Independent filmmaker Amos Poe—a defining voice of New York’s No Wave movement—has died at 76 after a battle with cancer. His death on December 25 marks the loss of a singular chronicler of downtown life in the 1970s, whose raw, DIY films captured the restless energy of a city on the brink.
Poe’s landmark works, including The Blank Generation (1975), Unmade Beds (1976), and Subway Riders (1979–80), shattered the polish of earlier downtown cinema. Shot on shoestring budgets with nonprofessional actors, his films mixed wry humor with unexpected tenderness, offering sharp-eyed portraits of a community shaped by economic hardship and creative freedom. Dense compositions and tightly wound sequences mirrored the urgency of the underground scenes he documented—people constantly in motion, searching for meaning amid decay.
A Gala Theme Sparks Debate in London
Across the Atlantic, a controversy is unfolding at the British Museum. Director Nicholas Cullinan has proposed a 2026 fundraising ball themed “red, white, and blue” to coincide with a planned loan of the Bayeux Tapestry from France.
Some museum staff have criticized the color scheme as ill-timed, citing a rise in far-right demonstrations across the UK where similar imagery has been used in xenophobic contexts. Supporters of the plan argue that national symbols should not be surrendered to extremist interpretations, insisting the theme is meant to honor shared heritage rather than make a political statement. The debate has reignited broader questions about symbolism, context, and responsibility within major cultural institutions—fueling what many now call the British Museum Ball Faces Backlash.
The Digest
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Conservation teams are using artificial intelligence to help reconstruct a shattered fresco by Cimabue, destroyed into thousands of fragments during a 1997 earthquake at the Basilica di San Francesco.
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National museums in Tehran and Dushanbe have announced new cultural partnerships, including joint exhibitions and staff exchanges highlighting shared histories.
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At Cairo’s newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum, visitors can watch conservators reassemble a 4,500-year-old solar boat belonging to Pharaoh Khufu.
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Gothamist has released a curated list of eight must-see cultural institutions across New York City, spotlighting both iconic museums and lesser-known gems.
The Kicker
Free Throws and Brushstrokes
During the NBA off-season, Washington Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly has been trading jump shots for paintbrushes. The Washington Post recently visited his Washington, D.C., studio, where the 21-year-old Paris native paints portraits and still lifes alongside local artist Charles Jean-Pierre.
Coulibaly describes art as a parallel discipline to basketball—one that requires patience, risk-taking, and imagination. On the canvas, as on the court, he’s discovering that creative expression can be just as revealing as athletic performance.