Latest news with #Sightlines
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Sightlines' art exhibit highlights Asian-American influence in the DC experience
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — An exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum gives a new perspective on the rich history and influence of Asian-Americans in the District and beyond. Prominent pastor notified books loaned to African American museum may be returned amid review Moving through time, space and place, the 'Sightlines' exhibit sits just steps away from the iconic Friendship Archway in Chinatown, it's a reminder that Asian-American history in the DMV goes far beyond what can be seen from the street. 'It just seemed so perfect to mount an exhibition talking not just about Chinatown, but just the ways that Asian Americans have contributed to the built and cultural environment of our nation's capital,' said Yao-Fen You, the acting director of the Asian Pacific American Center. She helped bring the exhibit to life before its opening last fall. 'For us it's about unearthing those facts that, really, people haven't known about. I just like to think of it as telling a more fuller history,' said You. Sightlines is designed to give a different perspective and something new to look at from every angle, highlighting the intersectionality of the city experience and the impact of Asian-American culture in the District. The exhibit is home to three main stories: Making Place, Transforming Tradition and Visualizing Identity. A lot of the highlighted history is very recent, with some pieces from the 21st century, and others back to the 1960s and 1970s. 'I think what's great is that we had people come in and they're so excited, not only to see themselves, but to see their friends,' said You of some of the photographs included in the exhibit. It also celebrates artists like Alfred H. Liu, who designed the iconic Friendship Arch, and takes a closer look at what could have been. A sketch shows a design for an unrealized project called the Far East Trade Center. 'This is something that was never built,' said You, walking through the exhibit. 'He wanted it to be built on top of the Chinatown Metro station.' The drawings, sculptures and artwork highlighted in Sightlines go far beyond what's on display within the exhibit's walls. It includes a map of street art and murals by Javanese-American artist MISS CHELOVE, Cita Sadeli, and how to find them across the District. 'I think with each exhibition, you can never explore something to the depth that a curator ever wants to,' said You. 'There's only so much visitors can handle. The idea is that you are invited to explore more to whet your appetite. Right. We're just so excited that we have had this opportunity to introduce, not only the DMV audience, but also tourists coming from all over America to sort of just looking at DC in a very different way.' She and her team are also looking forward to another exhibit opening up at the American History Museum this fall, specifically highlighting the Filipino-American experience. 'Sightlines' is expected to stay on display through Nov. 30, 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Forbes
27-03-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Why Drinkers Are Buying Beer One Can At A Time
Deschutes Brewery's line of Symphonic Chronic double IPAs is available only in single 19.2-ounce cans, tapping into the consumer trend to in-the-moment buying. Deschutes Brewery In a presentation for members, the Brewers Association recently reported that single-can sales of craft beer are catching up to sales of 4-packs, traditionally the preferred pack-size for off-premise sales of craft beer. The Brewers Association is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American craft brewers. The increase in single-can sales is occurring despite overall craft beer sales being flat, against a backdrop of overall beer sales declining. The Brewers Association measures beer sales by craft brewers, which it defines as brewers having annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales) and having less than 25 percent ownership or control (or equivalent economic interest) by a beverage alcohol industry member that is not itself a craft brewer. While sales of craft beer overall are down, sales of single cans of craft beer are growing, according to the Brewers Association. Brewers Association 'Consumers are making more shopping trips and buying only what they need at that time, rather than stocking up,' said Kate Bernot, lead analyst with Sightlines, a beverage alcohol insights platform, in a telephone interview. The shift in consumer behavior is a combination of buyers now being accustomed to having their needs satisfied on demand, thanks to services like Amazon Prime and Instacart, and consumers seeing smaller, though more frequent, store visits as being more palatable in the face of higher prices. 'The big weekly trip to grocery store that used to be the norm requires planning and organization,' said Bernot. 'Meanwhile, savings rates are low and loan defaults are ticking up. So, consumers are shopping for what they need right now. It's psychologically easier to spend $40 three times than $120 once, even though it's the same amount of money.' According to Sightlines, consumers are buying less per trip to the store, but going to the store more frequently. Sightlines According to NACS, the trade association representing convenience and fuel retailing, American consumers visit convenience stores more than any other type of brick-and-mortar retail location. More than ever, consumers want what is quick and convenient. Shifts in consumer spending patterns drive the decisions of craft breweries which are now, more than ever, needing to find growth wherever the consumer is. Bend, Oregon's Deschutes Brewery recently released a line of beers exclusively in single-serve, 19.2-ounce cans; the beers are not available in any multi-pack format. 