It's The Simple Things

There’s a particular quiet that follows a big chapter. It ’s not silence exactly more like a hum beneath everything. After years of full calendars, constant communication, and creative urgency, the stillness feels unfamiliar. You think it will be restful, but sometimes it’s just… spacious. And space can feel both beautiful and strange. I’ve been sitting in that space lately after handing over leadership of CMA2, after years of shaping and tending a community that has meant s

So, what’s happened since my last blog post in 2021? Wow almost exactly four years ago! Much of our time has been devoted to our home in New Mexico. Between essential repairs and ongoing updates, it’s been a labor of love to keep the house in good condition. We’ve tackled landscaping, interior improvements, and as is always the case just as one project wraps up, a few more pop up! I’ve genuinely enjoyed all of it and continue to find joy in shaping this house into a warm and

by Claire Voon is a staff writer and reporter at Hyperallergic. Often unremarked or dismissed as state propaganda, Ukraine’s Soviet-era mosaics are also artworks in themselves that speak to a complex history. For three years, photographer Yevgen Nikiforov traveled across Ukraine with an ambitious mission: document as many surviving Soviet-era mosaics as possible. These monumental panels have, for decades, adorned the interiors and exteriors of buildings in nearly every town

Rediscovered in 1934 by Byzantine Institute , The Zoe Mosaic has a lot to tell us about Empress Zoe. Empress Zoe was the daughter of Constantine VIII who wanted her to marry to Argyros before he died. When she married to Argros, Zoe was 50 and still a virgin. After their marriage, Zoe fell in love with a young stable boy, Michael. They killed Argyros by drowning him in the bath. And Michael became Emperor. However, about 7 years later, Michael IV died and his nephew Michae

YES, THE SISTINE CHAPEL AND THE SACRÉ COEUR are impressive pieces of architecture, but, like most Catholic churches , their exterior tend to be sober and austere, lacking the color and the tiny bit of fun that could make walking in a little more tempting. Eastern Orthodox churches don’t have that problem — they tend to be brightly painted, and the “onion domes” that top them make them look straight out of Candy Landy. The most iconic Russian Orthodox church is St. Basil’s Cat

Detail of “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” Austrian artist Gustav Klimt is one of the most celebrated Symbolist artists. During his successful career, he cultivated a portfolio comprising academic paintings, life drawings, and even decorative art objects. Still, he is most well-known for the collection of glistening, gilded works he produced during his Golden Phase . This luminous period lasted about a decade, yet it has come to characterize Klimt's style and has resulted i