Dawn without Memory: ISIS in Palmyra
Last May, the Islamic State took the ancient city of Palmyra. Why should we care that it is being destroyed? ISIS doesn’t have a good track record with UNESCO World …
Quote for Today: Sarah Kay
I love hands like I love people. They are the maps and compasses with which we navigate our way through life: feeling our way over mountains passed and valleys crossed, …
Quote for Today: S.J. Watson
We’re constantly changing facts, rewriting history to make things easier, to make them fit in with our preferred version of events. We do it automatically. We invent memories. Without thinking. …
Quote for Today: Milan Kundera
When Don Quixote went out into the world, that world turned into a mystery before his eyes. That is the legacy of the first European novel to the entire subsequent …
From Weapons to Stories: Repurposing the Park Avenue Armory
Can historic military landmarks find new purpose? Once crumbling, the Park Avenue Armory has reinvented itself by embracing the arts. The Seventh Regiment, or Park Avenue, Armory in New York City is impressive from …
Quote for Today: Kate Elliott
The history of the world begins with a seed. The seed is the kernel of what you are, but it is also the promise of what you can become. ―Kate …
Dolls from Around the World, part one: Dancing Figures
Ethnic dolls have much to do with memory and the interpretation of the past. They codify values, dress, gender roles, and appropriate occupations for the culture they represent– or at …
Changing with the Times: Philosophy and Architecture of Oxford’s Bodleian Library
Libraries do more than house books. How do they reflect the culture of those who build, maintain and enjoy them? One of the oldest libraries in Europe, the Bodleian consists …
When the Spirit Moves: Creativity and Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream Speech
Fifty years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and uttered words that continue to reverberate in the American consciousness and beyond. That …
Time to Play With Your Food: The Art of Bento
What happens where creativity, status, and practicality meet? In this case, lunch! Bento encourages you to play with your food. Bento is a homemade or takeout meal common in Japan. Traditionally packed …