Ancient Art
June 25, 2022

Drought Causes Tigris River to Recede, Exposes a 3,400-Year-Old City

Thousands of years ago, the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers gave birth to some of the earliest civilizations. The rivers created a region known as the Fertile Crescent, where flourishing trade routes, rich agriculture, and magnificent cities abounded. Today, these ancient Mesopotamian ruins are found in Iraq, Iran, and other Near Eastern nations. These places are now experiencing harsh drought, particularly as climate change raises regional temperatures.

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Impressionism
June 24, 2022

How Japanese Art Influenced and Inspired European Impressionist Artists

Widely known as the first modern art movement, Impressionism remains one of the most popular and prevalent forms of art today. While much of the groundbreaking genre was impressively original, Impressionists, like most artists, found inspiration in other forms of art—namely, in Japanese woodblock prints. Here, we explore the ways in which Ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating world,” inspired the Impressionists in terms of content, style, and approach, culminating in a creative and timelessly artistic relationship.

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Art
June 24, 2022

The Smithsonian Announces Possible Locations for New Museums for Women and Latinos

The Smithsonian is the world's largest museum, education, and research complex, compromising of 19 museums. And, in the next decade or so, the institution intends on adding another two museums to its collection. One is the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum and the other is the National Museum of the American Latino. Both of these projects have been in the works for several years but were only authorized by Congress in 2020.

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Photo Contest
June 24, 2022

Get a Sneak Preview of the 2022 Bird Photographer of the Year Finalists

Now in its seventh year, the Bird Photographer of the Year contest is a celebration of the avian world. For the 2022 edition, more than 20,000 images from 115 countries were submitted for consideration. And while the winners won't be announced until September, the competition is giving us a sneak preview of some of the finalists across several categories.

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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.