Steven Nelson
@snelsonus.bsky.social
Former dean, Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art; UCLA professor emeritus; and left-handed art historian who sees lots of shiny objects.
The $64,000 question.
www.theguardian.com/film/2026/fe...
www.theguardian.com/film/2026/fe...
From Melania to Kid Rock’s halftime show: why is Maga art so dreadful?
As the right stokes culture wars, their alternatives to ‘woke’ Hollywood prove to be shoddily made and uninspired
www.theguardian.com
February 11, 2026 at 9:48 PM
The $64,000 question.
www.theguardian.com/film/2026/fe...
www.theguardian.com/film/2026/fe...
Reposted by Steven Nelson
ACLS and several of our member societies signed on to a @penamerica.bsky.social letter to the Texas A&M Board of Regents defending academic freedom and urging them to rescind censorship policies: bit.ly/4bJ12fo
ACLS Joins PEN America in Letter to Texas A&M Board of Regents
The American Council of Learned Societies joins PEN America in sending a letter in defense of academic freedom to the Texas A&M Board of Regents
bit.ly
February 11, 2026 at 3:53 PM
ACLS and several of our member societies signed on to a @penamerica.bsky.social letter to the Texas A&M Board of Regents defending academic freedom and urging them to rescind censorship policies: bit.ly/4bJ12fo
Reposted by Steven Nelson
PSA
If Bad Bunny can cover the history of Puerto Rico, colonialism, transatlantic slavery, hemispheric consciousness, as well as contemporary life and politics in under 14 minutes, you can do your 15- or 20-minute conference presentation with time to spare.
February 10, 2026 at 1:49 AM
PSA
Reposted by Steven Nelson
wins the internet
If Bad Bunny can cover the history of Puerto Rico, colonialism, transatlantic slavery, hemispheric consciousness, as well as contemporary life and politics in under 14 minutes, you can do your 15- or 20-minute conference presentation with time to spare.
February 10, 2026 at 2:49 AM
wins the internet
Reposted by Steven Nelson
That way there is time enough for my question.
Well…it’s more of a comment.
Well…it’s more of a comment.
If Bad Bunny can cover the history of Puerto Rico, colonialism, transatlantic slavery, hemispheric consciousness, as well as contemporary life and politics in under 14 minutes, you can do your 15- or 20-minute conference presentation with time to spare.
February 10, 2026 at 3:13 AM
That way there is time enough for my question.
Well…it’s more of a comment.
Well…it’s more of a comment.
Reposted by Steven Nelson
He also conducted a wedding, so yeah
If Bad Bunny can cover the history of Puerto Rico, colonialism, transatlantic slavery, hemispheric consciousness, as well as contemporary life and politics in under 14 minutes, you can do your 15- or 20-minute conference presentation with time to spare.
February 10, 2026 at 3:55 AM
He also conducted a wedding, so yeah
Reposted by Steven Nelson
See also: Your portion of the meeting agenda that said you only needed 10 minutes for.
If Bad Bunny can cover the history of Puerto Rico, colonialism, transatlantic slavery, hemispheric consciousness, as well as contemporary life and politics in under 14 minutes, you can do your 15- or 20-minute conference presentation with time to spare.
February 10, 2026 at 4:12 AM
See also: Your portion of the meeting agenda that said you only needed 10 minutes for.
Reposted by Steven Nelson
Also applies to proposal defenses.
If Bad Bunny can cover the history of Puerto Rico, colonialism, transatlantic slavery, hemispheric consciousness, as well as contemporary life and politics in under 14 minutes, you can do your 15- or 20-minute conference presentation with time to spare.
February 10, 2026 at 4:42 AM
Also applies to proposal defenses.
Yup.
Or, invite a Global South speaker ;-)
If Bad Bunny can cover the history of Puerto Rico, colonialism, transatlantic slavery, hemispheric consciousness, as well as contemporary life and politics in under 14 minutes, you can do your 15- or 20-minute conference presentation with time to spare.
February 10, 2026 at 10:38 PM
Yup.
Reposted by Steven Nelson
I’m beginning every panel I chair for the rest of my career with this frontal attack…
If Bad Bunny can cover the history of Puerto Rico, colonialism, transatlantic slavery, hemispheric consciousness, as well as contemporary life and politics in under 14 minutes, you can do your 15- or 20-minute conference presentation with time to spare.
