Every day, as our newsletters reach your inbox, we love that we get to be a part of your world through our reporting, essays, articles, and reviews. Writing that inspires, informs, and reflects the art community we count ourselves as a part of, and that doesn’t shy away from examining art’s intersection with politics and culture at large.

Each day’s edition is the result of the hard work of a team of 15 dedicated, full-time staff members who search for stories that highlight issues and ideas that deserve more attention. It’s not easy, but the impact our work has on the world and encouraging comments from readers keep us motivated. But no publication can survive on good vibes alone.

Independent journalism is the lifeblood of democracy. Journalists, scholars, and publishers work together to challenge orthodoxies that are obstacles in our larger fight for justice, which includes working to improve an art world that benefits far fewer than it should.

In these last few years, we have seen the very real challenges that journalism faces. Difficulties in building sustainable ad revenue are compounded by the shrinking audiences we are able to reach on social media. Yet through it all, we’ve been able to grow our staff, raise our contributor rates, and continue improving our coverage and editorial process.

People often ask us what Hyperallergic stands for and how we decide what to cover. One thing I often tell people is that we try to consistently foreground minoritized communities and those suffering from systemic violence and oppression. We care about the communities we’re a part of, their diversity, and the values that we share.

We pride ourselves on honest reporting, insightful analysis, and thoughtful commentary, addressing the concerns of artists and the art community, and standing witness to the sometimes difficult truths before us.

Journalism, it is often said, is the first draft of history, including art history.

As a publication based in New York City, we’re proud to be part of a society that was founded on many core aspirational principles, but one that speaks loudly to us is freedom of the press and the related freedom to challenge and question our governments and those in power. 

One of the founding fathers of the United States, Benjamin Franklin, was a publisher who wrote pointed articles against the British Empire, using satire to criticize the secretary of state of the British Colonies. He also decried the mob of Pennsylvania frontier settlers who massacred a group of Susquehannock in Lancaster County in December 1763 and poked fun at an 18th-century witch trial to point out underlying injustices.

During his lifetime, Franklin learned about his complicity in the institution of slavery. He enslaved at least seven individuals, named Joseph, Jemima, Peter, King, Othello, George, and Bob, and eventually became a vocal critic of the dehumanizing system, which he realized was one of the original sins of American society. In the figure of Franklin we see a deeply flawed but great individual who challenged himself and society to look at themselves and reassess old prejudices. He represents a symbol of what is possible, and we know society today is just as capable of such transformation — but only with the help of truly independent journalism.

What began as a shared dream with publisher Veken Gueyikian just 15 years ago has since blossomed into a platform that has published over 2,500 writers and voices who contribute to what Hyperallergic is today. Each of them, and you, are part of this mission to speak truth to power, but we need your support.

If you are able, please join us as a member to support this important work and to ensure we can continue to publish bold, fresh, and diverse voices from art communities around the world.

Your membership is an investment in the future of a more sustainable and just art world, one that celebrates the possible while honoring what has come before. By becoming a Hyperallergic Member, we know you believe that art has the power to uplift, challenge, and connect us to ideas and communities bigger than ourselves. 

For Hyperallergic to continue on this mission to be a catalyst for change, we need your help.

— Hrag Vartanian, Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder

PS. If you’re not able to or interested in becoming a member right now, we understand. Click here to pause our fundraising messages for 30 days. 

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