A Museum Reemerges With a Bright Future

January 13, 2022 • View in browser

Good morning. 🌤️ Today, reviews of Alma Thomas and Chie Fueki, the Smithsonian’s continuing quest to collect material related to January 6, and a very special report by Jasmine Liu about how one museum in Philadelphia survived a bankruptcy, is weathering the pandemic, and is on track to enjoy a bright future.

— Hrag Vartanian, editor-in-chief

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After a Decade of Uncertainty, the Jewish American History Museum Emerges With a Bright Future

Weeks before the pandemic necessitated its temporary closure, Philadelphia’s National Museum of American Jewish History filed for bankruptcy in hopes of keeping its doors open. | Jasmine Liu

IN OTHER NEWS

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History announced it is continuing to add material gathered from the Capitol insurrection to its collection.

Amnesty International and the Center for Victims of Torture launch an open call for artwork demanding the closure of Guantánamo Bay.

SPONSORED

LATEST IN ART

The Mind-Bending Portraits of Chie Fueki

For years, Fueki has been quietly creating a singular body of mind-bending work that has never fit into the New York art world. | John Yau

SPONSORED

Jane Freilicher and Thomas Nozkowski: True Fictions

Curated by Eric Brown, this exhibition at the Milton Resnick and Pat Passlof Foundation in New York is on view through February 26. Learn more.

The Magnificent Abstractions of Alma Thomas

Thomas was a major artist who in her lifetime was unjustly denied the acclaim she merited. This show is a brave beginning. | David Carrier

SPONSORED

SVA’s Continuing Education Courses Begin January 24

SVACE offers over 230 online and on-campus courses in subjects like fine arts, design, animation, art & activism, writing, visual narrative, and more. Learn more.

ALSO ON HYPERALLERGIC

Museums Could Help Families and Children While Saving Our Democracy

What if every regional museum could offer free or subsidized daycare that taught secular values about participatory democracy and culture? | Alison Taylor

IN MEMORIAM

Baktash Abtin (1974–2022)
Filmmaker, writer, and poet | Human Rights Watch

F. Sionil José (1924–2022)
Novelist | Straits Times

Max Julien (1933)
Star of blaxploitation films | New York Times

James Mtume (1946–2022)
Songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist | Guardian

Sidney Poitier (1927–2022)
Oscar-winning actor | New York Times

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