CONTACT: Caitlin Graf, The Nation, press [at] thenation.com, 212-209-5400
New York, NY—October 2, 2017—Long a home to quality accountability journalism, The Nation broadens its horizons in this unprecedented political moment with OppArt, a new series of artistic dispatches from the front lines of resistance. Spearheaded by celebrated artists and illustrators Andrea Arroyo, Steve Brodner, and Peter Kuper, OppArt will showcase fresh content daily as a diverse set of artists take aim and draw. The first installation of the series,“Nuisance Flooding,” launched today.
Curated with a singularly progressive and political point-of-view, OppArt will convene international artists with a broad range of talents, from comics and illustrations to street graphics and fine art. Their work will confront and expose power, while sustaining a wry humor in turbulent political times. The series complements The Nation’s longstanding ComixNation print feature.
“A picture is worth a thousand words. Tried and trite, but true,” says editor and publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel. “Artists use their pens, their pencils, their brushes, and their ideas to cast a light on darkness and combat the forces that are driving us towards a precipice. Indeed, as Nobel Prize–winner and Nation editorial board member Toni Morrison once wrote in our pages: ‘This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear.… That is how civilizations heal. I know the world is bruised and bleeding, and though it is important not to ignore its pain, it is also critical to refuse to succumb to its malevolence. Like failure, chaos contains information that can lead to knowledge—even wisdom. Like art.’”
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“Today democracy and civil society are fighting for their very existence,” add curators Arroyo, Brodner, and Kuper. “The Nation has always been on the front lines of journalism and commentary. Now, with the OppArt daily blog, they are making a major commitment to our movement of artists who are not backing down from this fight.”
For progressives, there are countless reasons to challenge the current administration, and The Nation has led the robust resistance to Trump this year. In addition to OppArt, we embraced encryption with a confidential tips page; reimagined “Cities Rising,” our reporting series focused on pockets of urban resistance nationwide; and launched “Take Action Now” (@NationAction), a weekly online e-mail initiative that curates opportunities for activism on a sliding scale of time commitment and investment. Released every Tuesday, “Take Action Now” directs progressive energy towards meaningful action with a digestible e-mail resource of the great activism and organizing taking place around the country.
For booking requests or further information, please see contact information above and bios below.
Andrea Arroyo is an award-winning artist working in painting, drawing, public art, and site-specific installation. Her work has been exhibited widely and is in private public collections around the world, including the Library of Congress; the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution; the National Museum of Mexican Art; and the New York Public Library. Commissions include projects for the International Museum of Women, the Morris-Jumel Mansion Museum, the New York Women’s Foundation, the Women’s Rights National Historical Park, the Latin Recording Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the New York Restoration Project. Her permanent public art includes projects for the New York City subway, two New York City schools, and other public spaces. Her artwork has been published extensively including on the cover of The New Yorker and The New York Times, and has been the subject of over 200 features in the international media. Arroyo is also a cultural advocate, speaker, and curator; her ongoing project “Unnatural Election” features over 250 international artists.
Steve Brodner, a leading artist in the world of political satire and caricature, is a longtime contributor to The Nation. His work has appeared in most major publications in the United States. His web and video work has been featured in The New Yorker, PBS, Slate, and The Washington Spectator. He has won many awards and continues to push political, artistic, and technological borderlines. Visit his website at stevebrodner.com.
Peter Kuper’s work regularly appears in The New Yorker, The Nation, and Mad, where he has written and illustrated “Spy vs. Spy” for every issue since 1997. He is the co-founder of World War 3 Illustrated, a political comix magazine, He has produced over two dozen books, including an adaptation of Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” and Ruins, winner of the 2016 Eisner award for best graphic novel. A visiting professor at Harvard University, Kuper has been teaching comics and illustration courses at the School of Visual Arts for over 25 years.
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Founded by abolitionists in 1865, The Nation has chronicled the breadth and depth of American political and cultural life from the debut of the telegraph to the rise of Twitter, serving as a critical, independent voice in American journalism and a platform for investigative reporting and spirited debate on issues of import to the progressive community.
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