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2022-07-08
Box Office: How ‘Minions 2’ Brings The Covid Era To An Optimistic Close
This is a news story from Forbes by Scott Mendelson. This is an article that discusses the moviegoing habits of people pre and post-COVID. The article mentions that Minions: The Rise of Gru and Top Gun: Maverick were meant to come out in 2020, but they were delayed because of COVID. Due to the high amounts of attendance to both films, the author is speculating that audience members that may have forgone streaming new movies are coming back to theaters. The box office gross for both films has broken records. Given my own experience of going to the movies recently since COVID began, I noticed that even though I did see signs about masks, it was never enforced, and restrictions were pretty much non-existent. I delayed going to the theaters in-person partly due to not finding many new releases interesting enough, in addition to not wanting to deal with masks while watching. I think that less restrictions make the experience more appealing now than during COVID, as movie tickets have been getting more expensive over the years. In can be hard to justify the steep prices with the restrictions in place that could make it less comfortable. My own experience that I had made it feel like it was the pre-COVID era, and that made it something I enjoyed. I think that given the snacks people eat at theaters, it would have been cumbersome to have to take the mask off and put it on again with eating. If I had to do that, I probably would not have wanted to get any snacks with those restrictions in place, and theaters generally make more revenue from refreshments than they do showing the movie itself. I think that the author is right that the high gross of both films mean that the "summer movie" is returning to what it once was, with audiences that may have been lost during COVID coming back. -
2021-07-20
Art Handlers, Contract Workers at Galleries Faced Steepest Losses During Pandemic: Survey
The ARTnews article uses ADAA (Art Dealers Association of America) data from their official survey to consider the far reaching implications of the pandemic on the art world. Examples of staggering job loss in art handlers and contract workers in particular provide a look into possible changes in the artillery model for the short term while in lockdown. Quantitative data on online art fair participation, and percentages of galleries that received the PPP loan are included as well. -
2020-04-12
Joy on the Pavement
During Melbourne’s first lockdown in 2020, movements to bring joy to the few remaining active public spaces were organised over social media and among local communities. One trend was pavement art that encouraged the walker to “laugh”, “pick up some rubbish” and “strike a pose” on their permitted hour of exercise. These minor artworks expressed an optimism in community strength at the early stages of the pandemic; they expressed, too, a resilience in Melbourne’s identity as a city of art and culture. By the second lockdown in August 2020 the chalk had been washed away and there was little to replace it. Creating community from inside our own homes, it turned out, was much harder to sustain than anyone had imagined. Submitted for University of Melbourne HIST30060, Semester 2 2021. -
2021-11-02
Bunnings Sausage on Cup Day
Melbourne Cup Day, 2021. My family has always made time for good food and good drink during the races. Today, though, started with a barbecued sausage in white bread from Bunnings. The return of the community fundraiser sausage sizzle at Bunnings hardware stores has been the subject of memes and jokes throughout yet another long winter lockdown: it is, so the joke goes, the best symbol of freedom we have. The sausage sizzle has a peculiar cultural import in Australia. In recent years, the election day tradition of fundraising has been called the “democracy sausage”, a signifier of the national democratic culture. The “freedom sausage” seems to be in the same category. After months at home, it is the simple things like browsing pot plants and lumber that are most appealing. Only select Bunnings, apparently, were approved to resume sizzles this weekend, so I was glad to take advantage of it. Submitted for University of Melbourne HIST30060, Semester 2 2021. -
2021-10-23
Dancing on the Beach
As Melbourne moved out of its second winter in lockdown, my Irish dancing classes moved from Zoom to South Melbourne Beach to take advantage of the rules allowing outdoor sport training in small groups. Having to contend with the sun, wind and rain was a new experience for a very indoor activity; so was training in full view of the fascinated public. It was a spectacular chance to post on social media in the setting sun, however. The beach was packed every weeknight with people like us enjoying their outdoor exercise, more than it had ever been before the pandemic. At the rules eased and allowed more indoor activities, people disappeared from the courts and walking paths. Eventually, we returned to indoor activities too. Submitted for University of Melbourne HIST30060, Semester 2 2021. -