February 10, 2026 at 12:48 PM
I’m beginning every panel I chair for the rest of my career with this frontal attack…
Reposted by Steven Nelson
Least you can do is have a walk-up song
If Bad Bunny can cover the history of Puerto Rico, colonialism, transatlantic slavery, hemispheric consciousness, as well as contemporary life and politics in under 14 minutes, you can do your 15- or 20-minute conference presentation with time to spare.
February 10, 2026 at 2:28 PM
Least you can do is have a walk-up song
Reposted by Steven Nelson
And now for the most academic (and accurate) take on the Bad Bunny halftime show...
If Bad Bunny can cover the history of Puerto Rico, colonialism, transatlantic slavery, hemispheric consciousness, as well as contemporary life and politics in under 14 minutes, you can do your 15- or 20-minute conference presentation with time to spare.
February 10, 2026 at 3:13 PM
And now for the most academic (and accurate) take on the Bad Bunny halftime show...
Reposted by Steven Nelson
This is academic violence
If Bad Bunny can cover the history of Puerto Rico, colonialism, transatlantic slavery, hemispheric consciousness, as well as contemporary life and politics in under 14 minutes, you can do your 15- or 20-minute conference presentation with time to spare.
February 10, 2026 at 3:19 PM
This is academic violence
If Bad Bunny can cover the history of Puerto Rico, colonialism, transatlantic slavery, hemispheric consciousness, as well as contemporary life and politics in under 14 minutes, you can do your 15- or 20-minute conference presentation with time to spare.
February 9, 2026 at 11:56 PM
If Bad Bunny can cover the history of Puerto Rico, colonialism, transatlantic slavery, hemispheric consciousness, as well as contemporary life and politics in under 14 minutes, you can do your 15- or 20-minute conference presentation with time to spare.
Bad Bunny did his homework.
news.wisc.edu/pop-star-bad...
news.wisc.edu/pop-star-bad...
Pop star Bad Bunny needed a Puerto Rican history scholar. UW–Madison had just the one.
Bad Bunny collaborated with UW–Madison history professor Jorell Meléndez-Badillo on Puerto Rican narratives that accompany the new album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS.”
news.wisc.edu
February 9, 2026 at 6:28 PM
Bad Bunny did his homework.
news.wisc.edu/pop-star-bad...
news.wisc.edu/pop-star-bad...
Reposted by Steven Nelson
"we fired all of our Black and Brown journalists and media critics and for some reason are writing bad articles about the Bad Bunny halftime show"
February 9, 2026 at 3:19 PM
"we fired all of our Black and Brown journalists and media critics and for some reason are writing bad articles about the Bad Bunny halftime show"
Reposted by Steven Nelson
Bad Bunny’s performance began in the plantation, featured broken electric poles, and ended by centering a hemispheric understanding of “América”—among many other things—and some Anglo journalists are like “his performance wasn’t political.”
This is why we need to be telling our stories.
This is why we need to be telling our stories.
February 9, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Bad Bunny’s performance began in the plantation, featured broken electric poles, and ended by centering a hemispheric understanding of “América”—among many other things—and some Anglo journalists are like “his performance wasn’t political.”
This is why we need to be telling our stories.
This is why we need to be telling our stories.
Reposted by Steven Nelson
"PBS will spotlight Sun Ra and his Philly musical collective on 'American Masters'---The episode on the experimental jazz musician, who led his namesake Arkestra, will premiere Friday, Feb. 20" www.pbs.org/wnet/america...
Sun Ra: Do The Impossible - About the Documentary | American Masters | PBS
Discover the extraordinary life of poet, philosopher and music visionary Sun Ra, who self-produced more than 200 albums.
www.pbs.org
February 8, 2026 at 1:53 PM
"PBS will spotlight Sun Ra and his Philly musical collective on 'American Masters'---The episode on the experimental jazz musician, who led his namesake Arkestra, will premiere Friday, Feb. 20" www.pbs.org/wnet/america...
