The Info Guru Blog: Why everyone should start painting after they retire

The Huffington Post

Culture Shift is a bi-weekly newsletter curated by the HuffPost Culture writers and editors.

This week we're talking about the gender bias of major fiction prizes, the lesser known art destinations in Europe, CatCon, Karl Ove Knausgård's unexpected TV cameo, the documentary amplifying women's voices in the Arab Spring, and why we should all start painting after retirement.

Artist Asks How Far We've Really Progressed In The 150 Years Since The Civil War

"[Sonya Clark's] upcoming performance at Mixed Greens Gallery, 'Unravelling,' combines her interest in symbols, race and identity with a passion for unconventional takes on traditional craft techniques. Clark will invite audience members to collaborate with her in deconstructing the many threads of the [Confederate flag]... The physically time consuming and demanding ritual will allow visitors to reflect on the ways the state and country have changed over the past 150 years, as well as what changes we're still waiting for." (Read more here)

36 Art Destinations For EuroTrippers Looking Beyond The Louvre

"In a good-will effort to help EuroTrippers delve into that dynamism without changing any flight plans, compiled here are a series of alternative art destinations in oft-visited cities. Focusing on modern and contemporary works, these galleries and museums breath new life into old Europe. They offer a more varied -- and less crowded -- experience that might just grace travelers with a bit of cultural understanding. Self-exploration not guaranteed." (Read more here)

Books About Women Don't Win Major Fiction Prizes. How Can We Change That?

"Man, woman, cyborg -- no matter what kind of writer you are, if you want to win a major literary award, there's just one thing you have to do: Make sure your main character is a man. Okay, it still helps to be a man, writing about men, but a woman writing about men will fare far better than a woman writing about women, at least if she wants to be a contender for awards such as the Pulitzer for fiction or the Man Booker Prize. Nicola Griffith, the acclaimed author of Hild and Ammonite, recently broke down the last 15 years of major fiction prize-winners by the gender of the author and the main character, and the resulting pie charts are pretty startling." (Read more here)

After Retirement, Esther Ritz Became A Full-Time Painter At 55 And Never Looked Back

"Not every story of late-blooming artistic potency garners so much attention. Born in New York City, Esther Ritz spent most of her life in Dallas. She married, had children, finished law school, worked in real estate and, at the age of 55, became an artist. Ritz grew up amid the rise of Expressionism, and recalls regarding Picasso as one of her favorite artists. Both influences are discernible in her vibrant, acrylic-on-paper paintings, which take root in the depths of the imagination and grow outward in all directions like a mutant weed." (Read more here)

'Younger' Is Spoofing Karl Ove Knausgård And It's Awesome

"The author [Karl Ove Knausgård], whose craggy, writerly visage and misanthropic reserve contribute to his old-school mystique, has predictably been made a prime target for American wits of the literary variety. But then he started popping up somewhere rather surprising: As a thinly veiled caricature on TV Land dramedy 'Younger.'" (Read more here)

CatCon Is Coming To Los Angeles And Bringing A Whole Lot Of Cat Art With It

"'It's like Comic Con, but for cat people,' writer and CatConLA organizer Susan Michals explained to The Huffington Post. Not that the phrase 'CatCon' isn't comprehensible enough -- both cats and conventions are staple elements of nerd culture in the United States and beyond. CatConLA is a special combination of the two fandoms, though, taking place over two days this weekend at the Reef in Los Angeles, California." (Read more here)

'The Trials Of Spring' Documentary Project Amplifies Voices Of Women In The Arab Spring

"'The Trials of Spring,' is a series of six shorts, a feature film and news reports by The New York Times that offer a rarely seen look at the gripping personal experiences of female activists in the wave of revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa. The films profile nine women across Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Syria, Bahrain and Yemen, with each detailing their journey through uprisings and crackdowns." (Read more here)

Why Workers Are Protesting One Of NY's Biggest Museums, In 11 Brilliant Posters

"'MoMA, don't cut our health care,' a large, red banner read. 'Modern art, ancient wages'" the crowd chanted. Like a scene out of 'House of Cards,' around 100 members of Local 2110, the union chapter that represents MoMA's technical and office workers, organized a timely protest in response to stalled negotiations between union members and the museum management." (Read more here)