Art And Entertainment

‘This is the time for more art, not less.’

12 hours ago

“I’m at Harvard now, and they’re, uh, they’re closing the campus, telling the kids not to come back after spring break.”

Four months ago, as the country realized its leaders had blown it with the global COVID-19 pandemic, I had director and screenwriter Kelly Reichardton the line to talk about “First Cow,” her wonderful film set in the wilds of an early 19th Century Columbia River settlement, in what is now Oregon.

It’s about two outsiders: one an Anglo cook, the other, an entrepreneural Chinese immigrant, and their unexpected success selling homemade “oily cakes.” The secret ingredient in those cakes, and the cow responsible for it, holds the key to this team’s future in a hostile new world. But secrets have a way of going public.

I love the film, as do many, and it was a particular bummer that Reichardt’s film, released by A24, opened in Chicago March 13,

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Which UK art galleries and museums are re-opening, and which shows can I see?

5 days ago
Which UK art galleries are re-opening july 4 best shows exhibitions 2020 - Tate
Which UK art galleries are re-opening july 4 best shows exhibitions 2020 – Tate

Britain’s art galleries and museums are preparing to re-open at last, after the government’s latest batch of guidelines set out the terms for their safe operation after July 4.

The first major institution to re-open in England will be the National Gallery in London, on July 8. The Barbican, Royal Academy and Tate galleries will follow before the end of July.

Smaller commercial galleries have already re-opened in England, as they’re classed as “non-essential retail” and were thus able to welcome visitors (and customers) back, as other shops were, from June 15.

Scottish institutions remain closed, with the next review of guidelines due no earlier than July 9. Their Welsh counterparts will not open before August. Northern Irish galleries, however, can re-open from July 3.

When will each of the major venues re-open, what will they

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How a South L.A. gallery is turning Black Lives Matter protest signs into art

7 days ago
Brenda Thompson, Peggy Sivert and Tatum Hawkins of SoLA Contemporary stand amid an installation of protest signs. <span class="copyright">(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)</span>
Brenda Thompson, Peggy Sivert and Tatum Hawkins of SoLA Contemporary stand amid an installation of protest signs. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Black Lives Matter protests continue around the country, making familiar the myriad signs that people hold up: “Justice for George Floyd.” “No Justice, No Peace.” “8:46,” the last a reference to the amount of time a police officer held a knee to Floyd’s neck in Minneapolis.

Peggy Sivert and Tatum Hawkins, who run SoLA Contemporary, see art in these simple, yet direct, missives. So they have gathered dozens of protest signs and installed them in their storefront gallery space in a way that feels as if you have stumbled into a demonstration that’s been frozen in space and in time.

Suspended from the ceiling are bright pieces of poster board and scraps of cardboard emblazoned with slogans such as “Defund the Police,” “All Black Lives Matter”

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The Charlotte Art League wants to be more inclusive. Its new director will lead the way.

1 week ago

On June 1, Jim Dukes became the second executive director of Charlotte Art League. His goal: to make CAL into one of the most diverse and engaged creative studio spaces in Charlotte.

“(We want) Charlotte Art League (to) present and position itself as an inclusive community-oriented innovative arts incubator,” said Dukes, 49. CAL is a nonprofit visual arts organization that offers a mix of working studios, classes and community outreach programs, as well as a public gallery.

Dukes worked in Iraq for five years as a bomb technician for a defense contractor. He suffers from PTSD and partial hearing and eye-sight loss after two blast injuries.

He discovered his love of photography after seeing how veterans used art to heal.

Jim Dukes
Jim Dukes

He joined CAL in November, became the community manager, and then was hired as executive director in March. Dukes and part-time staff members Kate McAlister (assistant director) and

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