Indigenous Activists Launch Political Art Campaign Ahead of the Election

Happy Election Day. *GULP* ⛅🗳️ We've compiled a lot of our election-related coverage from the last fe

Nov 3, 2020 • View in browser

Happy Election Day. *GULP* ⛅🗳️ We’ve compiled a lot of our election-related coverage from the last few months, and hopefully after today we can forget all this and move on. It’s important to remind everyone that as hopeful as we are that we may know who won today, the reality is the election results may not be known for a few days or even weeks. So, brace yourselves.I also want to point to a piece I wrote the day after the election in 2016. Titled “The Trump Nightmare Is Here” it encapsulated some of my thoughts at the time, including:We will still create, write, perform, sing, dance, and anything else we can, because that’s what we do. We will react and generate, we will reinvent and challenge, and we will fight, because we can, and not just for ourselves but for others, too.We did that for the last four years, and let’s hope this is something we will wake up from soon enough. While Biden isn’t perfect, he isn’t a liar or a crypto-fascist — the list is long, so let’s leave it at that. Hyperallergic endorses Biden in this crucial election because we believe he will push things in the right direction, or, at the very least, in a more sane direction. — Hrag Vartanian, editor-in-chief

Indigenous Activists Launch Political Art Campaign Ahead of the Election

Artwork by Mer Young and Shepard Fairy in Portland, Oregon (image by Josue Foto, courtesy of Amplifier)

One of the most critical votes in recent American memory looms just hours away, and with it, an opportunity for Black and Indigenous peoples’ voices to be heard.AMPLIFIER AR, an augmented reality app launched days before the election, invites users to hear directly from Indigenous activists, artists, and movement leaders about issues impacting Indigenous people worldwide, from climate justice to the close ties between Black liberation and Indigenous sovereignty. In Other NewsFor the past two months, a group of artists and art professionals have been leading weekly phone banking sessions in support of the Biden/Harris presidential ticket.Chae Kihn, an independent New York photographer, was arrested by the NYPD at an anti-Trump demonstration in Manhattan.Berlin’s Madame Tussauds dumped its Donald Trump wax figure in the trash to send a message to US voters ahead of election day.

SPONSORED UConn’s MFA Art Sale Is Now Live This annual tradition offers a range of work by faculty, graduate students, and alumni to help support the MFA Studio Art Program’s thesis exhibition.

Election Season 2020, a Retrospective

Where Do Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Stand on the Arts? Hyperallergic looked at the Democratic candidates’ track record in the cultural sector, from legislative achievements to museum affiliations and personal support of the arts. Valentina Di Liscia

Can You Spot Election Disinformation? Take This Quiz to Find Out Before you vote, check your knowledge of disinformation with PEN America’s new online quiz, “What To Expect When You’re Electing.” Valentina Di Liscia

Colorful and Loving Murals in Philadelphia Are Inspiring People to Vote To the Polls 2020 features murals by six Philadelphia-based artists, including a jubilant altar to “our voting rights ancestors.” Elisa Wouk Almino

The Buzziest Memes of the Mike Pence Fly Incident What do flies land on, again? Valentina Di Liscia

For First Time, TIME Magazine Alters Its Name to “VOTE” on Shepard Fairey Cover “The future is not shaped by voting alone, but voting is crucial to make a healthy, functional democracy,” the artist said in an Instagram post. Hakim Bishara

Graphic and Street Artists Design Vibrant Posters to Get Out the Vote Over 60 artists have contributed to Project 270, an initiative by Mana Urban Arts Project, to engage young, disenfranchised voters nationwide. Jessica Holmes

Can Museums Engage In Election Advocacy? Yes, With Some Caveats The American Alliance of Museums’s newly updated “Guide to Election Year Activities” outlines what institutions can and can’t do in the lead-up to the presidential election. Valentina Di Liscia

SPONSORED Come Study With the University at Buffalo in Their MFA and MA Programs Applications are open through January 15, 2021, for the boundary-pushing MFA and MA programs at UB’s Department of Art.

SCROTUS: An Artist Created a Giant Portrait of Trump Using Vintage Dildos Cleveland-based artist Stephen Manka has launched a Kickstarter campaign in the hopes of taking his portrait of President Trump on a national tour. Sarah Rose Sharp

Guerrilla Girls and Julie Mehretu Among 60+ Artists Helping You “Plan Your Vote” Vote.org believes a “strong visual vocabulary” can help increase voter turnout. Its latest project offers resources to help you request an absentee ballot, register to vote, and more. Valentina Di Liscia

An Italian Land Artist Carved Joe Biden’s Face Into a Field of Wheat Dario Gambarin created a portrait of the Democratic presidential candidate in a field near Verona with “Jump & Fly, Biden 2020.” But why? Hakim Bishara

Gallery Partners With Florida Rights Restoration Coalition to Help People Vote 700,000 citizens who completed prison time and parole in Florida may be ineligible to vote. With only a week until Florida’s bail payment deadline, the New York-based gallery Canada wants to help. Valentina Di Liscia

Trump Supporters Rallied on Steps of National Museum of the American Indian A group of approximately 70 Trump supporters marched from City Hall to the Museum of the American Indian in Lower Manhattan, where they unfurled banners and chanted “Back the Blue.” Hakim Bishara

Why Was a Miami Museum the Site of a Trump Town Hall? The Pérez Art Museum Miami says it has a responsibility to remain nonpartisan, per official guidelines on election advocacy released by the American Alliance of Museums. Valentina Di Liscia

SPONSORED SVA MA Curatorial Practice Hosts Special Events From October Through December Speakers include Legacy Russell, Zoe Leonard, Richard Birkett, Céline Condorelli, Kristina Newman-Scott, Shuddhabrata Sengupta, and more.

Your October Art Guides for NYC and LA

Your Concise New York Art Guide for November Your list of must-see, fun, insightful, and very New York art events this month.

Your Concise Los Angeles Art Guide for November 2020 Your list of must-see, fun, insightful, and very Los Angeles art events this month.

More from Hyperallergic

Buttons, Badges, and Delegate Hats: How Election Memorabilia Reflect the Democratic Process In anticipation of an unusual election night and beyond, curators Lisa Kathleen Graddy, Claire Jerry and Jon Grinspan discuss their new (slower) practice of collecting political ephemera. Rea McNamara

Election Films to Stream to Take Your Mind Off the Upcoming Vote Here are some movies that put the “fun” in “definitely functioning democracy!” Dan Schindel

In Minneapolis, Vibrant Posters Push for Political Change Stand Up Prints, the latest exhibition at Highpoint Center for Printmaking, showcases striking prints by artists from over 23 states. Sheila Regan

From the Archives

How to Make the Most of Election Day Talk to the people next to you in line (they’re your neighbors, after all). Jack Sjogren

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