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The stand-up comedian and actor best known for his appearances in the Friday and Hangover films traces his career and celebrity relationships as well as the early brushes with the law and witness to Hollywood racism that shaped his work in comedy.

This is the first major collection to reimagine and analyze the role of the creative arts in building resilient and inclusive regional communities. Bringing together Australia's leading theorists in the creative industries, as well as case studies from practitioners working in the creative and performing arts and new material from targeted research projects, the book reconceptualizes the very meaning of regionalism and the position—and potential—of creative spaces in nonmetropolitan centers.

\"The first authoritative biography of August Wilson, the most important and successful American playwright of the late 20th century, by a theater critic who knew him\"-- Provided by publisher.

This book is an exploration into the history, aesthetics, social reality, regulation, and transformation of dance and dance music in Egypt. It covers Oriental dance, known as belly dance or danse du ventre, regional or group-specific dances and rituals, sha‘bi (lower-class urban music and dance style), mulid (drawing on Sufi tradition and saints’ day festivals) and mahraganat (youth-created, primarily electronic music with lively rhythms and biting lyrics). The chapters discuss genres and sub-genres and their evolution, the demeanor of dancers, trends old and new, and social and political criticism that use the imagery of dance or a dancer. Also considered are the globalization of Egyptian dance, the replication or fantasies of raqs sharqi outside of Egypt, as well as the dance as a hobby, competitive dance form, and focus of international dance festivals.

The article deals with the leading activities of Izmail Organization of National Union of Artists of Ukraine. It is presented the specialists in the field of painting, drawing, arts and crafts, restoration and conservation of paintings, including the church art. Regional identity and multiculturalism are the principal features of the creativity of the Union representatives, who have significant number of regional, national and international exhibitions. Patriotic component is an essential priority of the cultural events, provided by the Organization. They are aimed at respecting the history, language, rites and customs of ethnic groups living in Budjak.

In light of the recent rise of right-wing populism in numerous political contexts and in the face of resurgent nationalism, racism, misogyny, homophobia, and demagoguery, this book investigates how historical and contemporary cultural producers have sought to resist, confront, confound, mock, or call out situations of political oppression in Germany, a country which has seen a dramatic range of political extremes during the past century. While the current turn to nationalist populism is global, it is perhaps most disturbing in Germany, given its history with its stormy first democracy in the interwar Weimar Republic; its infamous National Socialist (Nazi) period of the 1930s and 1940s; and its split Cold-War existence, with Marxist-Leninist Totalitarianism in the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany’s barely-hidden ties to the Nazi past. Equally important, Germans have long considered art and culture critical to constructions of national identity, which meant that they were frequently implicated in political action. This book therefore examines a range of work by artists from the early twentieth century to the present, work created in an array of contexts and media that demonstrates a wide range of possible resistance.

The Malay ethnicity in North Sumatra is rich in artistic traditions, including visual arts. Malay aesthetics, encompassing high aesthetic values, are commonly expressed through applied arts such as decorative motifs, traditional attire, and everyday objects. These Malay artistic expressions serve as the basis and reference for the creative exploration of North Sumatran painting art. This article examines how aesthetic transformation is revealed in the efforts to preserve Malay visual cultural forms. The socio-cultural approach is presented descriptively and qualitatively, emphasising the appreciative aspect. The methods employed include observation and creative endeavours, with the inventive method referring to Graham Wallas's theory of creativity. Aesthetic evaluation from audience responses was obtained through observation. The conclusions drawn from the study are as follows: 1) Malay ethnicity, as a traditional identity, is manifested in the aesthetic transformation of its visual culture, transitioning from functional aesthetics (applied art) to pure expressive aesthetics (fine art); 2) Aesthetic transformation gives rise to new values through elements of concept, form, utility, and iconography; and 3) Aesthetic transformation impacts the strength of North Sumatran painting art and contributes to the resilience of local culture.

