Target became the latest company to adjust plans for marketing supportive of the L.G.B.T.Q. community after it faced backlash from some customers.

Chrome plating, fringe made of humble kitchen cutlery, illuminated chandeliers, and symbolic sculptures of flora and fauna adorn a school bus parked at the ICA Watershed in the Boston Harbor Shipyard. The elaborately retrofitted vehicle is the largest project to-date by Guadalupe Maravilla and the latest addition to his Disease Thrower series.

Born out of the artist’s traumatic experience immigrating as an unaccompanied minor and suffering from colon cancer as an adult, the ongoing body of work evinces the healing power of sound and vibration. Titled “Mariposa Relámpago,” or lightning butterfly, the new work has had several lives before making its way to Boston: the bus was first used for transporting students in the U.S., then sent to the artist’s native El Salvador, and finally ended up in his studio where it underwent its current transformation.

Detail of “Mariposa Relámpago” (2023), mixed media, approximately 13 × 8.5 × 35 feet

Fastened to the vehicle’s body are several objects Maravilla found while retracing the 3,000-mile route he traveled as an eight-year-old to reunite with his parents, who had fled the country’s civil war. Included are references to Mayan cosmology and indigenous practices, spiritual emblems, and more contemporary imagery of disease and medicine, including a model of human anatomy resting atop the hood. Gongs and other tonal objects suspend from the sides, which Maravilla rings during his ritualistic sound baths. These sessions, which he’s hosted specifically for undocumented immigrants and those dealing with cancer, are known to reduce stress, anxiety, and tension that can worsen the pain of illness and injury.

Also in the exhibition at the Watershed are smaller paintings, scale models, and Disease Thrower sculptures made of mixed natural and synthetic materials that similarly reflect the artist’s exploration of displacement and recovery. Immersive and totemic, the works are part of the artist’s effort “to confront trauma in order to heal.”

Guadalupe Maravilla: Mariposa Relámpago is on view through September 4, with two sound baths scheduled for June 10 and August 13.

Detail of “Mariposa Relámpago” (2023), mixed media, approximately 13 × 8.5 × 35 feet

Detail of “Mariposa Relámpago” (2023), mixed media, approximately 13 × 8.5 × 35 feet

Detail of “Mariposa Relámpago” (2023), mixed media, approximately 13 × 8.5 × 35 feet

“Mariposa Relámpago” (2023), mixed media, approximately 13 × 8.5 × 35 feet

The artist in “Mariposa Relámpago” (2023), mixed media, approximately 13 × 8.5 × 35 feet

“Disease Thrower #14” (2021), cast aluminum, steel tubing, assorted welded details, 86 × 143 × 79 inches

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Guadalupe Maravilla Transforms a School Bus into an Immersive Installation for Sound-Based Healing appeared first on Colossal.

Thousands of artifacts of historical and financial value, including items taken from graves and archaeological digs, have been recovered in Italy following a huge operation, authorities have said.

Italian police have arrested 21 out of 51 suspects in an operation which included hundreds of officers, authorities said at a press conference in the southern Italian region of Puglia on Wednesday.

Those arrested are under investigation for “numerous clandestine excavations, receiving stolen goods and illicit marketing, nationally and internationally, of very important archaeological finds,” said Renato Nitti, chief prosecutor in charge of the investigation in Trani, Puglia, in a press statement.

What was recovered?

Authorities recovered 3,586 pieces of “inestimable historical, artistic and commercial value” in Puglia, Basilicata, Campania, Abruzzo, Lazio and Trentino Alto Adige, said Vincenzo Molinese, head of Italy’s Carabinieri art police, at the press conference.

They also recovered 60 metal detectors and other objects consistent with clandestine excavations, including long metal spikes and shovels.

In the northern Italian municipality of Lavis, 1,679 bronze and silver archaeological coins – from Magna Graecia, Roman and Byzantine mints – dating to between the 4th century BC and 3rd century AD were uncovered. Hundreds of coins dating to the Roman Imperial era were found in the the city of Ciampino, near Rome.