2021-03-20
Deb Haaland Sworn in as the First Native American Cabinet Head
Photos of Deb Haaland proudly wearing the ribbon skirt I designed for her brings me so many emotions that are difficult to describe.It is such an honor to see an Indigenous woman be sworn in as the first Native American Cabinet head. Deb Haaland is such a gracious, humble, and compassionate leader who exemplifies all the teachings that are pretty universal for Indigenous Peoples. The teachings of love, kindness, humility, honesty, truthfulness and courage can be felt every time someone meets Deb or each time we see her speak. Today not just as a ribbon skirt maker but as an Indigenous woman….I feel SO SEEN. I know that feeling echoes tremendously with relatives all across Turtle Island. I am so proud to have been a part of this historic moment in some way. Thank you and shoutout to my friends Margaret Gonzalez and Shane Balkowitsch for asking me to make her a ribbonskirt. ✨✨✨✨✨✨ The ribbon skirt reminds us of the matriarchal power we carry as Indigenous women. They carry stories of survival, resilience, adaption, and sacredness. As survivors of genocide we wear our ribbon skirts to stay grounded in our teachings, to stay connected to the earth and our ancestors. ✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽 Wearing it in this day and age is an act of self empowerment and reclamation of who we are and that gives us the opportunity to proudly make bold statements in front of others who sometimes refuse to see us. It allows us to be our authentic selves unapologetically. This is extremely important to me because when I was a little girl, the hate and racism I experienced as a First Nations person left me feeling shame. As the daughter of a Residential school survivor and a Sixties scoop survivor, sewing ribbon skirts has brought so much healing to my life. Expressing myself in a cultural and creative way that allows me to feel the strength of my ancestors has given me the space I needed to shed that shame I carried. Sewing is my love language. Extremely honored ~ Agnes Woodward @agneswoodward #ribbonskirts #ribbonskirt #IndigenouswomenEmpowered #DebHaaland #MatriarchalPower -
2021-03-16
We Are Not Your Jokes, Your Vacation Spots, of Your Toys
To all of our community members who are hurting and angry, please take time and space. Be easy on yourselves and each other. We will do the same. To our teammates, thank you for checking in. We are grateful. Please continue to work with us + each other to end violence against Asian and Pacific Islander women, girls and gender non-conforming communities. Tonight we are talking about the Asian women massage parlor workers who were killed - but we work for all of us. In solidarity. To everyone else, we hold the entire racist and misogynist system + culture accountable (and that’s only the tip of the iceberg). We are not your jokes, your vacation spots, or your toys. Take care, community. We need you. End this violence. In pain and outrage, AAPI Women Lead [retweet- @jennyyangtv Asian women are your punchlines Sex workers are your punchlines Kung flu is your punchline You fucking did this] #aapiwomenlead #intersectionalfeminism #insolidarity -
2020-07-10
The average life expectancy of BIPOC trans women in North and South America is 30 - 35 years old
The average life expectancy of BIPOC trans women in North and South America is 30 - 35 years old. In just the last week, six Black trans women were found dead in the US. Say their names: Bree Black (27), Shaki Peters (32), Draya McCarty, Brayla Stone (17), Merci Mack (22), and Tatiana Hall (22). BIPOC trans lives under the constant threat of violence + murder. We need to protect trans lives, speak out against these killings, and end the systematic devaluation of trans lives in our society, culture, and politics. Here are just a few orgs to get involved with and stay informed: @transjusticefp - a community-led funding initiative to support grassroots, trans justice groups run by and for trans people @forthegworls - assisting Black trans with rent + affirmative surgery @tgijustice - ending the human rights abuses committed against transgender, gender variant and intersex people in California prisons and beyond @blackxcollective - Black trans/Queer youth organizing using art, direct action & political education -
2021-03-04
S.F. Japantown businesses owe tens of thousands in rent. Can the area survive without them?
