View From a Pandemic: An Artist in China
TEXT AND IMAGES BY ERQING XU
Erqing Xu, a graphic designer in Shanghai, invites us into her pandemic experiences and some of the art they led her to create.
View From a Pandemic: Bath, U.K.
PHOTO ESSAY BY SARAH CONNER
Lockdown for me has revealed a strange sense of calm living alongside the fear and uncertainty in the world at the moment. Towns and cities lie deserted, and there is empty space where humans once were. Lockdown has given me the time to pause, become more aware of my immediate surroundings, and see the beauty that exists within this stillness. The following photos capture small moments of peace I have felt during lockdown.
The Living Desert
STORY AND PHOTOS BY HEATHER M. SURLS
Our correspondent based in Jordan introduces us to a burgeoning project that will provide a garden respite for the public while preserving Jordan’s floral heritage for researchers.
Bon Appétit: Discover France’s Gratin Dauphinois
A VIDEO REPORT BY BILL DIEM
In a Culture Keeper first, at least in recent memory, we bring you a recipe! In a video report narrated in French (never fear, non-French speaker, we’ve included some English text for you), Bill Diem takes us from the market to the kitchen to a dinner table surrounded by friends ready to enjoy the evening’s star dish. Along the way he sheds some light on the history of this representative of France’s reputed culinary traditions.
Masolino’s Annunciation
STORY BY JANE POTTHAST
In a holiday season full of the wonder of childhood delight mixed with the hopes and burdens of adults, our contributor Jane Potthast stumbles upon a favorite painting from childhood and wonders whether it holds something new for her now.
Rotterdam’s Solko Schalm and His Art
ARTICLE BY MIRTHE SMEETS
ENGLISH TRANSLATION BY SOLKO SCHALM
Before being translated to English for our Culture Keeper audience, Dutch journalist Mirthe Smeets’s interview with painter Solko Schalm was first published in Vers Beton, a Dutch online magazine focused on engaging the people of Rotterdam in understanding their city as it changes and develops. Rotterdam is the Netherlands’ second largest city and Europe’s largest port. Enjoy this interview with one of its artists!
The Anatomy of David
STORY AND PHOTOS BY TOBI AMOSUN
Physician Tobi Amosun takes us along on her recent trip to Florence, where her science knowledge helps us better understand just how magnificent an accomplishment Michelangelo’s David is.
I had dreamed for years of going to Italy with friends for my 40th birthday.
This past summer, that dream trip happened.
A Painted Street in Jabal Amman
STORY BY HEATHER M. SURLS
Heather Surls introduces us to two young artists adding paint to public walls for an annual street art festival in Amman, Jordan. Check here for more of Heather’s reports from life in Amman.
Returning Home to Inspiration
STORY BY HEATHER M. SURLS
Heather Surls introduces us to a young designer who has found unexpected inspiration back home in Jordan—both design inspiration and inspiration in terms of whom she employs.
North American Portraits: A Quintessential Road Trip
STORY AND PHOTOS BY ARMON A. MEANS
The traditional ideal of community structure was rooted in individuals’ formation of living groups derived from families and built through doing apprenticeships, seeking education, and returning to or remaining near the area where one was raised (generally within a 20-mile radius). In contemporary modernized society this ideal has become a relic as individuals no longer feel the need to remain near their place of birth. In addition, every year immigration and social change lead influxes of people to move to or within North America. Armon A. Means delves into resulting questions of individual and societal identity through his latest road trip photographic project.