An Epstein Survivor’s Message for MoMA
Dani Bensky explains why the museum must drop Leon Black from its board. Also: The Vatican is serious about protecting artists from AI.
Over two decades ago, Dani Bensky was abused by Jeffrey Epstein. Now, as one of more than 1,200 survivors, the former dancer and arts educator continues to speak out about the convicted sex offender’s ties to institutions around the world. One of them is right in the heart of New York City, her hometown: the Museum of Modern Art, where Leon Black, Epstein’s close friend and funder, still sits on the board. Her powerful essay today is a message to all survivors and advocates, and to the art museum that continues to legitimize its unethical trustee: “It’s time for the institutions we love to stand in truth over power and stop looking the other way.”
Also in today’s edition: the Vatican’s multi-continental art exhibition celebrating human creativity in the age of AI and how San Francisco galleries are surviving, plus John Yau on Linda Sanditz’s environmental paintings, Lily Kwak on Cici Wu’s soulful lanterns, and Maria Owen on the shamefully underappreciated art of Beverly Buchanan.
—Lakshmi Rivera Amin, associate editor, books
I’m an Epstein Survivor. MoMA Must Drop Leon Black.
For more than two decades, one question has followed me since I was abused by Jeffrey Epstein: “Why me?”
In trying to understand what happened, I have come to recognize that the answer lies not only in the manipulation I endured, but also in the institutions and social structures that helped make that manipulation possible.
Leon Black’s board position at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is one of the starkest examples of institutional ignorance — a head-in-the-sand, look-the-other-way mentality that will inevitably give abuse of power a dark corner to grow and fester in. | Danielle Bensky
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Discover Marcel Duchamp at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
See 300+ unique works by Marcel Duchamp, including the permanently installed masterpiece “Étant donnés”, exclusively at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
News
- An exhibition series organized by the Vatican brings together more than 100 artists to celebrate “fundamentally human” creativity in the face of AI’s rapid rise.
- Philadelphians will vote on a permanent arts and culture office in their city this Election Day, November 3.
From Our Critics
Lisa Sanditz’s Seismic Sublime
Her environmental paintings ask: What can we do to change our destiny? What effect can we have on the place we inhabit? | John Yau
Read MoreCici Wu’s Memory Lanterns
Her flickering, hollow, and bandaged forms trace histories embodied across generations. | Lily Kwak
Read MoreTacita Dean’s Truth in Materials
Instead of the slick stream of internet and AI imagery, the moving pictures projected onto a 31-foot-tall column are insistently material. | Tara Anne Dalbow
Read MoreBeverly Buchanan at the Raw Edge of Art
Instead of leaving the South behind, the polymath artist carried it into her writings, zines, paintings, and “shack sculptures” that echo the architecture of her childhood. | Maria Owen
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University of Connecticut Offers a Funded MFA in Studio Art
Develop your creative practice. Gain teaching experience. Join a community of artists and educators.
Feature
San Francisco’s Galleries Explore Alternative Routes for Survival
Amid a cost-of-living crisis and the closure of local arts organizations, some are turning to different models to foster community, from nonprofit status to retail businesses. | Max Blue
Read MoreHyper Links
- Dolores Huerta has died at age 96, and the world is in mourning. The lifelong labor activist and feminist leader, who spoke out about her abuse at the hands of Cesar Chavez, also inspired generations of artists and culture workers. [NPR]
- Annie Ernaux, known for her sharp psychological storytelling, talks about the French protest movement, standing up for Palestine, and her newest book. [Vulture]
- This is why we need museums. The next generation of art historians takes us on a tour of The Met! [Instagram]
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—Denny Smith on "The Cathedral of Learning Is Pittsburgh’s Secular Temple"
From the Archive
LA Artists Honor Dolores Huerta’s Defiant Spirit
In honor of the labor leader’s 96th birthday, over 30 Los Angeles artists pay homage to her lifelong fight for the rights and dignity of everyday people. | Renée Reizman
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