amy sherald speaks out government censorship at the smithsonian 1234749864

Amy Sherald, the painter who canceled her exhibition “American Sublime” at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in July due to censorship issues, has broken her silence in a MSNBC article. Sherald canceled her September show after the museum considered removing her painting *Trans Forming Liberty* (2024), depicting model and performance artist Arewà Basit as a Black transgender Statue of Liberty. In her op-ed, Sherald explains that institutional fear shaped by political hostility toward trans lives played a role, and she cannot comply with a culture of censorship targeting vulnerable communities.

see 100 years of presidential portraits leading up to barack obamas vibrant 1227110

The article presents a curated selection of presidential portraits from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery's permanent exhibition "America's Presidents," spanning the last century from Woodrow Wilson to Barack Obama. It highlights the evolution of the form, from traditional depictions of Harding and Hoover to Norman Rockwell's beaming Nixon, Elaine de Kooning's artful Kennedy, and culminating in Kehinde Wiley's vibrant, almost-surrealist 2018 portrait of Barack Obama, which generated significant public excitement.

Mei Lanfang Was Famous for His Masterful Performances as Female Leads. In the 1930s, He Introduced American Audiences to the World of Chinese Opera

Mei Lanfang Was Famous for His Masterful Performances as Female Leads. In the 1930s, He Introduced American Audiences to the World of Chinese Opera

Mei Lanfang, one of China's most celebrated Peking opera stars famed for his masterful performances of female *dan* roles, embarked on a groundbreaking seven-month tour of the United States in 1930. His performances, which introduced American audiences to the elaborate art of Chinese opera for the first time, were met with critical acclaim and packed houses, earning him honorary doctorates from American universities and adulation from both Chinese American communities and the wider public.

Inside de Young Museum’s New Indigenous American Art Galleries

The de Young Museum in San Francisco has unveiled its completely reimagined Arts of Indigenous America galleries, featuring nearly 2,000 objects from across North, Central, and South America. Developed in close collaboration with Indigenous scholars and community advisors, the new installation moves away from traditional chronological or ethnographic displays. Instead, it integrates historical artifacts with contemporary works to emphasize the continuity and living nature of Indigenous artistic traditions across four regional sections.