From Hyperallergic: “…Similarly to campaigns against Warren Kanders and the Sackler family, the letter calls for the removal of trustees whose business interests and political donations undermine the museum’s community-oriented work. In their place the letter demands ordinary museumgoers — in numbers commensurate with museum revenue from membership and tickets. (Membership and admissions accounted for a combined 28% of SFMOMA’s revenue in the 2018 fiscal year, according to its most recent biennial report.) The letter singles out former board chairman Charles Schwab, the billionaire financier and prolific Donald Trump donor, calling for his and his wife Helen Schwab’s names to Read More …

From The East Bay Times: “Bisa French, who has overseen the Richmond Police Department on an interim basis since September of last year, has been named the city’s new full-time police chief. French becomes the first Black woman to lead the department, an honor that comes seven years after she became its first Black woman captain. The interim tag officially will be removed from French’s title on Aug. 1. She was given the reins in September, after city leaders removed former Police Chief Allwyn Brown following a vote of no confidence from the city’s police union… Read the rest of Read More …

We all have friends, right? And it’s especially great to have friends at a time like this. Well, for this week’s show, NIAD’s Professional Practice Group has selected highlights of their own work as well as pieces from their friends. Enjoy.

For many people, July 13-17 might not be a standout week, but for NIAD it’s been momentous.  This week, following the orders of our health officers, we moved back our target date for reopening from August to September – but maybe longer, depending on health and safety.  And so, this week marks another new chapter in the new world of uncertainty we’re navigating.  Giving up even a hazy vision of reopening requires a lot of coming to terms with how much we can’t control. There’s a lot of learning on the horizon, the kind that comes with confronting new challenges, even Read More …

“…White has a deep affinity to Van Gogh, feeling that they both overcame adversity; in his childhood, White suffered a traumatic brain injury which led to limited mobility. Commenting on the tradition of posthumous legacies, White observes that recognition in the art world is often reserved for dead artists—Van Gogh sold only one painting during his lifetime…” Read the entire piece.

Your support is artist voice.  From major gifts to meaningful in-kind donations, your support has defined resilience by prioritizing the voices of NIAD’s studio artists. This is how we arrived at a Virtual Studio shaped by artists’ ideas for what an online community could be – interdisciplinary, accessible, inclusive of wellness and self-care modalities, purposeful, and above all, creative.  Now we need your help to bridge the gap to resuming onsite services. When you give to NIAD’s Mobile Art Fund in the month of July, you fund masks, gloves, and PPE for artists and staff, and individual artist supply kits to make Read More …

For our current online show, NIAD artist Kiesha White proffers a lyrical exhibition of images related to her poetry. As she writes, “I keep a word, and I feel relaxed and listen to the ocean and breathe, be present.If I feel it: music.” Enjoy.

This is very exciting news. Details.

Jean explains, “The idea for this post came from wanting funny entertainment anyone would want to imagine on stage, in TV sets, or even in films or on other devices. Enjoy.” Here’s your Top 20!

Like curator/ publisher Kate Mothes, many of us have been spending a great deal of time indoors. And this has led to our re-evaluating and sometimes re-inventing our ideas about home and ourselves. In our current online show, Kate selects work that bring “joy and brightness in daily life.” View the exhibition here.

Dear NIAD Community,  Congratulations. Together, we did it.  This week, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a budget avoiding most major cuts to Developmental Services, Education, and a host of human services that keep our families and communities thriving. While no budget is perfect in a period of intersecting crises, this budget demonstrates hard work and communication between stakeholders, legislators, and government. It will provide best outcomes for our disability system in a moment when we are working harder than ever to reach NIAD artists with exceptional career and creative supports.  If you are a family member or a community member who voiced your Read More …

Juneteenth is here, and NIAD is celebrating.  As NIAD artist Dorrie Reid reminded us last week, this moment is not only to recognize an American history that includes great and ongoing harm, but on this day, the resilience and power of the Black heroes and historical figures whose legacies accompany us in this historic moment. We recognize those who have passed, memorialized in artworks like Raven Harper’s pantheon of portraits of civil rights leaders and performing artists such as Martin Luther King, Jr, Rosa Parks, Aretha Franklin, and so many others. And we recognize those whose passing has recently moved Read More …

From Artforum: “The campaign to replace controversial monuments has faced pushback by those who believe that tearing down statues is equal to erasing history and has also been beset by legal obstacles. Governor Northam’s promise to take down General Lee has been challenged by a descendent of a Virginia family who deeded the land where the monument resides and has been temporarily blocked by a judge. On Saturday, thousands marched to the statue of Lee in protest of police violence and systemic racism. Several lawmakers attended the action in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter protesters including Richmond Mayor Levar Read More …

The second week of June at NIAD would normally mark our public participation in Juneteenth and Pride in Richmond. When we celebrate in the NIAD Virtual Studio next Friday, we will honor the work that Black Lives, voices, and bodies have activated in our community. We will practice the liberation possible because of the work done by, in, and with LGBTQI activists, organizers, and everyday people. And we will recognize the ways that these histories intersect with disability justice and indigenous, POC, and intersectionally-identifying communities and their histories. This week, we’ve seen the incredible visibility of Creative Growth artist John Read More …