{"id":1411897,"date":"2026-01-23T11:00:57","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T08:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1411897"},"modified":"2026-01-23T11:00:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T08:00:57","slug":"a-somali-american-artist-speaks-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1411897","title":{"rendered":"A Somali-American Artist Speaks Out"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"gh-article post tag-daily-newsletter tag-newsletter no-image\">\n<header class=\"gh-article-header gh-canvas\">\n<p>                Daily Newsletter<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"gh-article-title is-title\">A Somali-American Artist Speaks Out<\/h1>\n<p class=\"gh-article-excerpt is-body\">Minnesota art orgs take a stand against ICE, Senate rescues arts funding, and what exactly is the &#8220;2016 trend&#8221;? <\/p>\n<div class=\"gh-article-meta\">\n<div class=\"gh-article-author-image instapaper_ignore\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-profile-image\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/hyperallergic-favicon-d-blank-r-g-s-500-1.png\" alt=\"Hyperallergic\" title=\"hyperallergic-favicon-d-blank-r-g-s-500-1\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"gh-article-meta-wrapper\">\n<h4 class=\"gh-article-author-name\">Hyperallergic<\/h4>\n<div class=\"gh-article-meta-content\"><time class=\"gh-article-meta-date\" datetime=\"2026-01-23\">January 23, 2026<\/time><span class=\"gh-article-meta-length\"><span class=\"bull\">\u2014<\/span> 4 min read<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<section class=\"gh-content gh-canvas is-body\">\n<p>Amid the savagery of the Trump administration&#8217;s crackdown on immigration \u2014 culminating in the killing of Renee Nicole MacklinGood \u2014 everyday Americans have shown incredible courage in pushing back against ICE&#8217;s takeover of their cities. Joining them today are several Minnesotaart institutions that will close their doors to protest against the cruel treatment of their neighbors. <\/p>\n<p>You can read all about that today, plus a moving personal essay by Ifrah Mansour, a Somali-American artist based in Minnesota. She writes about the pain of enduring such unprecedented levels of violence and racism in the place she calls home. And yet, she believes that kindness and generosity will ultimately win.        <\/p>\n<p>\u2014<em>Hakim Bishara, editor-in-chief<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-78-1.png\" class=\"kg-image\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" title=\"image-78-1\"><figcaption><span>Ifrah Mansour, \u201cWeaving Abundance\u201d (2024) (photo courtesy Bakar Elmi)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"on-being-a-somali-artist-in-minnesota\">On Being a Somali Artist in Minnesota<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;To live in Minnesota as Somalis at this moment can feel like being skinned bit by bit,&#8221; writes Mansour, whose public artworks can be found across Minneapolis. &#8220;The pain of an entire community being bullied by a government is unimaginable \u2014 and, unfortunately, unoriginal. This has happened to so many other communities before us.&#8221;<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-cta-card kg-cta-bg-white kg-cta-immersive  kg-cta-has-img  \" data-layout=\"immersive\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label\"><span>SPONSORED<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/nycedc-habg-rfp2025-hyperallergicannouncementad-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"CTA Image\" data-image-dimensions=\"1200x675\" title=\"nycedc-habg-rfp2025-hyperallergicannouncementad-1-1\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content-inner\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-text\">\n<p><b><strong>Request for Proposals: Operator for the Harlem African Burial Ground Cultural Education Center<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>Learn about this opportunity to develop a cultural education center at the historic East Harlem site during informational sessions in January and February.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                            Learn more<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"news\">News<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-79-1.png\" class=\"kg-image\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" title=\"image-79-1\"><figcaption><span>Nile Harris, <\/span><i><em class=\"italic\">this house is not a home <\/em><\/i><span>(2023\u2013ongoing). Harris canceled his Friday staging of the performance in solidarity with the anti-ICE strike. (photo by Alex Munro, courtesy the artist and Walker Art Center)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and other Twin Cities\u00a0art institutions are closed today to protest against ICE operations in the area.