Seaweed William Kilburn

Are You Wearing Seaweed?

Are you wearing seaweed? People have been for hundreds of years, in sizing, patterns and fibers, although they might not have known it.
America Under Communism

How Hollywood Thrived Through the Red Scare

A young Richard Nixon started asking studio executives why they didn't produce anti-Communist movies. The studios quickly responded with anti-Red films.
Banksy hotel room

Should Banksy be on the West Bank?

Who is Bansky better serving with his artwork in Gaza? Those living on the bank itself or his personal brand?
BLADE RUNNER 2049

Do We Have Moral Obligations to Robots?

The recent film Blade Runner 2049 engages with questions raised by Karel Čapek and Isaac Asimov: What do we owe our creations (and what do they owe us)?
1949 Little Women

The Grumpiness of Little Women

By focusing in on the characters’ emotions, a scholar discovers something more than good little women. She finds surprisingly angry ones.
Tiffany Illinois mosaic

What Can Tiffany’s Mosaics Teach us about Stereotypes?

Tiffany’s glass mosaics can teach us a lot about stereotypes and nineteenth-century ideologies, particularly in the Marquette Buildings mosaic friezes.
Casablanca poster

Casablanca at 75

On the 75th anniversary of the premier of Casablanca, let's revisit the art and politics of this venerable American classic.
Emma Amos Flying Circus

Emma Amos’s Family Romance

Postmodernist painter and printmaker Emma Amos makes artwork that references historical figures as well as her family legacy.
Scrabble game

Codifying What Counts as a Word in Scrabble

Alfred M. Butts first created a word game called Lexico (or Lexiko) for his family in 1931. His business partner renamed it Scrabble.
Concorde jet

The Rise and Fall of the Supersonic Concorde

Once a major advancement in aircraft technology, the Concorde jet was retired in 2003.