Arts & Culture
Here we cover the latest and most uplifting exhibitions, creative movements, and imaginative design to keep you inspired throughout your day.
Get lost in these incredible x-ray images of the universe
You would only need to be subscribed to the Optimist Daily for a little while to know we are geeks for outer space. That’s why we were over the moon when NASA released a gallery of jaw-dropping imagery of the universe captured by telescopes from around the world. The gallery is a “treasure Read More...
Archaeologists in Egypt unveil 59 coffins that date back millennia
Archaeologists in Egypt recently announced the exciting discovery of 59 well-preserved and sealed wooden coffins dating back to more than 2,500 years ago. The extraordinary discovery took place in the desert necropolis of Saqqara, believed to have served as an extensive burial ground for Memphis, Read More...
Tartu transformed its main street into a pedestrian paradise
From Oakland and Seattle to Bogota and York, cities around the world have been showcasing the community-building benefits that come with removing cars from the streets. In another display of car-free living, the Estonian city of Tartu transformed its main street into a pedestrian-friendly paradise Read More...
Vincent Namatjira becomes first indigenous winner of Australia’s Archibald Prize
In its 99 year history, no indigenous artist has won Australia’s Archibald Prize for portraiture, but that changed this year when Vincent Namatjira’s Stand Strong for Who You Are took first place. Namatjira’s piece was chosen from 1,068 entries and depicts retired Australian footballer Read More...
This dad is reinventing the playground to make it more inclusive
The playground is meant to help kids imagine. It is meant to help kids imagine and investigate the world, to develop motor skills, and enjoy exercise through play. And perhaps most importantly, the playground is there to help kids make new friends. Here’s the problem: the way playgrounds are Read More...
Have a laugh with these hilarious wildlife photos
In these turbulent times, we could all use a good laugh. And that’s exactly what we have to offer today in the form of a hilarious gallery of wildlife photos. The light-hearted images of wildlife come from the finalists of this year’s Comedy Wildlife Photography awards. We weren’t aware of Read More...
How the retro drive-in is being reimagined in the coronavirus era
The drive-in theater: It’s a nostalgic relic of America’s past that we typically only see on screen rather in real life. At least, that was the case last year. In October 2019, there were only 305 drive-in theaters in the US—and hardly any outside America. But with the pandemic demanding us Read More...
Lebanese designers repair damaged goods in Beirut explosion for free
A pair of designers in Lebanon have transformed their showroom into a community center where people can bring in home furnishings damaged in last month’s Beirut explosion to be repaired. The designers, Hoda Baroudi and Maria Hibri, are the founders of the Lebanese brand Bokja, a design studio Read More...
The best photos from 2020's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition
If you love pensive puffins, stoic owls, and magnificent birds soaring above the Swiss Alps, the 56th annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition from the Natural History Museum of London is a must see. This year’s collection of finalists is the best of 49,000 entries from 86 Read More...
Could we 3D-print buildings using local soil instead of concrete?
3D-printed architecture has been getting a lot of press from The Optimist Daily lately. Most recently, we shared a story out of Oakland where a startup called Mighty Buildings is using a 3D printer to create not only the walls and floors of a home but also other elements like the roof and ceiling. Read More...