The Commissioner We Need
Who should lead arts and culture in NYC, Valentine's Day tips, and the sad state of Artforum.
It's impossible to imagine New York City without art, or contemporary art without New York City. This is where you come to see the best of the best, or to take part in making it. This country’s international standing is down in the gutter, thanks to Trump, but this city is still a living, rolling dream.
Right now, we're waiting to see who's going to be Mayor Mamdani's pick for cultural affairs commissioner. It's an important role that determines where the city's budget priorities will lie and who'll get a seat at the table. Gonzalo Casals, who served as culture commissioner under Mayor de Blasio, and Mauricio Delfín, who co-directs the Culture & Arts Policy Institute with Casals, have some urgent thoughts on the matter. It's a must-read not just for Zohran (send him a link if you're on texting terms), but for everyone who cares about art in this city.
—Hakim Bishara, editor-in-chief
NYC Deserves a Culture Commissioner Who Cares
"New York’s cultural life is not a luxury; it is civic infrastructure — how we make meaning, build belonging, improve community well-being, and create economic opportunities for all New Yorkers," write Casals and Delfin, stressing the need for a "public counterpart who understands that progress is built with civil society."
Introducing the Hyper SoCal Initiative
Discover your new favorite local art destination with Hyper SoCal! From unique neighborhood community centers to innovative contemporary art spaces, Hyper SoCal celebrates creative voices shaping our cultural landscape. Originated at Brand Library & Art Center, this regional initiative spotlights the artists and spaces that help Southern California thrive.
Valentine's in NYC
Your Guide to a Sexy, Artsy, Non-Boring Valentine’s Day in NYC
Celebrate Valentine's Day like an art person should. A zine fair, an exhibition on sex and cults, and an on-demand love note written by a poet at the Brooklyn Museum are a few of Greta Rainbow's suggestions for a satisfying Valentine's. And don't forget to love yourself, yes?
From Our Critics
The Importance of Making “Degenerate” Art
Here, the term is reclaimed not as an insult but as an ethical position: art that refuses neutrality, civility, or institutional comfort. | Tara Anne Dalbow
The Rubin’s Annual Grant Program Funds Himalayan Art and Research
The 2026 grant cycle opens February 16. Submit a letter of intent by March 6.
Member Comment
Nell Painter on Jennifer Samets “Beer With a Painter: Mary Lovelace O’Neal”:
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Community
Art Movements: Another Artforum Editor-in-Chief Is Out
Tina Rivers Ryan steps down from the disgraced publication, the Studio Museum names three artists-in-residence, Queens Museum names a new leader, and a deeply unnecessary new Jeff Koons collab in our weekly roundup of industry news.
A View From the Easel
This week, Ileana García Magoda from Acatitlán, Mexico, and Renee Levin from Rumson, New Jersey, experiment with papier-mâché and crave natural light. "Getting sun helps me focus and acts as a warm-up before painting,” says García Magoda. Your studio could be next!
Required Reading
Gladys Nilsson subverts ageist myths, letters from children in ICE detention, Heathcliff and whiteness, Toñita at the Super Bowl, Japanese incense clocks, and more must-reads from around the internet.
ICYMI
Dear Zohran, Don’t Let Art Workers Down
Those of us in the cultural sector need you to enact a bold vision for the role of city government in fostering the arts and helping our communities thrive. | Sami Abu Shumays
