joydance wanderer

where I begin and I begin again

[grande-spirito]

Matthew Simmonds, an art historian and architectural stone carver based in Italy, has created a collection of exceptionally beautiful miniature spaces carved from stone. Having worked on a number of restoration projects in the UK – from Westminster Abbey to Ely Cathedral - his skills have been transferred into work of a much smaller, if not more intricate, scale. Hewn from large stone blocks (some of marble), the level of intricacy Simmonds has achieved in the architectural detailing is almost incredible. Capitals, vaults and surfaces all distort and reflect light in a very beguiling way.

[thewoodbetween]

‘Silent Night’ by Hester Cox (collagraph)

[magdaliny-deactivated20191030]

“It all matters. That someone turns out the lamp, picks up the windblown wrapper, says hello to the invalid, pays at the unattended lot, listens to the repeated tale, folds the abandoned laundry, plays the game fairly, tells the story honestly, acknowledges help, gives credit, says good night, resists temptation, wipes the counter, waits at the yellow, makes the bed, tips the maid, remembers the illness, congratulates the victor, accepts the consequences, takes a stand, steps up, offers a hand, goes first, goes last, chooses the small portion, teaches the child, tends to the dying, comforts the grieving, removes the splinter, wipes the tear, directs the lost, touches the lonely, is the whole thing. What is most beautiful is least acknowledged. What is worth dying for is barely noticed.”

— Laura McBride, We Are Called to Rise (via beeghosts)

[gnossienne]

Louise Glück, “October”

[cabinporn]

Oppdal, Norway

Submitted by Kim Öhman / @kimohmanvisuals 

I found this really nice cabin on my road trip to Norway this summer 

[pagewoman]

Sunrise at Tintern Abbey, Wye Valley, Monmouthshire, Wales

by Tim Ireland

[just--space]

Ancient photons js

[veganfoody]

Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

by Kathy Patalsky

[allegedlycharming]

climbing the metaphorical rocks

I turn 26 in a week and a lot has been going on in the past year.

a summary

- left old job because of Reasons and miss my students like crazy -- also known as holy God why do I love these teenagers so damn much

- new job, not as thrilling as I had hoped but solid for learning new skills and leveling up as an adult

- new apartment that was built in like the early 70s but it’s mine so I don’t care

- job interview with a nonprofit in nyc ( waiting on that )

- very cool mentor walked into life and that has been amazing and valuable and more later

- uh in love? yes? we will call him Captain America and long distance is rough and it’s one of those why did I pick someone in this particular situation to fall in love with but he is worth it so yes.

WHAT THIS ALL MEANS is that I am doing a lot, and something I have discovered that has been a wonderful source of stress relief is INDOOR ROCK CLIMBING. There is this fucking excellent rock wall in the rec at the university I work at, so now I go a few times a week. And let me tell you, it is my new favorite way to blow off some steam and work out. It’s an intensely personal, introspective sport because you are climbing against yourself, and against your skill level, and you have nowhere to go but up.

And fuck man the muscles you use to literally cling to the side of a wall 50 feet up in the air are kind of great, and you suddenly realize what a fucking great thing the human body is and HOW MUCH YOU CAN DO. Plus there is something incredibly cathartic about overcoming literal obstacles and plays into the other stuff in your life you are struggling to deal with. I can’t think when I climb, I can only be present because you are fucking holding onto a wall and figuring out where to put your feet and grab things. That is pretty new for me, so that has been a fucking adventure.

Then there is a moment when you hit a point in the climb and you can either give up or keep going and the mental choice to just fucking do it is exhilarating.

Every time I climb the next day I am sore all over and I am fucking up my hands with the callouses and chalk, but I feel strong in a way I have never felt I was before -- or I was allowed to be before. I own my body in a really awesome way and I feel good about how I am spending my time to do more, to push myself past my level of comfort, to keep going.

tl;dr BRB CLIMBING LITERAL AND METAPHORICAL ROCKS ALL DAY ERRYDAY

[newyorker]

“Jane the Virgin” Is Not a Guilty Pleasure

A few weeks ago, the CW aired a perfect episode of “Jane the Virgin,” directed by its star Gina Rodriguez. It had five plots, ranging from poignant to zany. Each scene was tinted in pastels, like a plate of macarons. There were two gorgeous dresses and three hot consummations, plus a cliffhanger, several heart-to-hearts, and Brooke Shields getting attacked by a wolf on live TV. As usual, the world took all this perfection for granted.

“Jane the Virgin” is like a joyful manifesto against that very putdown, a bright-pink filibuster exposing the layers in what the world regards as shallow. 

Read more. 

[medievalpoc]

Why museum professionals need to talk about Black Panther

It is uncomfortable for many institutions to even broach the subject of the museum’s complicated relationship with audiences of color, but Black Panther has created an impeccable opportunity for institutions to begin a dialogue with their community.

The scene takes no more than five minutes of the movie, and the tension between colonial history and race only escalates from that point on. However, we as museum professionals need to talk about the inclusion of this scene, especially regarding its function in a film that was cut from nearly four hours long in its first iteration to a solid two, a film that so many young people will see and one that is poised to become a cultural touchstone. The museum is presented as an illegal mechanism of colonialism, and along with that, a space which does not even welcome those whose culture it displays.

And is there anything incorrect about that?

It is worth considering the aspects of the scene that are realities in the modern museum. African artifacts such as those shown in the film’s museum are likely taken from a home country under suspicious circumstances, such as notable artifacts in real-life Britain like the Benin bronzes which now reside at the British Museum. It is often the case that individuals will know their own culture as well as or better than a curator, but are not considered valuable contributors because they lack a degree. People of color are less represented in museum spaces, and often experience undue discrimination while entering gallery spaces. Finally, museums are experiencing an influx of white women filling staff roles, leading to homogenized viewpoints, and lack senior staff with diverse backgrounds. With these truths represented in such a short but poignant scene, the tension between audiences and institutions is played out to the extreme.

Read More

[allegedlycharming]

let kids choose what they read + representation

I just started volunteering at a local charter school doing a creative writing workshop, mostly because I miss teaching since I started the New Job that has become a crash course in managing upwards and networking like a bamf.

Anyway, because the workshop is new only one girl showed up today, and she is 15 and really loves to read. I brought a few books with me to talk her through the idea that she can write whatever the hell she wants and it will never be wrong. I made sure most of the books I showed her were by women or writers of color. We talked about having permission to write like nobody is reading. We did some freewrites and shared out what we wrote to warm up. 

When it was time to go, she asked if she could borrow my copy of Brown Girl Dreaming (which I had on the table), and she would bring her copy of White Rage for me next week.

tl;dr: let kids read whatever they want, normalize bringing authors of color into educational spaces, and never forget that teenagers are fucking amazing and will surprise you with their insight and focus

[chrisriddellblog]

Ursula K. Le Guin.

[weneeddiversebooks]

Kwame Alexander to Start His Own Imprint. The Name? Versify. Get it?

The author of “The Crossover” is looking for risky, unconventional children’s books.

“With his pivot to publishing, Mr. Alexander is joining a small but influential group of children’s book authors who have launched their own imprints and are helping to reshape children’s literature.”

[veganfoody]

Chocolate Coconut Yogurt Breakfast Bowl

[allthingseurope]

Sainte-Enimie, France (by Liliane Paingaud)

[just--space]

The Milky Way over Nugget Point Lighthouse, New Zealand.

js