If you’re into counterculture kitsch, you might want to check out the nostalgia-themed resort hotel at Walt Disney World in Florida. It features a “Hippy Dippy” swimming pool, surrounded by flower-shaped water jets, peace signs and giant letters that spell out “Peace, Man,” “Out of Sight” and “Can You Dig It?” Fifty years after the … Continue reading »
art
Healing Cuba
One can scarcely open a travel magazine or newspaper in these months in the thawing of U.S.-Cuba relations without finding something about the vibrant art scene in Havana — about the jazz clubs like La Zorra y el Cuervo and Jazz Café; about dancing to the rhythms of son; about alleyways turned into improvisational public … Continue reading »
Art and the machined world
Much of early 20th-century art in the West was commentary on the massive technological developments of the late 19th century. Where, 100 years later, is the comparable 21st-century artistic response to the technological developments of the late 20th century? American artists a few generations ago, especially painters and photographers, portrayed the massive structures, machined objects, … Continue reading »
Experiencing Art: It’s a Whole-Brain Issue, Stupid!
We love art. We put it on our walls, we admire it at museums and on others’ walls, and if we’re inspired, we may even create it. Philosophers, historians, critics, and scientists have bandied about the reasons why we enjoy creating and beholding art, and each has offered important and interesting perspectives. Recently, brain scientists … Continue reading »
Confessions of a social reform and theater scholar turned social practice and performance scholar
The Arts Research Center at UC Berkeley is sponsoring the symposium “Curating People” on April 28 and 29, 2011. Participants have been invited to post some brief thoughts on the topic in advance of the event. This first posting is from ARC Director and symposium organizer Shannon Jackson. Alright, this a broad-stroked exercise that reduces … Continue reading »
Art, authenticity, and the market in Precolumbian antiquities
Probably unnoticed by most readers of this blog, this week a major international incident exploded, pitting prestigious Mexican institutions against a French gallery, and causing social media linking archaeologists to light up. As summarized by Art Daily, the story begins with the sale of a private collection of Mexican antiquities in Paris. Primarily from the … Continue reading »
Art, Decay, and Archaeology
An editorial in Oregon’s The Daily Astorian argues that the attraction of archaeology for 90% of the public is treasure. That would be discouraging news for at least 90% of archaeologists. We think what we do is interesting because it illuminates otherwise unknown aspects of human life in the past, and sheds light on human … Continue reading »