Goodbye, Dolly, Artists Love You
From the heart-wrenching dulcet tones of "Jolene" to the boppy proletarianism of “9 to 5,” Dolly Parton has given us a soundtrack for every possible stage of life. Today we mourn the country singer, camp queen, hair icon, philanthropist of wide-ranging generosities, and veritable Patron Saint of the South — particularly Appalachia and Tennessee, from which she proudly hailed and whose rich culture and people she loved deeply.
In tribute to our dearest Dolly, who passed away yesterday at the age of 80, we're sharing an artwork from East Tennessee State University's 2020 exhibition dedicated to the musician. “Dolly was a proverbial ray of sunshine amidst an often dark world,” said artist Kym Day of her warm-hued portrait of the singer. “I depicted her gazing upward toward a future so bright she has to shade her eyes from its brilliance. I wanted the painting to reflect the unwavering light that she brought to the world.”
Also today, vignettes from this year's Santa Fe Indian Market, a documentary that draws on the archive of late lesbian filmmaker Barbara Hammer, and the dystopian story of a Kehinde Wiley painting removed by the US State Department (in an unoriginal twist, it was deemed too “woke.”)
— Valentina Di Liscia, senior editor
An Ethos of “By Us, for Us” at the Santa Fe Indian Market
Participants in this year’s edition were unafraid to express themselves outside touristic expectations of “tradition,” making work meaningful to themselves and their communities of chosen kin and allies. | Thea Quiray Tagle
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- The 70-year-old Chinese dissident artist Gao Zhen gets a three-year prison sentence for his sculptures of communist revolutionary and leader Mao Zedong.
- Sir Joshua Reynolds’s celebrated “Portrait of Mai (Omai)” will be displayed at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles beginning on September 14.
- The Department of State removes Kehinde Wiley’s 2015 commissioned painting from the United States embassy in the Dominican Republic, claiming that the artist’s “violent and racist words and depictions” have no place in the foreign relations agency.
- A new report on cultural property theft from Europol reveals an "alarming shift" toward more aggressive tactics, including a rise in the use of violent weapons and the involvement of new criminal networks. [Europol]
- The Estonian Artists' Association launched an emergency auction of 124 donated artworks after scammers defrauded the organization of over $800K in May. [ERR News]
- The WNDR Museum, a Chicago and Boston venue for "immersive art experiences" including a Yayoi Kusama installation, is closing its doors. No reason was given, but we wonder if it's a sign of waning interest in the immersive art genre. [Block Club Chicago]
From Our Critics
Barbara Hammer Through Her Own Lens
“Barbara Forever” is both a biography and a conversation the late filmmaker has with herself. | Dan Schindel
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—Sandy Sanders on "School of Visual Arts Faculty “Blindsided” by Course Cuts Amid $22M Deficit"
From the Archive
Who Gets to Honor Native Women in the US?
“Dignity of Earth and Sky,” unveiled in 2016, raises questions about who should depict Native people and how they should be portrayed. | Taylor Michael
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