New York
April 22, 2020 Letter from the editor: These days, I keep coming back to Maya Angelou’s famous line, “When people show you who they are, believe them.” How we handle crisis says a lot about us, and it’s been heartening to see thoughtful, responsive programming from folks like the organizers of the Immigrant Artist Biennial. Next week they’ll be co-hosting an artist-led virtual roundtable on anti-Asian racism, xenophobia, and immigrant-bashing, along with another iteration of the gloriously low-cost Visual Artists’ Immigration Clinic. (More details on both here.) Elsewhere, we’ve seen more troubling responses to the current crisis — layoffs, furloughs, you name it — many of which have targeted those rare bastions of diversity in the art world: education departments. Arlene Dávila pens an astute op-ed on the long-term consequences these cuts may have for a field that remains overwhelmingly white, even in a majority-POC city like New York. Likewise, staff writer Hakim Bishara shares news of two petitions currently circulating online, each of which calls attention to the “hypocrisy on the part of institutions that have been championing diversity in the past few years.” If you’re unclear on why museums can’t simply dip into their multi-million dollar endowments instead of initiating layoffs, I’d recommend checking out this excellent and thorough explainer from our staff writer Valentina Di Liscia. If you run an organization yourself, Valentina also wrote about new COVID-19 emergency relief grants from the NEH, designed to support humanities organizations around the country, New York ones included. Need a break from the news? I’d recommend this insightful meditation on the paintings of Leidy Churchman, penned by Hyperallergic editor Natalie Haddad. Honing in on “the coexistence of philosophical and prosaic concerns in Churchman’s work,” Natalie’s extensive piece offers a means of experiencing works which were on view at Matthew Marks gallery, pre-quarantine. (Fingers crossed we get to see them in person when the gallery reopens.) Lastly, if you’re able, I hope you’ll consider supporting our unique style of independent arts journalism by joining our new membership program, which helps ensure that we can continue to bring you stories like these, even amid tough times. And if you’ve already signed up, know that I’m sending you a big hug of gratitude, social-distance style. Stay safe and don’t forget to look out for each other. “Before a single museum worker is laid off, let every mid-six- or seven-figure museum director draw a salary of zero,” reads one petition. Hakim Bishara Event Pick Join the organizers of the Immigrant Artist Biennial for a virtual roundtable on anti-Asian racism, a $10 immigration clinic for visual artists, and more. Dessane Lopez Cassell | April 22, 7–9pm, April 23, 6–8pm News The COVID-19 crisis has had tremendous impact on small and mid-sized galleries in New York. Kevin Fallon, a 30-year-old New Yorker, was arrested on April 11 after police found three pipe bombs in his apartment. The National Endowment for the Humanities will offer emergency grants of up to $300,000 to organizations across the country. The new resolutions do not grant institutions permission to access restricted funding sources, but museums who choose to do so will not be penalized by AAMD. From Guadalajara to Portland, the “proyectorazos” lit up cities with messages for World Health Day. A post-coronavirus art world that downsizes and shrinks can not be at the cost of artists and creatives of color. Arlene Dávila Here are Black bodies in motion which Lewis freezes in time to remake into patterns of overlapping leaves or the stars of shrunken constellations. Seph Rodney Churchman raises pointed philosophical and sociopolitical inquiries by coaxing viewers toward a position of otherness. Natalie Haddad Independent arts reporting has never been more important. Contributions from readers like you enable our vital reporting — in this time of crisis and beyond. Become a Member 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 | 