Loom weights, bell-shaped craters, jugs, cups, plates, miniature vases and oil lamps were among the valuables recovered in the southern town of Spinazzola.

Many of the artifacts were taken by “tombaroli” – or grave robbers – in Campania, Basilicata and Puglia and trafficked across Italy and internationally to art collectors, authorities said.

Most are not documented and never-before-seen pieces taken directly from unexplored archaeological digs, added authorities.

“The investigation made it possible to ascertain and curb an impressive predatory action to the detriment of the archaeological heritage of our territory, of the exceptional cultural richness,” public prosecutor Nitti said at the press conference.

Nitti said the operation “demonstrates how our territory still holds immeasurable treasures,” attracting “robbers and unscrupulous traffickers.”

The investigation began last year after several clandestine digs were discovered in the Canosa region of Puglia, from where all of the items are thought to have originated.

The looting of ancient art in Italy is not a new phenomenon.

It emerged that the Covid-19 pandemic had offered thieves new opportunities to raid closed archaeological sites, churches and museums for priceless artifacts while police were reassigned to enforce lockdowns.

Arthur Brand, one of Europe’s foremost art detectives and author of “Hitler’s Horses: The Incredible True Story of the Detective who Infiltrated the Nazi Underworld,” told CNN in 2021 that at least half of ancient Roman artifacts on the market then were stolen.

“Still Life,” a short animation by Los Angeles-based filmmaker Conner Griffith, opens with a classic game of “guess which hand.” As the illustrated hands open and close, a tiny ball morphs into a series of tools and other household objects, and we are whisked off on a journey through more than 1,000 historic engravings. Collecting images from sources like the Iconographic Encyclopedia of Science, Literature, and Art and Gray’s Anatomy—both published in the 1850s and now in the public domain—Griffith examines how items and materials help to define lifestyles, attitudes, and consciousness of the world around us. “The film explores the idea that we live in a world of objects and a world of objects lives within us,” he says.

Find more of Griffith’s work on his website and on Vimeo.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Conner Griffith Animates the World of Objects Through Historical Engravings in ‘Still Life’ appeared first on Colossal.

(Photo by iStock/Kesu01) 

This issue of Stanford Social Innovation Review marks several significant changes. In the last issue, which celebrated our 20th anniversary, I announced that our publisher, Michael Voss, and art director, David Herbick, were leaving the publication. I am now happy to announce that Marcia Zellers has joined SSIR as our new publisher, and David Armario has joined as our new art director.

Marcia Zellers started her career in magazine publishing, working as associate marketing director at teen girls’ magazine Sassy, marketing director at Spin (then the world’s second-largest music magazine after Rolling Stone), and publisher of the music magazine Reflex. She then moved into the digital world, becoming cofounder of MTV Online, where she led MTV’s joint venture with Yahoo to create a music search engine. From there she joined Warner Brothers as supervising producer of Entertaindom, one of the early entertainment web portals and streaming services.

Since then, Marcia has spent time working in the nonprofit sector as director of the American Film Institute’s digital content lab; in higher education, where she oversaw digital marketing to students for the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising; and most recently back again in the for-profit sector, where she has held a variety of positions at digital-marketing, advertising, and branding agencies, including chief creative officer, director of brand and customer experience, and president and managing director.

Our new art director, David Armario, has a long and distinguished career in magazine design. He was the design and art director of the monthly science magazine Discover, where he led a redesign of the publication. He was design and art director of the monthly Men’s Journal, one of the most popular consumer magazines targeted at men. And he was creative director of the monthly lifestyle magazine Los Angeles, where he also led a redesign.

More recently, David has led his own creative design and art direction studio, David Armario Design, which works with publications and retailers. He is the art director of several magazines, including Stanford Medicine and Stanford Lawyer. And he works with corporate clients as well, including Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, and Eileen Fisher.

I also want to call your attention to our magazine’s new design. Over SSIR’s 20-year history, the magazine has had three art directors, and each one has put his imprint on the publication. With this new design, David has created more white space, making the pages more pleasing to look at and the articles easier to read. He has also introduced a more contemporary design for the departments—“What’s Next,” “Field Report,” “Viewpoint,” “Research,” and “Books.” And he has refashioned the “Feature” and “Case Study” articles to make them more lively and visually engaging, adding more illustrations and more creative treatment of headlines and the overall layout. We hope you like it.

