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“You Deserve a Great Nap:” Sara Mednick ’95 Talks to the New York Times about Maximizing the Health Benefits of a Midday Rest

Speaking with the New York Times, Sara Mednick ’95, professor and cognitive neuroscientist at the University of California, Irvine, says the best time to nap is about six to eight hours after you wake up in the morning. Mednick, who researches sleep and the autonomic nervous system, points out the benefits of napping even if you don’t actually fall asleep. We remain “somewhat conscious” in the early stages of sleep and “it’s still good rest,” says Mednick, who references a recent study that found that drifting into the lightest stage of sleep for even one minute during a 20-minute rest generated more creativity and better problem-solving in young adults.

Post Date: 12-05-2023

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“The Beauty Is a Strategy:” W Magazine Interviews Bard Artist in Residence Jeffrey Gibson

For W magazine, Camille Okhio interviewed Bard Artist in Residence Jeffrey Gibson about representing the United States in a solo exhibition at the upcoming Venice Biennale in 2024, his global journey as an Indigenous artist of Cherokee and Choctaw lineage, and his work. “Our motto in the Choctaw is self-determination,” says Gibson. “After college, my chief said to me, ‘You would be more effective out in the world; you don’t need to come back here. You are fulfilling what I have said our tribe will do one day if you go out and you are successful.’ I hope, through my practice, that I’m letting Indigenous people know they can move around the world freely.” Asked what has been left out of his narrative, Gibson answers: “The work is not beautiful for beauty’s sake. The beauty is a strategy.” 

Post Date: 12-05-2023

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Bard College Professor Dina Ramadan Receives 2023 Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant

Dina A. Ramadan, continuing associate professor of Human Rights and Middle Eastern Studies at Bard College, has received a 2023 Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant in the category of Short-Form Writing. One of 27 grantees, professor Ramadan will write a series of articles on the relation of contemporary art to migration from the Middle East and North Africa. The articles will approach art criticism as a decolonial strategy that counters neutralizing practices of inclusion and representation. The Arts Writers Grant program supports writing about contemporary art and aims to ensure that critical writing remains a valued mode of engaging with the visual arts.

In its 2023 cycle the Arts Writers Grant has awarded a total of $935,000 to 27 writers. Ranging from $15,000 to $50,000 in three categories—Articles, Books, and Short-Form Writing—these grants support projects addressing both general and specialized art audiences, from short reviews for magazines and newspapers to in-depth scholarly studies.

“The grants uplift the diverse perspectives of writers whose fine-tuned attention to the content and context of contemporary art-making helps to keep artists at the center of cultural conversations and debates—where they belong,” said Joel Wachs, President, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Further reading:
Ali Cherri Interviewed by Dina A. Ramadan in BOMB Magazine
What Is the Cost of Inclusion? Dina Ramadan Reviews Baseera Khan’s I Am an Archive for Art Papers

Post Date: 12-05-2023