Visuals and black history

Among artists of all kinds there is an ongoing dialogue about the effect that our gifts can have on larger social and political debates. I've long thought the story of power, though, can actually be best understood by merely taking a course in art history. For all sorts of reasons, art has long been an essential tool of the powerful. And, importantly, it has often been a tool for unseating that very power as well. There are countless examples of this but the study of black history in particular reveals some poignant ones.

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Graphs: an analysis of 7 showing 2014 was hottest year on record

I'm sure you've already heard yesterday's news: 2014 was the hottest recorded year on Earth. And I'm sure you've seen the attention-grabbing maps and graphs associated with this news flash, too. But did you pay attention to which were the most accurate - or just the ones that looked the prettiest? Let's take a closer look at some here. Creating a useful graphic of any kind is both an art and a science.

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