| It’s not easy to speak truth to power — curator and writer Laura Raicovich can attest to that. She was thrust into the spotlight in 2018 after being driven out of her directorship at the Queens Museum because of her activism. In an opinion piece today, she tells her story publicly for the first time. “It was not how I would have preferred my tenure to end, but given today’s urgencies and threats to democracy, I hope the details of the story are useful,” she writes in her powerful essay. Raicovich’s reminder that art is always political brings us to the latest installation of our series on queer NYC art history: an exploration of 1980s Harlem’s iconic drag balls, and their enduring legacy here in the city and around the world. Meanwhile in Altadena, California, a new project aims to map and document the cultural heritage that was consumed by wildfires in January. More in this edition below, including Barbara T. Smith’s playful xerox scans and Young Joon Kwak’s rhinestone-encrusted monuments to trans joy at the Leslie-Lohman Museum. And while I hate to pit two cameras against each other, it must be said: The James T. Webb Telescope has got some competition. Staff Writer Maya Pontone rounds up awe-inspiring photos of the cosmos taken by the world’s largest digital camera to nourish and delight you this Wednesday. Happy reading! — Lakshmi Rivera Amin, Associate Editor | | |
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 | | It’s a story about power, leverage, and fear during the first Trump administration, and also about the potential for solidarity and love in the second. | Laura Raicovich |
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SPONSORED |  | | | | These institutions shrink the space between art and life by serving as places where entire communities can cohere through storytelling. Learn more |
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WHAT’S HAPPENING |  | | LA’s Getty Foundation is funding the documentation of the historic neighborhood as developers rush to buy up burned lots. | Isa Farfan |
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|  | | The Vera Rubin Observatory shared the first images taken with the technology, hailed as a transformative breakthrough in astronomical research. | Maya Pontone |
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SPONSORED |  | | | | A new exhibition unveils the creative journeys of Pratt Institute’s Communications Design alumni. On view June 27–September 6. Learn more |
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ART & MORE |  | | More than three decades since Paris Is Burning put the underground scene on a world stage, ball culture remains a haven for the queer community. | Isa Farfan |
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|  | | Years before her feminist performance art, she channeled her feelings through a copy machine. | Renée Reizman |
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|  | | The artist’s magnificent, rhinestone-encrusted cast sculptures tell multiple stories that look at contemporary queer and trans existence. | AX Mina |
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MEMBER COMMENT | | Davit Botch on “The Fabricated Crisis of Art Criticism” | | Really interesting take! I appreciate the pushback against the idea that art criticism is “dying.” Totally agree that it’s just changing shape and showing up in new places. That said, I do wonder if something’s getting lost in the shift. Like, with so many voices and platforms now, is it harder to have a shared conversation or sense of direction in the art world?
Also, when criticism gets tied up with influencer culture or sponsored content, it feels like the line between honest critique and promotion gets blurry (I heard Jerry Saltz gets paid for his IG posts) Are we just swapping one kind of gatekeeper for another, but now it’s all driven by clicks and followers?
It’s heartening to see new voices emerge, but we should also ask: how do we cultivate a culture of critique that values depth over virality? |
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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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