Los Angeles
June 17, 2020 Letter from the editor: The way the media covers political unrest and clashes with the police has long been a charged topic of debate. One of the many major takeaways of the past few weeks has been that the language we use matters. Back in the 1960s and '70s, the Los Angeles Free Press was the only LA paper to chronicle police violence and, importantly, make connections between racial disenfranchisement and mass unrest. Billy Anania dives into the Free Press archives and shares a timely history. On the note of language, the Palm Springs Art Museum has been criticized for staying silent, and then attempting to remain "neutral" in the wake of George Floyd's killing. This latest debate has revealed some bizarre and insensitive trends among museums right now, like censoring their Instagram comments (SFMOMA) and using the far-from-neutral artworks of Alison Saar to make "neutral" statements (Toledo Museum of Art). To the Angelenos reading this: You might consider participating in this fun, upcoming telethon organized by the LA Department of Transportation. They're asking people to share their stories of commuting during the pandemic. We got a sneak peek of one of the stories shared for the event, and I found it surprisingly touching. For years, only the Los Angeles Free Press chronicled the many incidents of police violence in Los Angeles, making crucial connections between racial disenfranchisement and mass unrest. Billy Anania Event Pick A virtual telethon will fundraise for an Arts Emergency Relief Fund, which provides grants to artists in Los Angeles impacted by COVID-19. Elisa Wouk Almino | June 26 12–8pm (PDT), June 27–June 28 2–10pm (PDT) Your membership supports Hyperallergic's independent journalism and our extensive network of writers around the world. Become a Member News An open letter criticizes the museum for staying silent for 10 days and for then offering a “message of neutrality using the artwork of Alison Saar, whose work is far from neutral.” Gunshots were fired outside of the Albuquerque Museum as members of a right-wing militia infiltrated an attempt to remove a statue of New Mexico’s colonial governor, Juan de Oñate, in Albuquerque. This follows March’s announcement that the museum would lay off 131 on-call (contracted or freelance) employees and furlough around 200 regular staffers. Hyperallergic’s news team discusses the toppling of racist statues and considers how the quest for justice continues during protests worldwide. Hrag Vartanian When We Are Here / Here We Are opened in mid-May, the street landscape of Los Angeles looked decidedly different. Jennifer Remenchik The digital Letterform Archive has made nearly 1,500 objects accessible to browse online through over 9,000 high-resolution images. Megan N. Liberty In this ongoing series, curators and members of the Native arts community share five artists they were looking forward to seeing at the 2020 Indian Market, which has been postponed to 2021. Ellie Duke This week, artists reflect on quarantining from their studios in California, Illinois, New Jersey, Malaysia, and the Netherlands. Elisa Wouk Almino Talena Sanders is an artist and filmmaker who creates experimental documentary films. Dessane Lopez Cassell Forward this newsletter to a friend! If this email was forwarded to you, click here to subscribe Hyperallergic, 181 N11th St, Ste 302, Brooklyn, NY 11211 This email was sent to [email protected]. Manage your preferences to subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletters. Forward Preferences | Unsubscribe | 