Ever since Shakespeare penned King Lear in the early 1600s, the tragedy’s text has been endlessly challenged—so much so, writes Guthrie Theater senior dramaturg Michael Lupu—that it’s nearly impossible to find a “pure” Lear. From a 1681 version with a happy ending to Peter Brook’s famed 1962 staging, Lear has seen countless reconstructions—including She She Pop’s Lear with a twist, Testament.  More

In a traditional museum, art is presented in the context of singular art history, says the Van Abbemuseum’s Steven ten Thije. But “if you start to see works themselves as contexts, then each work starts to be not just a story of itself, but to offer a perspective on the world—a different background against which things can be ordered.” Here he discusses the museum’s evolving thinking on curation.  More

To commemorate the year that was, we invited artists and designers to take part in an open-ended exercise: share with us 2012’s best “things”—artworks, books, albums, political moments, memories, spectacles, failures, etc. The first to take us up on the offer was photographer Alec Soth, who weighs in with the “10 things that gave me pleasure in 2012.”  More

As project coordinator for mnartists.org—the Walker/McKnight Foundation online arts hub—Jehra Patrick has a unique view of the local art scene. Hailing in the new year, she presents her list of “emerging talents who show promise, authenticity, and sophistication,” including Eric Rieger (HOTTEA), creator of temporary rogue graffiti, mixed-media sculptor Katelyn Farstad, and video artist Katy Vonk.  More

“She’s one of my relatives,” jokes Marilyn Minter about the “freckled lady” in Cindy Sherman’s Untitled #351 (2000). “Usually when you see images [freckles are] always airbrushed out … This is not a glamorous stereotype. This is not a flamboyant character. She reproduced an ordinary-looking person, and that changes the meaning. To create the ordinary blows my mind.” More