The Resistance Is Not Dead
Fall of Freedom is back for another round, Alice Neel’s drawings of the Foley Square trials go to auction, and the unsung architect behind DC’s landmark African-American history and culture museum.
Here’s some good news: The resistance is not dead. Fall of Freedom, a nationwide pro-democracy art and activism group, is coming back for another round, just in time for the midterm election. In a timely turn, Alice Neel’s drawings of the McCarthy-era Foley Square trials are headed to auction.
In Opinions, Brian Goldstein writes about Max Bond Jr., the unsung Black architect who was instrumental in the creation and design of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, but has been overshadowed by starchitect David Adjaye.
Also, catch up on the latest industry news in Art Movements, and get yourself a grant or a nice residency with the help of this month’s Opportunities listings.
On the concourse level of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture is a small exhibition, easily missed if you are focused on the elevator that takes you down to begin this site’s profound historical journey. Titled A Century in the Making, the display details the long development of a building that at last made a permanent home for Black history on the National Mall in Washington, DC. One panel, headlined “An Architectural Marvel,” describes the competition that culminated in this bronze-colored icon. A photograph shows the winning team: architects Philip Freelon, J. Max Bond Jr., and David Adjaye. | Brian Goldstein
At IFPDA’s October Prints & Drawings Month, Museums Are Quietly Rethinking Where Works on Paper Belong
Attend print and drawing-focused sessions in person and online with LACMA, The Met, and more throughout the month of October.
Cosmo Whyte Returns to the University of Michigan With a Powerful New Exhibition at Stamps Gallery
Stamps School of Art & Design alumnus explores memory, migration, and who shapes history in an exhibition spanning drawing, sculpture, and installation. On view through December 12, 2026.
Reinterpreting canonical works is nothing new, but her work shines when it’s most personal. | Rebecca Schiffman
Contributors include artists such as Dawoud Bey, who wrote that the venerated institution has “changed the shape of my life.” | Anna Lee
Applications Open: IDSVA Low-Residency PhD Program for Artists and Creative Thinkers
Begin your PhD journey in summer 2027 with residencies in Rome, Spannocchia Castle, Arezzo, and Siena.
New public commissions by artists Michelle Angela Ortiz, Chat Travieso, and Immanuel Oni are part of the New Jersey Monuments to Migration and Labor initiative. | Rhea Nayyar
Keep spooky season at bay with books on a philosophy of birth in art, Debi Cornwall’s photography, Paul Kane’s myth-making paintings, light and paper, and more.