Colored Criticism

A fresh take on art.

Articles

The Aug Edit: Street Festival Season

Hi friend,

This has been the summer of eye-popping tickets and tours. That’s nice if you have the budget, but your local street corner offers more accessible fun. I found joy in the annual Fiesta Patronales de Holyoke, a celebration of civic pride. A street fair is one of the best uses of public space – it gives you a chance to see neighbors, reconnect with friends, and eat treats out of a styrofoam cup. What more could you want?

For me, student dancers are always a highlight. If you’ve ever watched an episode of Dance Moms, you know the drill. The A+ students who know all the choreography (as opposed to the A for effort students who look a little lost.) The crowd-pleasing soundtrack (in this case a super cut of Gloria Estefan, Celia Cruz, and Willow Smith’s Whip My Hair.) There’s always the dance teacher marking steps in the corner. Festival vibes meet the rehearsal room and I am here for it.

There’s something compelling about arts kids working through their imperfect performance. Not to mention the excited parents in the cheering section, sending love no matter the quality or outcome. It’s the purest form of works-in-process. So check your local calendar. I’m sure there’s at least one festival, block party, or street fair coming up near you before summer ends!

Yours in these streets,
Tiffany

The Apr Edit: Spring Growth!

Hi friend,

The stars are aligning, and the art season is heating up! There’s always a special vibe as spring starts. This year feels extra good – the spring equinox, five-planet alignment, Passover, Easter, and Ramadan magic all rolled out over the past few weeks. Given all the valid reasons to be pessimistic, I’ll welcome any bright spots!

Spring brings all sorts of reasons to be out and about: openings, fundraisers, festivals, and art fairs. Top on my list is the exhibition no existe un mundo poshuracán: Puerto Rican Art in the Wake of Hurricane Maria. Curator Marcela Guerrero is strategically retelling the story of America with her additions to the Whitney’s Latinx offerings. There are two great opportunities to catch the exhibition before it closes:  a night of Puerto Rican arts and culture, presented with WNYC and Futuro Studios tomorrow April 20 (also livestreaming), and an all-free admission day on Sat, April 22.

Yours in blossoming,
Tiffany

5 Reasons We’re Grateful

Hi friend,

There are so many reasons to celebrate Colored Criticism as we close out 2022! Our community continues to grow and connect people of color in the arts, as well as allied supporters. Some highlights include:

  • Expanding our organizational Board
  • Receiving grant funding from New York State Council in the Arts
  • Sharing the latest in art through our newsletter The Color Edit
  • Enjoying Passion Fruit Dance Company at our Holiday Party
  • Screening our short doc Carnival Queens at the Auntyland Film Festival

We can’t wait to see you in 2023. Support our mission with a year-end donation today!

Yours in celebration,
Tiffany.

The Aug Edit: On Vacation!

Friends, it’s been a minute!

Our newsletter has been on break this summer. While there have been arts happenings of note, there have also been tectonic shifts that absorbed a lot of everyone’s energy. We put our communications on hold knowing that there were other rapid-response messages going out from our activist and journalist partners. You can only read so many emails a day, right?

Yes, we all need a vacation. I get the feeling that everyone is sneaking away based on the out of office messages and Instagram feeds from this month. Folks are taking some time off, whether it’s a staycation, long weekend, or a long-overdue trip abroad. Borders are open, vaccines are flowing, and tickets are booked. This little respite is a luxury, but one that we’re finding a way to include.

As we head into the long weekend, I have a few suggestions if you are looking for a vacation read. All of these novels have protagonists I love and big arts energy!

Yours in summer sun,
Tiffany

Required Reading

The Mar Edit: More Than A Party!

Image Credit: We started the Carnival Queens project in 2017, the 50th anniversary of the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn. Although we love working with institutions, we adore the chance to talk with our friends at Pagwah Mas and other bands. See you on the Parkway!

Hi friend,

True story: art is about people! 

Carnival season is unfolding in the Americas – from the Caribbean to New Orleans (hey Mardi Gras!) But it’s more than just a party. Carnival culture shows how mutual aid has sustained people of color.

Mutual aid is a crucial path for groups locked out of mainstream power and participation. These communities have banded together to create something out of nothing – isn’t that the definition of art? There’s a natural overlap with different women’s organizations – for example the sororities of the Divine Nine, or social clubs based on hometowns and heritage. 

Dr. Tyesha Maddox has researched mutual aid societies of Caribbean immigrants in the United States back to the 1900s. The West Indian Day Parade ties the legacy of early Black migration to our current culture. This video explainer gives a broad view of how Asian American, Black, Chicano, and LGBTQ+ communities have leveraged mutual aid to build resilient networks. 

And our documentary project, Carnival Queens, is screening this month online for Women’s History Month. We’re excited to share the story of Black immigrant women gathering, celebrating, and thriving. Along with the Baby Dolls of New Orleans’ Carnival, women artists shine at the intersection of creativity and community.

Yours in creative solidarity,
Tiffany.

Required Reading

The Feb Edit: Black Mom Magic

Image Credit: Faith Ringgold (right) and Michele Wallace (middle) at Art Workers Coalition Protest, Whitney Museum, 1971. Digital C-print. Copyright of Jan van Raay, Portland, OR.

Hi friend,

February is wrapping up, but it’s always time for Black History! I’ve been reading Anna Malaika Tubbs’ history “The Three Mothers” this month. Her book braids together the legacies of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin. Her hot take? It’s all about the Black moms.

Lifting up Berdis Baldwin, Alberta King, and Louise Little, Tubbs sets the stage for the political engagement of their sons. Her original scholarship claps back on stereotypes of Black families as apathetic at best and criminal at worst. Their strategic parenting nurtured the vision that we call the modern Civil Rights Movement. It’s a stark reminder that Black women have consistently overdelivered for the United States.

Those blockbuster mothers set me to thinking about Faith Ringgold and Emma Amos. These cool art moms have been celebrated in recent retrospectives. “Faith Ringgold: American People” and “Emma Amos: Color Odyssey” display their shared focus on bodies in active, affirming motion. As I read more about both of these artists, their imprint on following generations is as striking as their work. Amos passed away just before her retrospective opened, but the love for her is evident in the essays accompanying the show.

Which is all to say, there are so many facets to our shared history. Here’s to Black heroines, whether we find them In the library, gallery, or real life!

Looking forward,
Tiffany.

“Faith Ringgold: American People” is at The New Museum, NY through June 2022. “Emma Amos: Color Odyssey” is archived online at The Georgia Museum of Art, GA.

Required Reading