Mar 18, 2021 • View in browser

Good morning. 🌧 Today, the discovery of a royal brewery in ancient Egypt expands our understanding of the history of beer, a spiraling installation reflects on the history of atomic warfare, and artists make a web-based space for mourning.

— Hrag Vartanian, editor-in-chief

Discovery of an Industrial Brewery in Ancient Egypt Rewrites the History of Beer

To archaeologists, understanding the building of the Pyramids at Giza is a matter of scaling up the labor system seen earlier at sites like Abydos.

Sarah E. Bond

23 States Call for Protections for Nonprofits That Choose to Drop Sackler Name

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong called for protections that would allow museums to get out of perpetuity contracts without facing lawsuits.

Valentina Di Liscia

Researchers Use X-Ray Technology to Read “Letterlocked” Historical Correspondences

Researchers who specialize in the ancient practice of “letterlocking,” a means of folding paper correspondence so that they serve as their own envelopes, have been able to examine letters that were previously impenetrable.

Sarah Rose Sharp

Film

The History of Atomic Warfare in a Sprawling Installation

Inspired by nuclear weapon control centers, the bomb at Pioneer Works begins with the first atom bomb tests and traces its story to the present day.

Dan Schindel

Kwame Nkrumah's Legacy in Film

From documentaries to ethnographic approaches to a prestige Netflix show, a look at different depictions of the Ghanaian revolutionary.

Adam Katzman

Latest Reviews

Haig Aivazian’s Poignant Supercuts Pay Tribute to Beiruti Resistance

Aivazian masterfully manipulates found video footage and sound, producing harrowing, evocative juxtapositions.

Elliot Reichert

Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme Create a Poetic, Web-based Space for Mourning

Postscript exudes a rare ease of accessibility, permitting viewers to linger and acknowledge the nuances of grief.

Rea McNamara

From the Store

The Dream of Surrealism Puzzle

Has reality come apart at the seams or was it only just a dream? This 1,000-piece puzzle features the artists, poets, and muses behind the movement that turned the art world on its head, and then pushed it through the looking glass.

Shop more art-inspired puzzles!