art
-
Howard University Receives $2.5 Million African-American Art Collection in Honor of Former Professor
Ronald W. Walters is remembered as a prolific, award-winning author and activist who published over 100 books and academic articles dissecting race and society in America. But to the students and faculty at Howard University, he’s revered for the decades he served as both a professor and chair in the school’s Department of Political Science.…
-
'There Was Silence. It Was Understood': Reflections About 'yasiin bey: Negus,' the Listening Installation at the Brooklyn Museum
A few weeks back, I wrote a piece that was critical of “yasiin bey: Negus,” the traveling art exhibit/listening installation curated by yasiin bey, the artist formerly known as Mos Def. My overarching point (perhaps fairly called “mean” in the comments on the actual piece, and disregarded as closed-minded on Facebook) was that the idea,…
-
Sacramento Elementary School Teacher Throws Away Students’ Black Lives Matter Project
Black lives matter to some, but not all. An elementary school in Sacramento is under fire after one of its teachers allegedly threw away students’ Black Lives Matter movement art project, reportedly saying it was too political and inappropriate. This follows a volunteer teacher’s assignment to create art about causes people cared about. Perhaps the…
-
Artistic License: In a Statement-Making Move, the Baltimore Museum of Art Makes a Commitment to Women Artists in 2020
Where are women in the art world consistently celebrated? In 2020, it will be at the Baltimore Museum of Art, which has announced that next year it will only be adding artwork created by women to its permanent collection. In fact, the museum, which is currently hosting the exhibit “Generations: A History of Black Abstract…
-
Yasiin Bey Presenting His New Album Negus Exclusively in Museums Surrounded by Art Is What Happens When Musicians Get Bored
It’s not quite rocket-surgery or anything, but I definitely believe in the maxim that too much of anything can be bad. And when I say “anything” I mean literally anything, from obvious stuff like food or crime, to less obvious stuff like talent, Kenny G albums or Target runs. Put a pin in “talent.” That…
-
So, What Exactly Does One Wear to a Slave Rebellion Reenactment, Anyway?
Last weekend, realizing of the vision of artist Dread Scott, hundreds of volunteers—in costume as 19th-century enslaved people—marched 26 miles to New Orleans’s French Quarter in a reenactment of the Louisiana Slave Rebellion. The rebellion, which occurred on Jan. 8, 1811, and was suppressed by white militia two days later, was the largest slave uprising…
-
The Solange-Curated Bridge-s at the Getty Center Is a Hypnotizing and Ethereal Viewpoint on Transition
There aren’t many experiences that have left me so truly speechless that they’ve stayed with me forever. Cue the unmatched Solange Knowles and Bridge-s. Brought to Los Angeles’ Getty Center Museum by Dropbox and Getty in partnership with IAMSOUND, Bridge-s explores the themes of “transitions through time.” From Getty’s press release: Exploring themes of transitions…
-
How to Look at Atatiana Jefferson
Every Sunday for the last six years, artist Nikkolas Smith has taken out his iPad in his Los Angeles home, blocking out a few hours to paint whatever comes to mind. Sometimes his subjects are topical—famous figures or events that made the news. Other times, he’ll experiment with landscapes and techniques. Last month, as he…
-
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin’s Father Just Blew $91 Million on a Stainless Steel Rabbit That Doesn’t Even Vibrate
Now we know Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin gets his balling from his father. It was just last year that Mnuchin was under fire for spending $1 million in taxpayers’ money because he couldn’t dare sit his ass on a commercial flight, instead taking a military jet all around the country. Well, his dad just blew…