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August 12, 2020

Letter from the editor:

Examining how three museums are weathering the pandemic, creating a “decolonial atlas,” reviewing Joe Lewis on the Lower East Side, and more.

Michael Press writes about three very different museums in Indiana and how each is navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. He includes a provocative question (italics his):

We might also ask, with museum attendance making such a small part of revenue: Do they need us?

*GULP* There's a lot of soul-searching going on nowadays, which is a good thing, but it also requires all of us to get involved in finding the solutions.

I've been following Decolonial Atlas for a while, and was interested to learn more about the history of the project. Billy Anania talks to founder Jordan Engel, who tells them that the initial impetus was to draw a full map of Turtle Island (which is what many indigenous groups in North America call the continent), and it continues to evolve:

“I’ve consulted with elders and language keepers from almost every tribe on the continent, many of whom then took time to research and consult with others … Along the way, I was introduced to some great folks who collaborated on a series of decolonized maps from Indigenous perspectives, which have become great resources for language revitalization.”

The maps are fascinating, but Engel has also created many different kinds of maps, including one that shows you the "Locations of the 50 Companies Which Control the Global Economy."

Staff writer Valentina Di Liscia writes about the latest Wiki Edit-a-Thon, hosted remotely yesterday by the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The event focused on expanding the pages of over 85 women of color artists in the museum’s collection, including Alison Saar, Tomashi Jackson, and Deborah Willis.

As galleries start to open up, we’re able to write about art from an in-person perspective again, and this week Seph Rodney writes about the Joe Lewis show at James Fuentes Gallery in New York City. He explains, "Lewis plies the idea of moving human bodies regarded as contraband via the surveillance network of the state through several scenarios: the US war machine, human trafficking, unauthorized immigration, and escape."

By now you’ve all probably heard Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden chose Senator Kamala Harris as his VP pick. I can't believe we're 83 days away from the 2020 US election. Brace yourselves.

How the Pandemic Has Highlighted a Crisis in Contemporary Museums

In researching three Indiana institutions, it is clear that the lockdown has exacerbated trends in the museum field such as a lack of relevance to the general public and increasing reliance on private philanthropy.

Michael Press

What Would It Looks Like to Decolonize Cartography? A Volunteer Group Has Ideas

Founded by Jordan Engel in 2014, Decolonial Atlas is working to undo settler colonialism, one map at a time.

Billy Anania

SPONSORED

News

A Jewish Museum Is Selling Out of Its “YO SEMITE” Shirts Since Trump’s Blunder

The National Museum of American Jewish History’s Yosemite-inspired shirt has garnered over $30,000 in sales since the president mispronounced the national park’s name.

New Museum Faces Charges of Unfair Labor Practices in a Union Complaint

The complaint, filed by Local 2110 UAW, accuses the museum of laying off bargaining unit members in a discriminatory and retaliatory act and refusing to provide necessary information.

A Wiki Edit-a-Thon Dedicated to Women Artists of Color

Here’s a complete list of the Wikipedia articles updated during this year’s Edit-a-Thon, Black Artists Matter, focused on artists of the African diaspora in the National Museum of Women in the Arts’s collection.

SPONSORED

Online Conversations About Contemporary Portraiture Continue at the National Portrait Gallery

The Greenberg Steinhauser Forum in American Portraiture Conversation Series continues with two panels of curators and artists exploring issues of portraiture through performance art.

Extending the Underground Railroad into the Present

With his recent works on linen, Joe Lewis plies the idea of moving human bodies regarded as contraband via the surveillance network of the state.

Seph Rodney

Public Art Projects That Bring Poetry and Participatory Installations to Lower Manhattan

Founded as a way of highlighting the resiliency of local artists, LMCC’s annual River to River Festival returns with new and recent works by Asiya Wadud, Mona Chalabi, Jean Shin, and Muna Malik.

Dessane Lopez Cassell

Meet the NYC Art Community: Amid Crisis, Ruba Katrib is Looking to Artists for Guidance

An interview series spotlighting New York’s creative community. Hear directly from artists, curators, and art workers about their current projects and personal quirks.

Dessane Lopez Cassell

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