'We started a new brand exclusively for the convenience channel called Symphonic Chronic,' said Peter Skrbek, CEO at Deschutes via email. 'The key insights for the channel were fan preference for single serve products at a higher ABV than our IPAs in the grocery channel. This was driven exclusively by fan preference in the channel.' Is it working? 'Consumer response has been incredible,' said Skrbek. 'We are seeing more distribution gains in the convenience channel than any other channel . The only part of our portfolio growing faster are our non-alcoholic brands. We are now in the process of releasing an additional product in the line called Symphonic Chronic Double Juicy IPA.' A shift toward single-can purchases can lower the cost barrier to try new breweries and brands as there is risk in buying one can versus a 12-pack. Still, Bernot suggests that tight budgets and quick shopping favors trusted brands. 'When budgets are tight, shoppers stick with something safer,' said Bernot. 'If they're buying one can of beer, consumers are less likely to take a risk on something they don't know, so there's a move back to trusted brands.' Bernot notes that when shoppers pop into convenience stores for a quick purchase, they are less likely to examine all of the available brands, weighing the pros and cons of each, instead grabbing what is familiar. That convenience-store behavior transfers over to grocery stores when consumers are doing small shops of a few items. This shift favors familiar brands like Deschutes, an early pioneer in craft beer founded in 1988. While beer rating apps like Untappd have in recent years driven craft beer drinkers to continuously seek new beers by gamifying beer drinking, the shift by consumers to single-serve cans from tried-and-true breweries suggests the constant quest for what's new might be waning.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
The photographer capturing the ‘indescribable magic' of Australia's landscapes
Editor's Note: Call to Earth is a CNN editorial series committed to reporting on the environmental challenges facing our planet, together with the solutions. Rolex's Perpetual Planet Initiative has partnered with CNN to drive awareness and education around key sustainability issues and to inspire positive action. When Lisa Michele Burns set out to photograph Australia in 2022, she didn't quite realize how enormous it was. She recalled a growing sense of panic on the second of her two four-month road trips as she drove down the never-ending highway to the outback, surrounded by nothing but rust-orange dirt, spiky spinifex grass, and the occasional gray-green mulga tree. 'That road, it's just — it's so straight,' said Burns. 'There was a point where I had to pull over and go, 'What are we doing? This place is so big.'' Despite growing up in Australia — moving from its southern coastline, where bushland rolls into the sea, up to the Whitsunday Islands in central Queensland — Burns, 40, has spent most of her career abroad, capturing images of Alpine peaks, serene bamboo forests and Mediterranean coastlines. 'I probably knew more about Greenland than I did the center of Australia,' she said. But during the coronavirus pandemic, she found herself at home, unable to travel abroad. 'It became an opportunity for me to see Australia.' Focusing on the 'vibrant color palette' of Australia's landscapes, Burns traversed the country, accompanied by her partner, to capture its diversity, from ocean blues to white sand beaches, dense green forests to rich red desert plains. Exploring places she'd never visited, Burns found a new appreciation for her birthplace — and hopes that the images, compiled in her photobook, 'Sightlines,' published last December by Images Publishing Group, can preserve the 'indescribable magic' of Australia's landscapes while sparking conversations about how to protect much-beloved natural wonders. 'I think it's important to appreciate the variety of landscapes across Australia, but to also document them as they are today, because they are changing,' said Burns. Due to pandemic restrictions and seasonal weather, Burns planned the trip in two halves — the first around the East coast, covering Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, and the second half across South and Western Australia, and the Northern Territory — spending around eight months of 2022 on the road. While Burns plotted the route on Google Maps and researched locations ahead of the trip, she found that on the road, often different 'palettes and patterns' grabbed her attention. 'A lot of the places that became my favorite spots weren't actually ones that I'd researched,' she said. After finishing up early at a location in Southern Australia, Burns turned down a small road that led to Sheringa Beach, a location that became a highlight of her trip. 'There was nobody else there, just us and these dunes that just roll into the turquoise sea,' she recalled. In Western Australia, Burns visited Gantheaume Point, a 'touristy spot' famous for its fossilized dinosaur footprints that surprised her with unusual patterns and vibrant colors formed in the sandstone over millennia. 