“Independence National Historical Park [is] the fourth-most-visited national park in the country. It welcomed 4.6 million pilgrims last year alone — ahead of Yellowstone, Yosemite or Zion (and the Statue of Liberty, too). Independence Hall is one of only 11 UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites in the United States. It’s Philadelphia’s (democratic) Versailles. Yet the curation” — not to mention the physical upkeep — “is more on par with a half-abandoned cathedral in a random village in the South of France. How did we get here? There’s plenty of blame to go around.” – Philadelphia Magazine
Elizabeth Alexander, Mellon Foundation President, Reflects on Centering Community and Taking Diversity as a Value
“Addressing the important work of justice and labor to vision a better world, Alexander speaks to Mellon’s aims by ‘identifying the leaders, the scholars and thinkers and justice workers and artists, who do that work on behalf of our society,’ and in the list of goals below.” – Grantmakers in the Arts
Riz Ahmed Was On His Way To A Star Wars Event, Until Homeland Security Stopped Him
Even Star Wars – heck, even Disney – can’t protect against Homeland Security. Ahmed made a slight joke about it before explaining that, well, it’s simply scary for him to be traveling in the U.S. right now. – Los Angeles Times
The Breakout Star Of ‘The Last Black Man In San Francisco’ Says The Acting Life Is Wild And Unpredictable
Jonathan Majors is involved in so much work this year that – and the travel involved with promoting that work – that he has developed a philosophy to deal with it all. “‘That’s the beauty of being an actor. You’re kind of a journeyman. … ‘Home’ is right there. Right here,’ he said, touching his hand to his chest. ‘If you think, ‘I’ve got to get back to New York, I’ve got to get back to Atlanta, I’ve got to get back to L.A.’ — you’re lost. If you can’t find peace inside, you’ll never be at peace.’” – Los Angeles Times
A Nazi-Looted Painting Is Returning To Italy
The Uffizi in Florence was never shy about saying what happened to the painting Vase of Flowers by Dutch master Jan van Huysum, but soon it won’t need that “STOLEN!” label on a reproduction on the wall. – BBC
If This Art Was In Defiantly Bad Taste In 1852, What Is It Now?
Well … it’s an important piece of cultural history. “This provocative show about domestic tastes was a landmark in changing national attitudes – and especially the section of it the newspapers dubbed the ‘chamber of horrors.’” – The Observer (UK)
What – And Who – Inspires Scottish Novelist Ali Smith?
Toni Morrison, of course, and Helen Oyeyemi, and books that make her laugh, and The Beatles. Also, Smith on how useless it is to try to rate books or authors. – The Guardian (UK)
Living In A Gaudi-Designed Apartment Building Means Having A Million Guests Every Year
And trying to avoid them all: “Intrepid visitors have sometimes overstepped the boundaries, forcing Ms. Viladomiu to add a barrier outside her apartment, to keep tourists at bay.” – The New York Times
The Académie Française Has Ruled On The Difference Between A Slut And A Bastard
Yes, with this recent bulletin, les immortels of the august body founded by Cardinal Richelieu in 1634 want to be sure that all French-speakers properly distinguish between une salope (a slut) and un salaud (a bastard) — and they warn that the alternatively gendered forms of these words (un salop for men and une salaude for women) are archaic and should be avoided. (Twitterverse, à l’attaque!) – The Local (France)
Warning: US Tariffs On Chinese Book Publishing Would Be Catastrophic For US Publishers
“The US publishing industry invests in literature, children’s books, educational materials, religious and historical texts, Bibles, scientific expression, and numerous other works of fiction and nonfiction that support and celebrate American voices but are printed in China. There are no viable alternatives either inside or outside of the United States at this time, meaning that the impact of the tariffs—if applied to books—would be swift and devastating to both American publishers and the important works they disseminate.” – Publishing Perspectives