The Recap returns to Substack with a focus on art shows, music, and America on its 250th birthday.
Check it out here!
Jul 112026
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Jul 092026
New Deal Posters
Willie Cole, “Rolanda”, November 5, 1978, Pastel on brown paper bag. This work was created while Cole was a CETA employee in Delaware
Photographs from the 1975 CETA-funded project “CITYSIGHTS/CITYSOUNDS” in Wilmington
Dorothea Lange, “Migrant Mother, Nipomo, CA”, 1936
Clockwise from top left: William Davidson White, “Children in the Tree”,1934; Michael J. Gallagher, “A Man’s Job”, c.1933-1934; Philip N. Yates, “Broken Nets”, 1934; Walter Willoughby, “Winter Landscape”, c. 1933-1934
Helen Farr Sloan, “W.P.A. Theater”c.1935, Oil on board. It depicts a Federal Theater production during the Depression in NYC’s Washington Square Park. These productions were often free or heavily discounted.
At a time when government arts funding and jobs programs are needed more than ever, Citizen Artist at Delaware Art Museum reminds visitors of the positive and long lasting impact of two past initiatives- The New Deal in the 1930s and 1940s, and the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act of 1973 (CETA). Featuring artwork created during these both of these time periods, the exhibition also highlights the important contributions made by artists in their communities.
From the museum about the exhibition:
Citizen Artist highlights diverse artists working for America during 1930s and 1940s Depression-era programs and federally funded initiatives of the 1970s. The New Deal and the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act were catalysts in Delaware and across the nation as economic relief programs amplified the arts, creating new possibilities for creative employment. This exhibition centers artists as historians, storytellers, and visionaries during the Semiquincentennial.
Through the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act of 1973 (CETA), the Department of Labor supported a nation’s worth of art programs on a scale not seen since the conclusion of the New Deal in 1943. Those New Deal artists that outlived the Federal Art Project never forgot the significance of their work for the public, and they took that knowledge to the classrooms and administrative offices where they carried out the rest of their careers. CETA was designed as a jobs program, not an arts program, but Title VI of the legislation funded opportunities for the cyclically unemployed —artists—in public service roles. When CETA arrived in the 1970s, artists and their allies across the nation quickly understood its potential in the context of the legacy of the New Deal.
Citizen Artist is a story about reciprocal support between artists and communities. The exhibition celebrates artists who found lasting success through their participation in fine art programs like the Public Works of Art Project and CETA-funded contemporary art spaces. We also honor the public service work undertaken by tens of thousands of New Deal and CETA-funded artists, especially the painters, puppeteers, and photographers who produced educational resources and performances for children across the nation. Citizen Artist looks back at the intertwined histories of CETA and the New Deal to elevate how artists can and do support the public. By working in graphics offices, writers’ programs, and darkrooms, New Deal and CETA artists created and transformed the physical and cultural infrastructure of the United States.
Included within Citizen Artist is Citizen Photographer, an exhibition of images created by Delaware photographers for the U.S.’s 250th anniversary.
From the museum about Citizen Photographer:
What does it mean to be a Delawarean at the nation’s 250th anniversary? The Delaware Art Museum, collaborating with Wilmington’s Teen Warehouse, the Smyrna Opera House, and the Lewes Public Library, invited residents across the state to engage in civic reflection and contribute to shaping public perceptions of identity through photography. Citizen Photographer is inspired by the federally funded initiatives of the past, such as the Farm Security Administration and the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act. These were times when documenting the nation and the many people who called it home was an earnest endeavor, the means to understand and appreciate our individuality, humanity, and common needs.
At the United States 250th anniversary in 2026, this project offers multiple ways for Delawareans to engage as learners, artists, and citizens contributing to the state’s shared story. Photographers Morris Brown II, B. Proud, and Andre’ Wright, Jr. led workshops across the state and selected the 24 photographs on view. For Wright, Jr., Citizen Photographer is “about perspective, voices, and the stories people choose to tell about where they come from.” Proud reflects how local photographers “captured the many facets of Delaware, from its cities to its farmlands, from its people to its landscapes, revealing why the state truly lives up to one of its nicknames, ‘Small Wonder.'” Morris invites us to “take the time to treasure each photograph and to experience each Delaware love story on exhibit.”
