Nobody is Normal

[View email in browser]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Become a member!]( BLACK SUN: Amorphous Flocks of Starlings Swell Above the Danish Marshlands Captured in the marshlands of southern Denmark, [Søren Solkær]( ongoing project documents one of nature’s most mesmerizing phenomena. BLACK SUN focuses on the quiet landscapes of the Danish photographer’s childhood where nearly one million starlings congregate during the vernal and autumnal seasons. [READ MORE]( RISD Continuing Education Launches Winter Term With 100% Online Courses and Certificates (Sponsor) Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Education announces more than [60 online courses]( for adults and teens this winter that are offered 100% online. [Continuing Education students]( can take online classes from anywhere, at any time of day or night. From courses like [Acrylic Painting]( and [Thinking Visually]( to [Adobe Photoshop]( and [Lighting for Interior Design]( join RISD for flexible and immersive online learning experiences this winter. Any RISD CE online course can be taken for personal or professional enrichment, and many qualify for the [Online Certificate Program](. While some teens may attend [RISD CE Online Teen Courses]( for fun and enrichment, others may have a more academic goal in mind with courses like animation, video game design, fashion design, and art school prep available. The winter term starts January 11, 2021. For more information on RISD CE online winter courses, visit [ce.risd.edu](. [TAKE A COURSE]( Antique Watches, Cameras, and Medical Equipment Morph Into Meticulous Steampunk Spiders For 25 years, art director and artist [Peter Szucsy]( has filled his days with rendering the bizarre, sinister beasts that run rampant through video games. [READ MORE]( Stainless Steel Roots Sprawl Into Figurative Sculptures by Artist Sun-Hyuk Kim Just like a tree, the spindly branches that shape [Sun-Hyuk Kim]( sculptures extend from a larger, sturdy limb—or in the South Korean artist’s case, neck or spine, too. [READ MORE]( Introducing Chicago Art & Culture, A Weekly Newsletter Curating Events Around the City This week, we're launching [Chicago Art & Culture]( a new weekly roundup of exhibition openings, artists talks, and other fun events occurring around the city. Each Thursday, we'll share a shortlist of three to five happenings in the realm of art, design, and visual culture. As guidelines around COVID-19 mitigation evolve, we'll be curating events that are either virtual, held outdoors, and/or following best practices. [Adjust your preferences]( to receive Chicago's newsletter—check out the first issue [here]( keep an eye out for New York, Los Angeles, and London lists coming soon. Have an event you'd like us to consider? Submit your idea to tips@thisiscolossal.com. We're looking to partner with local businesses and organizations each month, as well. Get in touch at hello@colossal.art to sponsor Chicago Art & Culture. [GET CHICAGO ART & CULTURE]( Listening to Swan Lake Awakens the Memory of a Former Ballerina with Alzheimer’s This video captures former NYC ballet dancer [Marta C. González]( as she listens to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, a piece of music we can assume she performed numerous times as shown in the interspersed archival clips from the 1960s. The music seems to awaken the choreography stored deep in her brain as she begins to spontaneously perform from her wheelchair. [WATCH]( Nobody Is Normal: A New Animation Reveals What Lies Just Beneath the Surface of Being a Kid However weird you feel inside, you’re not alone. That’s the literal message of this delightful animated short directed by [Catherine Prowse]( for the UK children’s charity Childline. [WATCH]( Support Independent Publishing and Become a Colossal Member Today Do the stories and artists you discover on Colossal matter to you? [Join more than one thousand like-minded readers]( who are passionate about contemporary art and the vast potential of human creativity. Get special discounts with some of our partners, experience our website ad-free, and ensure this newsletter finds you each weekday. Colossal is supported largely by our readers; without you, there's no us. [Please join today]( and help us reach our goal of 1,200 members by the end of the year! ❤️ An Oversized Statue of Leonard Peltier, an American Indian Activist, Pensively Stares Toward Alcatraz Peering out over the San Francisco Bay toward Alcatraz is a monumental statue that pays homage to an American Indian Movement activist who’s been incarcerated for decades. Created by Portuguese-American artist Rigo 23 in 2016, the 12-foot-tall figure resembles a small self-portrait that the activist, [Leonard Peltier]( painted while imprisoned. [READ MORE]( A New Book Documents the Magnificent Experience of Swimming with Humpback Whales Between 2014 and 2018, [Jem Cresswell]( spent countless hours submerged in the depths of the southern Pacific Ocean surrounding Tonga where he captured a group of humpback whales. The original project has culminated in a new book that documents the creatures’ movements and idiosyncrasies in striking black-and-white images. [READ MORE]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Tumblr]( [Vimeo]( [Website]( [Email](mailto:hello@colossal.art) [RSS]( This is the November 17, 2020, issue of our weekly update. Thank you for subscribing. This email is supported in part [by our members](. You also can [adjust your preferences]( or [unsubscribe](. Published with love from Chicago. 6177 N. Lincoln Ave #314 / Chicago IL 60659 ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