January 19, 2023
Good morning. 🌧️ Erika López Prater, the Hamline University lecturer whose employment was discontinued for showing her class medieval paintings of the Prophet Muhammad, is fighting back with a lawsuit. Meanwhile, the university retracted a statement calling the professor “Islamophobic.” Hamline realized, maybe too late, how wild this accusation was.
In other news, AI art companies are in trouble for copyright infringement of human-made art and photography. The latest to sue one of these platforms is Getty Images, one of the world's largest photo agencies. Good AI machines borrow, great AI machines steal? Don't despair, we still have one major advantage over AI — our imagination.
Also today: the flourishing community of Filipino-American artists, the enduring charm of herbariums, a visit to a New York artist's gem of an apartment, and so much more.
— Hakim Bishara, Senior Editor
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The Woven History of Filipino American Artists
A look at the myriad ways Filipino American artists are connecting, creating artistic platforms, and engaging with their history and identity. | Irene Lee
SPONSORED
Hsin-Chien Huang Reimagines Virtual Reality at Pratt Manhattan Gallery
In the exhibition The Data We Called Home and an accompanying panel discussion moderated by Barbara London, Huang explores visual arts in the virtual landscape. Learn more.
LATEST NEWS
Detail of Nicholas & Co., “The Great Gopuram of the Temple” (courtesy the Getty Research Institute)
Getty Research Institute acquires over 4,600 photographs taken across India and South Asia during the British Raj’s 89-year rule.
Getty Images says it is suing Stability AI, the creator of Stable Diffusion, for the alleged infringement of intellectual property rights.
Erika López Prater sues Hamline University after being accused of Islamophobia for showing a painting of Prophet Muhammad in a lecture.
SPONSORED
Spring Public Programs at Columbia University School of the Arts Focus on Transformation
Organized around the concept “To Transform,” these NYC programs include conversations, film screenings, readings, and research about work that enacts transformation. Learn more.
ART & FILM
What Just Above Midtown Meant for Black Artists
The long-gone art gallery afforded Black artists a space to create without having to consider the pressures of the commercial art market or the fickle nature of nonprofit art institutions. | Taylor Michael
We’re Screwed, But It’s Okay
Rachel Lears’s new film To the End is optimistic, perhaps to a fault. | Dan Schindel
Six Autobiographical Films That “Say It Like It Is”
The Brooklyn Academy of Music will screen Camille Billops and James Hatch’s unique films centering Black American life, sexuality, and social issues.
MORE ON HYPERALLERGIC
Inside an Artist’s 1960s Time Capsule in Greenwich Village
Covered in wood paneling and filled with wacky Surrealist art, the former home of Sonja Alaimo captures the late painter’s sensitivities. | Elaine Velie
Why Do Herbariums Still Fascinate Us?
Collecting Nature: The History of the Herbarium and Natural Specimens offers a collection of collections, a satisfying glimpse into the age-old practice. | Sarah Rose Sharp
IN MEMORIAM
Sonja Alaimo (1927–2023)
New York-based painter | Hyperallergic
Gianfranco Baruchello (1924–2023)
Italian artist and filmmaker | Inside Art
Edie Landau (1927–2022)
Film producer | New York Times
Jason Pearson (1970–2022)
Comics artist | Comic Book
Ruth Adler Schnee (1923–2023)
Textile and interior designer | New York Times
