The magic of November in New York! The crisp air, the vibrant leaves—sounds like the perfect setting and it is! I cheered on my cousin in the New York City Marathon this past Sunday. The city's energy during such events is truly something special. Here is a list of what I am reading and thinking about this week:
Native American Heritage Month
The most recent collection of essays that I read by Joshua Whitehead, “Making Love with the Land” was energizing. I have found myself going back to his writing quite a bit since reading it this summer. Check out the New York City Public Library curated list of books by Native writers. I often remind myself, particularly because of my family history (more on this soon - excited to interrogate my own history), we are on stolen land. What does this mean in the current context? What implications does it have for our lives?
Fact Sheet Executive Order on AI
The Executive Order features eight guiding principles—new standards for AI safety; protecting Americans’ privacy; advancing equity and civil rights; standing up for consumers, patients, and students; supporting workers; promoting innovation and competition; advancing American leadership abroad; and ensuring responsible and effective government use of AI—and charges federal agencies with both drafting guidelines for responsible AI and taking steps to regulate and review its applications.
I think most interestingly that it seems to be reactive and not proactive as it has been with most digital technology policy. Tracking the enforcement of any Executive Order is the most interesting aspect of the effort. The evolution of the innovations are happening at a rate that policy will struggle to stay ahead of, but here we are. This is the starting point.Re-evaluating the kiss
Interesting perspective on one of the most famous paintings in the world. I have never seen it in person, but Klint’s work does have an enduring legacy. I often enjoy going to the Neue gallery for America’s “Woman in Gold.”Matisse-Inspired Diebenkorn goes up for auction
I would not say I track the art market that much. I go in phases and certainly don’t keep up with all the galleries in New York - it is overwhelming. The market is unreliable, fast, and constantly shifting. Yet, I saw this article that a painting by Richard Diebenkorn I admire is going up for sale on Thursday at Christie’s. I saw this painting in 2017 at SFMOMA during the Matisse/Diebenkorn exhibition. The thesis of the show was weak due to the lack of relationship (similarly to how I feel about the current Manet/Degas show at the Met), but this painting inspired by Diebenkorn viewing a Matisse in Russia was the clearest connection to student copying master.
Check out the other lots for sale on Thursday at Christie’s.
“Recollections of a Visit to Leningrad,” Richard Diebenkorn, 1965. The concept of space in “Space.”
The Grateful Dead and their jamming came up in an Andrew Huberman conversation with Rick Rubin on creativity. It is a long conversation, but I went down a rabbit hole of information around The Grateful Dead and their fans. Though I am not a fan of (nor a Deadhead), the concept of improvisational music and gifting a specific set to their fans in live performance I found compelling. It seemed like fans were questing when seeing the band live for this moment within the song where they hit a kind of perfection or alignment with the band. I find a similar experience when an opera singer hits their aria. I wonder how much this is almost like witnessing the concept of flow in real time. Having experienced it, I can see how this might become addicting. Have you ever experienced this in real time? When and where was it?
