Stephen Russell at the University of Alabama at Birmingham developed the course “Prescribing Art: How Observation Enhances Medicine” to teach students to slow down and observe without worrying about the pressures of the examination room (it turns out that Mary Cassatt was excellent at capturing the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis), but also to spot students’ own biases and teach them (as Russell puts it) “the tolerance of ambiguity.” – Artnet
Category: visual
The Met Breuer: What It Achieved And Why It Mattered
“For decades, the Met’s programming has been associated with a kind of elegant classicism. The Breuer, it seemed, would allow the museum to strike a new balance between grandeur and something more outré. … But the Met didn’t follow the Whitney’s lead in that respect — most exhibitions were dark and relatively traditional in their presentation. … [But] since the opening of the Met Breuer, the Met has reoriented its modern and contemporary strategy with far better results.” – ARTnews
We Need A New Model To Fund Museums
What is increasingly clear is the necessity for new hybrid models in arts funding, based on broadening the donor base, more imaginative financial planning, and development strategies for the long-term survival of the arts institutions. – Apollo
People Either Adore Or Despise The Rothko Chapel — Could Its Restoration Change The Haters’ Minds?
“The space, which features fourteen dark paintings by Rothko, is famous for being dim and moody. It’s a sensory deprivation chamber that also functions as a theological deprivation chamber.” For its “devotees,” it’s “a space that seems sacred for a post-religious world” and can induce truly spiritual experiences. Others, well, disagree: one artist called it “a place where art and life and imagination go to die” and one critic who loved Rothko’s work called it “at worst a well-designed crematorium.” But the artist committed suicide well before construction in Houston was complete, and it has never looked as he imagined it — until now, say those who’ve just spent $30 million fixing the place. – Texas Monthly
Museums And Art Galleries In England Can Open On July 4, But Most Of Them Won’t
The National Gallery and Royal Academy will accept visitors the following week, but the Tate won’t open its four locations until July 27; others are waiting until August or September, and many won’t yet commit to a specific date at all. Most venues are limiting admissions numbers and require booking tickets in advance; masks are “recommended.” – BBC
Rupert Murdoch Negotiating To Buy Stake In Art Basel
The event organizer has been badly affected by lockdowns and bans on public gatherings in recent months as governments have tried to restrict the spread of the coronavirus. The MCH group decided to completely cancel its flagship Art Basel show, which was originally scheduled to take place in June, amid worries about health risks and global travel restrictions. – Bloomberg
Defenders Of That (Iffy) Theodore Roosevelt Statue Descend On American Museum Of Natural History
The Federalist organized the 150-person protest at the statue. “Speakers supporting the statue used the protest to rail against a broad range of issues including abortion and religion. One woman called for the removal of ‘the feminists and the homosexuals’ from the City Council.” – The New York Times
How We Started Thinking Of Pandemics As Waves
It started as math, transitioned to both epidemiology and morality, and now holds sway among the public as well. But the idea of a “wave” wasn’t inevitable. – Boston Review
Six Arrests In Theft Of Banksy Memorial At Bataclan
Six people were arrested in France, with two accused of organized theft and four of concealing the theft. “The artwork, part of a series made by Banksy during a visit to Paris in 2018, was stolen from the Bataclan in January 2019. Video footage showed the hooded thieves cutting through the fire door. Detectives announced earlier this month they had found the work in an abandoned farmhouse in the Abruzzo region east of Rome.” – The Guardian (UK)
This Is Not A Museum, Australia
A new “museum” in Sydney is intended to be built on a flood plain, with no clarity about permanent collections, no storage on site, and so much more that’s even worse. “The new Powerhouse in Parramatta is set to be an embarrassing example of worst practice by international museum standards. Ironically the current Powerhouse would not loan valuable pieces from their collection to any institution so poorly equipped.” – Sydney Morning Herald