Michael Green, “r/Pizzagate I. An Evening W/ The Podestas.”
- “This is the first year that really felt like 1984… Information is vanishing. There is no resistance because nobody knows what is true or fake anymore.” Digital artist Michael Green has a new series of Maya 3D renderings based on #pizzagate, and wow. Creepy stuff that would be hilarious if the reality of just how crazy people are didn’t lead to armed assaults on pizzerias. [The Creator’s Project]
- Is this good news? Bad news? Baltimore’s new mayor Catherine Pugh has announced the creation of a “Safe Arts Space Task Force.” I personally know many of the members of this task force, so I’m optimistic, but troubled by Pugh’s remarks that safety is “non-negotiable.” What does this mean for artist-run and/or artist-owned spaces that can’t afford sprinkler systems or upgrades to operable windows on their own? Should we expect financial support from the city? Or even more scrutiny? This announcement comes on the wake of a national crisis, wherein artist-run spaces such as Denver’s Rhinoceropolis and Baltimore’s Bell Foundry have been shuttered by authorities following the deadly Ghost Ship fire in Oakland. [City Paper]
- Meanwhile in the other Bay Area, nearly 10,000 people signed a petition urging the cities of San Francisco and Oakland to place a moratorium on evictions of artists. The petition asks the city to grant artists more time to bring their spaces up to date and to waive permit fees for safety upgrades such as sprinkler systems. This is a great idea. But it would be fantastic if cities actually used a fraction of their discretionary budgets to help artist-run spaces become safer. [KRON4]
- ‘Tis the season for end-of-the-year “top 10” listicles… but WTF is up with The Hollywood Reporter‘s “The 9 Strangest ‘Stranger Things’ Things of 2016”? First of all, 9? Really? But mostly this is just the most junk-posting clickbait piece I’ve seen in a while. Note: not a recommended reading piece, just commentary on the state of media. [The Hollywood Reporter]
- Speaking of the aforementioned genre of blog posts, Jonathan Jones has released his roundup of top exhibitions. They’re mostly what you’d expect: Giorgione at the Royal Academy of London! Caravaggio at the National Gallery of London! Picasso at MoMA! [The Guardian]
- Lots of problematic gender stereotypes in this article, but it also offers many valid points. The main argument is that [“typical”] women utilize cities differently than [“typical”] men do, and that designers need to consider this when planning for all inhabitants of an urban area. It’s a little shocking that the author exclusively cites contemporary studies without acknowledging Jane Jacobs, whose experiences as a housewife and resultant proto-feminist writings revolutionized urban theory. Most of the points researchers “discovered” draw an obvious, long-overdue parallel to her observations from the 1960s. [Fast Company]
- The top-nine most expensive cities for renters (NYC is second to just San Francisco in the ranking) are all in solidly blue states, with oddball Miami taking the #10 slot. But this study reveals there’s plenty of affordable housing in swing states. Frustrated Brooklyn artists: take note. We’ll thank you for moving to Toledo, Ohio (where 1 bedroom rents average $440) and voting 4 years from now. [Zumper]
- Awww, yet another instance of a Right-wing attempt at art criticism! This piece of journalism about Ann Carlson’s performance “Doggie Hamlet” contains nothing but out-of-context quotes from The New York Times and kvetching about how $30,000 of “their” tax dollars are going to support our wacky antics. Except, you know, red states are far more dependent on the tax income us lefty coastal folks generate than vice-versa. Wanna take away our arts funding? Fine. How about us kooky city folk stop subsidizing rural America’s not-farming programs? [Tammy Bruce]