In the decades since, the community’s boundaries have shifted and shrunk, devastated by forced Japanese removal and internment in the 1940s and by large-scale redevelopment in the ’70s. But San Francisco’s Japantown persisted, even as others throughout the United States faded away. Today, Nihonmachi is the country’s oldest and largest Japantown, one of three remaining, but it covers only about six blocks — and many worry it is in danger of disappearing. The pandemic has hit neighborhood businesses particularly hard, and this year an agreement with the area’s largest landowner to keep the Japan Center malls “Japanese-themed” is set to expire. -
2020
Jewish Melbourne: FOJAM's best of 5780
Festival of Jewish Art and Music (FOJAM) produced a 'Best of 5780' list: "Without getting too heavy and nostalgic for the year that has passed, 5780 has been uh pretty challenging. But hey, Jews never expect anything to be easy. We want meaning and enrichment more than anything else right? That's why we love our arts! This last six months has really felt like we have a community of people surrounding us and we are feeling good going into 5781. We have created a Best of 5780 (Hebrew calendar year) for you to consume over the high holidays and hopefully you come back rejuvenated and inspired." -
2020
Jewish Melbourne: FOJAM Newsletters
Festival of Jewish Art and Music (FOJAM)'s theme for 2020 was 'Homeward Bound' and they issued a number of newsletters across the year, collating them on their website. -
2020
Jewish Melbourne: FOJAM events
The Festival of Jewish Art and Music (FOJAM) normally puts on live events, but during the Covid lockdown they have organised a series of livestreamed events for the community. Attended by hundreds of people, some of these events - or excerpts from the events - have been shared afterwards on youtube. -
2020-08-08
Self Expression in a Pandemic
The media above is a picture sent to me by a close friend whose mom’s friend was making these masks and selling them to people during quarantine. This means a lot to me because since the pandemic had already been around for a while, people began to find ways to express themselves and their culture through our required masks. Not only that, but it also proves the financial crisis many people were in and the small ideas they have in order to make some extra money to make ends meet. Although the government did send financial aid out, for many it wasn’t enough. These masks show both our insistence to express ourselves during a crisis and the inability for the government to provide proper aid to the citizens. -
2020-04
Jewish Melbourne: Chabad Kingston resources for Pesach
L'Chaim Chabad Kingston assembled a website of resources for Pesach 2020, providing information for congregants: "As Jewish people around the world prepare for Passover under the pale of coronavirus, we are faced with a host of new challenges and questions. How are we to prepare with minimal ingredients and limited access to communal resources? How to celebrate the Seder alone? How will we celebrate the Festival of Freedom with our movement restricted? Find answers to all this and more ..." -
2020-08-11
Relax. Think COVID-free thoughts.
San Francisco Bay Area artists, Mark Harris, created a stunning mural on the boarded up windows of local business, Rose Gold Piercing and Tattoo. Rose Gold shut its doors at the start of California's COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders and has yet to reopen. Harris's message to "Relax, think COVID-free thoughts" is a reminder of how much our world has changed and is being dictated by the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the pandemic continues to wreck havoc on the San Francisco Bay Area, Harris's art brings hope and beauty to local residents. Harris's mural is a part of the larger San Francisco Bay Area art initiative, Paint the Void. Over 100 murals have been created in public spaces throughout the San Francisco Bay Area as a result of Paint the Void. -
2020-06-20
Summer Solstice 2020 Virtual Celebration
Video virtual celebration of the Summer Solstice hosted by the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture. The video includes scientific and cultural presentations, as well as activities. Programming is drawn from the four museums that make up the Harvard Museums. As museums have been forced into online outreach because of the pandemic, they have had to change how they celebrate and commemorate important days and events. -
2020-06-09
The USA vs. Itself
In this scene from the Marvel Universe, Captain America (right) is lapping Falcon (left) and calling out each time he passes him. In the present climate, it seemed as though the US was competing with Covid-19. But the US managed to surpass Covid's destructive potential thus far; we are currently grappling with a cultural war, a racial reckoning, as well as an economic collapse. Hopefully no more laps by the US for a bit. -
2020-06-09
Harvard Museum of Natural History #MuseumAtHome
Coloring page for the exterior of the Harvard Museum of Natural History published on their Twitter page as part of the social media campaign #MuseumAtHome. This is also tied to their #ColorOurCollections social media campaign. Both campaigns are part of Boston museums' efforts to engage in socially distanced outreach as a result of the CoVid-19 pandemic. -
2020-05-27
Boarded up Bars in the Byward Market: Chateau Lafayette ("The Laff")
Many establishments in the popular shopping, dining, and bar area of the Byward Market have boarded up their front windows with plywood to reduce the chance of robbery while they remain closed due to the pandemic and resulting restrictions of gatherings. While some remain plain, or are painted black, other establishments chose to hire muralists to liven up the natural wood with images related to vibe of each bar. The boards on the windows of the Chateau Lafayette, often called simply "the Laff" by locals, read "It's going to be OK./ We'll be back." A sentiment which at the beginning of the pandemic, in late March, was comforting but now seems overly optimist and distant.