This exhibition closes 7/19/26.
Jul 062026
Mexican artist Frida Kahlo was born today, July 6th, in 1907. She painted many self-portraits, including the one pictured above, Me and My Parrots (Yo y mis pericos), from 1941. The painting was on view as part of the 2020 exhibition Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925–1945 at the Whitney Museum in New York.
Her work can currently be seen in the exhibitions Frida: The Making of an Icon at the Tate Modern in London and Frida and Diego: The Last Dream at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.
Jul 062026
Atta Boy- Oh, Mama
This song is from Los Angeles band Atta Boy‘s 2026 album, Silt.
They are currently on tour and will be playing at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on Friday, 7/10/26.
Jul 032026
Artist Meg Saligman created this mural, Our Flag Unfurled, in 2001, for Mural Arts Philadelphia.
From the Mural Arts website:
In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, artist Meg Saligman volunteered to paint this now iconic mural, Our Flag Unfurled on the massive south facing wall of Philadelphia Warehousing and Cold Storage building. The design was intended to appear slightly sad, as if unfurling down the side of the building.
Painted just north of center city, between I-95 and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, the size and location of the mural make it a gateway to the city for thousands of daily commuters.
Originally intended as a temporary display of resilience, the 6,000 square foot image of the flag has remained one of Mural Arts’ most visible and iconic works since the fall of 2001. Although Sherwin Williams donated their highest quality paint for the original project, 15 years is a long time for any work of public art. In 2016, the mural received a refresh in time for the Wawa Welcome America July 4th ceremonies, and the Democratic National Convention later that month.
Jul 022026
The Talented Mr. Trotter: You Can Be Anything, located on the wall of The Clay Studio building, was created by Philadelphia artist Roberto Lugo in 2022. It is a portrait of Philadelphia musician Tariq Trotter, aka Black Thought, of The Roots.
From Mural Arts Philadelphia about the mural:
The Talented Mr. Trotter: You Can Be Anything by artist Roberto Lugo is located in the Olde Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Lugo has taken inspiration from musical artist Tariq Trotter of The Roots, particularly his story of growing up in Philly as a renaissance man. The mural design explores Trotter’s personal and artistic influences, while materially representing his myriad elements of inspiration and support through combining textile and ceramic patterning from across the world. Trotter’s central portrait is elevated in being formally honored on a highly decorative vase, flanked by his grandmother, who raised him, on the left and Afrika Bombaataa on the right. Traditional floral patterns are spread across the background but are filled with primarily non-Western and street culture patterns. Visual references range from African and South American textile prints, to the graffiti-esque fonts of sneaker culture.
A Kensington-born potter, social activist, spoken word poet, and educator, Roberto Lugo sees his pottery as a process of transforming the ground we walk on into something we eat from. His studio practice communicates with diverse audiences that, in some cases, are not so invested in using art to understand the world. Over the past two years, Lugo has led ceramic workshops at Tyler School of Art and several virtual design challenges with youth in Mural Arts’ Education program. These workshops have tapped into everyday patterns and ceramic traditions from all over the world. Lugo has created a large mural inspired by Roots leading member and proud Philadelphian, Tariq Trotter. Trotter’s multi-talented and visionary approach to his creative practice and humble dedication to his home city are core aspects of Lugo’s mural homage.
A longtime advocate for The Clay Studio and its community programs, Lugo’s mural is installed on The Clay Studio’s building in Olde Kensington at 1425 N American Street that opened in spring 2022.
