May 20, 2021 • View in browser

Good morning. ☀️

Today, activists are utilizing an ancient form of Arabic to bypass social media censors, a new book by Thomas Rinaldi delves into the fascinating history of design patents, and archaeologists are burying ancient mosaics as an unusual but effective method of conservation.

— Jasmine Weber, News Editor

A Weird and Wonderful History of Design Patents

Patented by Thomas Rinaldi is an illustrated journey through more than a century of American trends and technologies.

Lauren Moya Ford

What's Happening

Carrie Mae Weems, "Untitled" (1 of 7) (1996, printed 2020) inkjet print with sandblasted text on glass in wood frame (courtesy the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC)

To subvert Facebook and Instagram’s censoring of Palestinian content, Arabic-speaking social media users are reverting to a thousand-year-old version of the language that eliminates dots from the modern alphabet.
Experts are burying ancient mosaics underground in order to preserve them.
A Carrie Mae Weems piece was acquired by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and installed next to the 19th-century sculpture it references.

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in this house black boys blossom black boys bloom

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