Dear Reader,

It was unanimously decided that the theme for our September issue would be Democracy. There was no question about it: September is the Fall issue, the grand opening of the art season and more importantly, it’s two months before THE election. We weren’t sure what the contents would be, but I knew I could count on my contributors to come up with something.

What does an art magazine have to do with democracy, some of you might ask. And I might reply, “a lot,” while our editorial staff would be screaming, yelling, roaring: “EVERYTHING!” I don’t feel I need to explain what art looks like in a communist country or a dictatorship: read “censorship.”

Look no further in these pages than Luca Celada’s interview with Russian feminist performance artist, Nadya Tolokno of Pussy Riot, who knows democracy is something worth fighting for—even spending considerable time in jail for. Tucker Neel cannot contain himself when he talks about the erasure of history, with some early warning signs that we should pay attention to. Then we have two pieces about graffiti, which find both authors agreeing that graffiti might be the truest expression of a democratic art form. Anthony Ausgang writes about Pennsylvania’s Graffiti Highway, which is beautifully photographed by Laurie Lobbregt, and we were able to enlarge it across a two-page spread for your visual pleasure.

Our cover photo is by David Butow, who is profiled by Lara Jo Regan. Her interview with professional photojournalists will be a two-part series starting in this issue with photogs covering the uprisings; next issue covering the election. These photographers are in the thick of it, and Regan selects the cream of the crop, whose photos are known for taking the art-route spin.

I’m damn proud of what ended up in this issue. This was a theme that all the contributors wanted to weigh in on. When I think of our writers’ dedication to the craft of art reporting: researching, interviewing, reviewing, then sitting down and writing, rewriting, editing, polishing—I am amazed at all of the work that goes into a 500-word profile. Likewise, a book review takes many hours to complete—the actual reading, the note-making, then sitting down to pen a critique (see Lane Barden’s review of Set the Night on Fire: L.A. in the Sixties, by Mike Davis and Jon Wiener)—it can only be about the drive, the passion (because, unfortunately, I know it’s not about the money).

There is an urgency to talk about our democracy in today’s world. And as an editor of an art magazine, it’s my duty to respond to the world around us and how artists are reacting. I’m not running for president, so thankfully I don’t need to tell you my platform. Just see in these pages all the passion that naturally comes out when one cares about something. That little something is called freedom. Now get out there and vote, so we can freely continue writing about art.