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New York
June 3, 2020

Letter from the editor:

Be kind to yourself and those around you, as many of us are currently grieving. As we continue to reckon with the devastating losses of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and George Floyd — amid a global pandemic, no less — I encourage you to use this time to act responsibly (protest, donate, and organize), as well as to learn about how you can support the movement for Black lives.

Here are some things you can do:

If you’ve been on social media this week, you’ve likely seen growing calls to #DefundtheNYPD. Such calls stem from a very urgent need to fundamentally shift understandings of the role police have played and should play in our society. This week, Brooklyn Movement Center will be hosting a teach-in about this topic, and other organizations have also shared valuable resources for understanding the way policing has evolved. See here for more information.

If you donate $250 or more to one of these organizations, artist Paul Sepuya will give you one of his prints.

Artists in New York and beyond are also stepping up amid these turbulent times. In Minneapolis, artists created a mural to honor George Floyd at the site of his murder and photographer Artyom Tonoyan documented recent protests there. At the Queens Museum, Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada’s massive tribute to medical workers is on track to become a mural large enough to be visible to satellites, and throughout Brooklyn, Guadalupe Maravilla has been raising money to support undocumented communities. The USPS has issued a special edition of stamps to honor pioneering figures from the Harlem Renaissance.

Last but not least, if you’re a critic of color who has been affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, you can apply for relief funds through a new initiative led by Critical Minded.

Stay safe, and remember that learning also involves unlearning.

An Artist Is Painting a 20,000-Square-Foot Mural for Healthcare Workers at the Queens Museum

Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada’s massive painting of a masked medical professional, “Somos La Luz” (“We Are the Light”), will be visible to satellites.

Sarah Rose Sharp

Event Pick

Online Tools and Teach-ins: Resources for Understanding Calls to #DefundtheNYPD

If you’ve been on social media this week, you’ve likely seen growing calls to defund the police. Here are a few resources for understanding the very urgent need to reexamine and shift the role police play in our society.

Dessane Lopez Cassell | June 4, 6–7:30pm EDT

News

New USPS Stamps Commemorate Four Harlem Renaissance Figures

Stylized in soft hues, new stamps bear the likenesses of novelist Nella Larsen, philosopher Alaine Locke, historian Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, and poet Anne Spencer.

Critics of Color Can Apply for a New $500 COVID-19 Grant

The unrestricted funds will be released by granting initiative Critical Minded and sponsored by Allied Media Projects.

Spice Up Your Video Conference Backgrounds After a Visit to the “Zoom Museum”

The Zoom Museum, created by Iruoma Ekpunobi, is a comprehensive compilation of artworks made available by different institutions for your conferencing needs.

At This Museum, Reopening Plans Include a Wearable Buzzing Device to Remind You to Social Distance

Future visitors to Magazzino Italian Art in Hudson Valley will be expected to do more than frequent hand sanitizer stations.

Hakim Bishara

Artist Guadalupe Maravilla Is Centering Mutual Aid and Indigenous Medicinal Practices

Maravilla’s efforts, which include raising money and distributing groceries to undocumented communities, are one example of efforts directly addressing communities of color disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

Danilo Machado

Queer Art Workers Reflect: Lucy Mukerjee on Accessing the Visibility of Pride Month All Year

LGBTQ Pride month is now. Every day in June, we are celebrating the community by featuring one queer art worker and asking them to reflect on what this moment means to them.