<\/li>\n<li>After months of uncertainty, the Senate has confirmed full or near-full funding for cultural organizations, including the Institute of American Indian Arts, the world\u2019s only university dedicated to the study of contemporary Native American and Alaska Native art.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-cta-card kg-cta-bg-white kg-cta-immersive  kg-cta-has-img  \" data-layout=\"immersive\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label\"><span>SPONSORED<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/fov_sandcastles_hyperallergic_sponsoredpost_2400x1350_01-5.png\" alt=\"CTA Image\" data-image-dimensions=\"1200x675\" title=\"fov_sandcastles_hyperallergic_sponsoredpost_2400x1350_01-5\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content-inner\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-text\">\n<p><i><b><strong class=\"italic\">Sandcastles<\/strong><\/b><\/i><b><strong> Tells the Tale of Two Singapores<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>The new short from documentary filmmaker and multimedia journalist Carin Leong explores the transient nature of humankind\u2019s existence through sand.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                            Learn more<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"from-our-critics\">From Our Critics<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-82.png\" class=\"kg-image\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1891\" height=\"1287\" title=\"image-82\"><figcaption><span>Detail of Nicola L., \u201cFur Room\u201d (1969\/2020) in <\/span><i><em class=\"italic\">I Am the Last Woman Object <\/em><\/i><span>at Museion, Bolzano (photo Kimberly Bradley\/<\/span><i><em class=\"italic\">Hyperallergic<\/em><\/i><span>)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"nicola-l%E2%80%99s-soft-power\">Nicola L.\u2019s Soft Power<\/h3>\n<p>The late artist\u2019s playful \u201cfunctional sculptures\u201d nod to second-wave feminism, but make a broader statement about resistance through collaboration. | Kimberly Bradley<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"community\">Community<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-81-1.png\" class=\"kg-image\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1400\" height=\"788\" title=\"image-81-1\"><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"a-view-from-the-easel\">A View From the Easel<\/h3>\n<p>This week,\u00a0Clara Cohan from Cape Elizabeth, Maine, carves faces into tree trunks, and Maria Schechter from Bloomington, Indiana, forages for color in the natural world. Your studio, in your own words, could be next!  <\/p>\n<h3 id=\"art-movements-new-leaders-everywhere\">Art Movements: New Leaders Everywhere<\/h3>\n<p>In this week&#8217;s roundup of industry news: Creative Time, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the New Mexico Museum of Art get new leaders, plus the Whitney Museum\u2019s head-scratching \u201ccosmic look\u201d at its 2026 Biennial artists. <\/p>\n<h3 id=\"required-reading\">Required Reading<\/h3>\n<p>Rose B. Simpson at SFMOMA, historical writers with day jobs, anti-surveillance clothing, a day in the life of an art conservator, and what is the &#8220;2016 trend&#8221;? <\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"member-comment\">Member Comment<\/h2>\n<p>Michael Cammer on Paddy Johnson&#8217;s &#8220;Art Problems: How Do I Get Into the Whitney Biennial?&#8221;:<\/p>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-callout-card kg-callout-card-yellow\">\n<div class=\"kg-callout-text\">It would be very interesting to hear about how selection for The Whitney Biennial has changed over the years, specifically from before the the Internet to now. How much has this made a difference? It seemed that personal relationships were more important in the 1980s when I first because knowledgeable of Whitney Biennial through now. (For instance, the article mentions the Sonabend Gallery, and back in the 1980s it seemed that Soho galleries had direct placement rights for the Biennial.) Or have only the methods of communication changed, but not so much the relationships themselves. Perhaps this is anecdotal, but the people I know personally or know about through friends\/ family who have been in the Biennial have a natural talent for schmoozing and also work very hard at it, or they have galleries doing this for them. Is there really anybody in the Biennial who hasn&#8217;t worked very hard at being seen and known as well as at their art?