This n' That: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Photo by Sole D'Alessandro G. on Unsplash
The Met and the MoMA, Among Other Museums, Open Back Up
New Yorkers had a reason to rejoice this week as several beloved museums opened back up after a five-month-long shut down. The museums opened with COVID regulations in place, including a limit of 25 percent capacity, face masks required at all times, and a temperature check for all guests when they step inside.
Each museum has specific guidelines for ticket purchasing, and some require ahead-of-time reservations, so visitors should check the websites moma.org and metmuseum.org before planning their visits.
With travel regulations in place, the museums’ guests will predominantly consist of locals. With this in mind, the MET installed a valet parking for cyclists. Local visitors can bike over to their favorite museum and not fret about finding a bike rack or forgetting their locks.
The re-opening of these treasured New York landmarks brings a little bit of culture and light back into the city. Slowly but surely, hints of normalcy are creeping back into our lives, and New York City is starting to feel as exciting and inspiring as ever.
© Chengli Huang
The Whitney Museum Cancels Show After Artists Organize Against It
The Whitney Museum decided to cancel one of its Mutual Aid shows, “Collective Actions: Artist Interventions in a Time of Change,” amid protest from one of the artists involved. The show was set to raise funds for the coronavirus pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, opening on September 17.
The show was going to feature several photographs, posters, prints, and other pieces that were created this year. However, art critic Antwaun Sarget took to Twitter on August 24 and asked artists to organize against the show. Subsequently, artists whose works were featured in the show spoke out against the Whitney, claiming that they were not compensated for their work nor appropriately consulted before their work was acquired.
Some of the artists featured in the show were involved in See in Black, an initiative that supports work by Black photographers. This group also took to social media and stated, “The Whitney’s use of the works acquired through the See in Black print sale at significantly discounted prices constitutes unauthorized use of the works to which the artists do not consent and for which the artists were not compensated. Furthermore, See in Black is not affiliated with the Whitney’s exhibition.”
The Whitney’s show organizer, Farris Wabeh, has written letters to the artists apologizing and promising to “better collect and exhibit artworks and related material that are made and distributed through these channels.”
Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash
Banksy Funds Boat Carrying Refugees Across Mediterranean Sea, But the Boat Has Become Stranded
Banksy, renowned street artist with a cult following, announced that he funded a rescue boat to carry North African refugees across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. On Saturday, August 29, the boats’ operators sent out urgent calls for help saying the boat had become stranded.
A member of the boat’s crew, found at @MVLouiseMichel, tweeted that the journey was experiencing some unforeseen difficulties and asked for help, writing, “We repeat, #LouiseMichel is unable to safely move and nobody is coming to our aid. The people rescued have experienced extreme trauma, it’s time for them to be brought to a #PlaceOfSafety. We need immediate assistance.”
Some of the refugees were disembarked by the Italian Coast Guard, and the rest were boarded to the Sea Watch 4. Two United Nations-run organizations have jointly stated that they believe the boat was carrying more people than was safe.
On the vessel, there is a Banksy work depicting a girl holding a heart-shaped buoy.
Meredith Bergmann, Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument, Courtesy of the artist
A Monument to Women’s Rights Pioneers Unveiled in Central Park
A bronze statue of Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth, three critical women’s rights advocates, was unveiled on Wednesday, August 26. This date marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19 th amendment granting women the right to vote.
Former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton attended the unveiling and wrote on social media, “Today, on Women’s Equality Day, I was honored to be present for the unveiling of the first statue in Central Park of real, non-fictional women. (No offense to Alice in Wonderland or Mother Goose.)…We’re still fighting so that every eligible American can cast their ballot and know their vote will be counted regardless of race, age, or geography. It’s a battle worth fighting, and one we have to win.”
This statue is only the beginning in terms of counteracting the lack of female representation in monuments and tributes across America. These three pioneers will continue to lead the way for women, whether it be in allowing us to cast our ballot or inspiring young girls to dream of their statue one day being unveiled in Central Park.
