As long as I’ve been on this planet art has suffered from a so-called “crisis of criticism.” What I have come to recognize is that this crisis is simply a problem of gatekeeping for the Western Artistic Canon.

For those who could no longer taste their food, it was already too late. They had the virus.

Making a Better Painting: Thinking Through Practice examines the “absurdity, passion, and even shame” of being a painter today. It is an ambitious survey of contemporary Northwest Painters, and exemplifies the regional shift in artists’ ambition we’ve witnessed over the last decade: each of the 18 artists make a living largely outside of this region.

André's work pries open a space for us to acknowledge the horror of existing in the face of so much suffering, while also constructing meaning from the fragments we find along the way.

Grace Lynne makes art about her relationship with herself "as a Black woman, and the vulnerability that that entails." She also works in social impact design and "strives to stimulate empathy and critical thinking through art."