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Isa Farfan

Welcome! Below are selections from the more than 500 digital stories I've published to date. Each of these highlighted articles showcases original reporting.

Los Angeles Times •

An exhibition created with Dolores Huerta traces U.S. deportation history

This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here. See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search. Set us as preferred Nearly six months after Dolores Huerta went public with sexual abuse allegations against former labor leader Cesar Chavez, with whom she co-founded United Farmworkers, the 96-year-old activist said she’s prioritized involving herself in labor and women’s rights.Part of that work is now on view at the California Museum in Sacramento in...
Hyperallergic •

Trump’s Border Expansion Threatens 6,000-Year-Old Cave Paintings

The federal government announced on Monday that the Texan portion of the US-Mexico border wall will be exempt from environment preservation laws.

Hundreds of archaeological sites, including 6,000-year-old cave paintings, are under threat as the Trump administration moves to expand its southern border barrier in the Big Bend region of Texas.

Amanda Castañeda, archaeology director of the Shumla Archaeological Research and Education Center, told Hyperallergic that at least 425 Texas archaeologica...
Hyperallergic •

Trump Border Wall Crews Damage 1,000-Year-Old Native Etching in Arizona

The Las Playas Intaglio likely served as a sacred site for ancestors of the Tohono O’odham Nation.

Construction crews building President Trump’s hostile border wall razed a portion of a Native American archeological site in Arizona estimated to be at least 1,000 years old.

Approximately 60 to 70 feet of the 272-foot-long Las Playas Intaglio, a design etched into the ground in Southwest Arizona’s Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, suffered damage from heavy construction machinery, as first...
Hyperallergic •

The US Pavilion Is Taking Online Donations

The American Arts Conservancy, the nascent nonprofit executing Alma Allen’s 2026 pavilion project, said it received no financial support from institutions.

In the past, donors to the United States Pavilion at the Venice Biennale have proudly announced themselves as patrons of the contemporary art world’s most prestigious event. This year, however, under the thumb of the Trump administration’s State Department, the funding for Alma Allen’s national pavilion remains unusually opaque.

Unlike the...
Hyperallergic •

Tribeca Galleries Discuss Reporting Street Vendors, Drawing Criticism

A group of galleries met to address the “increased number of vendors” on and near Broadway, many of whom are immigrants under threat.

Today, January 30, art galleries and cultural organizations across the country are shuttering in solidarity with immigrants amid violent crackdowns. Many public gestures of support are unfolding in New York City, but two weeks ago, a group of Tribeca galleries met to discuss asking the city to address an influx of street vendors in the area, Hyperallergic learned...
Hyperallergic •

Philadelphia Sues Trump Administration Over Removal of Slavery Exhibits

The city is pursuing legal action after artwork and panels about the history of slavery were removed from a historic park.

The city of Philadelphia is suing the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the National Park Service (NPS) after officials removed wall text and illustrations describing slavery from a historical park on Thursday, January 22.

The removal of exhibits about slavery from Independence National Historical Park comes months after Trump named the site in an executive order callin...
Hyperallergic •

Congress Funds Institute of American Indian Arts

The Senate confirmed appropriations for the college and several other embattled cultural institutions following Trump's threats to defund them.

Following months of uncertainty, the Senate has confirmed full or near-full funding for cultural organizations, including the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), the world’s only college dedicated to the study of contemporary Native American and Alaskan Native art.

The Republican-controlled Senate voted overwhelmingly last week to pass a funding...
Hyperallergic •

Art Models Struggle for a Living Wage and Recognition

The workers who pose for artists at historic organizations like the Art Students League say they are overworked and underpaid in a field that rarely values them.

Aaron Bogan, a professional art model and illustrator originally from New Jersey, moved to New York City last year from the Bay Area, attracted in part by what he described as an “abundant” modeling scene. For the past 20 years, Bogan has been a life drawing model, a physically demanding contract-based profession.

“Figure models are t...
Hyperallergic •

Russia Moves to Label Pussy Riot an “Extremist” Group

It’s an attempt to “erase Pussy Riot from the minds of Russian citizens,” the feminist art collective’s co-founder Nadya Tolokonnikova told Hyperallergic.

