Wander into Kirsty Elson’s Cornwall studio, and you'll likely greet a menagerie of creatures alongside scraps of driftwood and rusted bits of metal.
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The carpet was inspired by teraanga, a word in the Wolof language that loosely translates to "hospitality."
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Vibrant houses come alive with saturated color and almost palpable feeling.
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While recovering from surgery, Lisa Congdon found herself drawn to an improvisational medium: collage.
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The Royal of Academy of Arts presents the largest survey of the artist's work ever exhibited outside of the U.S.
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"I’m fascinated by the way we are hurtling toward what seems to be a new way of being human, leaping without looking, hoping for the best."
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The Argentinian artist cloaks her figures in bold, geometric patterns and natural details like insect wings.
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The National Galleries of Scotland present 'Andy Goldsworthy: Fifty Years.'
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In 19th-century Maryland, Mary Elizabeth Banning emerged as one of America's first mycologists.
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Go retro with the artists' vibrant, layered paper sculptures.
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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 2, 2025 is:
palimpsest \PAL-imp-sest\ noun
Palimpsest in its original use refers to writing material (such as a parchment manuscript) used one or more times after earlier writing has been erased; the underlying text is said to be “in palimpsest.” Palimpsest in extended use refers to something that has usually diverse layers or aspects apparent beneath the surface.
// Scholars believe the motive for making palimpsests was often economic—reusing parchment was cheaper than preparing a new skin.
// The ancient city is an architectural palimpsest.
“My aim was to trace the course of … the Aqua Marcia, built between 144 and 140 B.C. by Julius Caesar’s ancestor Quintus Marcius Rex. … The original tuff arches carried the Marcia across a steep ravine. Subsequent retaining walls and buttresses have transformed the bridge into a palimpsest of building styles.” — David Laskin, The New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Did you know?
Long ago, writing surfaces were so highly valued that they were often used more than once. Palimpsest in its original use referred to an early form of recycling in which an old document was erased to make room for a new one when parchment ran short. (The word is from the Greek palimpsēstos, meaning “scraped again.”) Fortunately for modern scholars, the erasing process wasn’t completely effective, so the original could often be distinguished under the newer writing. De republica, by Roman statesman and orator Cicero, is one of many documents recovered from a palimpsest. Nowadays, the word palimpsest can refer not only to such a document but to anything that has multiple layers apparent beneath the surface.