Julie Mehretu’s Advice to Young Artists
The artist's stirring commencement speech at RISD, the best art shows in NYC this summer, and can you really have friendships in the art world?
"Beauty and poetics carry weight. They are how human beings have always processed what is unbearable, imagined what is not yet possible, and kept alive the sense that something else could exist." These beautiful words belong to artist Julie Mehretu, who delivered the commencement address to the Rhode Island School of Design class of 2026. Today, we're publishing the full speech, courtesy of the artist. It's a great read, even if your college days are way behind you.
Also today: Those art-world "friends" of yours — are they really friends if they always need something from you, and what can you do about this problem? Paddy Johnson has some ideas. Finally, if you're in New York, check out our guide of excellent exhibitions to see in and around the city this summer.
—Hakim Bishara, editor-in-chief
Artist Julie Mehretu's Commencement Address to the Class of 2026
To RISD’s graduating class, I say: The most necessary work comes from the willingness to stay in the discomfort of the open question.
You bet four years of your life...your late nights, your all-nighters, your failures, your breakthroughs, your entire formation as a thinking, feeling, making human being, on the belief that conjuring something into existence that wasn’t there before is not a waste of time, that it matters, that it might be the thing that matters most. | Julie Mehretu
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Maine College of Art & Design Announces 2026 MFA Visiting Artist Summer Lecture Series
Graduate candidates work with a roster of renowned visiting artists during an eight-week summer intensive for MECA&D’s MFA in Studio Art.
News
- The Obama Foundation revealed the first official portrait of Barack and Michelle Obama together, painted by Nigerian-born, Los Angeles-based artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby.
- After Russia’s deadly bombardment across Ukraine, at least 11 people have been killed, dozens of others injured, and the nation’s treasured Dormition Cathedral was set ablaze within the 11th-century Pechersk Lavra monastery in Kyiv.
Features
Celebrating the Knicks Win, One Stitch at a Time
The textile artist known as Cheeks embraced a wave of city pride at his now-viral Fort Greene embroidery pop-up. | Isa Farfan
Read MoreGuide
30 Must-See Art Shows in New York City This Summer
Pierre Hugyhe’s brain activity-inspired dreamscapes, Orientalism at The Met, a menagerie of mystical animals, and so much more.
Read MoreCommunity
Art Problems: Are My Friends Using Me to Get Shows?
When you’re constantly asked for things you can’t deliver, it can be hard to tell who your real friends are. Paddy Johnson has tips.
Read MoreMember Comment
Margaret Wilson on "They Want to Control Our Imagination"
From the Archive
How a Landmark Feminist Show Got Erased From Collective Memory
Art critic Lucy Lippard’s first outing as a feminist curator in 1971 has, until recently, been almost entirely absent from history. | Alexandra Schwartz
Read MoreHyundai Motor Group – The 7th VH Award
A global award for emerging media artists engaging with the context of Asia, featuring grants, a residency with Ars Electronica, and global exhibitions. Read more on Hyperallergic. Deadline: July 21, 2026 | vhaward.com
See more in this month’s list of opportunities for artists, writers, and art workers!