The Russian feminist dissident group Pussy Riot could soon be labeled an "extremist" organization as part of the country's recent attempts to quell dissent.

Russia's prosecutor general opened a case against the feminist art group on Friday, November 28. The “extremist” label, commonly deployed by the government as justification for stifling...
Hyperallergic •

School Nixes Exhibition Criticized by Turning Point USA

The Fletcher Exhibit of political art was hosted at East Tennessee State University for 11 years until it came under attack from right-wing figures.

A long-running art exhibition of political artwork at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) was not invited to return to the school this year after a wave of right-wing backlash, including from a Tennessee chapter of Turning Point USA.

The Fletcher Exhibit of Social and Politically Engaged Art, held annually at ETSU’s Reece Museum since 2013, cam...
Hyperallergic •

Trump Fires Majority of Federal Humanities Council

Only four members of the council remain, all men and all appointed by the president during his first term, sources told Hyperallergic.

The White House has fired the majority of the National Council on the Humanities, which reviews and recommends grant proposals and advises the chairperson of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Of the approximately 21 members appointed by various presidential administrations and confirmed by the Senate, only four remain, all of whom were appointed d...
Hyperallergic •

Art History Professor Placed on Leave Over Charlie Kirk Posts

Karen Leader, a tenured associate professor of Art History at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in Boca Raton, has spent most of the last week afraid to leave her home, contending with a torrent of threats sent to her work email and left as voicemails.

"I've never been afraid to go outside in my entire life," Leader told Hyperallergic in an interview. "I wouldn't wish this on anyone."

Leader, who also serves as the only faculty advisor to FAU's College Democrats group, was placed on administra...
Hyperallergic •

The Artist Whose Fauci Portraits Enraged the White House

In 2019, Hugo Crosthwaite became the first Latino artist to win the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s (NPG) prestigious triennial Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. The Tijuana-born and San Diego-based illustrator received the contest’s grand prize: $25,000 and a portrait commission for the museum’s permanent collection. He chose to depict Anthony Fauci, then the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), in a stop-motion format that captures the nua...
Hyperallergic •

Smithsonian Latino Gallery Quietly Closes for Nine Months

On Friday morning, August 22, illustrator Felipe Galindo Gómez opened his email to find a note from his friend. “Have you seen this?” the message read, and linked to the White House’s bullet-pointed list targeting Smithsonian artworks and exhibitions. There it was: an image of his 1999 illustration “4th of July from the south border.”

Since 2022, Galindo’s work had been reproduced on a label about anti-immigrant prejudice as part of ¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States in the Nation...
Hyperallergic •

National Endowment for the Arts Cuts Millions in Grants

Scores of National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant awardees, including the Print Center New York, received a Friday night email from an unmonitored NEA email address rescinding part or all of their funding. The Manhattan nonprofit had received a $50,000 award for its exhibition Data Consciousness: Reframing Blackness in Contemporary Print, but the grant was abruptly pulled with $0 paid only five months before the show was set to open, a spokesperson told Hyperallergic.

Mary Gibilisco, execut...
The Intercept •

Columbia Apologized to Mahmoud Khalil in May 2024 for One-Day Suspension

Ten months before U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested Mahmoud Khalil in the lobby of his Manhattan apartment building, Columbia University suspended the Palestinian graduate student.


The suspension lasted only one day before Columbia — with an apology from the university president’s office, Khalil later said — rescinded the suspension and dropped the disciplinary charges against him.


“After reviewing our records and reviewing evidence with Columbia University Public...
Hyperallergic •

Show on Artists of African Descent Loses Funding Amid Trump DEI Crackdown

The exhibition at the Art Museum of the Americas in Washington, DC, would have featured works by Afro-Latino, Caribbean, and African American artists.

The Art Museum of the Americas in Washington, DC, has terminated an exhibition of works by Afro-Latino, Caribbean, and African American artists after the Trump administration allegedly withdrew the show’s funding amid crackdowns on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs.

