The Stories That Carried Me Through 2025
I must confess something: I’m a grinch. The holiday season makes me morose. I dislike the pressures of gift-buying and the ever-present din of Christmas music, and I find red and green to be a regrettable color combination. But I adore the New Year. Like a true Aries, I live for fresh starts and new beginnings. Growing up, back-to-school shopping was my jam. Is there anything quite as hope-inducing as an unmarked notebook or a perfectly plump pink eraser?
Also in classic Aries fashion, I’m fueled by new challenges, adventure, and the excitement of the uncharted — all of which are in generous supply here at Hyperallergic, where there’s never a dull moment. Yes, 2025 was filled with pain. The people with the least continued to suffer the most. But the stories I’m proud to have worked on this year were fierce and fearless in their commitment to justice and to uplifting the voices the mainstream art media ignores.
Today, in the spirit of what lies ahead, I want to look back at the work that propelled me forward.
Staff Writer Isa Farfan’s entirely unique, moving piece on figure-drawing models and their fight for recognition is the kind of story that’s at the heart of Hyperallergic: a deep dive into a community integral to our industry, yet chronically overlooked. Farfan also interviewed artist recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), broke the news of a show axed in the wake of President Trump's DEI ban, and reported tirelessly on this administration’s relentless attacks on culture. Staff Writer Rhea Nayyar’s on-the-ground report from Thomas J. Price’s new Times Square sculpture on a rainy Manhattan afternoon proved that the in-person experience of public art is worlds away from the malaise of online discourse. Nayyar investigated the fraught ethics of art in jails, examined how tariffs affect the cost of art supplies, wrote about a documentary on Columbia University’s student encampments, and exposed the dark underbelly of British Museum memes. I also want to shout out former Staff Writer Maya Pontone, particularly her stories on the impact of visa denials for artist residencies and beloved NYC nonprofits like Art in General and the Henry Street Settlement.
The year began with the harrowing news of several blazes spreading across Los Angeles County, displacing thousands. Hyperallergic’s LA Correspondent Matt Stromberg was there through it all, documenting and making visible the scale of the tragedy. He spoke to artists who lost everything, covered the devastation of culturally rich Altadena, and reported on breaking developments as the art world grappled with how to move forward. Like most of the stories I considered standouts this year, my favorite by Stromberg shone a light on a less visible member of the arts community: Jorge Cruz, a street vendor often seen at museum and art fair events who was cruelly abducted by ICE despite having a green card.
Over the last 12 months, we published pieces that rejected the status quo and demanded more of institutions and powerful individuals: scholar La Tanya S. Autry’s reflections and questions on the museum display of the gun that killed Emmett Till, Sarah Bond on the erasure of queerness from Elon Musk’s view of antiquity, Adam Broomberg’s challenge to Documenta’s concept of artistic freedom. Laurie Gwen Shapiro’s stranger-than-fiction feature on an authentic Eva Hesse painting plucked from a Goodwill auction and Zoë Lescaze’s intimate remembrance of the late artist Jackie Ferrara will stay with me for years to come.
I’m also proud of the stories I authored, and grateful to Hyperallergic for letting me say the quiet part out loud — like that AI art is largely soulless, or that Beeple’s Miami pageantry was a distraction from the technologies that are rapidly emptying our souls. I covered the threats to Indigenous heritage brought by Alligator Alcatraz and the battle to preserve a David Wojnarowicz mural discovered under a layer of plywood in Kentucky. I looked back at the legacy of Latin American Art champion Carla Stellweg. I interviewed Tamara Lanier on the day of her historic victory against Harvard University, which had held on to the daguerreotypes of her enslaved ancestors for over a century. And today, I worked with Farfan and Nayyar on a story about the year's most compelling museum acquisitions, which you can also find linked below.
What ties all these stories together? One answer is their pursuit of a more just and equitable world, made possible by the freedoms afforded to us as an independent publication. Independent means free from outside influence. There is no external stakeholder to ask us to pull a story. We can report freely on wrongdoings that major outlets are pushed to bury.
We are doing this work solely for — and funded by — our readers. Please consider becoming a paid Hyperallergic member for just a few dollars each month so that independent art media can thrive in 2026.
