Brains, Museums and Fashion (of a Sort)

May 2025

American Brain Foundation

Credit: DS Stories

We’re thrilled to have started work recently with the American Brain Foundation, which funds research on all kinds of brain diseases, disorders, injuries and conditions, working from the idea that work to cure one brain disease likely will lead to breakthroughs that cure many.

This is a particularly challenging time for research of all types, with federal cuts to funding threatening to slow or halt medical progress. We’re looking forward to helping the Foundation make the case that facts and rigorous research are poised to move medical science forward, if only we let it.

Free Museums

Samson Slaying a Philistine by Giambologna

(Victoria and Albert Museum, London)

What do Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh and Rembrandt all have in common, besides being some of the most recognizable and renowned artists in history? Many of their masterpieces are on display around the world, and can be viewed by anyone and everyone – thanks to free museums.

By definition, museums showcase works of art and artifacts significant to human history, for all humans to see. They’re institutions of education, designed to make the arts, history and science accessible to the public. Historically, the accessibility of art has varied; in antiquity, sculptures and frescoes were ubiquitous, but from the

Renaissance until the Victorian era, Western art was either found in churches or the private collections of wealthy families such as the Medicis. Public museums re-emerged around the French Revolution, when the government declared the king’s private art collection was the property of the people and established the Louvre as the first truly free and public museum (now only free on the first Friday of every month).

Museums are often the first stop a tourist makes while learning about a new city or country – and for good reason. Beyond education, studies have shown that the simple act of visiting a museum or viewing art can reduce stress and improve mental health. Anyone who’s ever turned the corner at the National Gallery in London to see Whistlejacket in all his glory, or stumbled upon Abraham Lincoln’s top hat at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in DC can attest to the distinct joy of discovering priceless art and artifacts at a free museum.

As for the aforementioned renowned artists – multiple works of Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh and Rembrandt can all be viewed for free at both the British National Gallery in London and the American National Gallery in DC. Fellow New Yorkers, don’t fret! Many of our great city’s museums have special free days, discounts or pay-as-you-wish policies for NY residents.

Historical Fashion, Modern Comfort

Katrina Dizon dreams of fashion

A company excursion to New York Historical to see an exhibit on historical women’s fashion during Women’s History Month got Account Executive Katrina Dizon thinking about it. She explains:

Physically seeing real, used clothing that women wore throughout Western history was an eye-opening experience. As it turns out, the costume designs in those period drama movies that I love (i.e., any film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and Little Women, and of course, the 2024 adaptation of Nosferatu) were period-accurate clothing and NOT just made up based on aesthetics and vibes.

As a woman in 2025 who prefers to dress like Adam Sandler 99% of the time, it was difficult to grasp how women were expected to look prim and proper everywhere they went 200 years ago, even at home! Societal expectations strictly dictated what clothes women wore, and they sure wore plenty of clothes. It was customary to wear many layers of clothing WITH a lung-restricting corset made of whalebone just to have dinner at a friend’s house.

It was also interesting to see how much women’s fashion evolved throughout the decades, mainly thanks to the small acts of rebellion by women to challenge societal norms. There was a time when a woman wearing pants to work was scandalous, and now we don’t even give it a second thought. This evolution of fashion, from the straight-silhouette dresses of the flapper era to the protest tees of the ‘70s and ‘80s, has led to my ability to dress like Adam Sandler without repercussions, and I am forever grateful.

Don’t Pull Punches

Senior Editor & Strategist Andrew Smith says that opinion pieces are a terrible place to pull punches. His thinking: “Some clients need a bit of cheerleading to speak their minds in opinion pieces, but it’s crucial that it happen. Offering an editor an opinion piece that lacks an opinion — or has one that’s watered down — is like serving someone a bowl of grey, lumpy oatmeal. It’s bland, unnourishing and unappealing. Advise clients to have the courage of their convictions in opinion pieces.”