Roundup: Art and Obama's Cuba visit, the rise of 'Beast Jesus,' a piñata with consciousness

President Barack Obama listens to the U.S. national anthem during a ceremony in Havana. He stands before a famous sculpture of Che Guevara by Enrique Avila Gonzalez.

March 22, 2016 2:38 PM PT

An activist artist and President Obama’s historic visit to Cuba. An arts center grows around “Beast Jesus.” And how artists are grappling with the U.S. prison system. Plus, a history of the design of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, unpublished images of African American life and a bizarre film about a piñata. Here’s the Roundup:

— The New York Times profiled Cuban artist and activist Danilo Maldonado (more commonly known as “El Sexto”) in a must-see piece in advance of President Obama’s historic visit to that country. The artist was arrested just before the president’s visit.

— Sort of related: The history of the iconic Che Guevara wall sculpture in Havana’s Revolution Square.

— Hundreds of looted ancient artifacts — many intended for markets in the United States — have been returned to Italy.

— “Beast Jesus,” the 19th-century Spanish fresco that made headlines when a botched restoration left it looking, um, beastly, is now getting its own arts center. Booking tickets …

— Rebecca Solnit has a devastating read on how the view of who “belongs” in a neighborhood changes during the process of gentrification.

— How artists are grappling with the U.S. prison system.

The U.S.-Mexico border wall in Nogales, Ariz.

— A history of the U.S.-Mexico border wall and why it will ultimately fail.

— L.A.-based artist Jennifer West has taken over the Kadist Foundation’s Instagram to record sites from her movie memories.

— The week in artist Kickstarters: Robert Irwin wants to build a giant structure in Marfa, Texas, and Tania Bruguera is trying to launch an art activism institute that will undertake projects in Cuba.

— The New York Times is publishing previously unpublished images of African American life. A remarkable project.

— Animation students at Carnegie Mellon re-imagine Eadweard Muybridge’s “Horse in Motion” and it is pretty darn awesome. Kudos to the student who re-imagined it as an abstract painting by Piet Mondrian.

— Durga, Perseus and Beyoncé: A group of high school students wrote an exploration of art and nudity for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Good stuff. Love seeing these kinds of projects.

— A 3-year-old wants to go see Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” at New York’s Neue Galerie, but she can’t because of a policy prohibiting kids under 12. Totes adorbz video ensues.

— Sort of related, but not: Artist’s children, depicted by their parents.

— When place-making doesn’t really make place: The case of the Spot 4MKE in Milwaukee.

— And since we’re on the subject of Milwaukee, there is a proposal for a new arena for the Bucks basketball team — and it looks like a barrel. Though some have likened it to Donald Trump’s hairdo.

— A photographer records the country’s fading Cinderella homes — a style of architecture that first emerged in Downey.

— How a country’s landscape affects its language.

— “Dulce Dolor” (Sweet Pain) is a beguiling, dark-weird short film about a piñata come to life. The use of materials in this is pretty extraordinary.

— And last but not least: Sample questions from the Trump University final exam.

Find me on Twitter @cmonstah.