)

The London Eye’s Architect Has Designed A Renewable Energy AI Source

The tidal power station "would curve from Minehead to Watchet and use 125 underwater turbines to harness the power of the second-highest tidal range in the world” - and also become a race track for cyclists. - The Guardian (UK)

Designing A Mostly Happy, Hippie Sci-Fi Apolcalypse

For instance, in Pluribus, “the music was designed to explore the tension between the pain of individuality and the comfort of surrender.” - Fast Company

Ancient Pharaoh’s Boat Is Being Reassembled In Public View

The vessel belonged to King Khufu (aka Cheops), builder of the Great Pyramid — near which the boat was discovered in 1954 and excavated in 2014. The 137-foot-long structure, made of 1,540 wooden pieces, is being reassembled in the exhibition hall of the new Grand Egyptian Museum, which opened earlier this year. - AP

The Most Important Archaeological Discoveries Of 2025

“While there were some new finds like the oldest blue pigment discovered in Europe, a rare hieroglyphic decree identified in Egypt, and an elite Moche residence unearthed in Northern Peru, a number of archaeological studies took a deeper dive into previously known sites and artifacts.” - ARTnews

The Market Fantasy That Has Undermined The Art World From Within

The current erosion of the art market is not a cyclical contraction; it is the result of oversaturation and a speculative economy in which artworks have functioned as fictitious capital, reinforced by a liquidity crisis where overextended galleries frequently find themselves prioritizing rising commercial overhead over timely payments to artists. - ARTnews

Can AI Help Put Back Together A Cimabue Ceiling Fresco Shattered In An Earthquake?

A joint project headed by the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria in Perugia, which has officially worked with the Basilica’s guardians for the past decade, and the engineering department of Perugia University aims to determine whether AI can help reconstruct the shattered section. - The Art Newspaper

Why Did So Many Art Galleries Close This Year?

Overall, when it came to galleries, the dominant vibe was one of endings more than beginnings—and it continued a building drumbeat. Those who closed or significantly downsized in 2025, after all, joined others that have expired in previous years. - ARTnews

Archaeologist Discovers A Pharaoh’s “Valley Temple”

“Nyuserra’s sun temple, which is located in Abu Ghurab about 10 miles south of Cairo, was composed of two parts: the previously excavated upper temple and the valley temple (alongside the Nile), which Massimiliano Nuzzolo began work on in 2024.” - Artnet

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