Arts & Culture
Here we cover the latest and most uplifting exhibitions, creative movements, and imaginative design to keep you inspired throughout your day.
This photo contest will get you lost in cosmic and Earthly beauty
Visiting Earth’s most stunning natural landscapes can leave you with a sense of wonder. The same is true for when you sit beneath the bright stars of the Milky Way. But when you combine the two together, it makes for an indescribable feeling, one that is bigger than ourselves and reminds us just Read More...
NASA just released a decade-long time lapse of the sun
At the Optimist Daily, we’re always excited when NASA releases new images of our solar system and beyond. This week, NASA marked the 10th anniversary of NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) satellite, which has been photographing the sun from its orbit around the Earth since 2010. In Read More...
This Danish artist creates giant troll sculptures using local trash
Since 2014, a Danish artist by the name of Thomas Dambo has erected dozens of wooden, folklore-inspired trolls in greens-aces and parks around the world: a seated, bearded dude in Copenhagen’s hippie enclave of Christiana; sister and brother trolls “lost” in Florida’s Pinecrest Gardens; a Read More...
Listen to this fascinating piece of ambient music composed by stars
Though we can’t hear them, stars propagate some incredibly soothing soundscapes through the vacuum of space. And for the first time, music composed from the acoustic waves that blast out of these sublime celestial bodies has been made available online. The music is arranged by Brian Eno, the Read More...
These colorful solar panels show renewable energy can look beautiful too
There’s beauty in solar panels in that they capture light from our precious sun and convert it into electricity. With that said, the solar panel itself is not necessarily beautiful. To give solar panels an aesthetic boost, designer Marjan van Aubel has created a set of stained glass-style solar Read More...
MLB organist moves his show from Fenway Park to the world of livestreams
What does a Major League Baseball organist do during a pandemic? While baseball is shut down, Fenway Park’s Josh Kantor is keeping spirits up with live-streamed concerts from his home. Although not as glamorous as playing for a stadium of over 30,000 people, he told the New York Times, “For Read More...
Prague will soon be home to the first floating 3D-printed house
A group in the Czech Republic is building a 3D printed house, which, on its own, isn't anything we haven't seen before. What sets this house apart from the others, though, is its final destination: Prague's Vltava River. "I dare say it's the first-ever floating 3D printed building in the world," Read More...
Museums embrace the healing power of art therapy
Psychologists have long praised the correlation between artistic expression and healing, but until now, not many museums directly incorporated wellness into their exhibits and programs. The emotional distress and isolation many are experiencing during the pandemic have motivated art institutions Read More...
Opera house performs first post-lockdown concert for an all-plant audience
In June 2020, Barcelona’s Liceu Opera House emerged from its lockdown-induced siesta by throwing a concert to a rather unusual audience. The attendees did not need masks or gloves in the middle of the pandemic, nor did they be required to follow physical distancing rules. However, they did Read More...
Online choirs thrive amid lockdown as uplifting community connections
Lockdown may have brought concerts and choir practice to a standstill, but in the face of isolation and adversity, people are turning to the power of song more than ever and virtual choirs are flourishing online. In the UK, for instance, more than 1,000 NHS staff members from across the country Read More...