Our big annual party on Saturday night at Lou’s was one for the books. Together we debuted Issue 16, launched the summer edition of the Art Radar map, and danced late into the night with writers, artists, and readers from across our community.
Events like this are a reminder that Boston Art Review is so much more than a magazine. Through our editorial coverage, Civic Culture Desk, and Emerging Art Writing Fellowship, we’re working to strengthen the cultural infrastructure connecting artists, audiences, and spaces across New England at a moment when independent arts journalism is increasingly under threat.
WHAT WE HEARD
We danced through the night to sets by ራሄል (Rachel), Baby Indiglo, and DJ Cakewalk, whose sounds carried us from disco and Afrobeat to house, hip-hop, and classic hits.
WHAT WE SAW
Featured Issue 16 artist Rebecca Kopycinski brought the ThotBot storyworld to life with a live performance drawn from her sprawling multimedia saga of survival, resistance, and purpose in a post-apocalyptic 1990s wasteland. Blending music, performance, and storytelling, the set offered a glimpse into the immersive universe she has been building since 2019.
Huge thank you to the ILLUMINUS team and Liv Curry who transformed the venue into a digital playscape!
WHAT WE CELEBRATED
Issue 16 turns away from speculation and toward a closer examination of how history is shaped, contested, and carried forward—featuring interviews, a special section on the US’s semiquincentennial, and a collaborative artist project pairing photography and poetry.
This issue features Aspen Golann, Chenlu Hou, Yinka Shonibare, Rixy, and many more.
We were honored to have so many of our contributors and featured artists in the room with us!
