Art
March 16, 2021

5 Kara Walker Artworks That Tell Historic Stories of African American Lives

Artist Kara Walker is one of today’s most celebrated, internationally recognized American artists. She explores African American racial identity by creating works inspired by the pre-Civil War American South. Walker is best known for her use of the Victorian-era paper cut-outs, which she uses to create room-sized tableaux. In reviving the 18th-century technique, Walker tells shocking historic narratives of slavery and ethnic stereotypes.

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Illusion
March 15, 2021

Poetic Sculpture Covered in a Light Layer of Frost Looks Like a Drawing Come to Life

Frost makes grass crunchy and signals that winter is on its way. However, as Redditor shawneffel discovered, frost can also transform sculptures by adding highlights which draw out the texture of the metal. While visiting the VanDusen Botanical Gardens in Vancouver, British Columbia, shawneffel snapped an image of the park's resident romantic sculpture—Departure by American artist George Lundeen. The light layer of icy dusting on the poetic sculpture adds an illusive highlight to the piece.

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Music
March 15, 2021

Malawian Musician Plays a Homemade Bass Guitar With a Glass Bottle and Stick

Remember crafting cereal box guitars as a kid? The cardboard instruments are fun to make, but they don't exactly sound too impressive. Malawian musician Gasper Nali is proof that some homemade instruments can produce amazing sounds, though. He plays what he calls the Babatoni—a handmade, three-meter-long, single-stringed bass guitar—with an empty bottle and a stick. Nali describes his sound as “the most beautiful and catchy original afro-beats possible.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.