August 19, 2021 • View in browser

Good morning. 🌧️ Today, considering Jewishness and its relationship to whiteness, why the removal of a mural may be the right thing to do, and MFA exhibitions at CalArts and UC Irvine.

— Hrag Vartanian, editor-in-chief

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A History of Protest Photography That Plays It Too Safe

At the Getty, we’re left with many questions as we shuffle through images of flags, marches, graffiti, and statues. | Anne Wallentine

WHAT'S HAPPENING

PEN America is calling for urgent protections to journalists and creatives in Afghanistan following the murders of two members by the Taliban earlier this month.

Forensic Architecture has requested that its works be withdrawn from the exhibition “Cloud Studies” after a pro-Paletinian artwork was censored by the University of Manchester.

SPONSORED

JAPAN CUTS, a Festival of New Japanese Film, Opens August 20

North America’s largest festival of contemporary Japanese cinema streams online throughout the US with screenings in-person at Japan Society from August 20–September 2. Learn more.

ART & FILM

Hopeful and Aware: MFA Work From CalArts and UC Irvine

The inescapability of the pandemic infiltrates each gesture and concern of the recent MFAs. | Shannon Hebert Waldman

Vermont Law School Is Right to Cover Over a Controversial Mural

Many students had expressed surprise at seeing the VLS mural displayed in an institution that claimed to be welcoming to people of diverse backgrounds. | Jenna Sutherland

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Voice Makes NFTs Easy With New Carbon Neutral Platform

Emerging creators can mint and sell NFTs with zero gas fees on one of the most efficient blockchains. Learn more.

The Three Versions of The Jazz Singer and the Sinister Bargain of Jewish Whiteness

For scholars, weighing the context of the classic film’s use of blackface is a valuable thought exercise. For a Jew, it is an exorcism. | Caroline Golum

FROM THE ARCHIVE

In 2016, John Edwin Mason, Caille Millner, and Seph Rodney discussed the power of photography and perception of the images that emerged during the Black Lives Matter protests of that year, considering their rapid circulation on social media and how they lodged themselves in the public imagination.

Police, Protest, and the Matter of Black Lives: A Conversation on the Power of Photographs

“As so often in life, what we see depends on where we stand.” | John Edwin Mason, Caille Millner, and Seph Rodney

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