Jul 022026
“Alberto Ayala”, acrylic on wood; Portrait of Roberto Lugo’s grandfather; and “Potpourri Boat”, Ceramic sculpture
Art history, American history, and personal history mix in Roberto Lugo‘s exhibition, American Crib: What’s Happening?, currently on view at The Clay Studio. Wandering around the installation you’ll find portraits of Nikki Giovanni and Lugo’s grandfather, Billie Holiday and The Roots on ceramic sculptures, and plenty of places to sit and take it all in – including a graffitied train car.
From The Clay Studio’s website:
Roberto Lugo welcomes visitors into an imagined living space celebrating his Philadelphia roots and cultural heritage. This deeply personal reflection on America’s socio-political landscape celebrates the power of art to communicate. Lugo mixes historical pottery traditions with pop culture, humor, and critical clarity to address complex issues, including cultural identity, mental health, social justice, and the resilience of underrepresented communities.
This exhibition is a part of Radical Americana. A larger multi-location project that brings together art and culture institutions around Philadelphia. Learn more about Radical Americana here.
More than just a retrospective of Lugo’s career so far, “American Crib: What’s Happening?” will be a deeply personal and poignant reflection on America’s socio-economic and political landscape.
And the Lugo’s statement about his work:
My work is intended to be a biographical narrative that tells the many stories of my life. The objects I create speak of personal subjects – my experiences with obesity, racism, and class division. I use the associations with ceramic material and forms of pottery, such as elite fine china and porcelain, to discuss these issues with humor and irony. My strongest concepts are influenced from the juxtaposition of cultural elements in the form of mass media and current events. Using historical ideology within pottery as a vehicle to introduce a modern theme is of great importance because it allows me to add more dimensions to my artwork.
In the video below, also from The Clay Studio’s website, Lugo discusses the work, some of his inspirations, and the installation.
This exhibition closes 7/9/26.
Jul 012026
Panic Shack- grin & bear it
Every month I listen to the majority of bands and musicians who are playing in Los Angeles and select some for a monthly playlist. It includes a variety of genres and usually newer work by the artists.
This month includes new music by Bedouine, Sekou, Death Cab for Cutie, ZEP, TOKiMONSTA, Lauren Lakis and more.
The song above by Cardiff UK band Panic Shack was released as a single in May.
Below are my selections for June 2026.
Jun 292026
Jun 262026
Tomorrow (6/27/26) is the last day to see Alexandria Nazar‘s paintings for Ducks on the Pond at AUTOMAT Collective.
From the gallery and curator Whitson Ramsey about the exhibition:
There’s a world where it seems an obvious choice to curate a baseball show in 2026, this country’s semiquincentennial, a cute milestone for this kitchen sink of a nation. After all, baseball is America’s Pastime. However, the sport predates America, and America itself is tremendously predated by the land it occupies. Even as a baseball fan myself, the idea of curating a show about baseball did not interest me. But this show isn’t about baseball. This is a show about painting, about bodies, about intimacy. Alexandria Nazar pays close attention to the subtle moments among players, coaches, their environments, and their mannerisms. Her paintings are about the material quality of paint on the surface as much as they are about the subjects they form.
This show highlights Nazar’s sophisticated yet playful handling of paint on a spectrum of canvas sizes. From the smallest work, a nearly monochromatic 7 x 5-inch painting, to the largest: a monumental, five-panel installation covering 17 feet on the gallery’s main wall, these paintings pack a punch and require a long, slow gaze.
On the other hand, a summer show whose content is explicitly relatable allows for a wider audience to enjoy these paintings. I firmly believe art should be accessible to the masses and not gatekept by private collectors and overpriced institutions. A surface-level “baseball show” allows new eyes to explore the subtle beauty of art-making and material exploration. Nazar has a knack for grabbing the viewer’s attention from a mile away. At the same time, she slowly draws you in, noticing the lustful impasto and clever brushwork, intense layers of underpaintings finding their way back to the surface, and a maze of abstracted clusters of intertwined bodies.
Ducks on the Pond is a celebration of paint through a gendered expression of male physique, American sports culture, brotherly love, and camaraderie.