NYU is home to over 400 clubs and organizations, including multicultural dance teams that are rich in tradition and culture, but not often highlighted. Spanning from East Asian and Desi-fusion styles to African traditions, NYU offers a variety of opportunities for students to grow as dancers, find community and raise […]
‘The Praise House’ Shares the Story of a Contemplative Installation on an Alabama Plantation
On the site of the former Scott’s Grove Baptist Church, artist Tony M. Bingham has constructed a monumental work of contemplation and reflection. Two wood-paneled walls stand parallel in the serene clearing with stained glass windows, a Sylacauga marble floor, and a steel cutout depicting members who once worshiped on […]
Buried for Nearly 2,000 Years, a Monumental Dionysian Fresco Sees the Light of Day in Pompeii
When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 C.E., the enormous explosion buried the city of Pompeii in an astonishing 19 meters of ash and debris. (A recent study concludes that in the neighboring town of Herculaneum, the blast was so intense that it vitrified a young man’s brain.) Since excavations of […]
Watch the Brilliant Ballet that Brought Dance to the Bauhaus Movement
Given the emphasis on functionality and design for industrial production, the Bauhaus movement is rarely associated with disciplines like dance. But for Oskar Schlemmer (1888-1943), translating its principles into movement and performance was as compelling as a well-conceived chair or building. In the last century, the Bauhaus has indelibly shaped […]
Wearing my food on my sleeve
I like to joke that The New York Times is my favorite brand of clothing. It isn’t really a joke, though — I’ve been proudly repping merch from the Cooking section of the Times for the last three years. But my collection of about two dozen pieces of food-themed clothing […]
The forgotten history of NYC’s Black cowboys
The dominant image of the cowboy has always been that of a white man dashingly traversing the American West. However, the cowboy has strong ties to the African American community, and nearly a quarter of cowboys in the 19th century were Black. The New York City Federation of Black Cowboys, […]
In ‘Flying High,’ Tyler D. Ballon’s Portraits Parallel Sports, History, Identity, and Patriotism
In Édouard Manet’s painting “The Execution of Emperor Maximilian” — actually a series of works completed between 1867 and 1869 — a firing squad dramatically executes the Hapsburg royal and two generals. Maximilian became Emperor of Mexico at the urging of Napoleon III, following the second French intervention in the […]
Wayne Thiebaud’s Passion for Art History Shines in ‘Art Comes from Art’
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Wayne Thiebaud (1920-2021) knew how to appropriate most ardently. The renowned artist once said, “It’s hard for me to think of artists who weren’t influential on me because I’m such a blatant thief.” Next month, a major retrospective highlights Thiebaud’s six-decade career, […]
A New Documentary Traces How a Faith Ringgold Mural at Rikers Island Helped Women Break Free
In 1971, Faith Ringgold (1930-2024) received her first public art commission. New York City offered the late artist a $3,000 grant to paint a mural at the Women’s House of Detention on Rikers Island. After going inside and speaking with those incarcerated in the notorious prison, Ringgold decided to base the […]
Deep in the Amazon Rainforest, ‘I Am the Nature’ Celebrates Indigenous Cultural Philosophy
Directed by Taliesin Black-Brown and narrated by Ramiro Vargas Chumpí Washikiat, “I Am the Nature” poetically plumbs the human interconnection with nature through the eyes of the Indigenous Achuar people. The short documentary honors the philosophy of a culture whose ancestral lands extend across the modern borders of Ecuador and […]