Julie Mehretu, Claire Valdez, Arthur Jafa

In a Hyperallergic roundup edited by Hakim Bishara, New York State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez—an artist and union organizer who moved to New York City in 2015—is profiled as she runs for Congress on a progressive platform including Medicare for all, universal rent control, taxing the rich, abolishing ICE, and support for Palestinian freedom. The piece notes that Valdez worked service jobs at Taco Bell, Trader Joe’s, and Pizza Hut while pursuing an art career, and that she faces a Democratic primary on June 23, with an endorsement highlighted from NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The article also points readers to Julie Mehretu’s commencement address to the Rhode Island School of Design’s Class of 2026 and to Aruna D’Souza’s review of a Venice exhibition by Arthur Jafa and Richard Prince.

Read the full article at Hyperallergic