One thing that has not changed at SSIR is our mission. We remain committed to providing a media platform where people engaged in social change from all parts of society—nonprofit, government, and business—and from around the world can come together to share new ideas and practices, critique existing ones, and, most important, learn from one another.

Read more stories by Eric Nee.

Five days a week this school year Margarita Muñiz Academy students learned how to create music thanks to nonprofit Boston Music Project led by a Jamaica Plain resident.

Margarita Muniz Academy students working with Boston Music Project. BMP Executive Director and JP resident Chris Schroeder, standing far right. 

“They’re taking music they like and learning how to produce in the style of Bad Bunny or a bachata,” said Boston Music Project (BMP) Executive Director Chris Schroeder. “The final stage is working in the studio and seeing what that experience is like.”

Through the digital marketing program, all juniors and seniors learn to use Soundtrap, and create music albums similar to their musical preferences.

Taking student learning further, BMP partnered with a recording company to understand different roles that exist in the industry.

“You don’t need to be a performer on stage. There are artists creating album art, marketing strategies to promote the artist,” said Schroeder. “The larger opportunity is to learn about creative job possibilities to see if there is a role in the creative industry that gets them excited.”

This summer BMP is partnering with Boston and its success link program to provide paid summer work opportunities for Boston youth ages 14 through 18 to make music with BMP all summer long

Along with its work with the Academy, BMP also brings music education and experiences to numerous Boston Public Schools, and the nonprofit’s goal is to ensure that every BPS student has access to musical education.

“I think the goal for us is to ensure every BPS school can enjoy the transformative experience of music,” said Schroeder. “Moreover, it’s that all schools have some sort of music programming in their classrooms.”

The EDAWN Foundation and Washoe County School District announced the winners of the 8th Annual Taxi Art Contest Wednesday.

This year, a record 300+ students submitted entries from 20 schools. 

The taxi art design entries were evaluated by a panel of judges from The EDAWN Foundation and the Arts community for their originality, creativity, and message highlighting why Northern Nevada Is a great place to live.

The top nine classroom designs were awarded a check for $500.

The taxi art campaign allows Washoe County School District K-12 students an opportunity to join in a friendly competition to showcase their artistic talent by creating a compelling story to visitors, families, and business travelers in the form of taxi art that depicts why our region is a great place to live, work, and play.

The marketing campaign was first launched by the EDAWN Foundation in 2014 with billboards throughout the community and airport, then changing to student art displayed on taxi cabs.

Since its inception, the EDAWN Foundation (non-profit 501c3) has awarded over $34,500 to WCSD classrooms.

A biosimilar, by definition, is a biologic that is highly similar – in structure and function(s) – to a registered reference biologic, with no clinically meaningful differences in terms of safety, purity, and potency. Biosimilars are regulated in a somewhat different context compared with chemically derived small molecule generics. Regulatory agencies mandate that biosimilars be exchangeable in clinical practice with a reference product. However, in practice, exchangeability has a specific definition that can be vague in meaning. Here, we discuss the concept of interchangeability for biosimilars and offer some operational perspectives on interchangeability considerations in the design and execution of preclinical developments leading to later phases of clinical studies on biosimilar products. 

Biologics as functional biosimilars require corresponding structures. Many marketed biosimilars are, of course, proteins – monoclonal antibodies, enzymes, and so on. And a distinctive feature for functional biologics as proteins is correct folding into a tertiary (3D structure) after translation with the appropriate configurations of post-translational modifications (PTMs), such as glycosylation, ubiquitination, and methylation (1). In the cellular networks, there are more than 400 different types of PTMs that can impact many aspects of protein functions (2).Appropriate PTMs ensure correct folding and, therefore, how effectively surface receptors and/or other allosteric binding sites are exposed.

The scientific principles underlying the quality of a biosimilar mandate careful attention to PTM patterns to ensure correct protein folding for functionality – and that means the manufacturing processes must be well controlled (3, 4).

