A SHORTLIST OF ONLINE CULTURAL CONTENT FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 31, 2020
READ
“On social media, companies use marketing dollars to value signal their “wokeness”; a trend that has made its way into the cultural sphere, with museums sharing the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag alongside works by African American artists. In an ideal world, this show of solidarity would be powerful. But, as a former employee of Creative Time, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I, like many art workers and visitors, have been underwhelmed. Watching museums like the British Museum and the Met—institutions with historic ties to colonialism—use a slogan rather than admit to their own roles in the “race problem” ignites a desire for a more holistic investigation of museums not only as homes for art and culture, but as entities with both the buying power and the political ties to make a lasting impact on life beyond this uprising.”
MAKE
“Carmen Argote (b. 1981, Guadalajara, Mexico; lives and works in Los Angeles) transforms diverse materials sourced from her surroundings into large works on paper and installations. She often uses plants, including food, fruits, and vegetables she can find locally, such as coffee, guava, oranges, lemon, and avocado, to make dyes.”
WATCH: ANY TIME
“Cecilia Alemani, Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art, and artist Jordan Casteel discuss how the subject of Casteel’s High Line mural is more relevant than ever before and the power of art in challenging times”
LISTEN
“Reporters Valentina Di Liscia and Hakim Bishara join Hyperallergic editor in chief Hrag Vartanian to discuss the Whitney Museum’s decision to cancel the exhibition Collective Actions: Artist Interventions In a Time of Change, which was scheduled to open on September 17. They both reported on the story this Tuesday, and now offer their own insights into the larger questions raised by this controversy, including how museums should collect, what role should artists have in the acquisition process, and if museums are getting better or worse at dealing with issues of racial and economic equity in their collections. This episode will get you up to speed about the fast-moving story and what it tells us about the Whitney and other contemporary museums today.”
