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A Trove of Portraiture Once Hidden Away in Oxford’s Library Goes Online

The Bodleian Library acts as something of the University of Oxford's cerebral hub with over 11 million items, but what has been an inaccessible secret is its large holding of art. Now 300 of its paintings are now viewable on Your Paintings hosted by the BBC.

Eye Candy for Today: Lerolle’s Organ Rehearsal

The Organ Rehearsal, Henry Lerolle In the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Use Fullscreen link and zoom or download arrow.

Flogometer for Elizabeth: would you turn the first page?

Submissions invited: If you’d like a fresh look at your opening chapter or prologue, please email your submission to me re the directions at the bottom of this post. The Flogometer challenge: can you craft a first page that compels....

Sibyl Kempson, Kenny Goldsmith, Judith Malina, Ariana Reines & More Featured in CUNY Poetry in Theatre Program

Poetry and theater are necking in the coat closet again–if you’re in New York on June 3, check out the CUNY Graduate Center Segal Theatre’s latest extraordinary programming, “Poetry in Theatre: Early Frank O’Hara + Plays by Contemporary Poets, with Judith Malina,” which features Ariana Reines & Jim Fletcher, Kenneth Goldsmith, Bob Holman, Yusef Komunyakaa; [...]

Unprintable: The LitReactor Podcast Episode 12 - Transgressive Fiction: How Far is Too Far?

A Friday Roundup of Awesome

I have a Deep Post percolating in my brain that’s just not ready for y’all yet, so instead I’m passing you on to some of the other awesome I’ve come across this week. Justine Musk had a post this week … Continue reading ?

Poet Rhian Edwards to host spoken word event as residency draws to a close

It's an exciting time for Bridgend poet Rhian Edwards: her first child is due in three months, her first book of poems has been shortlisted for a Wales Book of the Year award and her second collection is coming along nicely.

The Pope is pop

The high point of the Pope’s visit will be the two days visiting Copacabana Beach, a place that every year sees two million revelers celebrating New Year.

Summer Fridays

Summer Fridays are in effect here, and I’m also traveling. For some quick-hit thoughts on the Hirshhorn/Bubble situation, please see my Twitter. Link at right.

World's largest Lego sculpture lands in New York; California's next

The world’s largest Lego model, an X-wing starfighter, has landed in Times Square with enough cockpit space for Luke Skywalker.

The Return of Organ Music in the World’s Oldest Photography Museum

Each morning and evening, as he ate, George Eastman would be serenaded by live pipe organ music played by a musician who came daily to the the photography innovator's home in Rochester, New York. Sometime after his death when the house became a museum, this system of thousands of pipes was irreparably damaged by a fire. Show More Summary

Painting as Journey, Not as Journey's End

Monet - 1864 As artists, we need to look deep into our souls to see what it is about painting that thrills us. Some of us yearn to create a work that is as finished as our craftsmanship will allow. If we love detail, we may delight in putting in every last leaf. Show More Summary

15 Decorative Element Photoshop Brushes

Hello creatives! Our featured freebie for the week is a cool set of decorative elements transformed into Photoshop brushes to help you out in your … Read more posts by Kerby Rosanes

Shady Character: 1937

February 1937. "Southern Illinois character. McLeansboro, Illinois." Photo by Russell Lee for the Resettlement Administration. View full size.

Lydia Davis Wins Man Booker Prize

Every poet’s favorite story writer, Lydia Davis, has won the Booker International Prize, reports the New York Times: Lydia Davis, the American writer known for her very short stories, has been awarded the Man Booker International Prize. The award, announced in London on Wednesday, is given every two years to a living author for “an [...]

‘Hunger Games’ Makeup? Now I’ve Seen it All!

CoverGirl has signed a sponsorship deal with Lionsgate to produce a new line of cosmetics called the ‘Capitol Collection’. News by Dean Fetzer Movie sponsorship or product tie-ins are nothing new, at least not in the last thirty-odd years (remember all the Star Wars toys? No?), but as a bloke, this one seems a bit on the odd side. Show More Summary

Famous Paintings: Nighthawks

Nighthawks, one of Edward Hopper's most famous paintings, has become one of the most recognized images in 20th century American art. But first some history about Edward Hopper (1882-1967) himself. Brought up in a town on the Hudson River, Hopper attended the New York Institute of Art and Design Edward Hopper. Show More Summary

Learning How Culture and Capital Intersect at the Ideas City Festival

The first weekend in May, the New Museum in New York hosted its second Ideas City Festival, a biennial event which debuted in 2011 to explore, as the museum explains, “the future of cities around the globe with the belief that arts and...Show More Summary

Dear Canon/Nikon/Panasonic Can I Use Custom Firmware With My Camera?

I was really interested to see how camera makers reps would respond to questions about installing custom firmware on their cameras. I approached Canon, Nikon & Panasonic customer service departments with a simple question: Dear Canon/Nikon/Panasonic, I...Show More Summary

How a Little-Known Mexican Film Mirrors the Labor Struggles of Today

LOUISVILLE — Music Unwound remains a provocative commentary on the history of music, politics, and performance—specifically the role of human capital in the creation and consumption of culture. Given this layered content, it seemed very contentious to present it here in Louisville.