Laura Raicovich on Reintegrating Art and Life Through Alternative Cultural Spaces

Laura Raicovich, former director of the Queens Museum, argues for the reintegration of art and daily life as a form of resistance to rising fascism and social polarization. She describes her personal journey into jewelry-making in 2024 as a grounding practice, and outlines three alternative cultural infrastructure projects she has been involved in: the Francis Kite Club, a bar and social club in Manhattan's East Village opened three years ago with a group of artists and musicians; the Circus of Life, a convening held in October 2025 at the Big Top in St. Louis's Grand Center Arts District, organized with Counterpublic; and Fall of Freedom, a national call for cultural resistance that spurred over 700 events across 47 states in November 2025. Raicovich critiques the separation of art from life perpetuated by traditional institutions, citing attacks on the Smithsonian and Kennedy Center, and draws parallels to Nazi suppression of 'degenerate' art. She emphasizes that culture is produced by all people in everyday interactions, and that reclaiming creative agency is essential for civic engagement and societal healing.