'I was mesmerized for days,' she said. The photos in 'Sightlines' focus more on the 'smaller details within a landscape,' said Burns, providing a deeper understanding and connection with the environment. For example, the desert often appears barren and inhospitable, a huge stretch of empty sand and sky with 'nothing really surviving,' said Burns: 'But once you take a closer look, there are so many beautiful flora and fauna that exist in these extreme conditions.' While Burns describes herself as an optimist and focused on the beauty of the country's landscapes, she could see the impacts of climate change. In the past decade, Australia has seen increasingly extreme weather events as a result of environmental damage, including intense droughts and storms, bushfires and rising sea levels. For Burns, this was most visible around the reefs and coastlines, where rising temperatures cause coral bleaching, which reached 'catastrophic levels' in the Great Barrier Reef in 2024. Last year was the hottest year on record globally, and Australia's average temperature has increased by 1.51 Celsius since 1910, when records began. And while driving through Southern Australia, Burns saw the aftermath of the 2019-2020 bushfires, during which more than 10 million hectares of land burned and over a billion animals are estimated to have died. 'That was incredible to see. That's where my family's from, and I knew how huge the fires were and the impact that they had,' she said. But across the scarred landscape, Burns could 'see the forest regenerating.' 'I think it is important to form a collective visual of what these landscapes look like today,' she said, adding: 'Photography can raise awareness about climate change, even if it's through beautiful imagery rather than hardcore documentary imagery. A good balance of the two across media is really important.' Even for a landscape photographer, though, some scenes cannot be captured. When Burns finally reached the Red Center, a landscape she'd heard so much about but never seen for herself, she felt the indescribable awe of Uluṟu — one of the world's largest sandstone monoliths and one of Australia's most iconic landmarks — and its red hue against the blue sky: 'I didn't realize how significant that would feel.' Nearby, in the Valley of the Winds, no photos are allowed because it is sacred to the Aṉangu people: but for Burns, it was 'one of the highlights of the entire trip,' giving her a new level of connection with the landscape. 'We lay on a platform and listened to the wind funneling down between the domes, and the birdsong,' she said. 'That was really magic, because you do need to look around and observe to get those creative ideas. You just need to put the camera down, sometimes.'
CNN
07-03-2025
- CNN
Australia's jaw-dropping landscapes, from east to west
Over the course of two four-month road trips, Lisa Michele Burns drove across Australia and documented its varied landscapes in her new photo book, 'Sightlines.' The collection highlights the patterns and palettes of her homeland — like this photo of In the middle of Australia's "Red Center," at the 1,325-square-kilometer (511-square-mile) Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. Look through the gallery to see more jaw-dropping photos of Australia, from east to west. Lisa Michele Burns This photo of Hardy Reef in Queensland was one of the few photos in the collection that Burns took before the road trip, while on a helicopter ride over the Great Barrier Reef. "It's one of my favorite shots that I ever took," she says, adding that the conditions that day were just right to capture the deep blue channel against the turquoise shallow reef. Lisa Michele Burns K'Gari, formerly known as Fraser Island, is the world's largest sand island and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its combination of dunes, freshwater lakes, and tall rainforest (pictured), where 50-meter-high trees grow in sand. Lisa Michele Burns Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage area for its ecological significance, Shark Bay's shallow waters, salt lakes and coastal dunes are home to 35% of Australia's bird species, as well as marine life, flora and fauna. Burns was captivated by the "sand swirls and tidal patterns," enhanced by shell and coral fragments and high tide, which created deeper shades of blue and sharper contrast with the shallow areas. Lisa Michele Burns Lake Tyrrell, a salt lake in Victoria, was the first location where Burns used her drone for the project. From the air, Burns was able to capture the "artistic" patterns of the salt crust against the pinkish-gold hues of the soil. Lisa Michele Burns At Roebuck Bay in Western Australia, Burns shot the vibrant red sand, known as "pindan," against the turquoise ocean. The area is rich with biodiversity, says Burns, adding that it provides "feeding grounds for the more than 100,000 migratory shorebirds" each year. Lisa Michele Burns The Pinnacles, pictured, are limestone formations found in a yellow-sand desert reserve in Western Australia. The geological wonders are the result of ancient seashell deposits eroded over millennia, says Burns, who played with different lighting at dawn and sunset to create dramatic images. Lisa Michele Burns Gantheaume Point is best known for its well-preserved dinosaur footprints — but for Burns, the pastel pink geological formations, known as Broome Sandstone, with unique patterns created by tides and erosion over millions of years, captured her interest. Lisa Michele Burns
CNN
07-03-2025
- CNN
This photographer spent 8 months driving across Australia to capture its jaw-dropping landscapes