Introduction: This article explores links between arts, health, and wellbeing for diverse First Nations and non-Indigenous peoples living in the very remote Barkly Region of the Northern Territory in Australia. The article stems from a major 3-year study of the Barkly arts sector conducted in partnership with Barkly Regional Arts and Regional Development Australia Northern Territory. Key findings relate to an arts-health ecology evident in the region, the interdependence between artists' own health and their arts activity, the value of arts spaces as places of safety and refuge, and the potential of the arts to promote cultural and intercultural healing and development. We discuss these findings in the context of relevant literature and make suggestions for future arts-health and wellbeing related research, policy and practice in rural and remote contexts. Methods: This study employed an ecological mixed-methods research design, including quantitative and qualitative survey and interview data collection as well as collaborative, data-driven thematic analysis. The ecological approach was used to map a variety of creative practices through a broad range of art forms. Commercial, amateur and subsidised art and creative practices were included in this study and represented the multicultural population of the Barkly Region (both First Nations and non- Indigenous peoples). Arts and creativity in the region were recognized as a complex ecology that saw individuals, businesses, organisations and government working in different ways to sustain culture and contribute to social and economic development. Results: Research participants from diverse cultural backgrounds recognised health and wellbeing benefits of arts and creative activity. Arts participation and engagement were reported to have intrinsic individual health and wellbeing effects such as mental health and mindfulness, emotional regulation, enjoyment, and relief of physical and emotional pain and stress alongside promoting spiritual connection to self, culture and community. The study indicates that the arts can also shape powerful determinants of health and wellbeing such as employment, poverty, racism, social inclusion, and natural and built environments. Barkly arts- health ecology featured extensive involvement from health and human service and arts organisations, which provided a strong foundation for inclusive, healing and holistic regional development. Conclusion: This study has outlined how arts and creative activity contribute to holistic regional development in the Barkly desert region, an area with a high percentage of First Nations peoples. Arts and creative activity were reported to have intrinsic health and wellbeing effects for individuals, which included mental health and mindfulness, emotional regulation, enjoyment, and relief of physical and emotional pain and stress as well as promoting spiritual connection to self, others and environment. Arts activities were also seen to shape powerful determinants of health and wellbeing such as employment, poverty, racism, social inclusion, and natural and built environments.

Folk art is a kind of visual art and arts and crafts formed under the background of folk culture, which is considered as the symbol of traditional culture. But all forms of traditional arts and crafts are threatened by a globalized culture. Many scholars have made multidimensional analysis of folk art from different perspectives. There is a significant gap in the comprehensive literature review on folk art. In order to bridge this gap, this paper adopts the method of bibliometrics to review the existing research on folk art based on Scopus database. With the impact of modern industrial design on folk art and craft, folk art has become a hot topic of cultural communication in recent years. Therefore, this study has two main purposes: (i) to analyze the nature and evolution of academic articles related to folk art. (ii) To identify thematic areas related to the study of folk art and their links with interdisciplinary fields. To achieve this goal, we performed a bibliometric analysis of the 2353 journal articles, books and related international conference articles listed in Scopus. Through the analysis, research activities related to folk art have increased significantly, and the multidimensional, interdisciplinary nature of research is also illustrated. However, there is still room for further research into the impact of interdisciplinary collaboration and how folk art and craft can be activated and applied in modern design.

Postwar Italian Art History Today brings fresh critical consideration to the parameters and impact of Italian art and visual culture studies of the past several decades. Taking its cue from the thirty-year anniversary of curator Germano Celant’s landmark exhibition at PS1 in New York – The Knot – this volume presents innovative case studies and emphasizes new methodologies deployed in the study of postwar Italian art as a means to evaluate the current state of the field. Included are fifteen essays that each examine, from a different viewpoint, the issues, concerns, and questions driving postwar Italian art history. The editors and contributors call for a systematic reconsideration of the artistic origins of postwar Italian art, the terminology that is used to describe the work produced, and key personalities and institutions that promoted and supported the development and marketing of this art in Italy and abroad.