Jun
19
Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s new music video was filmed entirely at the Louvre museum. What messages hide in the histories of the featured artworks?
Feb
23
Given the current political climate in the U.S. and abroad, as well as this age of post-truths and alternative facts, Durant’s work is both appropriate and necessary. The Hammer Museum even recently put his famous piece, End White Supremacy, back on view because of its timely nature. I caught up with Durant to discuss his process, motivations, and upcoming plans.
Feb
20
In the ‘90s, racialized terms like “wilding” and “superpredators” conjured dangerous racist imagery, causing moral panic, which both justified and resulted in the Crime Bill and other similar propositions.
May
05
Thinking of celebrating Cinco de Mayo at your school this year? Learn from history about some of the potentially insensitive pitfalls…
Jul
29
In language, form, and subject, Coates picks up this dream where Baldwin left off. Throughout his book, he refers to the “Dreamers,” comprised of “people who think they are white” who are fully and blindly invested in both the mythology and rich inheritance of the American dream, without any understanding or acknowledgement of the violence upon which our country, and their privilege, was founded.
Jul
16
Artist Kerry James Marshall revisits lynching photography from the 1930s, an all-too-familiar American form of terror. These photos which were often turned into postcards that were circulated in order to spread fear and terror even farther afield, he addresses this darker and extremely relevant history with his 2002 triptych Heirlooms and Accessories.
Oct
02
Comparing current (self) portraits by Native artists such as James Luna, Erica Lord, and Tom Jones to portraits by artists like George Catlin, Jon Mix Stanley, and Edward Curtis helps to highlight and disrupt a longstanding history and tradition of America’s investment in “othering” Native Americans. This lesson also looks at the practice of “playing Indian,” via films and mascots, all under the guise of “respect.”
