For Essence, Jasmine Weber delves into Auudi Dorsey’s artistic portrayals of a New Orleans beach that was a focal point for the Black community during segregation. Dorsey, who grew up in the city, discovered the beach in 2013, embarking on a journey through forests and train rides to its neglected site. Realizing its historical significance, he sought out stories and archival images from community elders, eventually creating sketches of its vibrant past. He found photographs depicting Black New Orleanians enjoying the beach in retro swimwear, a stark contrast to his post-Katrina New Orleans experiences. “I’m looking at these kids approaching water from a different experience,” he noted, struck by images of confident students in swim caps.
In a report by Sebastian Smee for The Washington Post, the long-standing pursuit of a stolen Pollock painting by one family, who had acquired it prior to the artist’s fame, is explored. Lacking comprehensive insurance, Isaacs, an academic, faced a decade of legal and financial turmoil after losing three valuable Pollock works. His notes from this period are chaotic, resembling Cy Twombly’s art, with fragmented thoughts and numbers, reflecting his struggle to maintain sanity.
Charlotte Higgins for the Guardian examines the preemptive compliance of museums amid Trump’s antagonism towards the Smithsonian. “People are acquiescing in advance,” remarked former National Gallery of Art senior Steven Nelson, revealing a shift in what is considered DEI. Current employees remain silent out of fear, with one museum director advising, “Don’t poke at it,” to avoid unwanted attention.
Katelyn Burns, writing for Xtra, highlights the risk of erasing homophobia from the narrative surrounding Renee Nicole Good’s death in ICE detention. Burns argues that misogyny and homophobia are central to the incident and criticizes the exclusion of Good’s wife from her story. Conservative views labeling individuals as adversaries for their identities underscore the prevailing societal issues.
Felix Pal’s research for the Caravan uncovers the vast extent of the global Hindu nationalist movement, the RSS. This organization’s strategic division of labor fosters its societal expansion, creating the illusion of an organic rise in Hindu nationalism. However, evidence suggests this is a meticulously coordinated effort to inflate the Sangh’s influence.
