The Believer Issue 148

In The Believer's 2024 Art Issue: Pepper Stetler reports from an art center for adults with intellectual disabilities that sees both creativity and work as fundamental human rights; Ross Simonini considers the immortal power of artistic persona; Nicole Lavelle profiles ceramicist Win Ng, cofounder of one of America's first ever lifestyle brands; and, in an epistolary essay, Hilton Als writes about painter Lynette Yiadom-Boakye's inimitable use of color. We also have interviews with Annie Leibovitz, An-My Lê, Martine Syms, performance artist Michael Smith, and legendary muralist Judy Baca, plus a schema on Black models in Western art by Zaria Ware. In our columns section, you'll find Nick Hornby's art-themed reading list, Chelsea Ryoko Wong's daily routine, Monica Datta's resurrection of Black Square by Kazimir Malevich, and Carrie Brownstein's advice to a pet portraitist. On top of all that, and in honor of this special themed issue, every copy comes with a handily detachable, many-paged gift guide, featuring recommendations from artists, such as Marcel Dzama, Rebecca Morgan, Micah Lexier, Clare Rojas, and more. Gift ideas include, but are not limited to, knives, pens, jam jars, holy wafers, tape dispensers, chocolate with pistachios, and industrial pancake makers.