Your Midterm Guide to Voting for the Arts
We rounded up key races and where candidates stand on culture funding, AI, and more.
Happy Election Day. Today, voters across the country are casting their ballots on races that could not only impact the balance of power in Congress, but also decide the future of democracy in the United States. If you’re an artist or cultural worker, there are several key states to watch, where issues including arts funding, artistic freedom and censorship, and the incursion of AI on creative professions are now at stake. We compiled a dedicated Midterm Election Guide highlighting House, Senate, and Gubernatorial races that may prove decisive for arts and culture, especially as Trump and his allies ramp up their attacks on history, heritage, and diverse communities.
But as we’ve always emphasized here at Hyperallergic, the policies that most benefit artists are also what benefit the majority: affordable healthcare and housing, a better education, the right to speech and expression. Candidates including Claire Valdez in New York and Jonathan Nez in Arizona have voiced that very sentiment in interviews with us as part of our robust coverage ahead of the Midterms over the last six months — we’re re-sharing many of those articles below.
One last note: We’re only able to produce our in-depth, unbiased reporting because we are completely independent, not beholden to donors or investors. Please consider supporting us as a member so we can continue this work. And, should you feel so inspired, we love seeing your “I Voted” selfies … :)
GET OUT THERE!!!
—Valentina Di Liscia, senior editor
A Midterm Election Guide for Artists and Arts Workers
Midterms are tomorrow, marking the first nationwide election since President Donald Trump started his second term in the Oval Office. In the wake of Trump’s financial and ideological crackdowns on Smithsonian, unapproved pet projects around the US Capitol, devastation to cultural landscapes through border construction, and dozens of other policies targeting history and heritage, many will be lining up at the polls with arts and culture policies on their minds.
Because Congress ultimately decides appropriations for federal arts entities, such as the National Endowment for the Arts, control of the House and Senate is incredibly important for the cultural sector. | Valentina Di Liscia, Phillip Pyle, Anna Lee, and Rhea Nayyar
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Barbara Takenaga’s ‘Awestruck’
At Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, 40 paintings invite viewers into an exhibition where scale, pattern, and perception are explored and celebrated.
Midterms Coverage
Claire Valdez Wants to Be Your Artist in Congress
The New York State assemblywoman, who is running for a seat in the House of Representatives, spoke with Hyperallergic about her life as a painter, political origin story, and big plans for Washington. | Hakim Bishara
Read MoreHow Former Theater Kid James Talarico Stands Up for the Arts in Texas
As Republicans exert an ever-tightening grip on creative freedom in the state, the Democratic Senate hopeful stands out for his track record on arts funding. | Shahrzad Rasekh
Read MoreAngie Nixon, Champion of Black Art and Culture, Wins Florida Senate Primary in Upset
The 42-year-old Jacksonville native and Democratic Socialist founded the local community bookstore Cafe Resistance and co-authored a comic book with her daughter. | Valentina Di Liscia
Read MoreJonathan Nez on Indigenous Perseverance
The former Navajo Nation president running for Congress in Arizona speaks to Hyperallergic about his upbringing, how Diné culture shapes his political thinking, and the importance of historical memory. | Valentina Di Liscia
Read MorePhiladelphians to Vote on Permanent Arts and Culture Office on Election Day
The proposed ballot measure would ensure that the office is immune from administrative overhauls. | Anna Lee
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Studying Contemporary Art at Sotheby’s Institute
Where critical thinking meets contemporary practice across key art world capitals.
News
- A group representing over a quarter of Art Basel Paris's exhibitors release a letter demanding compensation following the fair’s abrupt closure.
- Former High Museum of Art Chief Operating Officer Brady Lum was sentenced to one year in federal prison for embezzling over $600,000 from the arts institution. [Law360]
From Our Critics
“The Man I Love” Wants Us to Do More Than Mourn
Ira Sachs resists the attention economy, using objects and people to tell a moving story of 1980s New York amid the HIV/AIDS crisis. | Eileen G’Sell
Read MoreAna Mendieta’s Lasting Imprint on Art
A major survey at Tate Modern asks us to take notice of the earth, the power of the female body, and the artist’s remarkable practice. | Anna Souter
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Applications are Open for the Core Residency Program at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Join a cohort of artists and writers committed to developing a sustainable practice. Applications for the 2027–29 Core term are due January 8, 2027.
Guides
10 Art Shows to See in Upstate New York This November
Julia Whitney Barnes’s organic paradise, Emily Nomer’s mystical geometric paintings, Maria Molteni’s conversations with the divine, and more. | Taliesin Thomas
Read MoreOpportunities This Month
Residencies, fellowships, grants, and open calls from Baton Rouge Gallery, Columbia University, MFA Houston, the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, and more in our monthly list of opportunities for artists, writers, and art workers.
Read MoreHyper Links
- Thirsty for more Mamdani? Here he is handing out water to marathoners. [Instagram]
- This Halloween edition of the popular Instagram account Subway Hands is another New York gem. [Instagram]
- A photo series captures handwritten notes submitted by hundreds of thousands of French citizens as part of a nationwide "grievance notebook" project in 2018 and 2019. [The Dial]
From the Archive
Processing the Unbearable, Imagining the Radical
To RISD’s graduating class, I say: The most necessary work comes from the willingness to stay in the discomfort of the open question. | Julie Mehretu
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