Mary Black

BREAKING: The House passed the so-called SAVE America Act which threatens to upend our freedom to vote.

The bill could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters by requiring documents like passports or birth certificates to register to vote and forcing voter roll purges. The Senate must reject it.

Follow us? Help us expand our reach, and introduce all to similar groups. Please use and forward this Starter Pack:

go.bsky.app/RXFLYri

For many Sámi, art seems the only sphere in which they can be heard by people of other nations.

Earth’s underground network of fungi needs urgent protection, say researchers Study finds that only 9.5% of fungal biodiversity hotspots fell within existing protected areas The underground network of fungi that underpins the planet’s ecosystems needs urgent conservation action by politicians, a research organisation has said. Scientists from the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (Spun) have created the first high-resolution biodiversity maps of Earth’s underground mycorrhizal fungal ecosystems. Continue reading...

Earth’s underground network of fungi needs urgent protection, say researchers

I remember when my grandfather first displayed signs of dementia. He decided he needed to spray paint all of his tools fire engine red. To him this was an excellent idea that made complete sense, but everyone else was baffled. It was obvious he shouldn’t be making important decisions.

Art for the People, Grift for the Powerful While Trump fundraises on Les Misérables, he’s dismantling the NEA.

While Trump fundraises on Les Misérables for $2M a ticket at the Kennedy Center, arts grants are being canceled across America. This isn’t just defunding culture, it’s cutting off the lifelines of community, creativity & belonging. Support your local arts. They need us now more than ever.

National Endowment for the Arts rescinds grants, dazing publishers and theaters Arts organizations across the country saw their grants pulled with little explanation, while a proposed federal budget sought to eliminate the arts funding agency altogether.

Our reporting on the NEA suddenly yanking grants. Affected include: n+1, McSweeney’s, Paris Review, Oxford American, book publishers, nonprofit theaters, more: www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...

And then the audience? Press? Laughed. Absolutely chilling.

KEEP CALLING. PEEL OFF ALL DEM SENATORS YOU CAN.

☎️: (202) 224-3121

Tell them to vote NO on Cloture and NO on CR. Vote is pushed to after 1:15ish for now. Situation is fluid.

The only public YES votes are Schumer and Fetterman. They need 7-8 total. KEEP CALLING.

Call retiring Senators too!

BREAKING: In response to our lawsuit, the National Endowment for the Arts will no longer force grant applicants to certify that they won't promote "gender ideology."

This is a big step toward defeating the NEA's unconstitutional censorship.

Is this the only known portrait of England’s doomed ‘Nine Days Queen’? | CNN Researchers believe they may have identified the only known portrait of Lady Jane Grey, the so-called “Nine Days Queen,” painted before her death.

One of my favorite historical figures. I love to think this may be Lady Jane Grey.

www.cnn.com/2025/03/07/s...

A poster for the economic blackout on February 28. It is a big red Jack rabbit on an aqua blue back ground. It says economic blackout in hand done black type. There are two black speech bubbles. One says “don’t buy stuff Friday February 28th. The other says we have power. Below it says No Amazon, Walmart, target, gas food, gas. Below that it says OK small business, use cash. Designed by Martha Rich.

I made this the other night while procrastinating, mainly because I thought all the posts about the blackout were boring. It feels like there is momentum bringing people together!

This is some sad news. I shopped there with my grandmother, mother, and daughter - four generations of my family of artists and makers.

Adding to my TBR list now!

This is just heartbreaking. Even in my little community there is great need to provide accessible, creative spaces where everyone is welcome and celebrated.

Germans remember what it’s like to lose democracy. What an amazing sight!

Hey #Booksky if you’re in the US and looking to step away from the zon for physical books can I highly recommend Thrift Books?

They donate and partner with non-profits to support school libraries in underserved areas, and prison libraries. Plus, the book prices are *very good*

www.thriftbooks.com

This is good stuff. I support my local book store, Imprint Books, by buying from bookshop.org and Libra.fm (for audiobooks). I also love and support my local libraries!

Who Pays for Tariffs? Here’s What You Need to Know. President Trump has insisted that his new tariffs on America’s largest trading partners will not increase prices for Americans. But a review of how they work suggests that is not the case.

President Trump has insisted that his tariffs on U.S.'s largest trading partners will not increase prices for Americans. But a review of how tariffs work suggests that is not the case. Here’s what to know.

ArtSEA: Two new public art projects point to Northwest history Plus, Century Ballroom announces there’s hope for its survival while other Seattle arts spaces move, shake and innovate.

www.cascadepbs.org/culture/2025...

Can we be both? I think it’s both.

The patchwork gown is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. 😍

It’s heartening to see this happening across Germany. In the reports I’ve seen, I can’t tell who is organizing the demonstrations. Is there a particular organization or person organizing these. We need this in the U.S. too!

Here’s one I saw at a local art gallery back in November. It was rescued locally in the Olympic Peninsula. My photo isn’t as good as yours, but she sure was cute.

I did it too! 💓

A stylized collagelike representation of a figure, seen from behind - a representation of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. - arms outspreadd, between two groups of silhouetted figures at left and right. A hilly landscape is in the background, with the sun and some clouds in the sky above

Romare Bearden, Martin Luther King Jr.—Mountain Top, color screenprint, 1968

Upper and lower embroidered borders show a frieze of dinosaurs, purple, yellow, green, and black (there are two yellow dinosaurs, their tails intertwined in a kind of lovers' knot). In between we see a Victorian lady and gentleman standing on a pier, looking at a huge steam ship in the sea. The caption is Ludvig Nobel Conceived the Oil Tanker too.

Today I learned about the 🇨🇦 artist Sandra Sawatzky and the epic-scaled embroidered tapestry she has created, emulating the Bayeux tapestry, to chronicle the history of fossil fuel extraction. #needlework, #SubversiveStitch www.theblackgoldtapestry.com

So, what happens when he goes it anyway?

Exclusive: German ambassador warns of Trump plan to redefine constitutional order, document shows He said Trump would rob law enforcement and media of their independence.

This is…worrisome. And was,sadly,predictable. www.reuters.com/world/us/ger...

Opinion | Kyle MacLachlan: How David Lynch Invented Me (Gift Article) How could words possibly do justice to an experience like that?

This is such a great explanation of what made David Lynch such an amazing artist. He created art that invited us all to participate, making it a fluid experience for those who helped him create as well as the “viewers” of what they created. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/19/o...