The content of these famous artist’s diaries from the Smithsonian’s Archives sure are more beautiful than the moody song lyrics I scribbled in my journal next to pictures of celebrities I ripped from teen magazines…
From Vincent Van Gogh to Joseph Cornell, writing has always been a crucial part of the artist’s life. For some, it helps formulate a better conceptual understanding of works created through more mysterious, intuitive processes. For others, it’s a way to ruminate over source material — the highs and lows that fuel creative drive.
That may be why artists throughout history have been vigilant keepers of the diary, now the subject of an intriguing exhibition put on by the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art. A Day in the Life: Artists’ Diaries from the Archives of American Art features 35 diaries kept by a wide range of artists between 1865 and 2001.
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
