Love them, hate them or ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ them, this week's newsletter is all about the Oscars

Hello! You're reading the CBC Arts newsletter, and if you like what you see, stick around! Sign up here, and every Sunday we'll send you a fresh email packed with art, culture and a metric truckload of eye candy, hand-picked by our small and mighty team. Here's what we've been talking about this week.

Hi, art lovers!

It's the biggest thing to happen in the arts this week, so love them, hate them or ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ them, the Oscars will not be ignored. And it's not like this newsletter is going to be the exception.

Who's in the race?

We broke down the nominations when they came out, so if you want to know how angry (and maybe just a little bit excited) you should be about the Academy Awards, this is where to start. As for which Canadians scored a mention, here's a comprehensive breakdown of all the (obscure) categories featuring homegrown talent. You can even watch one of the nominees on CBC Gem right now. (Fauve is nominated for best live action short!)

Any office favourites?

It's been a Beale Street fan fest on the site over the last few weeks, and this conversation about what the movie gets right and wrong about Black life and love explains why so many folks in the office counted the drama as one of their faves. Amanda Parris interviewed stars Regina King and Colman Domingo — and director Barry Jenkins, too. As for the trash, if you haven't seen this hot take pop up in your newsfeed already, here's why Bohemian Rhapsody should never have scored a nod in the first place.

More hot takes! More hot takes!

After the show, the team's Amanda Parris, Romeo Candido and Peter Knegt will be assembling like whatever the CBC Arts equivalent of the Avengers is to hash out the highs and lows of Oscar night. It's the return of SOTA (or State of the Arts), the pop-culture podcast we ran on Facebook Live last year, and you can expect to find audio and video of their conversation on the site this Tuesday. But the crew won't just be talking about Oscar. Look forward to chatter on their current cultural obsessions — which almost definitely means they'll be gushing over this.

You've got to see this

Alberta's the only place in Canada with a provincial artist in residence - And Blackfoot/Dene painter Lauren Crazybull is the first person to ever hold the job. Lauren was named to the position last month, and we had the chance to talk with her about her plans for the year. She's starting work on an enormous Indigenous art map of Alberta, and to make it, she'll be travelling all over the province. Find out more, and check out a few of her vibrant portraits at the link.

This play literally took the audience on a trip from Canada to the U.K. (and you bet we tagged along) - Look, a three-day-long play involving transatlantic travel isn't for everyone. But who wouldn't be curious about The Curious Voyage? We sent a filmmaker to experience the immersive show this past fall, and the journey took him from Barrie, Ont., to the streets of London. (Based on the footage, there's a murder plot and other freaky business in between, so we're happy to report he survived the ordeal.)

We're all gonna die - "Memento mori" isn't just the name of The Weeknd's radio show, it's the subject of this week's Art 101. The phrase means "remember death" in Latin, so Professor Lise (not really a professor) will be walking you through artwork that's straight out of your teen-goth dreams. From medieval times to music videos, it turns out this motif is unavoidable. You know, like death.

Follow this artist

Tee Fergus (@iamnatteetattoos) - Why does Tee Fergus love tattoos? Here's what the Toronto-based artist had to say in this week's episode of Art Hurts: "Tattoos, for me, it's like my story. It's my journey. I like reminding myself of experiences; I like reminding myself of growth. It's like my therapy!"

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Until next week!

XOXO, CBC Arts