Reposted by Steven Nelson
It's Feb., so #AcademicSky nerds may soon need to think about fall 2026 course offerings. If you will teach anything related to race and/or the criminal legal system and/or data, there is something in my book for you and I hope you might consider using it. Very happy to answer questions. Also,
Unlocking Justice
How we can challenge social injustice—with data and humanity
press.princeton.edu
February 8, 2026 at 12:56 PM
It's Feb., so #AcademicSky nerds may soon need to think about fall 2026 course offerings. If you will teach anything related to race and/or the criminal legal system and/or data, there is something in my book for you and I hope you might consider using it. Very happy to answer questions. Also,
Reposted by Steven Nelson
Another day another press release for an AI grifter posing as news. Thanks to my friend (redacted here) for texting me this new one.
February 8, 2026 at 1:57 PM
Another day another press release for an AI grifter posing as news. Thanks to my friend (redacted here) for texting me this new one.
Reposted by Steven Nelson
Call for Papers, please circulate!
Ethics of queer in/visibility
Heidelberg, September 30 - October 2, 2026
queer-in-visibility.de
Keynote speakers:
J Calder
(Linguistics, University of Colorado Boulder)
Anna Hájková @ankahajkova.bsky.social
(History, University of Warwick)
Ethics of queer in/visibility
Heidelberg, September 30 - October 2, 2026
queer-in-visibility.de
Keynote speakers:
J Calder
(Linguistics, University of Colorado Boulder)
Anna Hájková @ankahajkova.bsky.social
(History, University of Warwick)
February 3, 2026 at 12:40 PM
Call for Papers, please circulate!
Ethics of queer in/visibility
Heidelberg, September 30 - October 2, 2026
queer-in-visibility.de
Keynote speakers:
J Calder
(Linguistics, University of Colorado Boulder)
Anna Hájková @ankahajkova.bsky.social
(History, University of Warwick)
Ethics of queer in/visibility
Heidelberg, September 30 - October 2, 2026
queer-in-visibility.de
Keynote speakers:
J Calder
(Linguistics, University of Colorado Boulder)
Anna Hájková @ankahajkova.bsky.social
(History, University of Warwick)
Reposted by Steven Nelson
Applications are invited for a Bloomsbury Doctoral Scholarship on Queer Meaning-Making in South Asian Literature: New Comparative Perspectives supervised by Anandi Rao at SOAS and me. Deadline 27 March. Full details in the link 🌈🎓 bloomsbury.ac.uk/queer-meanin...
Queer Meaning-Making in South Asian Literature: New Comparative Perspectives
Principal Supervisor: Dr Anandi Rao (School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics; SOAS, University of London) Co-Supervisor: Professor Heike Bauer (School of Creative Arts, Culture & Communic…
bloomsbury.ac.uk
February 6, 2026 at 2:43 PM
Applications are invited for a Bloomsbury Doctoral Scholarship on Queer Meaning-Making in South Asian Literature: New Comparative Perspectives supervised by Anandi Rao at SOAS and me. Deadline 27 March. Full details in the link 🌈🎓 bloomsbury.ac.uk/queer-meanin...
This is a good day to share my 2018 essay on the Obama portraits and the history of African American portraiture.
hyperallergic.com/obama-portra...
hyperallergic.com/obama-portra...
The Obama Portraits and the History of African American Portraiture
Like many African American portraitists, Amy Sherald and Kehinde Wiley represent the Obamas as themselves, and as more than themselves.
hyperallergic.com
February 7, 2026 at 7:49 PM
This is a good day to share my 2018 essay on the Obama portraits and the history of African American portraiture.
hyperallergic.com/obama-portra...
hyperallergic.com/obama-portra...
“Trump is not profound. He has been the same person this whole time. The question is why so many others have refused to see what he has never bothered to hide.”
- @jamellebouie.net
- @jamellebouie.net
"For years, a cottage industry of political observers has contorted itself to obscure and occlude the obvious. That regardless of what others see in him, Trump’s entire political career...cannot be understood outside the context of his bitter, deep-seated racism." (gift link)
Opinion | This Is Just Who Trump Is
www.nytimes.com
February 7, 2026 at 5:49 PM
“Trump is not profound. He has been the same person this whole time. The question is why so many others have refused to see what he has never bothered to hide.”
- @jamellebouie.net
- @jamellebouie.net
Is it unkind to describe our president as a racist pig?
His 11 pm post
open.substack.com
February 7, 2026 at 5:43 PM