Before The Americas, curated by Cheryl D. Edwards and four years in the...
Hyperallergic •

DACA-Recipient Artists Share Their Stories as Program Hangs by a Thread

The death of a family member brought Miguel Martinez, a painter and teaching artist living in New York City, back to Mexico earlier this year for the first time since he left his Guanajuato hometown for Houston, Texas, 23 years ago, when he was nine years old.Because of his immigration status, Martinez needed special permission, known as advance parole, to leave and return to the United States. Even with permission, reentry is not a guarantee. Martinez is one of more than half a million recipien...
Al Jazeera •

International students risk immigration status to engage in Gaza protests

Reliant on visas to remain in the US, foreign students face heightened consequences for involvement in campus protests.

New York, New York – Israel’s war in Gaza is personal for Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil.

A 29-year-old Palestinian refugee raised in Syria, Khalil wanted to get involved in the on-campus activism against the war, but he was nervous.

Khalil faced a dilemma common to international students: He was in the United States on a F-1 student visa. His ability to stay in
NBC News •

Maui’s Latino community contends with destruction, grief and immigration fears after fires

Lahaina, the historic town on the island of Maui where Kimberly Romero lived, worked and sent her 5-year-old daughter to school, was already in flames when they fled this month with just minutes to spare. Mother and daughter found housing in an Airbnb. But now, Romero faces an uncertain future as her home and belongings were destroyed. Originally from Honduras, Romero moved to Lahaina a year ago and was just getting to know what she called a “homey” Latino community.

“I did see pictures of my a


Additional works by subject: 

Immigration

An exhibition created with Dolores Huerta traces U.S. deportation history (Los Angeles Times)

International students risk immigration status to engage in Gaza protests (Al Jazeera)

Columbia Apologized to Mahmoud Khalil in May 2024 for One-Day Suspension (The Intercept)

Tourist Denied US Entry After ICE Found JD Vance Meme on His Phone (Hyperallergic)

DACA-Recipient Artists Share Their Stories as Program Hangs by a Thread (Hyperallergic)

Sprawling Mural in Support of Immigrants Unveiled in St. Patrick’s Cathedral (Hyperallergic)

Tribeca Galleries Discuss Reporting Street Vendors, Drawing Criticism (Hyperallergic)


The Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Latino Gallery Quietly Closes for Nine Months (Hyperallergic) - Broke this story

The Artist Whose Fauci Portraits Enraged the White House (Hyperallergic)

Trump Targets LGBTQ+ History, Migrants, and More in Chilling Smithsonian Hit List (Hyperallergic)

Museum of the American Latino Could Vanish Under Trump (Hyperallergic)

Congress Members Demand Investigation Into Trump’s Smithsonian Mandate (Hyperallergic)

Two Artists Withdraw From Smithsonian Symposium (Hyperallergic)

Documenting the History Trump Wants to Erase (Hyperallergic)


The National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities

National Endowment for the Arts Cuts Millions in Grants (Hyperallergic)

Small Arts Nonprofits Face Uncertainty as NEA Cuts “Challenge America” Grant (Hyperallergic) - Private foundations offered funding to organizations featured following the report.

ACLU Sues NEA for Enforcing Trump’s Anti-Trans Mandate (Hyperallergic)

Trump’s “Gender Ideology” Ban for Art Grants Ruled Unconstitutional (Hyperallergic)

Trump Fires Majority of Federal Humanities Council (Hyperallergic)


Maui Wildfires

Maui’s Latino community contends with destruction, grief and immigration fears after fires (NBC News) - Interviewed in Spanish

Art and Politics

Philadelphia Sues Trump Administration Over Removal of Slavery Exhibits (Hyperallergic)

Trump Border Wall Crews Damage 1,000-Year-Old Native Etching in Arizona (Hyperallergic)

EXCLUSIVE: NYC Mayor Mamdani Approves Record $323M Funding for Culture (Hyperallergic)

EXCLUSIVE: The US Pavilion Is Taking Online Donations (Hyperallergic)

EXCLUSIVE: Show on Artists of African Descent Loses Funding Amid Trump DEI Crackdown (Hyperallergic) 

ORIGINAL: School Nixes Exhibition Criticized by Turning Point USA (Hyperallergic) 

Montgomery Mayor Calls for Removal of “Politicized” Billboard Artwork (Hyperallergic)

Congress Funds Institute for American Indian Arts (Hyperallergic)

