Colored Criticism

A fresh take on art.

Articles

Congress Brings Palestinian Realness

It’s been four years since we started Colored Criticism on Museum Mile. We’ve reached 4,000+ participants so far, and are ready for much, much more. I’ll keep y’all updated on the special projects and surprises coming this year! 

I can’t lie, Rashida Tlaib melted my heart. She made Palestinian culture a trending topic with 4,000+ posts on Instagram. While media outlets from Elle to the New York Times noted the hashtag #TweetYourThobe, it was all coverage and no context. There was little discussion of why this was the ultimate heritage flex, resonating with fashion, art, and Palestinian pride. The 116th Congress brought the most racial and ethnic diversity, and the most cultural heritage our country has ever seen! 

Cliff notes history: a thobe is an ankle-length gown, usually hand-embroidered in vibrant colors across the chest, sleeves, and neck. The embroidery patterns, called tatriz in Arabic, are as regional as can be. The different patterns represent different locations, in this case Palestinian villages before 1948. With this Instacall to action, Tlaib illustrated the art that generations of aunties have carried throughout the diaspora, from Dubai to Detroit. From refugee camps to posh mansions, this needlework pops up in the darnedest places.  

Fabric art is portable, private, and often female (although the Resistance Museum in Abu Dis highlights embroidery from men incarcerated in Israeli prisons.) No wonder it gets no love in the art world. But from Emily Jacir’s refugee tents at Documenta 14, to the traditional thobes displayed at the Birzeit Museum, to the floor of United States Congress, the Palestinian diaspora keeps on moving, one stitch at a time.

Photo credit: The late Elia Kahvedjian captured this portrait of a girl embroidering. His studio, Elia Photo Service in Jerusalem, contains archives of Palestinian life before and during the British Mandate (1923-1948.) See more vintage images in their photographic history “Jerusalem Through My Father’s Eyes”, or during a studio visit (get those frequent flier miles ready!) 

The Art of Politics

How do we talk politics? Many months away from the presidential election, I’m already tired of our current discussion. The news is full of conversations that don’t work: recaps of overcrowded debates, endless fact checking, and GIFs of candidates’ faces. Also not helpful for political inspiration: long policy papers that no one but reporters and political junkies will read. And certainly the least useful: the screaming and shouting led by reality-show candidate Donald Trump.

Read more at The Nation

How to Talk About Race Without Getting Stuck in ‘Clybourne Park’

clybournepark

Bruce Norris’ play “Clybourne Park” picks up the conversation about race where Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” left off. Nominated for four Tony Awards, this drama is set in fictional Clybourne Park–the Chicago neighborhood that represents the American dream to the Younger family of “Raisin.” The first act of the play simmers as the all-white community comes to terms with the idea of blacks moving into their midst during the 1950s. The second act explodes as the same neighborhood, now all-black and neglected, is “rediscovered” in the 1990s. Two affluent couples, one black and one white, face off over zoning laws. What begins as a negotiation over building codes develops into a screaming match about race, gentrification, and identity.

Read more at Colorlines

Universal Design for Cultural Institutions

MoMA Education

Earlier this week, I was able to attend the fall Cool Culture fair. Cool Culture is an organization that works with Head Start families to increase access to the arts. Founded by two dynamic educators, the organization has welcomed 50,000 underserved families in the New York City area to various cultural institutions. The organization uses a network of community liaisons to break down visitation barriers and provide free visits to New York’s cultural gems. This week’s fair was a chance for the Cool Culture stakeholders—child educators, community liaisons, and cultural organizations—to share best practices and highlights.

Read more at Americans for the Arts