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August 5, 2020

Letter from the editor:

I'm sure that I'm not the only one who feels overwhelmed by the headlines recently, as the news has felt heavy and sad. Thankfully, there is an occasional sliver of hope, like when the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced a new endowment to pay interns. Great news, but I still think it's pretty humorous that the museum had an endowment for the flowers in the Great Hall before they had one for interns, but that's just me.

Claire Wang wrote a report about the role Chicago artists are playing in the prison abolition movement. She writes, "For Chicago-based artists, a coronavirus outbreak at Cook County Jail in April became a catalyzing moment. More than 900 inmates were infected, and seven died. The situation became more dire in June, when the Chicago police arrested more than 2,000 protesters in one weekend. The past couple of weeks have also brought heightened tension with the deployment of federal troops from the Department of Homeland Security."

Hakim Bishara's story on the "Wall of Artists" in downtown Portland, Oregon, is inspiring. He writes: "Luczycki, who has been painting during protests for the past two weeks, said that he was tear-gassed by federal officers while making his art. In spite of this, he kept returning to the protests with his easel."

We're also tracking the massive explosion in Beirut that killed dozens of people (nearly 50, according to the Washington Post, but others put the number higher) and has injured thousands. Our thoughts are with the families who lost loved ones in this tragedy. Lebanese TV reports are suggesting that 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate was the cause of the explosion.

We are still investigating the impact on Beirut's art scene, which has been suffering, along with the rest of the country, after months of crippling protest, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This latest event has not only impacted the surrounding neighborhoods, where many of the city's art spaces are located, but far beyond, shattering windows miles away.

And since we could all use a little loving break, enjoy this video of bunnies stretching and kissing.

In America’s “First Suburban Chinatown,” Asian Americans Have Negotiated Cultural Representation

In the San Gabriel Valley, home to the largest concentration of Asian Americans, cultural landmarks tell a story of the formation of a collective cultural identity.

Caroline Liou

Chicago Artists Fuel the Movement for Prison Abolition

Independent artmakers have emerged as facilitators and fundraisers for the continuing abolition movement. In Chicago, a coronavirus outbreak at Cook County Jail in April became a catalyzing moment.

Claire Wang

SPONSORED

Red Bull Arts Microgrant Applications Now Open in 20 Cities Across the US

The adapted microgrant program will award two $1,000 microgrants in each city on a rolling monthly basis through the end of the year.

News

Metropolitan Museum Will Now Pay All Interns

A $5 million gift from philanthropist Adrienne Arsht will be used to pay future interns at the NYC museum.

Philadelphia Museum of Art Lays Off 85 Employees

The museum laid off 56 part-time and 29 full-time employees who were furloughed in June.

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In Bushwick, an Annual Performance Series Spotlights Latin American and Caribbean Artists

Running August 5 through 8, region(es): CENTRAL includes an exciting lineup of virtual workshops, artist talks, and outdoor screenings.

Dessane Lopez Cassell

Artists Imagine New Monuments and “Otherwise Worlds”

In Building a Better Monument, nine artists remind us of the work that anti-racist monuments and movements must do: memorialize the fallen, while stoking the righteous anger needed for transformation.

Thea Quiray Tagle

From the Store

Frida Kahlo Action Figure

Brighten up your home office with this Frida Kahlo figurine! She comes with two adorable mini animal companions and smells like fresh wild roses (yes, you read that right).

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