Maya Lin’s Ghost Forest is on view at Madison Square Park through November 14, 2021. (Maya Lin Studio) View of Maya Lin’s Ghost Forest installation (Andy Romer) View of Maya Lin’s Ghost Forest installation (Andy Romer) SmartNews Keeping you current Artist Maya Lin hopes to call attention to one of the dire effects of climate […]
Editor’s Note, November 17, 2020: German authorities have arrested three suspects linked to the November 25, 2019, Dresden “Green Vault” heist. At least one of the individuals detained was also involved in the 2017 theft of one of the world’s largest coins. Both burglaries were likely the work of an organized crime syndicate based in […]
Editor’s Note, September 21, 2020:Last year, Maurizio Cattelan’s controversial Comedian—an artwork consisting of a banana taped to a wall—fetched as much as $150,000 at Art Basel Miami Beach. Now, the irreverent installation is headed to a new home: the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. “We are grateful recipients of the gift of […]
Editor’s Note, June 4, 2020:In February, the House of Representatives passed legislation declaring lynching a federal crime. The measure appeared poised to pass through the Senate uncontested—then, reports Zach C. Cohen for the National Journal, Republican Sen. Rand Paul placed a hold on the bill. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to conflate someone […]
Editor’s Note, April 30, 2020: Joy Harjo, the first Native American writer to hold the title of United States poet laureate, has been reappointed for a second term, the Library of Congress announced Thursday. “Joy Harjo is such an inspiring and engaging poet laureate,” says Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden in a statement. “I’m thrilled […]
In early September 1941, a young American woman arrived in Vichy France on a clandestine and perilous mission. She had been tasked with organizing local resistance networks against France’s German occupiers and communicating intelligence to the Special Operations Executive (SOE), the fledgling British secret service that had recruited her. In reality, however, Virginia Hall’s supervisors […]
Editor’s Note, January 30, 2020: A fire at the Museum of Chinese in America’s archives may have caused less damage than initially feared, reports Sophia Chang for Gothamist. Per MOCA President Nancy Yao Maasbach, roughly 200 boxes recovered from the Chinatown building that houses the museum’s archives appear to be “very much salvageable.” Twenty-five of […]
Editor’s Note, January 21, 2020: Experts have authenticated a portrait found hidden inside the walls of the Ricci Oddi Modern Art Gallery as Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of a Lady, which was stolen from the Italian museum in 1997. A gardener clearing ivy from an Italian museum’s walls recently uncovered a metal panel. When he pulled […]
SmartNews Keeping you current The thief (or thieves) likely used heavy machinery to commit the crime “It’s unfortunate when we lose a treasure such as the Wizard Rock,” says district ranger Sarah Clawson. “These boulders belong to the public, and should be enjoyed by locals and visitors for years to come” (Courtesy of Prescott National […]
SmartNews Keeping you current NASA didn’t have two properly fitting and space-ready suits for both women For the first time, two female astronauts will conduct routine tests outside the International Space Station later this month while a team of women at NASA direct the work from the ground. Left: Christina Hammock Koch; Right: Anne McClain […]
SmartNews Keeping you current The decision brings an end to a 27-year-old conflict and paves the way for the Republic of North Macedonia to join the NATO alliance Macedonia’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, left, speaks with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras prior to meeting on the sidelines of EU and Western Balkan heads of state […]
Editor’s Note, November 19, 2018: With Thanksgiving approaching, we are resurfacing this October 2018 story about a holiday favorite. This Thanksgiving, some 20 million Americans will tuck into green bean casserole, a culinary classic consisting of just six ingredients: a can of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, green beans and […]
SmartNews Keeping you current Heraldo bequeathed her home to the Louis Armstrong House Museum, which plans to renovate the property with the help of a sizable city grant People crowding in front of Selma’s House on the opening day of the Louis Armstrong House Museum in 2003. (Courtesy of the Louis Armstrong House Museum) smithsonian.com […]
Update, July 24, 2018: Travel + Leisure reports that Cerro Gordo, the California ghost town put up for sale earlier this summer, has new owners, Brent Underwood, who owns a backpacker hostel in Austin, Texas, and his business partner, Jon Bier. The investors say they plan to refurbish the 22 buildings left standing with 21st-century accommodations like Wi-Fi, […]