Daily Newsletter
Meet a pioneer in museum accessibility, NY Academy of Art returns Epstein money, Seurat and the sea, the politics of the sari, and more.
Lorena Bradford might not be widely recognized, but she deserves to be. As the inaugural head of Accessible Programs at the National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington, DC, Bradford initiated monthly American Sign Language tours, developed a program for those with memory loss, and invited medical students to learn caregiving soft skills.
“I was a sub-department of one,” she humorously remarked to writer Emma Cieslik during their conversation via Zoom and at the NGA about her unconventional career path and the future of museum accessibility. Despite challenges during the Trump administration, she remains optimistic about the future.
Today’s edition also features a mini fashion exploration. Eileen Isagon Skyers takes us through Thomas Gainsborough’s 18th-century styles reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice, and Associate Editor Lakshmi Rivera Amin illustrates that fashion is political in a piece on the sari’s history in New York City.
—Lisa Yin Zhang, associate editor
Meet the Woman Who Made Museums More Accessible
The first head of Accessible Programs at the National Gallery of Art discusses her journey and the future of museum accessibility. | Emma Cieslik
Raven Halfmoon: Flags of Our Mothers
Ballroom Marfa presents the first major traveling exhibition by Raven Halfmoon, featuring colossal sculptures that honor the artist’s Caddo Nation ancestors. On view May 1–October 11, 2026. Join us opening weekend, May 1–2, for an artist talk, a community meal by Chef Nico Albert, and live music by Night Beats.
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News
From Our Critics
Thomas Gainsborough’s Portraits of Pride and Prejudice
The English artist’s work strives to present social hierarchy as both beautiful and natural. | Eileen Isagon Skyers
Seurat and the Sea Is Postcard Perfect
Painted during summer visits to the Channel coast, Seurat’s seascapes aim to “cleanse one’s eyes of the days spent in the studio.” | Olivia McEwan
Olafur Eliasson: A symphony of disappearing sounds for the Great Salt Lake
Amid the ecological crisis of the lake, the artist’s new site-specific installation in Salt Lake City makes audible what is increasingly at risk of vanishing.
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Features
The Sartorial Is Political in “The New York Sari”
At the New York Historical, an exhibition illustrates that the sari is a living art form, an heirloom, a document, and a political statement. | Lakshmi Rivera Amin
ICYMI
Epstein Files Expose the Depths of the Art World’s Rot
How can arts leaders be empowered to reject funding from corrupt individuals in favor of donors who have shown themselves to be civic leaders? | Hrag Vartanian
