Water cooler: Art lovers will scream over virtual opportunities

New ways are unfolding for you to experience virtual art while quarantined at home.

Snapchat has teamed up with English artist, collector and entrepreneur Damien Hirst to bring you virtual spin art.

Hirst, reportedly the UK’s richest living artist, originally became famous in the 1990s with a series of artwork portraying dead animals, often preserved in formaldehyde. Shortly after he began doing spin paintings and now quarantine has taken it to the next level.

While it will undoubtedly become prime quarantine entertainment for thousands of bored people strewn across a couch, bed or perhaps floor, it also serves as a fundraiser for Partners in Health, an international organization that delivers health care to impoverished areas.

Find the promotional video at snapchat.com/damienhirst for a demonstration of how Snapchat users can pour virtual paint to make their own creations, and get some back story on Hirst’s history with spin art as well.

The app, (AR)T Museum, is bringing the masterpieces of the world, currently locked away in closed museums, directly to the inferiorly decorated walls of your home. Augmented reality (AR) is the concept of mixing digital sensory information with live reality, most often visual information using a device with both a display screen and camera.

Despite what the app claims, it is doubtful it will be as good as the real thing, but it’s a great way to switch up your day of staring at blank walls to staring at blank walls adorned with famous works of art.

The current selection includes art from six museums and includes the famous and situationally relatable “The Scream” by Edward Munch.

The app is free to download and is available on the Apple app store.

The National Gallery of Art is a free and public national museum located in Washington, D.C. During its closure, the museum has provided video tours of its exhibitions, collection highlights, audio and video recordings of lectures from curators and artists as well as other online learning activities.

One of its featured collections is “Artful Moments for Frontline Workers,” a guided meditation using works of art and a mindfulness exercise designed specifically with health care workers in mind in honor of National Nurses Week.

The video features Childe Hassam’s “Poppies, Isles of Shoals,” an American impressionist painting from 1891. Although it is to honor health care workers, it is available to everyone at nga.gov/features/artful-moments-frontline-workers.html.

Brain train

Test your knowledge with today’s trivia question

Which expensive spice is a commonly used ingredient in paella?

cinnamon

saffron

truffle

ghost pepper

Wednesday’s answer: Tin Silver

Best reads

Although most current events at this time are grim, one relief is the lovelier than average spring the Inland Northwest got lucky with this year. Spending a lot of it indoors by ourselves is not ideal, but one way to get more enjoyment out of the season is some spring reading.

Here are a few suggestions from Goodread users for the best spring reads.

“The Enchanted April” by Elizabeth von Arnim: Inspired by a monthlong vacation to the Italian Riviera, this novel follows four women who leave the rainy skies of England and find companionship and reflection on a holiday to Italy. 1922.

“The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett: A classic of children’s literature, this Victorian-era novel is about neglected children who find happiness in a garden. 1911.

“Life … Love … Kumbh …” by Aporva Kala: Three characters cross paths on Jan. 13, the day before the beginning of Haridwar Maha Kumbh. In the face of a challenging situation, they try to search themselves for answers to their personal quests. 2012.

“A Room with a View” by E.M. Forster: An Edwardian social comedy that uses its eccentric ensemble of characters to explore love and propriety in England. 1908.

“Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen: A romance of the Regency era in Great Britain that plays out the drama of judgments and superficiality beneath a veneer of manners and etiquette. 1813.

“A Moveable Feast” by Ernest Hemingway: Hemingway’s memories of his life as an unknown writer living in Paris in the 1920s are deeply personal, warmly affectionate, and full of wit.

The Darling Buds of May” by H.E. Bates: This book, which came out in 1958, was the first of five Larkin novels. In it, readers witness the transformation of Mr. Charlton from a undernourished and timid tax clerk to Charlie, a fully converted member of the Larkin way of life: an easygoing celebration of nature, food, drink, and family. 1958

Music magic

Juilliard students may have stretched the bounds of what the world thought was possible to do over Zoom.

In a feat of virtual collaboration, over 100 Juilliard students, with the help of a few notable guests, created a socially distant performance of Maurice Ravel’s “Boléro.”

It might seem silly and all in good fun at first, but after watching the video it is hard to not be deeply impressed. The technical precision is a testament to the spirit and dedication of all those involved. Somehow this video mosaic of choreographed movement, editing and predominantly close-up frames makes for a creative marvel. It exudes joy but also doesn’t take itself too serious – in other words, they had great fun and it shows.

According to Julliard’s website, “Proposed by President Damian Woetzel and under the artistic leadership of choreographer (and New Dances veteran) Larry Keigwin, the piece is a virtual collaboration with Juilliard’s community of artists, bringing together dancers, instrumentalists, singers, actors, and alumni.”

Guest appearances were made by alumni Yo-Yo Ma, Patti LuPone, Itzhak Perlman, Christine Baranski and Laura Linney.

You can find the full video on The Juilliard School Youtube channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=185&v=rqzkn-jX-JU&feature=emb_logo