A 9,000-square-foot “quilt” composed of hundreds of artworks by trans and nonbinary Americans adorned the National Mall’s grassy expanse this weekend.
| Good morning. A 9,000-square-foot “quilt” composed of hundreds of artworks by trans and nonbinary Americans adorned the National Mall’s grassy expanse this weekend. Seen from above, the installation spelled out a powerful collective message — “Free To Be” — but up close, each panel told an individual story of resilience and resistance. Staff Writer Isa Farfan interviewed some of the participating artists about their hopes and fear ahead of a Supreme Court ruling on a Tennessee law prohibiting transgender care for minors. It’s a good day for art criticism: We have editor Lisa Yin Zhang on Kenny Nguyen's rippling silk ribbon tapestries — like “a Refik Anadol with a soul,” she writes — and editor Lakshmi Rivera Amin on Spandita Malik’s textile photographs embroidered by the women she portrays. Oh, and John Yau on Stanley Rosen’s enchanting unglazed ceramics and his complicated thoughts on alligators. A promised gift of photographs for The Met, an artist’s vulva-shaped alter-ego, and much more below. — Valentina Di Liscia, News Editor | | |
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| | Nearly 260 quilt panels by trans and nonbinary artists spelled out the message "Freedom To Be" in a celebration of joy and resistance. | Isa Farfan |
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SPONSORED | | | | | At the GWU Corcoran School of the Arts & Design, the Master of Arts in Exhibition Design program graduates its final cohort. Learn more |
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FROM OUR CRITICS | | | People of color are often called upon to perform their identities, but Nguyen’s lush tapestries largely avoid that trap. | Lisa Yin Zhang |
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| | | Photographer Spandita Malik invited nine women in North India to embroider their own portraits, reclaiming domestic spaces as liberated havens for their inner worlds. | Lakshmi Rivera Amin |
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SPONSORED | | | | | On view through May 31 at Ortega y Gasset Projects in Brooklyn, the exhibition explores themes of death, distance, and desire. Learn more |
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| | Consistent throughout Rosen's unglazed alligator sculptures is his ambition to connect the shaping of clay with prehistoric visions. | John Yau |
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ALSO ON HYPERALLERGIC | | | From ceramic alligators to Nordic traditions, artists focusing on personal concerns and identity are making some fascinating work. | Lakshmi Rivera Amin, Lisa Yin Zhang, John Yau, Daniel Larkin, and Mána Taylor |
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| | | Dressed in flowing pink robes, artist and activist Dee Mulrooney — or “Growler” — is urging the British Museum to return a Síle na Giġ statue back to Ireland. | Emma Cieslik |
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| | | German-American art collector Artur Walther's promised gift to the museum includes iconic modern and contemporary images from Africa, China, Japan, and beyond. | Rhea Nayyar |
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FEATURED OPPORTUNITY | | The Vilcek Foundation – 2026 Creative Promise Prize in Fashion | | The Vilcek Foundation will award six $50,000 prizes to young immigrants working in fashion curation, material innovation, makeup, hair, writing, curation, styling, design, and photography. Read more on Hyperallergic.
Deadline: June 9, 2025 | vilcek.org/prizes
See more in this month’s list of opportunities for artists, writers, and art workers! |
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| You’re currently a free subscriber to Hyperallergic. To support our independent arts journalism, please consider joining us as a member. | | Become a Member |
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