Art makes us THINK BIG | Appreciation Friday: U.S. Department of Arts and Culture

Barbara Kruger’s limited edition MetroCards, commissioned as part of the artist’s contribution to Performa 17 (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

Two limited edition MetroCards designed by Barbara Kruger were distributed by the Metropolitan Transit Authority. The cards are available at four New York City subway stations — Queensboro Plaza, Broadway-Lafayette Street, East Broadway, and the 116th Street B/C station — and were commissioned as part of the artist’s contribution to Performa 17. 

BIG THINK and THANKS

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The U.S. Department of Arts and Culture is a people-powered department—a grassroots action network inciting creativity and social imagination to shape a culture of empathy, equity, and belonging.  GO TAKE THE PLEDGE

curious?

• The Denver Museum of Nature & Science has a curious film archive that is largely unknown:

The bulk of the film archive consists of documentaries made by former museum director Alfred Bailey, who led the institution from 1933 to 1969.
“He really changed the museum,” says O’Connell, who describes him as “a field man,” traveling to six continents on numerous expeditions. “He went to the most out-of-the-way, most difficult places you can imagine, and somehow he always took a movie camera and a tripod with him.”

drawing you in

I know many of you are creative like this! BOOM!

The Incredible Oyster Reef

Much as coral reefs help protect many tropical islands from hurricanes, oysters protected New York City. They broke up large waves before they could crash onto the shore. And below the surface, their rough texture would increase friction and slow down the water.

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Did you know this? BOOM!

November Full Beaver Moon

See all Full Moon names and their meanings.

November: Our Job This Month

Do a random act of kindness without expecting anything in return.

you have got to be kidding me

Why is the first robot to receive citizenship sparking outrage over women's rights? pic.twitter.com/I82oWAi9Po

— AJ+ (@ajplus) October 31, 2017




trick or treat?

Those guys aren't foolin' us - it is a TRICK! BOOM!

Book Igloo?

I could live in here!

If you’re looking for a creative way to upcycle your unwanted books, you might like to turn to Miler Lagos’ art installation for inspiration. This Colombia-based artist has carefully stacked hundreds of books on top of each other in a circular pattern to create this amazing igloo architecture. The dome of books is able to fit a person standing or a small group of people sitting down.
Home was a sculptural installation by Colombian artist Miler Lagos. The piece was constructed at MagnanMetz Gallery in 2011 using carefully stacked books to create a compact dome that is entirely self-supporting.

The exhibit ran September 12 - October 15, 2011 

His Video: 

Miler Lagos, LAT 65.31 N Long 114.13W, 2011 from FLORAars+natura on Vimeo.

ah, you think?

New Gilded Age –> 

"The total wealth held by the world’s billionaires rose by 17 percent in 2016 to $6 trillion," writes Newsweek's Conor Gaffey, who notes that "the world’s richest people now control the highest concentration of wealth since the period known as the Gilded Age in the United States."

But everything isn't rosy with this group: according to Gaffey, "the uber-rich are concerned that growing inequality could lead to society turning against them." 

Meet the billionaires who run Trump's government  
In a 2016 report, Oxfam claimed that the richest 1 percent of people in the world control more wealth than the rest of the world combined. 

the lost art of reading

Javier Jaén Benavides - Book Review : The Lost Art of Reading / http://www.javierjaen.com

Escape with me! BOOM!

"Glowing Shapes" Tutting Dance｜XTRAP

Mudbound | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix

spooky sky and muons

A more immediate hazard comes from muons.  

These subatomic particles, created when high‑energy cosmic rays strike the upper atmosphere, constantly zip through our bodies and occasionally damage genetic material at the cellular level. They cause many of the spontaneous tumors that have been with us long before we started downing charred hot dogs.

Then there’s the remote possibility of a near‑enough supernova to zap our planet with lethal gamma rays. It’s a wonderfully weird catastrophe, worthy of these darkest nights. Orion’s famous star Betelgeuse is the nearest true peril. If it “goes supernova” the resulting radiation would increase earthly cancers and mutations. But at 400 lightyears, it’s too distant to wipe us out.

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you CAN judge a book by its cover

I'd get them just for the covers! BOOM!