Indigo: The Color that Changed the World

Catherine Legrand's definitive guide to the blue dye

From the Golden Triangle to Central America, varieties of the indigofera plant have been cultivated and used in textile production for centuries. While synthetic dyes have largely replaced the lengthy and somewhat cumbersome method used to create indigo—it takes nearly a year to make, from planting to harvest, and then it must be fermented—a select few global communities continue with the old way. In “Indigo: …

JR Art App and E-Book

Follow the anonymous French street artist around the world with an interactive map that chronicles his works to date and more

Working primarily with large scale wheat pastes of black and white portraits, street artist JR has gained recognition—although his actual identity is still considered unknown—among his peers and art-conscious citizens all over the world to win both public support and a TED Prize in 2011. While his work can be seen on building facades across the globe, his outstanding goal of delivering art to the …

Whitewash

The stark side of sunny LA in a book of contrasts

Back in 2002, photographer Nicholas Alan Cope picked up his camera and moved across the country from Maryland to Los Angeles, the city he documents in his new book “Whitewash.” Cope’s LA is one of stark geometric architecture rendered in black and white, a far cry from the colorful Hollywood glitz the city so often tries to project. By harnessing the bright, Southern California sun, …