If a biosimilar has a similar or highly similar configuration of PTMs to the reference product, it should indicate that the protein folding is highly similar to the original product.

From a safety point of view, the biosimilar and reference product should have similar antigenicity and in vivo toxicity profiles; however, ultimately, adverse events in humans will not be known until first-in-human data for the biosimilar become available. Regardless, reliable in vitro structural and functional data are helpful in planning next development steps, including study designs and executions

The current systems of protein expression for industrial-scale manufacturing are based on imperfect science, which makes the manufacturing process for biosimilars as much an art as a solid science. In particular, there is a lack of understanding when it comes to the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of action for PTMs because these are enzyme-mediated and highly dynamic processes. 

Folding patterns also determine correlation to other biological characteristics, such as toxicity profiles. Unlike small molecule generics, biological drugs need to interact with the tissue and cells of human systems by binding to cell receptors to elicit a downstream therapeutic effect. This is fundamentally different to the classic pharmacodynamic model of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion model. The biological reactions, both in potential side effects and therapeutic responses from biosimilars, are multi-systemic and, therefore, difficult to predict from pre-clinical animal models. As a result, reactions can be highly complex depending on the nature, administered routes, strength, and dosage form (5).

Current EMA and FDA guidelines stipulate that biosimilars should be interchangeable with their reference product, without further intervention from prescribing physicians. The FDA has been clear about the scientific risks and benefits of interchangeability. A biosimilar can be expected to produce the same clinical result as the reference product in any given patient of the target population. And for a product administered to a patient during a treatment course, the risk in terms of safety or diminished efficacy of alternating or switching between use of the biosimilar and its reference product should not be greater. The FDA has developed standards for biosimilars, but these can be subject to different interpretations in clinical development (6, 7, 8, 9).

In the US, the traditional approval pathway for a biosimilar is a 351(k)-marketing application, which should include, among other specific considerations, information demonstrating structural biosimilarity and functional interchangeability based on data derived from analytical, animal, and clinical studies demonstrating that the biological product is “highly similar.” The pre-clinical studies should include structural and functional analyses. Measuring protein folding is also technically feasible with advanced methodologies.

Animal models are used to determine toxicity, toxicity profiles, and initial dosing. Clinical studies, including early studies and the assessment of immunogenicity and pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics, should lend credible support to demonstrate safety, purity, and potency in one or more appropriate conditions of use for which the reference product is licensed.

Extrapolated indications for biosimilars are a concern if there are no head-to-head comparison data with a reference product.

The “no clinically meaningful difference” aspect of biosimilars should be a consensus reached by a collective group of stakeholders. However, from a statistical perspective, data supportive of a null hypothesis in randomized trials with appropriate clinical or patient outcomes suggest that claims of biosimilarity are, at least, highly likely.

Every effort should be made to ensure complete sets of data are collected and used to justify downstream clinical developments for biosimilars and to support and facilitate future marketing applications. With the right pre-clinical analytical data, it can be reasonable to assume that a biologic will be highly similar to its reference product in structure, and therefore safety, purity, and potency, before entering later human trials.

In Negative Space, Yau Hoong Tang derives imaginative and expansive storylines from minimal visuals. As its name suggests, the ongoing series plays with the relationship between presence and absence, layering optical illusions, embedded imagery, and other narrative cues within a single work.

The Kuala Lumpur-based illustrator is fond of weaving together several plots. In one work, an ink splatter also becomes wildlife inhabiting the world, with in another, a creature appears as a flying goose or a fox depending on where the viewer focuses. “I love using negative space in my illustrations as it creates more dynamics to an artwork and opens up a visual conversation,” he tells Colossal. “Its thought provoking nature invites viewers to discover the hidden meanings and spark imagination.”

While Negative Space is created digitally, Tang is currently working on a new collection that returns to more traditional, analog mediums. Shop limited-edition prints, and find more of his playful illustrations on Behance and Instagram.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Playful Illustrations by Yau Hoong Tang Layer Optical Illusions into Imaginative Stories appeared first on Colossal.