Nick Cave: ‘When I realized that I was a messenger, that liberated me from everything.’ The Chicago-based artist on working from a place of purpose In this episode of ‘Meet the artists’, Art Basel visits Nick Cave in his Chicago live-work and exhibition space. Named Facility, it serves as a cultural capsule, a place for...
Art & Style
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What Is Art Patronage in the 21st Century?
The relationship between art and money has been one of the defining features of our society. From artisans decorating palazzos for the Italian aristocracy to today’s star-artists flourishing in a global art scene supported, by and large, by private collectors, the questions of who funds the producers of visual culture and why they do so...
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Changing Feelings Can Boost Creativity for Conventional Thinkers
Even people who tend to think conventionally, such as accountants or insurance adjusters, can be creative, a recent study suggests, if they can look at emotional situations in a different light. In a set of experiments, researchers found that conventional thinkers, those who rank low on openness to new ideas and experiences, came up with...
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‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Continues the Series’ Quest to Recover and Celebrate Lost Cultures
As someone who teaches and writes about Afrofuturism, I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” I’m particularly excited about the introduction of Namor and the hidden kingdom of Talokan, which he leads. The first “Black Panther” film adhered to a longstanding practice in Afrofuturist stories and art by engaging in what...
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Washington D.C. Ranks 7th Best Street Style in the United States
Washington D.C ranks seventh best street fashion in the United States, measured against other states in an online vote, TikTok views, online search interest, and nationwide style influence Google Trends data reveals Washington D.C has the highest level of interest in streetwear compared to any other state, with New York in second place D.C’s street...
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Music Class in Sync with Higher Math Scores — but Only at Higher-Income Schools
Daniel Mackin Freeman, a doctoral candidate in sociology, and Dara Shifrer, an associate professor of sociology, used a large nationally representative dataset to see which types of arts classes impact math achievement and how it varies based on the socio-economic composition of the school. Schools with lower socio-economic status (SES) have a higher percentage of...
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Romeo and Juliet – Miami City Ballet
Few stories are as well-known as the classic Romeo and Juliet, and unless you are the most jaded individual, it touches you in ways familiar and new, if you give it a chance. The play, film versions, the orchestral music score by Prokofiev, the opera, even the original poem; all have their special charms. Add...
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HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon’ Was Inspired by a Real Medieval Dynastic Struggle Over a Female Ruler
In three decades of teaching medieval European history, I’ve noticed my students are especially curious about the intersection of the stories told in class and the depictions of the Middle Ages they see in movies and television. Judged by their historical accuracy, cinematic portrayals are a mixed bag. However, popular fantasy, unencumbered by the competing...
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The 5,000-Year History of Writer’s Block
Ann Patchett, who has written eight novels and five books of nonfiction, says that when faced with writer’s block, sometimes it seems that the muse has “gone out back for a smoke.” It doesn’t matter whether you’re an award-winning novelist or a high schooler tasked with writing an essay for English class: The fear and...
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Who Invented Music? the Search for Stone Flutes, Clay Whistles and the Dawn of Song
Who invented music? – Rom, age 7, Las Vegas, Nevada The short answer is: No one knows who invented music. No historical evidence exists to tell us exactly who sang the first song, or whistled the first tune, or made the first rhythmic sounds that resembled what we know today as music. But researchers do...
