1) MoMA to Host 4th Annual Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon

This March 11th, MoMA will once again be hosting its annual Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon, an event which will feature panels and discussions about online information and accurate research. The goal of the event, which is being put on the for the fourth consecutive year, is to create more Wikipedia pages for women artists. Edit-a-Thons are also being held in March at various other institutions including the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.

2) Political Art: Less Effective in the 21st Century?

Novelist Tom Rachman believes that the artists of today will have a difficult time resisting Trump - at least, more difficult than it was for artists of previous decades to resist their own corrupt governments and officials. According to Rachman, the #J20 art strike was a desperate, impotent act without much actual substance or impact on the proceedings of the political world. He goes on to note the lack of discourse between the contemporary art community and the conservative audiences whom artists claim to be trying to persuade. What do you think? Is art  truly a worthwhile form of resistance?

3) Worldwide Artists' Rights Violations Doubled in 2016

According to Freemuse, an international organization dedicated to recording violations of artists’ rights, 2016 was a pretty bad year for artists. The organization’s annual report, titled “Art Under Threat,” pointed to a whopping 1,028 violations internationally over the course of the year. These violations included 3 killings, 2 abductions, and well over 800 cases of censorship in fields including visual arts, dance, film and music. Freemuse also details the reasoning behind many of these cases, and in 2016 found that “traditional values and “desires to ‘uphold the interests of the state’” were the top reasons.

4) The Day Jobs of Up-And-Coming Artists

On a lighter note, ArtNews took a look at the “day jobs” of a number of working artists. The article serves as an interesting glimpse into the lives of some artists that you might be familiar with, as well as an encouraging reminder that the life of a successful artist isn’t necessarily one of extreme wealth. In many cases, the artists seem to have found a reasonable balance between studio practice and regular job, with both feeding into each other.