Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/691761
erhaps since Picasso stood against war with Guernica, great art has wedded medium to message. This issue celebrates the creative forces whose work is driving change across landscapes, from the political to the environmental. Take artists Hank Willis Thomas and Eric Gottesman. Although poised to inherit the mantle of Shepard Fairey this election cycle, this duo would rather you think than hope. Their For Freedoms project—the first artist-run Super PAC, whose headquarters take the form of an exhibition at Jack Shainman Gallery—reexamines who holds the reins of political dialogue in America. Through a series of artist-created advertisements, they also challenge people to consider campaign rhetoric surrounding gun control, reproductive rights and other hot-button topics in a more nuanced way than traditional party lines allow. Among the artists invited to participate is Carrie Mae Weems, who has devoted decades to chronicling and advocating for social inclusion. Her iconic career is being recognized this summer by The Anderson Ranch Arts Center, which is honoring her with its 50th-anniversary National Artist Award. We are proud to announce that Cultured is the exclusive national media partner of Anderson Ranch Arts Center's Summer Series. And, to mark the collaboration, we profile several of the series' participants, including Weems, Liza Lou and Hammer Museum Director Annie Philbin, whom contributing editor Sarah Thornton sat down with at her Beverly Hills home. Finally, this issue explores hands-on community activism. Building on previous coverage of Pritzker winner Alejandro Aravena and disaster-relief architect Shigeru Ban, here we meet Nigerian-born architect Kunlé Adeyemi, whose Makoko Floating School faces climate change head-on. In addition, David Sokol's profile of Rural Urban Framework reveals that a grassroots response to Chinese urbanization policy is gaining traction in Beijing. We also turn our lens on the artist JR, who forces us to confront the social inequalities and overlooked communities around the world through his provocative and highly visible displays of visual imagery. We were so impressed by JR's most recent work at the Louvre—a challenge to our selfie-consumed culture—that we created a special edition cover, capturing the artist as he unveiled his project in Paris, available exclusively on culturedmag.com/subscribe. At Cultured, our focus on representing provocative work on our pages has resulted in a quickly growing subscriber base. We want to continue doing our part as a force for change, so we welcome you to join our community of thinkers and doers by also subscribing to our online content at culturedmag.com and following us on Instagram @cultured_mag. Sarah G. Harrelson Founder and Editor-in-Chief @sarahgharrelson Subscribe | culturedmag.com/subscribe Follow us | @cultured_mag 70 culturedmag.com Welcome! Arts patron and collector Kasseem Dean with Sarah Harrelson in New York for the April/May issue release party. © BFA.COM p * THE THOUGHT LEADERS ISSUE COMES OUT SEPTEMBER 15. SUBSCRIBE TODAY!