Ever shed a tear in a museum? You’re not alone, my friend. There’s something cathartic about that rare moment, when you find yourself in front of a work of art that seems tailor-made for the very grief or joy or uncertainty you’re experiencing. Critic Lavinia Liang tries to locate this emotional connection with art — or a lack thereof — in Ann Patchett’s new novel, Whistler, which follows a single family’s unraveling and reunion bookended by the halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Our reports on ICE’s seizure of 22,000 smuggled artifacts in Florida, coverage of the Chinese Pavilion’s withdrawal from the Gwangju Biennale in South Korea in protest of the Taiwan Pavilion, guide to Upstate New York art shows this month, and more in this edition.
—Lakshmi Rivera Amin, associate editor
10 Art Shows to See in Upstate New York This September
September welcomes the rituals of renewal — back to school! — and recognition, as the end of the year approaches. While the seasonal light and shadows cast dramatic beauty across the Hudson Valley, galleries and museums match the mood with robust exhibitions. | Taliesin Thomas
“Radiant Geometries” Opens at Rice University’s Moody Center for the Arts
Contemporary Indigenous and Latin American artists illuminate the convergence of math, metaphysics, and art in this new exhibition opening September 4.
News
- ICE seizes over 22,000 ancient artifacts in Florida as part of a trafficking probe as the agency and Trump administration face criticism for escalating violence and threats to cultural heritage.
- China withdraws from South Korea’s Gwangju Biennale just nine days after event organizers restored the title of “Taiwan Pavilion” to a group show featuring Taiwanese artists.
- Art Movements: Mildred Howard wins the Artists’ Legacy Foundation Award, artists receive funding from the Anonymous Was A Woman Environmental Art Grants, Art Gallery of Ontario director steps down, Alex Katz on PBS, and more.
- The High Museum of Art in Atlanta will mark its centennial this October with nearly 200 acquisitions and reinstallations of its American and African collections, including a section dedicated to 20th-century Nigerian art. [Atlanta Voice]
- Christie’s and Bonhams both hiked their premiums — the fees buyers pay on top of a work’s hammer price. [Artnews]
From Our Critics
In “Whistler,” Ann Patchett Tackles Loss and Art
The beloved author’s new novel tells a story of familial loss and reconnection, beginning with a chance encounter at The Met. But why does it seem to imply that grief and art are at odds? | Lavinia Liang
Member Comment
—Willa Lewis on “The Missing Colors of Black American Pigment-Making“
Hyper Links
- Researcher and cultural theorist Flavia Dzodan writes about the need for art institutions to center “duration and longevity” in their conception of care, noting that she is “increasingly intolerant of ‘care’ as cultural programming” without tangible support.
- Nerd out with this riveting anatomy of a somewhat cloudy Edgar Degas self-portrait by the Getty Museum’s conservation team.
- In a tender new review of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” for Pitchfork, Lily Goldberg writes, “I hear a simple yet radical answer to this question in Dolly’s version of ‘I Will Always Love You’: Loving people, even flawed people, can be its own self-rewarding, freeing act, a choice that need not be at odds with cultivating self-respect or demanding respect from others.”
- Inconvenient truths: Is printmaking better than painting?
From the Archive
The Children’s Book Author Who Was Also an Artist
Leo Lionni’s wide-ranging practice was kaleidoscopic and rooted in a strong sense of justice. | Lauren Moya Ford
2027 Erie Canal Artists in Residence — Erie Canal Museum & New York State Canal Corporation
Seeking projects that reflect on the Erie Canal’s past, contemplate its present, and consider its future. All visual mediums welcome. Local and Indigenous artists preferred. Two selected artists will each receive a $10,000 stipend.
Deadline: September 6, 2026 | eriecanalmuseum.org
