Letter from the editor:

Here's your rundown of the day's big stories. A conversation with artist Wendy Red Star, the Trump Statue Initiative, the Philadelphia Museum of Art's union vote, August opportunities, and award-winning iPhone photography are the focus of this edition.

I know we can all use some more art, particularly since most of us haven't seen art outside of our homes for months. This interview with Portland-based artist Wendy Red Star might hold you over for a while. She responds to a question about how she hopes children will respond to her work:

For me, it’s very important that the ancestors that are presented in the exhibition are really thought of as people. And relatable people. I try to do that by writing about them directly on their image, or by making them life-sized and having an opportunity to walk up to them. And really humanizing them, because Native people have been dehumanized so much or made into this mythical part of the West that doesn’t exist. My hope is that there’s a human connection that the kids can make and relate to.

It's a topic I wish more artists and curators would discuss.

What is the Trump Statue Initiative you ask? Well … it may not be what you think. 😉

The recent vote at the Philadelphia Museum of Art has turned that institution into one of the largest unionized museums in the United States. 

“In voting to unionize, PMA staff join millions of other workers organizing to improve their working conditions and workplace safety during the pandemic,” the PMA union said, adding that it will be “the first major US museum to be organized in a ‘wall-to-wall’ union.” 

That's an impressive achievement. 

Every month we publish a collection of various opportunities that help artists, writers, and arts workers find ways to expand and sustain their work (ideally both). Please take a look and share widely for those who may need some help finding the right fit for them.

Now, how about you take a break and enjoy these images from iPhones around the world. I picked some favorites and it's a good reminder you don't need a fancy camera to create beautiful images (though it certainly helps).

Wendy Red Star Is Teaching Children About the Crow Nation With Her Art

“You don’t have to make things easy for them,” says Red Star about her new exhibition for children at MASS MoCA.

Karen Chernick

News

Philadelphia Museum of Art Workers Unionize, With 89% Majority Vote

The PMA Union will become one of the largest unionized museum workforces in the country.

Living Statues Mock Donald Trump’s Scandals

The Trump Statue Initiative, which makes temporary monuments mocking the president, staged its latest series in Portland, concurrent with the protests there and the federal government’s violent response.

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5. Philadelphia Museum of Art Lays Off 85 Employees

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