Harper's Bazaar December/January 2024

WE OFTEN TALK about what artists do in terms of creative expression—the things they imagine and invent and create. But there is an art to everything: to living, to dressing, to conversation, to entertaining. In many ways, it’s a way of life. What, though, makes someone an artist? There are traditional schools and institutions that have historically been guided by one set of definitions, and there are people and communities that have been excluded from those spaces and have sometimes arrived at another. But an informal, anecdotal survey of the individuals we tend to think of as artists right now would suggest that almost everyone has the capacity to be one. Because being an artist is not as much about making paintings and sculptures or subscribing to certain ideas or…

One of the great things about working at Harper’s Bazaar is the opportunity that we have to bring people together around subjects like fashion, beauty, and culture—but also bigger ideas and questions we all have about ourselves and our lives. In making the magazine, it’s what we as a team always try to do in a different way, collaborating with photographers, stylists, writers, artists, and other creatives to bring the stories that we tell to life. In putting together this issue, which is devoted to art, I was struck by something the artist Lauren Halsey said about her upbringing in South Central Los Angeles and how it influenced the way she thinks about making art: “Growing up in a Black Baptist church and holidays come around, it’s all a collective.…

“MUSIC and ART are BROTHERS and SISTERS,” says Kasseem “SWIZZ BEATZ” Dean. “PRODUCING a beat is the same feeling as PAINTING. They come from the same part of your HEART.” Outside of his career as a rapper and producer, during which he’s collaborated with everyone from Beyoncé and Jay-Z to DMX and Kendrick Lamar, Dean is a passionate artist, having painted for more than 25 years. “I paint in my free time as therapy,” he says, adding that large-scale abstract works are his style of choice. “Everybody should grab a paintbrush and a canvas; it’s a great exercise.” Alongside his wife, Alicia Keys, Dean—who is on the Brooklyn Museum’s board of trustees—has also amassed an expansive personal collection of art that includes works by Nina Chanel Abney, Jordan Casteel, and…

1 LISTEN TO SLEATER-KINNEY’S LITTLE ROPE Erstwhile ’90s riot grrrl stalwarts Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein return with their 11th studio album, out January 19. Written in the aftermath of the death of Brownstein’s mother and stepfather, it’s a raw exploration of grief—and how to move through it. 2 EXPERIENCE AILEY THROUGH THE AGES Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will celebrate its 65th anniversary by presenting a slate of performances at New York City Center through December 31. Along with the world premiere of Amy Hall Garner’s Century, the lineup includes pieces from choreographic powerhouses such as Alonzo King, Jamar Roberts, and Ronald K. Brown. On December 19, a special performance will pay tribute to the pioneering women of Ailey: Carmen de Lavallade, Judith Jamison, Denise Jefferson, and Sylvia Waters.…

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