Long before tourists came to Dijon in search of mustard (“Dijon” mustard actually comes from Canada, but never mind), pilgrims were heading to the area temple to buy mass-produced icons of a goddess and to worship at the nearby source of the Seine. – The New York Times
Category: visual
The New Museum That’s Expressly Designed For Selfies
People love museum selfies, and here’s the logical conclusion of that love: A museum designed expressly for uploading cute artsy self-portraits to Instagram. The museum in Vienna “joins a number of establishments across the world targeting heavy users of social media.” – BBC
Yemen’s Ancient Cultural Treasures Are Being Damaged In Its Civil War
As a result of Yemen’s complex civil war – now in its fifth year – many of the country’s wonders have been damaged or are under threat. While the destruction pales in comparison to the human cost of the conflict, the country’s rich cultural heritage has also been ravaged. – The Guardian
The Louvre Is Moving Around Its Collections And Rehanging Art
The Pyramid entrance was revamped in 2014-16, and a total rehang of the collections is under way, including rewriting labels for the 38,000 works exhibited in the galleries. – The Art Newspaper
Art Classes Instead Of Court Dates For Misdemeanor Offenders In Brooklyn
“People arrested on low-level misdemeanors in Brooklyn will now have the option to complete a one-day arts course at the Brooklyn Museum instead of ever having to appear in court, thanks to a newly expanded diversion program [called Project Reset] offered by the Brooklyn District Attorney.” – Brooklyn Eagle
Uffizi Director Backs Out Of New Job In Vienna, And Austrians Are Furious
Just a couple of months ago, it looked like the foreign administrators brought in to reform Italy’s museums would all be chased out of the country by the populist government. Then that government fell, and the new one reappointed the culture minister who had hired the foreign experts in the first place. So Eike Schmidt decided he wanted to stay in Florence and continue his work at the Uffizi Gallery. But the fact that he’d already accepted an offer to direct Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum has made things a bit awkward. – The New York Times
Ancient Romans Used Infographics
A new book by classicist and historian Andrew M. Riggsby investigates the types of information technologies (IT) drawn, painted, and inscribed on the surfaces of the ancient Roman world and explores how they shaped the daily life of Romans. As Riggsby demonstrates, effective graphic design has been a tricky but important ability for thousands of years. – Hyperallergic
MoMA, Modernism, And Times Long Gone By
Jerry Saltz: “Much of modernism and its concerns now feel long ago, forged in a time of rapid industrial change when white European males assumed they ruled the world. The demands of our times call for something else.” – New York Magazine
New York’s Rubin Museum Announces ‘Restructuring’ For ‘Long-Term Sustainability’
At the city’s major museum for Tibetan and Himalayan art, “staff will be reduced by 25%, going down from 89 to 67 employees, across operational and curatorial departments. Starting in January 2020, the museum will be closed on Wednesdays as well as Tuesdays, and there will only be two special exhibitions per year, down from the five to six the museum currently hosts.” – The Art Newspaper
Museums’ Board Members Come Under More Scrutiny As Institutions Depend Ever More On Their Money
“If board members can be forced out because of what they do for a living, what does that mean for cultural institutions that depend on their generosity to survive? … Anyone who scans the financial records of major American museums, or talks to their leaders and donors, can gauge just how much is at stake.” A team of Times reporters looks at the boards of the ten most visited museums in the U.S. – The New York Times