Weekly Don't miss the 12 endorsements we published in support of Tamara Lanier's quest to retrieve daguerreotypes of her ancestors from Harvard University’s Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology. Also, get yourself in that Halloween spirit with a history of witches, get tips from Frank Lloyd Wright on office comfort, and read up on Suzanne Valadon's rebellious life as a painter and model. — Elisa Wouk Almino, Senior Editor Become a Member Image of photographer Joseph Zealy's studio, edited by Professor Ariella Aïsha Azoulay (in collaboration with Yonatan Vinitsky) for her amicus brief in the Lanier v. Harvard case. The Continuing Fight to #FreeRenty Over the last few years, Hyperallergic has reported on the continuing quest of Tamara Lanier to retrieve daguerreotypes of her ancestors Renty and Delia Taylor from the collection of Harvard University’s Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology. Lanier has appealed the Massachusettes Supreme Court's decision made earlier this year, and further arguments will be heard on Monday, November 1.We asked staff reporter Valentina Di Liscia to summarize the saga in a useful primer and invited contributor CM Campbell to prepare a graphic essay on the case and the questions around the “legality” of Harvard’s case for retaining the photographs. 12 scholarly endorsements of Ariella Aïsha Azoulay’s amicus brief, which was released in the Boston Review, were also published along with this edition: Aliyyah I. Abdur-Rahman, Kimberly Juanita Brown, Sandrine Colard, Carles Guerra, Marianne Hirsch, Eunsong Kim, Jane’a Johnson-Farnham, Fred Moten, Stephen Sheehi, Brian Wallis, Laura Wexler, and Stanley Wolukau-Wanambwa. SPONSORED Art, architecture, and environmental change from the advent of Islam to the 21st Century. This live event is free and open to the public. Learn more at islamicart.qatar.vcu.edu. NEWS THIS WEEK A jaguar alebrije sculpture designed by Ricardo Angeles of Atelier Jacobo and María Angeles in Oaxaca, now at Rockefeller Center. (all photos by Valentina Di Liscia for Hyperallergic) Sculptures of vibrant, Oaxacan alejibres tower over NYC’s Rockefeller Center ahead of Día de Los Muertos. Curator Irving Finkel identifies what could be the earliest depiction of a ghost incised on a 3,500-year-old Babylonian tablet. Tree ring findings put a timestamp on Viking presence in North America — exactly a thousand years ago at the northern tip of Newfoundland. Melvin Edwards, Maren Hassinger, and Alison Saar are among the 100+ Black artists commissioned for LA’s Destination Crenshaw initiative. Bay Area artists launch “Organizing Power” — a risograph-printed booklet series on how to unionize for museum workers. SPONSORED Warren Wilson College’s low-residency MA in Critical Craft Studies produces researchers who turn the mic in a new direction. Learn more. LATEST IN ART Suzanne Valadon, "Self-Portrait" (1927) (Collection of the City of Sannois, Val d’Oise, France, on temporary loan to the Musée de Montmartre, Paris, © 2021 Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York. Her female nudes were extraordinary for the time because she portrayed female sexual desire. Her subjects defied conventional ideals of femininity: they were strong and muscular. Exhibiting the Afterlives of Looted Art Chelsea Haines on Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art at the Jewish Museum. The Tricky Role of Humor in Activist Art and Design Elizabeth S. Hawley on Drawing the Line: Rael San Fratello at the US-Mexican Border at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. SPONSORED MAX (Media Art Xploration) presents MAXlive 2021: The Neuroverse, a festival of art and technology in New York City, from November 5 through 7. Learn more. Emily Eveleth, "The Organization" (2020), oil on panel, 26 x 18 inches (courtesy Emily Eveleth/Miles McEnery Gallery, New York, NY) In an age that prefers the literal, and the display of assets, from material goods to physical appearance, Eveleth asks us to connect the dots through the lowly doughnut, cheap, sweet, and readily available. SPONSORED The artist’s newly commissioned work in Richmond, Virginia is made out of soil and water from cities and ports that played important roles in the enslavement of people. Learn more. ALSO ON HYPERALLERGIC Psyché Ophiuchus, "Ritual" (France 2019). A ceremonial circle takes place in Fairy Glen on the Isle of Skye at dusk (© Psyché Ophiuchus) How Witches Have Held Us Under Their Spell for Centuries Lauren Moya Ford examines a new book that explores the witch’s complex history, current-day iterations, and her lasting hold on our imagination. Why the Elgin Marbles Should Not be Returned to Greece … Yet Elizabeth Marlowe: “If it is justice we care about, and acknowledging and making amends for past wrongs, it is not the Elgin Marbles we should be focusing on.” What Frank Lloyd Wright Can Teach Us About Comfort in the Office As designers look to incorporate home-like elements into office interiors, Alison Kowalski asks, “who does a homey office really serve?” Required Reading This week, how Hollywood tried to suppress a film post-9/11, Walt Whitman’s words for today, Dune director breaks down a pivotal scene, DW documents the environmental scourge of fast fashion, and much more. SPONSORED MFA PROGRAMS TO APPLY TO (image courtesy Cydney Cherepak) UCLA MFA in Media Arts Is Accepting Applications for Fall 2022 The program provides a rigorous environment for bold experimentation in new modes of critical thinking and art-making in the context of media and technology. SVA MA Curatorial Practice Opens Fall 2022 Applications The New York-based program for professional curatorial training has a particular focus on practical experience. COMICS 👻👻👻 Art's final resting place. Your contributions support Hyperallergic's independent journalism and our extensive network of writers around the world. Join Us IN OUR STORE One of the Moulin Rouge's first customers, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec immortalized the iconic cabaret in his oil-on-canvas depicting nightclub star Valentin "the Boneless" training new dancers. Slip these on your feet for a lighter step and can-can with the best of them! View more socks inspired by classic works of art! Become a Member |