As you await the drying of glitter glue on your DIY protest sign for today’s No Kings marches, consider checking out Steven Weinberg’s insightful comic for advice on crafting impactful signs. Additionally, consider reusing your ‘I Prefer My ICE Crushed’ banner at smaller, local demonstrations to maintain momentum.
This brings us to a pressing issue in art and activism: ‘How does socially engaged art find its place in an increasingly antagonistic world toward independent thinking?’ This is the question that inspired Ed Woodham, a stalwart of New York City’s experimental art scene and the founder of Art in Odd Places, to investigate how the structures of social justice are being co-opted by profit-driven organizations. In his workshop at the School of Visual Arts, students delve into recognizing these exploitative patterns and learn to ‘navigate quietly through systems of oversight.’
On a related note, the Whitney Biennial this year seems distant from protests, subversion, or any form of confronting authority, as noted by Hyperallergic’s Editor-in-Chief Hakim Bishara. Reflecting on his review, imagine arriving from another planet and stepping into the 2026 Whitney Biennial—would the exhibition convey that the nation is on the brink of authoritarianism?
This inquiry into the role of art in today’s society questions how cultural institutions respond to and represent the pressing challenges of our times.
—Valentina Di Liscia, senior editor
