February 8, 2023

Good morning. 🌤️ The much-debated AP African American Studies course (now banned in Florida) has not only dropped major Black scholars like Kimberlé Crenshaw and bell hooks out of its curriculum, but also left out large swaths of Black American contemporary art. Elaine Velie's report explains what exactly happened.

In other stories, the Biden administration has allowed the release of art made by Guantánamo detainees, reversing a Trump-era policy. And in South Dakota, communities are divided over a 50-foot-tall sculpture intended to honor Native women. Some think that the commission to create the monumental sculpture should not have been given to a White male artist, among other critiques.

Today we also ask: Is the UK's Turner Prize still relevant? Our London-based critic Naomi Polonsky shares some thoughts about that.

And finally, some encouraging news: More than half of the documentaries and feature-length films at this year's Sundance Film Festival were directed by women. It's a sign of progress in an industry still dominated by men. Learn what directors to look out for in Eileen G’Sell's report from the festival.

— Hakim Bishara, Senior Editor

The Turner Prize Wrestles With an Identity Crisis

How does a selective competition fit with the contemporary art world’s aspirations toward greater inclusivity? | Naomi Polonsky

WHAT'S HAPPENING

Elizabeth Catlett, “Glory” (1981), caste bronze with a black patina, Stanley Museum of Art, University of Iowa (photo Sarah E. Bond/Hyperallergic)

• Critical race theory and contemporary Black artists are among the topics conspicuously absent from College Board’s AP African American Studies course.

• The US government has lifted a Trump-era policy barring artwork by Guantánamo detainees from leaving the prison.

• The Philadelphia Museum of Art and Kansas City’s Nelson-Atkins Museum of Artwager a work from their permanent collections ahead of Super Bowl LVII.

Support Hyperallergic's independent journalism

Become a member today to help keep our reporting and criticism free and accessible to all.

LATEST IN ART

Who Gets to Honor Native Women in the US?

“Dignity of Earth and Sky,” unveiled in 2016, raises questions about who should depict Native people and how they should be portrayed. | Taylor Michael

Truth-Telling Confronts the Colonial Gaze

In this online exhibition, Indigenous artists reclaim realities long denied them by US and Canadian federal governments — including moments of collective reverie. | Billie Anania

How an LA Football Stadium Became a Home for Art

With two exhibitions at SoFi Stadium, the Kinsey African American Art & History Collection seeks to engage a different art audience. | Matt Stromberg

MORE ON HYPERALLERGIC

The Women Who Dominated This Year's Sundance

At this year’s Sundance International Film Festival, more than half the feature-length movies were made by directors who identify as women. | Eileen G’Sell

Is Making Art a Way of Telling People to Go Away Forever?

In her novel Tell Me I’m an Artist, Chelsea Martin questions whether art offers a refuge from the world. | Nichole Miller

MOST POPULAR

1. And the Winner Is … AI Art? 

2. The Buddhist Monk Who Brought Mindfulness to the West

3. Sky Hopinka Is Tired of Explaining Everything to Non-Natives

4. Native Artist’s Work Enters the National Gallery Collection

5. Deadly Earthquake Damages Cultural Sites in Turkey and Syria

FROM THE ARCHIVE: EDITOR'S PICKS

A Museum Director Asks: What if Art Museums Can’t Measure Up to the Present Moment?

As the world moves rapidly toward irreversible and necessary change, art museum directors are talking about adapting their institutions to the times. But what if adaptation is not enough? | Betsy Bradley