Weekend reading: December 11 edition

Around Columbus

• The annual Festivus celebration at 400 Square is happening outdoors this weekend.
• Sunday at 4 PM, you can join in a creative writing workshop with Amy Turn Sharp.
• Ohio Art League’s Thumb Box 2020 show of small artworks is live online and features artists including Dan Gerdeman and Morris Jackson.
• And ROY G BIV Gallery has opened its own Small Works show for the holidays, on site and virtually. Tyler Davis and Susanne Wise Dotson are among the member contributors.
• It’s a pleasant weekend for a visit to Conservatory Aglow at Franklin Park Conservatory.
• The new show from Short North Stage lets you stay in and Quarantine with the Clauses.
• On Thursday, Gabrielle Solange will stream a holiday show live from Natalie’s Grandview.
• BalletMet Columbus dancer Rachael Parini’s experiences with racism were shared in conjunction with the Dispatch's excellent "Black Out" series.
• Artist Bryan Christopher Moss talked about what it’s been like to care for and create in Aminah Robinson’s renovated home.
• Columbus Children’s Theatre debuted its first-ever feature film, ’Twas the Night Before Christmas.
• Here’s an update on the struggles of small museums in Columbus such as Thurber House amid the pandemic.

Around the globe

• Art in America named the 2005 Wex show Part Object, Part Sculpture a decade-defining exhibition.
• The Courtney Stephens and Pacho Velez documentary American Sector, which was supported by the Wex and screened in last year’s Picture Lock, made New Yorker film critic Richard Brody's Best of 2020 list.
• The critics of the New York Times shared their lists, too. Three films presented by the Wex this year made both Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott’s picks: Bacurau, Martin Eden, and City Hall (pictured at top of page and still available to stream). 
• Times critics also chimed in on “the most important moments in art in 2020.” Among the callouts is MoMA’s Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration, which features work by Columbus artist Aimee Wissman.
• Creative Capital Awards have been announced for 2021; Our own Film/Video Studio Curator Jennifer Lange was among the jurors.
• Cinema Eye Honors announced its documentary nominations for 2020, including Alexander Nanau’s Collective and Kirsten Johnson’s Dick Johnson is Dead.
• Dance Magazine bestowed its annual awards, too. Recipients include veteran Debbie Allen and emerging talents Marjani Forté-Saunders and Kyle Marshall.
• Kimberly Bartosik pines for a “home” where dance artists can plant deep roots and praises Bebe Miller for creating one for herself in Columbus.
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is streaming its virtual season through December 31. This weekend, you can catch the “Dancing for Social Justice Program,” among other things.
• Here’s a reflection on American culture amid the effects of “Quarantine Brain.”
• For 2021, we get dueling Pantone colors: Illuminating yellow and Ultimate Gray.
• Antwaun Sargent wrote about queer Black artists building “worlds of desire.”
• Louise Nevelson’s New York chapel is being renovated.
• Red Bull Arts is closing its New York venue after six years.
• Studio Museum of Harlem director Thelma Golden discussed the future of that institution.
• Tuesday, MCA Chicago is hosting the workshop “Celebrating Care.”
• Legendary comic book artist Richard Corben passed at the age of 80.
• COVID-19 took the life of avant-garde composer Harold Budd.
• And it looks like the virus played a role in the death of character actor Tommy Lister.
• The American Institute of Architects has finally come down on members who design death chambers and solitary confinement cells.
• For now, so much for plans to establish Smithsonian museums for Latinos and women.
• Still need holiday cards? Here are some for printing by artists including Kudzanai-Violet Hwami and Khari Johnson-Ricks.
• And the first commercially-produced Christmas card was auctioned off at Christie's this week, featuring an 1843 image of children drinking wine with their elders. Don't try this at home.