Museum Limits Entry to Exhibition Criticized by Republicans (Hyperallergic)

Hundreds of Artists Ask NYC Mayor to Ban AI in Schools (Hyperallergic)

Colorado Town Settles With Native Artist Who Brought Free Speech Lawsuit (Hyperallergic)

Republican-Led Bill Would Penalize Texas Museums for “Obscene” Art (Hyperallergic)

Could Colorado Create the Country’s First Artist Corporation? (Hyperallergic)

Trump Disbands President’s Committee on Arts and Humanities (Hyperallergic)

Representatives of Pride Flag’s Creator Sue Trump Administration (Hyperallergic)

Painting “Intentionally” Defaced at Museum of African American Culture (Hyperallergic)

Texas Covers Up Beloved “Black Artists Matter” Mural in Austin (Hyperallergic)

Trump Whitewashes George Washington’s Slavery History in New Display (Hyperallergic)

Free Speech

Art History Professor Placed on Leave Over Charlie Kirk Posts (Hyperallergic)

SAIC Puts Professor on Leave After Palestine Reference (Hyperallergic)

Artists Are Helping Revive Jane Fonda-Led Free Speech Group (Hyperallergic)

Colorado Museum Accused of Censoring Anti-ICE, Pro-Palestine Artwork (Hyperallergic)

Text Messages Reveal How University of North Texas Leaders Axed an Anti-ICE Show (Hyperallergic)

Labor

Art Models Struggle for a Living Wage and Recognition (Hyperallergic)

School of the Art Institute of Chicago Lays Off 20 Workers (Hyperallergic)

Newport Art Museum Left Without a Single Curator After Layoffs (Hyperallergic)

Seattle Art Museum Security Guards End 12-Day Strike (Hyperallergic)

The Art Institute of Chicago to Cut Its Entire Custodial Staff (Hyperallergic)

Epstein Files

Epstein Files Detail Gruesome Allegations Against Leon Black (Hyperallergic)

Jeff Koons Attended Dinner Party at Jeffrey Epstein’s House (Hyperallergic)

David A. Ross Resigns From School of Visual Arts After Epstein Revelations (Hyperallergic)

International

Thai Art Center Censors Exhibition After “Pressure” From China (Hyperallergic)

Russia Moves to Label Pussy Riot an “Extremist” Group (Hyperallergic)

Israel-US Strikes Damage Tehran’s Historic Golestan Palace (Hyperallergic)

Mexican Cultural Workers Denounce Pedro Reyes Sculpture at LACMA (Hyperallergic)

Campus Protests

NBC Live Blog Updates (NBC News)

Live on-air reporting (NBC News Top Story with Tom Llamas)


Human Interest / Features

Inside the Bay Area’s Church of Magic Mushrooms (Hyperallergic)

Art Therapists on the Frontlines of Trauma Struggle for Recognition (Hyperallergic)

“Mother Pigeon,” the Artist Fighting to Save NYC’s Urban Birds (Hyperallergic)

Are Art History Majors More In Demand Than Computer Scientists? (Hyperallergic)

NYC Mayoral Candidate Brad Lander Unveils Arts Platform (Hyperallergic)

Hawaii News Now

Lawmakers, advocates call on military to do more to address violence against Native Hawaiian women

Domestic violence changed her life. Now, she’s trying to end the cycle for other Native Hawaiian women

There are two ways to write Olelo Hawaii. The debate: Is only one correct?

By day, he works at the airport. By night, this poet is a 3-time Honolulu grand slam champ

Secretary Haaland stresses the importance of indigenous knowledge in ‘era of climate crisis’

Columbia Daily Spectator

The saga of Celsius: What the energy drink reveals about tensions between Barnard Dining and students (Winner of SPJ 2022 Mark of Excellence/Barnard removed Celsius from dining halls after this report)

Barnard stopped allowing overnight guests. Students say the policy places their safety and agency at risk. (Barnard reversed policy shortly after my report)

‘Poster Man’ and vendor activist Michael Wells celebrates 15 years of decorating Columbia’s walls

POLITICO

New York Playbook Contributions - Reported on Chuck Schumer, Eric Adams, Mike Pence