We’re nearly halfway through 2025, and my reading list continues to outpace the books I’ve actually had time for.
| We’re nearly halfway through 2025, and my reading list continues to outpace the books I’ve actually had time for. (Story of my life.) Thankfully, this week’s writers are emphasizing the value of slow reading, close observation, and combing through art history for the people and places that deserve another look. David Felsen, who teaches high school history in Manhattan, offers just some of these essential stories in New York City Monuments of Black Americans. “Monuments always matter,” he tells Staff Writer Maya Pontone. “Who we choose to honor is a representation of what we care about and who we care about.” And though Pride Month is drawing to a close, LGBTQ+ art history is long and kaleidoscopic. Critic Alexis Clements takes us back in time to Victorian-era Staten Island and the lesbian photographer who broke the mold. Read her review of a new biography of Alice Austen, whose house museum just received a trove of images by the pioneering artist. More for your reading list below, including Matisse’s transformative time in Morocco and the peculiar history of telegraphs in French art. I’ll leave you with a gem from the University of Kentucky’s library system: a Pride art book display inspired by our last reading list and curated by Karyn Hinkle. It’s a bright spot in the storm of bigotry and censorship swirling around educators and librarians right now, and an energizing reminder of the power of the written word. Enjoy, and have a lovely Monday. — Lakshmi Rivera Amin, Associate Editor | | |
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| | From Harriet Tubman to Duke Ellington, the city boasts a wealth of public art honoring Black individuals, the subject of a timely new book. | Maya Pontone |
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| | | Inspired by the colors and textiles around him, the artist’s two trips to Tangier became an impetus for growth and exploration. | Lauren Moya Ford |
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| | Her intimate photographs of women include humor and playfulness, and speak to her closeness to her subjects. | Alexis Clements |
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| | Time Machines reveals entanglements between the largely forgotten optical telegraph and artistic movements in 19th-century France. | Nageen Shaikh |
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FROM THE ARCHIVE | | | In Cue the Sun!, Emily Nussbaum pulls nuggets of truth from the history of the notorious genre to illuminate what keeps viewers coming back for more. | Alex Bowditch |
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