Thank you for reading, and from one buzzing Aries to you, Happy New Year!
— Valentina Di Liscia, senior editor
15 Landmark Museum Acquisitions in 2025 [TK LINK]
A rediscovered Jacob Lawrence painting, the Louvre’s first video artwork, and a trove of Indigenous art were among the year’s standout additions.
Coming Soon: Njideka Akunyili Crosby Print
Register your interest for early access to a new print by Njideka Akunyili Crosby from David Zwirner, presented alongside the artist’s first monograph.
My 2025 Picks
Art Models Struggle for a Living Wage and Recognition
The workers who pose for artists at historic organizations like the Art Students League say they are overworked and underpaid in a field that rarely values them. | Isa Farfan
DACA-Recipient Artists Share Their Stories as Program Hangs by a Thread
They have completed arts degrees, exhibited their work, and received grants, but some artists say the immigration policy offers limited paths to legal status. | Isa Farfan
What Do Visitors Think of Thomas J. Price’s Times Square Sculpture?
Hyperallergic set out to hear from people seeing the artwork onsite, and their thoughts were considerably different from the online discourse. | Rhea Nayyar
The True Story of a Rare Eva Hesse Painting Found at a Goodwill Auction
"Landscape Forms," a 1959 artwork whose whereabouts were unknown for decades, is headed to Christie’s after it was spotted online by a sharp-eyed appraiser. | Laurie Gwen Shapiro
Street Vendor Beloved by LA Art World Abducted by ICE
Advocates are rallying support for Jorge Cruz, a green card holder who sells frutas, elotes, and more at venues like Frieze LA and the Hammer Museum. | Matt Stromberg
Texas A&M’s Visualization Graduate Programs Merge Art and Technology
Full funding is available for MFA students; MS students have scholarship and assistantship opportunities. The priority deadline for funding is January 15, 2026.
The Unfathomable Loss of Artistic Heritage in Altadena
With much of the area now in ruins and no clear picture of recovery, artists are reflecting on the once-thriving community and imagining what the future might look like. | Matt Stromberg
What Does It Mean to Exhibit the Gun That Killed Emmett Till?
As someone who questions institutional claims of neutrality and the ethics of curatorial practice, I wonder about the “museumification” of the weapon and the ramifications of its display. | La Tanya S. Autry
Why Does Elon Musk Have Such a Straight View of Antiquity?
Musk and other conservatives often omit the role of queer soldiers in ancient military successes when extolling the virtues of Greek warriors. | Sarah Bond
The Twisted Logic of Documenta’s “Artistic Freedom”
The consensus of the German art world is aligned with the status quo of the State of Israel: Anything goes, except Palestine. | Adam Broomberg
Jackie Ferrara Lived and Died on Her Own Terms
The sculptor of graceful structures and architectural environments, who died voluntarily last week at age 95, sought to contain life’s chaos in geometric forms. | Zoë Lescaze
Reach New Creative Heights at SVA Continuing Education
The School of Visual Arts in NYC offers more than 200 in-person and online courses, along with 10+ artist residency programs.
40-Year-Old David Wojnarowicz Mural Resurfaces, Only to Be Hidden Again
The stewards of the artist’s legacy hope that a work miraculously discovered in Louisville, Kentucky, now covered up by the building’s developer, can see the light of day once more. | Valentina Di Liscia
Tamara Lanier on Her Historic Victory Against Harvard University
In the aftermath of the school’s agreement to relinquish the daguerreotypes of her enslaved ancestors, Lanier spoke to Hyperallergic about her protracted battle for justice and a new home for the photographs. | Valentina Di Liscia
Wake Up, Beeple!
Crypto-backed artworks at Art Basel Miami Beach advance the wealth mechanisms they claim to subvert and make you, the viewer, a participant in the ploy. | Valentina Di Liscia
Tate – Call for Papers: Whistler’s Finish
Tate Papers is seeking submissions to a special edition of the journal celebrating the conservation research project Whistler’s Finish. To mark this major project, the issue will center James McNeill Whistler’s technique, process, and finish.
Deadline: February 15, 2026 | tate.org.uk
