Herman by Trade reads just like a storyboard for a film — perfectly fitting for a tale of a humble street cleaner caught up in the frustrating process of open auditions for a movie.
Elena Goukassian
Elena Goukassian is an arts writer based in Brooklyn. Originally from Bulgaria, she grew up in Washington state and lived in Washington, DC before moving to New York in 2017. Her writing has also appeared in The Washington Post, DCist, Sculpture magazine, and Washington City Paper, among others.
Pink Posters Designed by Jeremy Deller Explain How Users Can Unfriend Facebook
“Click ‘Delete My Account.’ It’s below the warning message in the middle of the page. Clicking it invokes a pop-up window.”
How New York Women, from Village Bohemians to Suffragettes, Won the Right to Vote
In 1917, female New Yorkers were finally invited to the polling booths. An exhibition at the New-York Historical Society argues this victory was largely due to the local activism of the bohemians of Greenwich Village.
Designer Tiles Recreate the Façades of Soviet-Style Apartment Blocks
Lined up and stacked, these tiles in a restaurant bathroom make the wall look just like the façade of a Soviet-style panel building.
To Respect Isamu Noguchi’s Vision, Architects Revise Controversial Plaza Renovation Plan [UPDATED]
After an outcry by aficionados and community members, architects have submitted a new proposal to redesign the plaza that houses Noguchi’s “Red Cube” sculpture.
Kid Cartoonist Pushes Scholastic Art Contest to Reconsider Its Copyright Policy
Sasha Matthews, 13, didn’t want to sign away the rights to her drawings. Instead, she critiqued the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards in a cartoon and on Twitter.
Designing Products from Dung, Dust, and Other Strange and Sustainable Materials
By far the most compelling chapter, likely because the category teeters between human and natural waste, is “Shit, Hair, Dust.” (The shock factor doesn’t hurt, either.)
Jacob Lawrence Painting Missing for Half a Century Goes to Auction
A historical scene from the Chesapeake-Leopard affair (the 1807 incident that led to the War of 1812), the painting is headed for auction on April 5.
Deaf Cat from Hermitage Museum Named Russia’s Official World Cup Oracle
Achilles the cat was chosen for the task due to his previous successes, correctly identifying winners in last year’s FIFA Confederations Cup.
A 3D Printed House with Humanitarian Ambitions and a $10,000 Price Tag
Austin-based startup ICON revealed an extremely ambitious plan to build a community of 3D-printed houses in El Salvador. (And, hopefully later, in space.)
Inside the Comics Collection of the World’s Largest Medical Library
In 2016, the National Library of Medicine started collecting “graphic medicine” — materials that use comics to teach the public about illness and health.
How a 13-Year-Old Cartoonist Responded to the Parkland School Shooting
Sasha Matthews, who joined today’s school walkout to protest gun violence, drew a bleak cartoon after last month’s shooting.