Currently Browsing: MacArthur Fellows
From exploring her cultural heritage to the role of Native women, Wendy began working as a visual artist to reflect on her upbringing and early life. She was raised on the Apsáalooke (Crow) reservation in Montana, and today, her work draws from discoveries in archival records, oral tradition, and a deep-rooted passion for adding to public knowledge about her ancestry.… read more.
When I first began reading about Gala Porras-Kim’s work, I was struck by how quietly it asks for attention. There is nothing flashy or declarative about her practice. Instead, it unfolds slowly, almost patiently, asking us to pause and reconsider the systems we often take for granted—museums, archives, and the institutional frameworks that claim to preserve history.… read more.
Artist/Activist Tonika Lewis Johnson has dedicated her artistry to the geographical landscape of Chicago. Through her work, she has brought attention to the socioeconomic dimensions of “the windy city” history. Tonika emphasizes that geography deserves examination, reflection, and action in order to understand it accurately within a critical historical lens.… read more.
Multimedia artist Ebony G. Patterson uses her work and an aesthetic of adornment to explore ideas around visibility and invisibility in our postcolonial society. As a 2024 MacArthur Fellow, Ebony uses beauty to uncover the ugliness created by systemic oppression. Through texturally-rich pieces, Ebony invites viewers to engage with the sociopolitical issues embedded in the art.… read more.
The first time I watched Garrett Bradley’s work, I noticed how little it tried to convince me of anything. There was no rush toward explanation, no insistence on interpretation. Instead, the images asked for patience. They lingered just long enough to feel intimate, yet never so long as to feel heavy. Watching her films, I often find myself slowing down without realizing it, becoming aware of how rarely we are asked to truly sit with what we see.… read more.
Welcome to Women’s History Month 2025:
To celebrate, we are reposting tributes to some of the Swans who have made the greatest impact on our own lives. These are names & faces everyone should know!
Dyani White Hawk wants us to rethink art. She posits that European-American histories have created a hierarchy wherein certain forms and aspects of art are uplifted while others are devalued.… read more.