Mavis Staples: All In It Together

A message of hope rings through Mavis Staples’ soulful new single, “All In It Together.” Produced by and featuring (on backing vocals and guitar) Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, the song “speaks to what we’re going through now—everyone is in this together, whether you like it or not,” Staples explains in a statement. All proceeds go to Chicago non-profit My Block, My Hood, My City, which provides essentials to seniors …

2020 Sundance Film Festival Movies To Watch At Home Now

From shorts on Vimeo to features plucked up by streaming giants

Film festivals play a critical role in the independent cinema ecosystem—one that has been disrupted by necessary postponements and cancellations of some of 2020’s most important events. Thanks to Mailchimp and film distributor Oscilloscope, SXSW’s 2020 shorts can be watched online for free. Tribeca Film Festival currently screens shorts (many from alumni) through their  “A Short Film a Day Keeps the Anxiety Away” campaign. And the ReelAbilities Film …

John Kerschbaum’s Epic, Illustrated Map of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Commissioned in 2004 and published in 2007, artist John Kerschbaum’s captivating, hand-drawn Family Map weaves hundreds of artistic highlights into a complete floor plan of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In fact, Kerschbaum depicts every gallery in the institution on one single 18-by-24-inch page. He did so through combining hundreds of reference sketches made through countless visits to the beloved museum. “Each department head gave …