**Weekly Newsletter**<\/p>\n
The artist and NYC first lady in an exclusive interview, LACMA’s stunning new building, Trump plays Christ, and much more.<\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
Last week, I visited Gracie Mansion in Manhattan for a conversation with artist and New York First Lady Rama Duwaji. It was her first interview with a journalist since her husband, Zohran Mamdani, took office on January 1. <\/p>\n
I didn’t know what to expect as I had never met Duwaji before or heard her speak in public. In what became a standard studio visit, I discovered a humble and thoughtful artist who refuses to use her celebrity for easy career gains.<\/p>\n
Though we spoke primarily about her practice, the interview got picked up by dozens of publications worldwide because of Duwaji’s apology for foolish teenage tweets that a far-right rag dug up from the depths of the internet in an attempt to hurt her skyrocketing popularity.<\/p>\n
I hope this interview will help you get a better sense of who she truly is as a person and artist.<\/p>\n
As always, there’s much more below. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend.<\/p>\n
\u2014Hakim Bishara, editor-in-chief <\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
**In the Studio With Rama Duwaji**
\nSurrounded by her drawings and ceramics, we discussed her evolving art practice and new life as NYC first lady. | Hakim Bishara<\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
**News**<\/p>\n
– The Los Angeles County Museum of Art\u2019s (LACMA) [new building opens](https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/lacmas-new-building-invites-you-to-chart-your-own-path\/) after years of planning, construction, ballooning budgets, and design changes.
\n– A British political activism campaign [created \u201cBoycott the Bezos Met Gala\u201d posters](https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/boycott-the-bezos-met-gala-posters-emerge-across-nyc\/) to protest Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren S\u00e1nchez as the lead sponsors and honorary co-chairs of the annual event.
\n– The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has [announced 223 recipients of its annual fellowship](https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/these-are-the-winners-of-the-2026-guggenheim-fellowship\/), including 76 artists, fine arts researchers, architects, designers, and photographers.
\n– Social Practice City University of New York (SPCUNY), a five-year-old project that provides fellowships and support to social justice-minded artists across the public university system, [will shutter next February](https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/beloved-cuny-social-practice-art-program-to-shut-down\/).<\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
**Jeremy Frey: The Generational Impact of a New Artistic Path**
\nJoin us on April 29 for a conversation with artist and recent MacArthur Fellowship winner Jeremy Frey and Hyperallergic Editor-at-Large Hrag Vartanian.<\/p>\n
[Learn more](https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/jeremy-frey-the-generational-impact-of-a-new-artistic-path\/)<\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
**Opinion**<\/p>\n
**Trump Plays Christ and Gets the Wound Wrong**
\nThe president\u2019s latest attempt to fashion himself as an American messiah is costing him some of his most loyal Catholic supporters. | Emma Cieslik<\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
**Interviews**<\/p>\n
– **Marcel Duchamp Was the Messenger of History**
\n \u201cThe art world changed,\u201d scholar Thierry de Duve told us on the occasion of MoMA\u2019s new show. \u201cDuchamp\u2019s \u2018Fountain\u2019 is the message that brings us the news.\u201d | Lisa Yin Zhang
\n– **Nikyle Begay Resurrects Century-Old Din\u00e9 Weavings**
\n As an artist and shepherd, Begay facilitates their own creative process, from breeding and shearing to weaving long-undervalued twill patterns. | Moonoka Begay and Zach Feuer<\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
**From Our Critics**<\/p>\n
– **MoMA PS1\u2019s \u201cGreater New York\u201d Is Gritty, Stunning, and Gutting**
\n The survey, which happens every five years, rejects the out-of-towner\u2019s glossy surfaces in favor of the view from inside. | Hrag Vartanian, Lisa Yin Zhang, Rhea Nayyar
\n– **Michaelina Wautier Finally Known by Her Name**
\n For centuries, her masterpieces were misattributed to male painters. A new exhibition at London\u2019s Royal Academy corrects the record. | Olivia McEwan
\n– **Steve DiBenedetto\u2019s Cosmic Sense of the Absurd**
\n He conceives of a painting as a search for a functional structure, a talisman that can aid viewers amid our collective sense of traumatic crisis. | John Yau<\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
**Books**<\/p>\n
– **Ai Weiwei and the Art of Keeping Your Mouth Shut**
\n \u201cOn Censorship\u201d offers timely reflections from the dissident artist, whose entire life and career have been marked by state persecution. | Hakim Bishara
\n– **Inside a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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