Required Reading
This week, Kanye designs a new shoe, the warrior librarians of World War II, San Francisco’s hidden monument to white supremacy, translating garbage, and more.
The Latest
Film • Weekend
A John Lewis Documentary Probes Tensions Between National and State Power
For any American even mildly ignorant of the rich, complex legacy of Civil Rights within our decidedly disunited country, Dawn Porter’s John Lewis: Good Trouble should be mandatory viewing.
Essays • Weekend
Fighting to Save a Fringe Landmark
One of central London’s few remaining alternative arts venues struggles to survive in the face of a 333% rent increase.
Interviews • Weekend
Artists Quarantine With Their Art Collections
“It is intriguing, what the mind selects to focus on (or seek refuge in) during a time of crisis.”
Essays • Weekend
What’s So Hard About Painting Shakespeare?
Many paintings of Shakespearean scenes feel mawkish or literal-minded, flat-footed or lacking in emotional depth.
Liu Xiaodong’s New York Diary
Even in this acute moment in our history, the artist is able to slow down his looking to find and celebrate the beauty of human determination.
Film
Werner Herzog Follows a Company That Rents Actors to Play Your Family and Friends
Family Romance, LLC uses a Japanese rental family service to blur the line between reality and fiction.
The Fault Lines of Freedom, From Juneteenth to Independence Day
Solidarity gestures are trending but as we move from one “Independence Day” to another, will they be accompanied by structural change?
Articles
A View From the Easel During Times of Quarantine
This week, artists reflect on quarantining from their studios in Los Angeles, New York City, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, and Long Island.
News
Week in Review: Racism at Museums Is Scrutinized; Richmond’s Confederate Monuments to Be Removed
Also, 25 editions of a Simone Leigh sculpture sold out in one day, with 100% of proceeds benefitting Color of Change, and more.
Articles
Support Anti-Racist Organizations Through Art Sales and Fundraisers
From See In Black’s $100 print sale to the Black School’s fundraiser to open a space in New Orleans, here are a few ways you can support BIPOC-led organizations with your dollars.
News
NYC’s Public Art Education Budget Reduced to 70% of Previous Year
Approved on July 1, the city’s overall arts and culture will be reduced by 11% in fiscal year 2021.