When Lisa Michele Burns set out to photograph Australia in 2022, she didn't quite realize how enormous it was. She recalled a growing sense of panic on the second of her two four-month road trips as she drove down the never-ending highway to the outback, surrounded by nothing but rust-orange dirt, spiky spinifex grass, and the occasional gray-green mulga tree. 'That road, it's just — it's so straight,' said Burns. 'There was a point where I had to pull over and go, 'What are we doing? This place is so big.'' Despite growing up in Australia — moving from its southern coastline, where bushland rolls into the sea, up to the Whitsunday Islands in central Queensland — Burns, 40, has spent most of her career abroad, capturing images of Alpine peaks, serene bamboo forests and Mediterranean coastlines. 'I probably knew more about Greenland than I did the center of Australia,' she said. But during the coronavirus pandemic, she found herself at home, unable to travel abroad. 'It became an opportunity for me to see Australia.' Focusing on the 'vibrant color palette' of Australia's landscapes, Burns traversed the country, accompanied by her partner, to capture its diversity, from ocean blues to white sand beaches, dense green forests to rich red desert plains. Exploring places she'd never visited, Burns found a new appreciation for her birthplace — and hopes that the images, compiled in her photobook, 'Sightlines,' published last December by Images Publishing Group, can preserve the 'indescribable magic' of Australia's landscapes while sparking conversations about how to protect much-beloved natural wonders. 'I think it's important to appreciate the variety of landscapes across Australia, but to also document them as they are today, because they are changing,' said Burns. Due to pandemic restrictions and seasonal weather, Burns planned the trip in two halves — the first around the East coast, covering Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, and the second half across South and Western Australia, and the Northern Territory — spending around eight months of 2022 on the road. While Burns plotted the route on Google Maps and researched locations ahead of the trip, she found that on the road, often different 'palettes and patterns' grabbed her attention. 'A lot of the places that became my favorite spots weren't actually ones that I'd researched,' she said. After finishing up early at a location in Southern Australia, Burns turned down a small road that led to Sheringa Beach, a location that became a highlight of her trip. 'There was nobody else there, just us and these dunes that just roll into the turquoise sea,' she recalled. In Western Australia, Burns visited Gantheaume Point, a 'touristy spot' famous for its fossilized dinosaur footprints that surprised her with unusual patterns and vibrant colors formed in the sandstone over millennia. 'I was mesmerized for days,' she said. The photos in 'Sightlines' focus more on the 'smaller details within a landscape,' said Burns, providing a deeper understanding and connection with the environment. For example, the desert often appears barren and inhospitable, a huge stretch of empty sand and sky with 'nothing really surviving,' said Burns: 'But once you take a closer look, there are so many beautiful flora and fauna that exist in these extreme conditions.' While Burns describes herself as an optimist and focused on the beauty of the country's landscapes, she could see the impacts of climate change. In the past decade, Australia has seen increasingly extreme weather events as a result of environmental damage, including intense droughts and storms, bushfires and rising sea levels. For Burns, this was most visible around the reefs and coastlines, where rising temperatures cause coral bleaching, which reached 'catastrophic levels' in the Great Barrier Reef in 2024. Last year was the hottest year on record globally, and Australia's average temperature has increased by 1.51 Celsius since 1910, when records began. And while driving through Southern Australia, Burns saw the aftermath of the 2019-2020 bushfires, during which more than 10 million hectares of land burned and over a billion animals are estimated to have died. 'That was incredible to see. That's where my family's from, and I knew how huge the fires were and the impact that they had,' she said. But across the scarred landscape, Burns could 'see the forest regenerating.' 'I think it is important to form a collective visual of what these landscapes look like today,' she said, adding: 'Photography can raise awareness about climate change, even if it's through beautiful imagery rather than hardcore documentary imagery. A good balance of the two across media is really important.' Even for a landscape photographer, though, some scenes cannot be captured. When Burns finally reached the Red Center, a landscape she'd heard so much about but never seen for herself, she felt the indescribable awe of Uluṟu — one of the world's largest sandstone monoliths and one of Australia's most iconic landmarks — and its red hue against the blue sky: 'I didn't realize how significant that would feel.' Nearby, in the Valley of the Winds, no photos are allowed because it is sacred to the Aṉangu people: but for Burns, it was 'one of the highlights of the entire trip,' giving her a new level of connection with the landscape. 'We lay on a platform and listened to the wind funneling down between the domes, and the birdsong,' she said. 'That was really magic, because you do need to look around and observe to get those creative ideas. You just need to put the camera down, sometimes.'
