Film
An Unheralded Film About Girlhood Gets a Second Chance
Smooth Talk, the 1985 Laura Dern breakout, has gotten a restoration and re-release after being ignored in its day.
Reviews
Film
A Documentary Portrait of Environmentalist Greta Thunberg
I Am Greta captures some sobering truths about the nature of contemporary activism.
Books
A New Book Awash With the Glories of Watercolor
Watercolor: A History features over 300 dazzling, full-color illustrations, all specially printed on Munken paper to capture the intensity and texture of the original works.
Art
The Little-known, Refreshingly Vulnerable Works of Clyfford Still’s Final Years
The Late Works: Clyfford Still in Maryland offers a historical pivot by focusing on the last 20 years of the artist's life, revealing his most productive period and foregrounding work that is rarely discussed.
Art
The Met Museum Misses the Mark in Recounting Its Own Complicated History
Making the Met, the anniversary exhibition chronicling the museum’s first 150 years, botched several opportunities to truly reckon with its role in defining who is and isn’t included in dominant narratives of art history.
Books
Updating a Pivotal Presentation of Craft
A heartfelt display, Objects USA: 2020 updates the 1969 project by building bridges of influence and inspiration across generations of artists.
Film
Films That Tell Unique Tales About the Veteran Experience
For Veterans Day, here are some movies that don’t fit mainstream narratives about military service.
Art
Sophia Narrett Traces Her Embroideries to “Playing With Dolls”
By creating “a space of play,” Narrett says, “you can reach some sort of truth within yourself or with the other person.”
Art
Welcome to the Empty Gallery That Speaks Volumes
Mike Zahn gives us an image of Shrine’s empty gallery projected in the empty space, offering a commentary both meta and melancholic.
Books
Loïs Mailou Jones, an Artist and Educator Who Made History
Rebecca VanDiver hopes that her book will appeal to readers interested in “what it means to be Black in the 20th century, what it means to Black in the 21st century.”
Books
The Poetry of Love and Textspeak
Simina Banu’s poetry celebrates those who speak of love and loss in the language of emojis and memes, and have had our hearts broken by a text message.
Film
Kiyan Williams Digs Into the Meaning of Soil
In her film on view at the Shed, the artist explores dirt's unsettling aesthetic effects, as well as its conceptual resonances.