Alex Ross has written a Wagnerian book about the impact of Richard Wagner on the culture and politics of his times, leading right up to our own. "Wagnerism". the term which serves as the title of the book, was used early on in English by George Eliot, one of the many writers who fell under Wagner's spell. It is used to define Wagner’s methods: his scope which spreads out to the edges of the Universe and beyond, his use of myths, and his tones which are often highly erotic and then some.

Set in 1961 “Hidden Figures”, centers around the true and factual story of three brilliant African-American female mathematicians who worked at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, during America’s odious Jim Crow Law era – from 1887 to 1964. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 finally nullified the repellent second-class distinction Jim Crow law, by recognizing that all citizens of America are to be accorded full and equal protection under the law authorized by the US Constitution.

The art of Blane De St. Croix comes at the viewer via a multivalent attack on the staggering challenges posed by irreparable climate change. The diversity of this artist’s media and its ecological content — driven by a political mandate — evokes the tradition of Social Sculpture by the postwar German artist Joseph Beuys. The MoCA project How to Move a Landscape draws on dramatically different approaches to convey the rapid erosion and melting of permafrost in the Arctic.

“I showed this fabric at an early stage of its existence to a professional in my industry. When he said, ‘you will never sell a yard of it,’ I knew I had a WINNER!” Textile designer Philippe David is referring to his bestselling creation – ever: “Bal d'Eté" (Summer Prom), a colorful and joyful silk fabric manufactured in India, the land of textile wonders.

When the 1997 movie “G.I. Jane” was released women in Israel were already hardened combat veterans. In the US. Military, however, women trying to integrate the male dominated ranks of combat soldiers were met with severe resistance from the heads of the armed forces. “Women will become a distraction and a liability in combat. Combat requires physical strength as well as stamina to handle the rigors of war and combat”.

George Crossan Seybolt (1915-1993) was president and chairman of the William Underwood Company, best known for its canned Deviled Ham. He was recruited to the board of trustees by the director, Perry T. Rathbone. When be became president of the board there was constant conflict. Seybolt mico managed the museum and ousted Rathbone over the Raphael incident. His personal appointment for director, Merrill Rueppel, proved to be a disaster. He was fired after a Globe exposé. Seybolt went on to be a museum lobbyist and visionary. It's what we discussed in 1977.

The doorbell rang. I was in bed. It was about 9pm and I was a little hung-over from the birthday party I’d hosted the night before. Who could it be? Wearing nothing but a t-shirt and underwear, I opened the door just enough to see who it was. OMG. It was Iris Love, dressed in her full Scottish clan regalia of plaid tartan kilt, white shirt, knee socks, and jacket with kilt pins and clan badges.

When Miroslav Antic moved from Boston to Florida, initially he continued to teach as he had for the Museum School. As sales picked up he was able to live modestly including buying a couple of houses. The kids are grown and he lives alone with all his time in the studio. There have been no sales this past year but he is replenishing inventory, It was great to catch up during a recent call to West Palm Beach. He sent along an image of a recent knockout painting of "Roy Rogers and Trigger." It brought back boyhood memories.

Dame Diana Rigg was a renowned English performer who played roles such as Emma Peel in The Avengers and Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones. Rigg was a stage and screen star. The Tony Award-winner last appeared as Mrs. Higgins in a 2018 Broadway revival of My Fair Lady. Rigg also portrayed James Bond's wife in the 1969 film On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

The Gifts You Gave to the Dark focuses on how we react to death and the power of story during dark times. The play is streaming on the Irish Repertory Theatre's YouTube channel through Oct. 31. A trio of actors offers superb performances.

Classical ballet as performed by England’s Royal Ballet Company in this new film version by filmmakers Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, feature two new sublime, glittering, and accomplished principal dancers.

Justice of the Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who died this week while still sitting on the bench, was a hero to American women. She believed above all that women could bring about a better world. She loved Beethoven’s "Fidelio," the story of Leonore, who disguises herself as a man to rescue her husband from prison. She related to the opera's story as a woman and a feminist.

HBO’s just released film “Coastal Elites”, navigates the COVID-19 experience in a comedic and satirical way (for a deadly subject matter) with five vignette monologues, by five actors; each breathing life into playwright Paul Rudnick’s spot-on slices of pandemic life during this unprecedented experience, and all deftly directed by Jay Roach.

