The Resistance Is Not Dead
Fall of Freedom is back for another round, Alice Neel’s drawings of the Foley Square trials go to auction, and the unsung architect behind DC’s landmark African-American history and culture museum.
Thanks to everyone who came to our member event yesterday at the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) in Brooklyn. We’re also grateful to the resident artists who opened their studios to Hyperallergic members and to the ISCP’s wonderful team, who greeted us with drinks and fortune cookies. Stay tuned for more in-person and virtual events in the coming weeks.
Here’s some good news: The resistance is not dead. Fall of Freedom, a nationwide pro-democracy art and activism group, is coming back for another round, just in time for the midterm election. In a timely turn, Alice Neel’s drawings of the McCarthy-era Foley Square trials are headed to auction.
In Opinions, Brian Goldstein writes about Max Bond Jr., the unsung Black architect who was instrumental in the creation and design of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, but has been overshadowed by starchitect David Adjaye.
Also, catch up on the latest industry news in Art Movements, and get yourself a grant or a nice residency with the help of this month’s Opportunities listings.
—Hakim Bishara, editor-in-chief
The Overlooked Black Architect Who Shaped a Landmark Smithsonian Museum
On the concourse level of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture is a small exhibition, easily missed if you are focused on the elevator that takes you down to begin this site’s profound historical journey. Titled A Century in the Making, the display details the long development of a building that at last made a permanent home for Black history on the National Mall in Washington, DC. One panel, headlined “An Architectural Marvel,” describes the competition that culminated in this bronze-colored icon. A photograph shows the winning team: architects Philip Freelon, J. Max Bond Jr., and David Adjaye. | Brian Goldstein
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At IFPDA’s October Prints & Drawings Month, Museums Are Quietly Rethinking Where Works on Paper Belong
Attend print and drawing-focused sessions in person and online with LACMA, The Met, and more throughout the month of October.
News
- The art and activism initiative Fall of Freedom is anchoring its second year with hundreds of events across the United States this weekend.
- Two of Alice Neel’s satirical courtroom drawings, which depict one of the highly publicized trials of the McCarthy era, go to auction.
- Art Movements: Cyra Levenson will lead the Yaddo Artist Residency, Ann Temkins steps down at MoMA, Rose B. Simpson wins the Santa Fe Mayor’s award, Roy Lichtenstein x Alex Da Corte, and more.
- The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is partnering with the Samdani Art Foundation to spotlight Bangladeshi art. [BBC]
- The Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires is doubling its space with a newly announced expansion by Mexican architect Frida Escobedo, who is also designing The Met’s forthcoming contemporary wing. [Infobae]
Cosmo Whyte Returns to the University of Michigan With a Powerful New Exhibition at Stamps Gallery
Stamps School of Art & Design alumnus explores memory, migration, and who shapes history in an exhibition spanning drawing, sculpture, and installation. On view through December 12, 2026.
From Our Critics
Rebecca Ness Stakes Her Claim to Art History
Reinterpreting canonical works is nothing new, but her work shines when it’s most personal. | Rebecca Schiffman
Read MoreNew Book Chronicles Studio Museum in Harlem’s 58-Year History
Contributors include artists such as Dawoud Bey, who wrote that the venerated institution has “changed the shape of my life.” | Anna Lee
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Applications Open: IDSVA Low-Residency PhD Program for Artists and Creative Thinkers
Begin your PhD journey in summer 2027 with residencies in Rome, Spannocchia Castle, Arezzo, and Siena.
Feature
Artists Honor Immigrants in Monuments Across New Jersey
New public commissions by artists Michelle Angela Ortiz, Chat Travieso, and Immanuel Oni are part of the New Jersey Monuments to Migration and Labor initiative. | Rhea Nayyar
Read MoreHyper Links
- The City Reporter details the plight of longtime elderly tenants in a SoHo artist loft, who claim their landlord cut off access to the building’s sole elevator.
- Writing for the Drift, Hanson O'Haver questions Hollywood's formulaic reliance on music biopics.
- A suggestive Trump puppet stole the show at a recent Seattle protest by vividly illustrating exactly where our president’s head is these days.
Member Comment
—Tracey Riese on "Arthur Jafa, King of Pop"
From the Archive
8 Art Books to Cozy Up With This October
Keep spooky season at bay with books on a philosophy of birth in art, Debi Cornwall’s photography, Paul Kane’s myth-making paintings, light and paper, and more.
Read MoreSnapshots from Our Member Event at ISCP
