Remember when Berlin prided itself as a haven for persecuted artists and writers? Now, those artists and writers are scolded and silenced if they dare express their opinions about Gaza. It’s also painful to watch cinema legends like Wim Wenders tarnish their legacy with unintelligent statements like, “We have to stay out of politics.”
He said that on the opening day of the Berlinale, the latest battleground between artists and pro-Israel groups and politicians. Staff writer Rhea Nayyar reports today on how Berlinale Director Tricia Tuttle found herself in the eye of the storm, despite the festival’s best efforts to keep everyone’s mouth shut.
—Hakim Bishara, editor-in-chief
How the Berlinale Turned Into a Horror Show of German Censorship
Amid speculation that Berlinale Director Tricia Tuttle could be ousted as the event executives navigate the next steps, hundreds of film professionals have come to her defense in an open letter regarding the festival’s institutional independence.
Raw Material: The Art and Life of Susan Kleckner
This exhibition at Haverford College’s Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery is the first comprehensive retrospective of the pioneering feminist, filmmaker, photographer, and performance artist.
News
- Artist-activist Judy Baca denies allegations by 10 of her former employees that she used a grant awarded to her nonprofit organization for her personal art business.
- The chief operating officer at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta resigns after an independent review determines that $600,000 had been stolen from the institution.
From Our Critics
Diaries of a Chairwoman
Juliette Lewis turns into a chair in a film that critiques mass culture’s conflation of femininity with consumerism and envy. | Eileen G’Sell
Inside Pratt SCPS: Where Practice Meets the Spotlight
Discover what happens when working creatives, career pivoters, and lifelong makers plug into art and design education at Pratt’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies.
Member Comment
Natalie Timm on Emma Cieslik’s “Protesters Dressed as Marie Antoinette Roast ‘Melania’ Film at Kennedy Center”:
Collectors Who Make a Difference
David Driskell’s Gifts to Black Art
A new exhibtion at the Portland Museum of Art is a compact tribute to an artist and scholar with deep ties to Maine, one who assembled one of the foremost collections of African-American art in the United States. Carl Little reports from the show.
Community
Required Reading
How to make art with a full-time job, portraits of Black marronage, artists vs. algorithms, US men’s hockey team acts up (again), snow sculptures in NYC, and more links from around the internet.
Art Movements: New Curator at the Frick
Aaron Wile will be a senior curator at the institution. Plus, the Venice Biennale announces its full list, and the Bezoses are chairing the Met Gala in this week’s roundup of industry news.
A View From the Easel
“It’s a place to disappear and get lost in the process of doing. Sofie Koenig from Bloomington, Indiana, explores the personality of oil paint, and Marissa Robin Abendano from New York finds inspiration in conversations with strangers in Central Park. Your Studio could be next!
The Vilcek Foundation – 2026 Open Call for Grants
US-based nonprofits that celebrate immigrants in the arts, sciences, education, or through the provision of social services are invited to apply for grants of $5,000 to $20,000.
Deadline: April 30, 2026 | vilcek.org/grants
See more in this month’s list of opportunities for artists, writers, and art workers!