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"from-the-archive\">From the Archive<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-80-1.png\" class=\"kg-image\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1400\" height=\"788\" title=\"image-80-1\"><figcaption><span>Works by Aziz Osman in <\/span><i><em class=\"italic\">Anomalous Expansion<\/em><\/i><span> (photo courtesy Mohamud Mumin)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"somali-american-artists-create-a-space-all-their-own\">Somali American Artists Create a Space All Their Own<\/h3>\n<p>St. John\u2019s Catholic Church was built in 1922 to serve the growing Irish immigrant parish that was founded in 1887 on the city\u2019s east side. | Sheila Dickinson<\/p>\n<ul class=\"post-tags\">\n<li>\n                        Daily Newsletter\n                      <\/li>\n<li>\n                        Newsletter\n                      <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"gh-card post\">\n<figure class=\"gh-card-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/nycedc-habg-rfp2025-hyperallergicannouncementad-1-2.jpg\" alt=\"Request for Proposals: Operator for the Harlem African Burial Ground Cultural Education Center\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"nycedc-habg-rfp2025-hyperallergicannouncementad-1-2\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"gh-card-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"gh-card-title is-title\">Request for Proposals: Operator for the Harlem African Burial Ground Cultural Education Center<\/h3>\n<p class=\"gh-card-excerpt is-body\">Learn about this opportunity to develop a cultural education center at the historic East Harlem site during informational sessions in January and February.<\/p>\n<footer class=\"gh-card-meta\"><span class=\"gh-card-author\">New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC)<\/span><\/footer>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"gh-card post\">\n<figure class=\"gh-card-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/madsen_maud_playthegame-1-1.jpeg\" alt=\"New York Academy of Art Presents \u201cChubb Fellows &amp; Friends\u201d\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"madsen_maud_playthegame-1-1\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"gh-card-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"gh-card-title is-title\">New York Academy of Art Presents \u201cChubb Fellows &amp; Friends\u201d<\/h3>\n<p class=\"gh-card-excerpt is-body\">Featuring past fellows alongside a broader circle of artists linked to the Academy, the show brings together work by Danica Lundy, Dana Schutz, Tschabalala Self, Amy Sherald, and more.<\/p>\n<footer class=\"gh-card-meta\"><span class=\"gh-card-author\">New York Academy of Art<\/span><\/footer>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"gh-card post\">\n<figure class=\"gh-card-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/for_which_it_stands-1.png\" alt=\"For Which It Stands\u2026\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"for_which_it_stands-1\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"gh-card-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"gh-card-title is-title\">For Which It Stands\u2026<\/h3>\n<p class=\"gh-card-excerpt is-body\">Commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States, this major loan exhibition at the Fairfield University Art Museum explores more than a century of artists taking on the American flag.<\/p>\n<footer class=\"gh-card-meta\"><span class=\"gh-card-author\">Fairfield University Art Museum<\/span><\/footer>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"gh-card post\">\n<figure class=\"gh-card-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2025_07_10_argenis_apolinario_sva_mfa_install_0463-1.jpg\" alt=\"Grow as an Artist Without Pressing Pause: SVA\u2019s Online MFA Art Practice\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"2025_07_10_argenis_apolinario_sva_mfa_install_0463-1\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"gh-card-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"gh-card-title is-title\">Grow as an Artist Without Pressing Pause: SVA\u2019s Online MFA Art Practice<\/h3>\n<p class=\"gh-card-excerpt is-body\">Interdisciplinary, online, and connected to New York\u2019s art ecosystem. Applications are due on January 15.<\/p>\n<footer class=\"gh-card-meta\"><span class=\"gh-card-author\">School of Visual Arts (SVA)<\/span><\/footer>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p> Source URL: https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/a-somali-american-artist-speaks-out\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Daily Newsletter A Somali-American Artist Speaks Out Minnesota art orgs take a stand against ICE, Senate rescues arts funding, and what exactly is the &#8220;2016 trend&#8221;? Hyperallergic January 23, 2026\u2014 4 min read Amid the savagery of the Trump administration&#8217;s crackdown on immigration \u2014 culminating in the killing of Renee Nicole MacklinGood \u2014 everyday Americans [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[69],"class_list":["post-1411897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-hyperallergic-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1411897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1411897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1411897\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1411897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1411897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1411897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}