Across this issue, we explore what happens when rejoinders become more nuanced. Travis Diehl delves into the all too familiar relationship between artist and critic, arguing against a predatory one for something more symbiotic and collective. Catherine Wagley pores over the recently lauded Pattern & Decoration movement, using it as key for deciphering the troubled relationship between resurgent movements and the art historical canon. The path of unsung art movements from the dusty annals of history into present relevance is rarely linear. Features on Patrick Staff, Julie Mehretu, and Victoria Fu examine the many influences shaping each, echoing Travis Diehl’s sentiment that artists omnivorously pull from the world around them, compiling, stacking, and complicating their starting points. 

–Lindsay Preston Zappas, Founder & Editor-in-Chief