This n' That: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Photo by Étienne Godiard on Unsplash
Renowned photographer Martin Parr steps down as Artistic Director of the Bristol Photo Festival following backlash over 'racist' photobook
Another photographer is in the spotlight for racial sensitivity, this time being Martin Parr, documentary photographer and former president of Magnum Photo. Parr has resigned from his post as the Artistic Director of Bristol Photo Festival in light of complaints that he edited a book containing racist and insensitive photographs.
The book in question is a 2017 reissue of a 1969 photography book entitled London by the late Italian photographer Gian Butturini.
Parr contributed an introduction to the book and was listed on the book’s cover as editor, something he has since claimed to be a mistake by the book’s publisher, despite having signed numerous copies himself.
The book features black-and-white photos that were taken in late 60s London. On one page, a photograph shows a black woman facing a caged gorilla. Concerns over racial insensitivity were brought to attention by Mercedes Baptiste Halliday, a 20-year-old University College London anthropology student who received the book as an 18th birthday gift from her father.
Photo by Sandy Ching on Unsplash
In a new gesture by the anonymous figure known as ‘American Artist’ all the artworks on the Whitney Museum’s website have been boarded up
Some museums across New York like the MoMA and the New Museum boarded up their storefront in reaction to the looting that has sprung up during Black Lives Matter protests.
Activists were not happy with this action. They were quick to point out these decisions were not synonymous with the core of what these institutions stand for, arguing that these spaces, which are self-claimed houses of communal learning and growth, have all but turned their backs on a major social justice issue.
Every day at sunset, American Artist’s Looted temporarily replaces all of the images on the Whitney Museum of Art website with images of plywood while the background of pages changes to black and the text on it fades. The work is meant to draw attention to what is being stolen and through what means.
Photo by Igor Gubaidulin on Unsplash
Lithuania donates billboards to help artists sell works during the pandemic
In an effort to assist artists who have struggled to sell their work due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius has stepped up and offered a creative solution in offering 100 outdoor billboards to display works for sale by 100 different Lithuanian artists, creating what is described as “a vast open-air art gallery”.
The three-week exhibition, Art Needs No Roof, was announced by the Municipality of Vilnius last month, and artists were quick to submit their applications in hopes that their work would be selected to be on display.
Bleak outlook for Museums, says American Alliance of Museums
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to sweep through America, many industries have faced shutdown. In a recent survey done by the American Alliance to determine the state of US museums during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was found that, of the 760 Museums in the sample, one-third of respondents were not confident they would be able to survive 16 months without additional financial relief, and 16 percent felt their organization was at significant risk of permanent closure.
Many museums have had no choice but to lay off employees in a bid to stay afloat financially, and with the education sector facing uncertainty, they also anticipate a decrease in revenue from institutions that were once a guarantee.
“Museum revenue disappeared overnight when the pandemic closed all cultural institutions, and, sadly, many will never recover,” Laura Lott, president and CEO of AAM, said in a statement.
