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June 9, 2020

Letter from the editor:

It's been another week of protests in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, as anger grows over the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Media outlets are reporting the Minneapolis police department may be disbanded, while activists in cities around the country (and the world) are making demands for reform or abolition of prisons and police departments. It certainly feels like the beginning of a new era.

I wrote about the boarding up of luxury galleries in Chelsea as a symptom of another malaise, namely the tendency of art galleries to feel exclusionary to large parts of society.

Kambole Campbell and Lauren Lluveras wrote about the "black square" phenomenon that appeared all over social media last Tuesday.

While the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis ended their contract with local police, the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City got caught allowing police to station on their property during BLM protests, the Toledo Museum of Art expresses political neutrality, SFMOMA gets called out for censoring Black voices, and, in Florence, Italy, the director of the Uffizi Gallery suggests some religious art shouldn't be in museums.

And finally, a reminder that we still urgently need your support to reach our membership goal this month to sustain our operations. We've almost reached our launch goal and you can help us get there. Support Hyperallergic by becoming a member today!

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Williamsburg’s Wave of Gentrification Becomes More Visible During the Pandemic

With his photo book In Time of Plague, Brian Rose documents a previous devastation made more visible by a more present one.

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News

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago Agrees to Cut Ties With City Police

Following a petition by the MCA Chicago’s Teen Creative Agency, the museum has pledged to stop contracting CPD’s services until the department makes reforms. But the group believes much more work remains to be done.

Major Actors and Directors Join Campaign to “Arrest the Cops Who Killed Breonna Taylor”

Breonna Taylor would have turned 27 on June 5. Jordan Peele, Ava DuVernay, and others joined the thousands who are calling out for justice in Taylor’s case.

Pittsburgh Newspaper Bars Black Journalists, Citing “Bias” in Protest Coverage

“The only bias that is being shown is by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette management,” said a spokesperson for the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh.

Queer Art Workers Reflect: Raja Feather Kelly Wants Sustainability to Become “Actual Practice”

LGBTQ Pride month is now. Every day in June, we are celebrating the community by featuring one queer art worker and asking them to reflect on what this moment means to them.

Dessane Lopez Cassell

Reclaiming the Legend of Bruce Lee

The new ESPN documentary Be Water seeks to both reassert Lee’s legacy and humanize him.

Bedatri D. Choudhury

Meet LA’s Art Community: Hailey Loman Is Building an Oral History Collection

An interview series spotlighting some of the great work coming out of Los Angeles. Hear directly from artists, curators, and art workers about their current projects and personal quirks.

Elisa Wouk Almino

SPONSORED

The Manetti Shrem Museum Hosts Virtual Exhibition Highlighting Creative Practice of UC Davis Grad Students

A multidisciplinary showcase of work from 30 arts and humanities students can be viewed at the museum’s website from May 28 through June 14.

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