Crafty Cookery

Enormous insects, embroidery in nature, and assembled horizons. [View email in browser]( [The best of the week in art & visual culture]( Massive Butterflies Alight on Architecture in Larger-Than-Life Trompe L’oeil Murals by Mantra [A mural on the side of a building of butterflies in a garden]( During the course of six days, the French street artist [Mantra]( completed the painting “Là où fleurit l’émerveillement,” which translates to “where wonder flourishes,” using rollers and brushes to apply acrylic painting to the multistory residential building. [See more]( Affiliate A Comprehensive Book Chronicles the 125-Year History of the Button, Its Design, and Its Role in Cultural Change [A display of dozens of buttons on a black backdrop]( From political campaigns to punch lines to keepsakes, the button has packed an incredible amount of information into just a few inches. [Button Power: 125 Years of Saying It with Buttons]( delves into the item’s rich and lengthy history, spanning its invention in 1896 to contemporary usages. [Shop on Bookshop.org]( Chimerical Creatures Combine Feathers and Fur in Isabel Reitemeyer’s Uncanny Collages [Two collages, one of a bunny's head on a horse and a dog's head on the body of a chicken.]( Berlin-based artist [Isabel Reitemeyer]( is known for making uncanny collages that splice images of animals and bodies into humorously enigmatic compositions. [See more]( In Clever Stop Motion Tutorials by Omozoc, Wooden Boards Slice Like Sticks of Butter [A gif of a piece of wood being sliced with a bench scraper]( Stop-motion animator [omozoc]( has a knack for making complex and labor-intensive processes look remarkably effortless. [Watch now]( Nature and Nostalgia Merge in Assemblages Made from Vintage Boxes by David Cass [A sculpture made from small wooden boxes stacked inside a drawer and painted with wavy blue lines]( In the multi-media works of artist [David Cass](, memories and tokens of bygone eras are assembled into compositions that evoke both nostalgia for the past and serve as a reminder of fluctuations in nature due to a changing climate. [See more]( Vivid Compositions in Thread Enliven Hollow Spaces in Diana Yevtukh’s Striking Embroideries [Embroidery of a colorful human eye nestled into tree bark and surrounded by the silhouette of the shape of Ukraine]( Ukrainian artist [Diana Yevtukh]( draws inspiration from her surroundings by carefully situating cornucopian floral arrangements made of thread in the hollows of trees. [See more]( Otherworldly Vistas and Noble Portraits Celebrate Life’s Mysteries in Sherman Beck’s Vibrant Paintings [A portrait of Shirley Chisholm on a brightly patterned background by Sherman Beck]( One of the original ten members of the groundbreaking Chicago-based artist collective AFRICOBRA founded in 1968, [Sherman Beck]( paints vibrant portrayals of Black family, ancestry, and community that celebrate the wonder and mysticism of everyday life. [See more]( Get Our Favorite London and Chicago Art Picks Directly to Your Inbox [A colorful stairway in Greenwich, an aerial view of Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate in Chicago, and a public installation of elephant sculptures in front of Buckingham Palace]( Make your weekend art plans with us! Each week, we send out roundups of exhibition openings, artist talks, and other fun events occurring around Chicago and London. In each city's edition, we also include news about our partnerships and featured artists on Colossal in those cities. You can find out more about our array of [newsletters]( and get updates straight to your inbox! [Sign up today]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Share to Twitter]( [Forward email]( [Forward email]( Today's Best of the Week was edited by Kate Mothes. 🚇 Colossal 6177 N. Lincoln Ave. #314 Chicago, IL 60659 ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ You received this email because you signed up on our website and are an amazing person. [Unsubscribe](