Of Blackness and ‘Beauty’ By Morgan Jerkins Feature At an art exhibit exploring black models through Western art, Morgan Jerkins finds historical evidence of the white supremacist definitions of beauty Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom identifies in ‘Thick: and Other Essays.’
The Resplendent Photography of Carrie Mae Weems By Danielle Jackson Highlight Carrie Mae Weems may be our best contemporary photographer.
Tennessee Williams’ Paintings Explored Being Gay in America By Krista Stevens Highlight Williams’ paintings explored love, desire, and loss, too.
Every Mission is a Suicide Mission By Nicholas Mainieri Feature Accompanying a contestant to a pro-level Galaga tournament to discover how many digital space bugs you have to destroy to find renown, community, and a modicum of inner peace.
A Woman’s Work: The Art of the Day Job By Carolita Johnson Feature Carolita Johnson looks back on the many ways she’s tried to juggle work with her *work.*
Understanding Adrian Piper’s Probing Body of Work By Danielle Jackson Highlight Adrian Piper’s body of work encourages audiences to think critically about race, gender, and power, and to engage with their own perceptions.
‘Wild With Love’: Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah on the Portraits of Henry Taylor By Danielle Jackson Highlight Henry Taylor’s portraits are sacred objects that lovingly center black subjects and black interiority.
The Town That Camp Built By Krista Stevens Highlight “Key West’s brand of camp reflects Wolkowsky’s understanding — never on the nose, always sideways, a place where anonymity feels like an innate right.”
The Camouflage Artist: Two World Wars, Two Loves, and One Great Deception By Mary Horlock Feature In the first war, Joseph Gray used his art to reveal his fellow soldiers. In the next war, he used it to hide them.
Tax-Free Storage Wars By Atossa Araxia Abrahamian Feature Arcis is a new art storage facility in Harlem that offers its clients a Foreign Trade Zone. But are they selling the art world a luxury tax haven, or just banking on confusion?
‘Open Casket’ and the Question of Empathy By Longreads Feature Did Dana Schutz’s painting engage with her subject, Emmett Till, ethically and responsibly?
The Manipulative Power of ‘You Understand’ By Danielle Tcholakian Commentary A reminder, courtesy of Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova.
Turning Love and Grief into Outsider Art By Aaron Gilbreath Highlight How one London man transformed his house into a work of art, and a physical love story to the people he’s lost.
Kara Walker’s Subtlety By Longreads Feature In the summer of 2014, Kara Walker’s sphinx posed a riddle about women, sweetness, and power.
What Happens Between What Seems Like All the Facts: On Interviewing Artists By Jonny Auping Feature Curator Michael Auping on the forty years he spent interviewing artists in their studios.
Art in the Age of Blockchain By Michelle Legro Commentary Why a rare Pepe meme is now easier to authenticate than a Leonardo.
Dance Me to the End of Love By Abigail Rasminsky Feature Abigail Rasminsky dreamed of becoming a professional dancer. Then she got hurt.
Longreads Best of 2017: Arts & Culture Writing By Longreads Reading List We asked writers and editors to choose some of their favorite stories of the year in various categories. Here is the best in arts and culture writing.
Restoring Neon City By Krista Stevens Highlight On the artists who labor to keep Austin weird and glowing brightly.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Ethical Enjoyment of Museums By Michelle Legro Commentary In his review for the New York Times, Holland Cotter writes that the museum fails in “truth-telling.”
A Portrait of the Artist as a Monster By Michelle Weber Highlight Does art exist in the world of personality and petty grievance and predation, or does it float in a morally-neutral ether? Depends who you ask.
L.A.’s Underground Museum is a Vital Hub of Contemporary Black Culture By Danielle Jackson Highlight The space has become a vital convening point for creatives, culture workers, and audiences interested in ideas of black excellence.
The Strange Art World of Craigslist By Aaron Gilbreath Highlight The artists who use Craigslist to find subjects and ideas have found a willing group of participants unfazed by unusual encounters.
Eileen Myles: There’s No Escaping History By Sari Botton Commentary The poet and one-time presidential candidate isn’t the least bit surprised by the state of our union.
Cherokee Artist Jimmie Durham: Not Cherokee By Pam Mandel Highlight The work of artist Jimmie Durham relies heavily on Native American themes. Durham is not Native American.
‘Oakland Used to Be More Funky’: Where Have All the Artists Gone? By Cheri Lucas Rowlands Highlight The staff at Laney Tower take a close look at the past, present, and future of Oakland’s artistic community.
Nina Simone’s Three Years of Freedom By Danielle Jackson Highlight At Guernica, Katherina Grace Thomas turns a lens on the years Nina Simone spent in Liberia in the mid-1970s.
Zadie Smith Takes on Black Pain With a Light Touch By Danielle Jackson Commentary At Harper’s, Smith doesn’t really feel like she is engaging in her subject matter with much care or heart.
Philippe Petit Reflects on a Lifetime of Fear By Michelle Legro Highlight For the high-wire artist, living in fear is the definition of death.
