Art Community
The Synergetic Spirit of Buffalo’s Black Arts Community
As a curator, writer, and artist, my work is grounded in storytelling. Contextualizing the work of artists past and present for broad audiences is an incredible responsibility; arts administrators play a significant role in determining whose stories are preserved in history and how they are remembered. But what about the stories that aren’t told? How can narratives historically excluded from the canon be elevated and recognized for their enduring influence?
The resolve of the Black Arts Movement to address these questions led to the cultivation of spaces for artists to express themselves freely and for folks to see themselves reflected in art. Major cities like Chicago, New York, and Oakland immediately come to mind when considering the connection between art and self-determination. However, the continuum of Black artists in Buffalo, New York, has fostered community spaces and practices for decades that center accessibility and the inextricable link between art and life.
Read more: https://hyperallergic.com/876439/the-synergetic-spirit-of-buffalo-black-arts-community/
West Sussex County Council has included the project in its infrastructure improvement plans for Worthing railway station.
The project is part of the Railway Approach partnership scheme, which is part of the Worthing Growth deal, a five-year partnership with West Sussex County Council and Worthing Borough Council.
The scheme has successfully upgraded the front of the station, with improved walking and cycling access and newly planted green areas, to enhance accessibility and safety.
Read More: https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/24958060.community-art-project-launched-enhance-worthing-station/
A Banksy artwork on the shutters of London Zoo has been removed for “safekeeping” and to allow the attraction to use its full entrance during the summer period.
The piece, which shows a gorilla lifting the shutter to release a sea lion and birds, has been replaced with a replica.
A sign nearby now reads “Banksy woz ere” and offers an apology to disappointed fans of the street artist.
Read More: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/london-zoo-removes-bansky-safekeeping-160602916.html
On August 5, the prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, fled the country, ending her 15-year rule, and the army named a caretaker government to be led by economist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus. Over the past several weeks, Bangladeshi students have been met with a deadly government crackdown on rallies against the civil service job quota system. Faced with nationwide curfews and media blackouts, artists stepped up to document the political upheaval and further organize protests, with various cultural institutes voicing their support for the demonstrations.
The protests began in early July after a High Court reinstated a 30 percent quota earmarked for descendants of freedom fighters who were involved in the nation’s 1971 liberation war against Pakistan. (Amid rampant unemployment, the system has long been criticized for favoring supporters of Hasina’s party, the Awami League, to the exclusion of other qualified candidates.) As a result of the government’s violent response to the initially peaceful movement, several student leaders were detained while 300 people were killed, including nearly 100 during the first weekend of August.
