Art
Williamsburg’s Wave of Gentrification Becomes More Visible During the Pandemic
With his photo book In Time of Plague, Brian Rose documents a previous devastation made more visible by a more present one.
Seph Rodney
Art
Reflecting on the Mistakes I’ve Made as an Art Critic
Art critic Seph Rodney considers on his reviews during the last few years and what he may have gotten wrong and why.
Film
Michael Jordan's Flawed Hero Narrative
One of the key lessons of ESPN's series The Last Dance is that people learn to adore brutal tyrants, and will only fall further into that admiration as long as the tyrant is uniquely talented, powerful, and wins.
Art
Life on Brooklyn Stoops During the Pandemic
“As the streets emptied, it's like a living room came out — to my eyes a mix of inside and outside,” says photographer Francesca Magnani.
Art
A Brief (and Very Commercial) History of Hip-Hop
Hip-hop once offered more than stereotypes of masculinity and femininity, but Contact High feels focused on valorizing commercial might above all else.
Art
In Nate Lewis’s Hands, Portraits Become Palpable Landscapes
Here are Black bodies in motion which Lewis freezes in time to remake into patterns of overlapping leaves or the stars of shrunken constellations.
Art
Disappointed in the World’s Most Viral Video
I asked myself what makes entertainment media go viral, in particular music videos, these videos that call up some feeling of want or remembrance so that millions of people (or perhaps billions) reach for them again and again.
Books
Books About Pandemic and Contagion Free Online via Duke University Press
These books and articles deal with the most bedeviling questions that arise out of viral outbreaks, and offer intriguing studies by which we can chart a course toward health.
Art
What Does It Mean to Exhibit “Black Excellence”?
Two shows in New York City take profoundly different approaches to the idea, but are worth comparing for how they represent being Black and talented or accomplished.
Satire
Buddha's To-do List Discovered in India
The Buddha, like all of us, appears to have needed the periodic reminder to pick up eggs and contact his mom.
News
In the South Bronx, an Arts Center Offers Free Meals to Its Community During Pandemic
During the COVID-19 crisis, DreamYard pivoted its community-forward mission to provide free lunches on weekdays.
Art
What It’s Like to Visit Virtual Galleries as an Art Critic
Due to the pandemic, museums and galleries are now creating virtual experiences. Here’s what it’s like to visit them.