Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture

Though the museum was originally proposed a century ago, Washington DC’s Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture finally opened its doors this past weekend. Telling important stories about black people, issues and culture, the museum has some 36,000 artifacts on display. We’re most excited about items that represent some of the first black astronauts—for example, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden donated his flight …

Francis And The Lights feat. Kanye West: My City’s Gone

Francis and the Lights (Francis Farewell Starlite’s project) has just released a gorgeous, minimal but still grand track called “My City’s Gone.” The song features Kanye West, but in a way that might not be obvious or expected: West’s contributions are mostly subtle, auto-tuned back-up vocals—somewhat akin to those on his 808’s and Heartbreak. From the record Farewell, Starlite! (which also features Bon Iver), the …

Adam J Kurtz’s “Pick Me Up: a Pep Talk for Now and Later”

An activity book full of sound advice and existential, gallows humor

Brooklyn-based artist and designer Adam J Kurtz is launching his second book, “Pick Me Up: a Pep Talk for Now and Later” (the follow-up to “1 Page at a Time”), and it’s very much an activity guide for grown-ups. Not only are there spaces for drawing and writing poems, the majority of the pages are full of relatable modern-day anxieties and plenty of existential, dark …