Leave it to Woodie King, Jr. mastermind of the now fifty years young New Federal Theatre, to get our new streamed delivery form better than anyone else (Irish Repertory Theater excepted). For two evenings, starting on September 21 and then on September 28, the NFT is presenting Poetry Jams. The first one, hosted by Rev. Rhonda Akanke' McLean-Nur is a marvel of commonplace images elevated to song. The Reverend at first sees herself as strong black women in history. She admits that neither she nor the Queen of the Nile bear much resemblance to Elizabeth Taylor.for starters.

The retrospective "Philip Guston Now" was scheduled to open in June 2001 at the National Gallery. It would travel to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, then to Tate Modern in London, and finally, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Of 125 paintings and 75 drawings some 24 works caricature the Ku Klux Klan. Fearing backlash the museums have postponed to 2024 to develop programming that contextualizes the work. The MFA has a history of ambivalence to the artist's work. From 1973 to 1978 he taught a graduate seminar at Boston University.

“Necessary Sacrifices” deals with the relationship between US President Abraham Lincoln and the acclaimed abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Douglass was an escaped slave who became a prominent activist, author, public speaker and a leader in the abolitionist movement during the Civil War.

Eleanor, which was filmed earlier this month without an audience at BSC’s Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, will be available to stream on October 3 & 4 at 7:30 pm ET. Tickets ($15) can be ordered from OvationTix and a link will then be sent to the ticket holder within 24 hours of the scheduled performance.

Suzette Martin's project of 200 'prayer flags' has been installed at the River Street Park in North Adams, MA, behind MASS MoCA. They have been fastened along a fence at 6' apart. A proto-project, also titled 'Airborne Transmission' of then 19 flags can still be seen on the grounds of the Eclipse Mill in North Adams. These 'flags' have been there since August. The new installation is impressive and will have a much larger impact, by reminding us that the entire Nation is still reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic, now with more than 200,000 deaths in the USA. Please read below.

The skinny is that former FBI director, James Comey, adhered so closely to his moral convictions that he impacted Hillary Clinton losing the election. She won the popular vote but lost the Electoral Collage by a razor thin margin. A last minute decision to reopen investigation of her e-mails, later rescinded, made the crucial difference. One would think that President Trump would owe one to Comey. See this compelling Showtime drama with Jeff Daniels and Brendan Gleesen to see how things fell apart. Trump insisted that Comey behave as His FBI Director.

In 1842, Edgar Allan Poe published one of his most famous stories, which turns out to be a parable for 2020. The Masque of the Red Death concerns a prince who gathers his wealthy friends within the walls of his castle when the Red Death rampages through the countryside, killing everyone who is exposed to it.

Thinking Cap Theatre's leaders were determined all along to present Laced at the end of October. The political play's timeliness is hard to deny. The Ft. Lauderdale theater company is also presenting short plays to commemorate the suffrage centennial.

Alan Watts once said that trying to define who you are is like trying to bite your own teeth; one of my Zen Buddhist masters used to say it was like trying to see your own eyeballs.

I am the President and CEO of Ikavina Wine and Spirits, LLC and the brand-owner of “Wanna Be” Wines; the meaning has a lot more, just remember that Yahoo and Google made no sense at first. I am essentially the rebel of Black people in the wine industry, and I am one of few African Americans involved in importing and distribution.

After 22 years as a curator of the deCodova Museum, Dr. Nick Capasso, for the past 8 years has been director of the Fitchburg Art Museum. It is one of the poorest regions of the state. The community is 35% Latino and 55% of school children speak Spanish at home. The museum is unique for its bilingual initiatives and community outreach. There is diversity in all aspects of its exhibitions and programming. The museum shows New England artists. The collection has grown with an emphasis on photography, African, African American, and American art. Meeting daunting challenges the Fitchburg Art Museum is a remarkable success story.

Familiar Trees is a new gallery at 411 North Street, Pittsfield. There wiil be a reception for Franklin Einspruch on Saturday, October 17, 2020, 1-4 PM. The exhibition Half Step Half Fall runs through November 21. His Cloud on a Mountain is a book of comics poetry conceived during artist residencies in 2015 and 2018 at Bascom Lodge, at the summit of Mount Greylock in Berkshire County. Familiar Trees specialized in high-quality used books with an emphasis on art, poetry, and literature.