The Standard has always set out to be more than a collection of rooms. Sure, the sheets are soft as butter and the cocktails are mixed to perfection, but our underlying mission is to bring people together in ways that allow their differences to shine through and their inhibitions to fall away. We are honored to take care of people from all over the world, and the diversity of our employees defines who we are. As a community that celebrates interconnection, radical self-expression, and the spirit of travel, we oppose any threats to these values. The Standard will use its voice, its spaces, and creativity to encourage positive and productive activism that supports lasting social progress.
As the editorial voice of The Standard, Standard Culture is also on a mission. Over the coming months, we’re going to be using these pages to expose ourselves and others to the people and groups that are doing the good work. We’ll be providing practical ways to get involved. We’ll be looking to iconic figures from art, music, culture, and activism for inspiration and guidance that can help us find the way forward.
To kick things off, we talked with the artist Andres Serrano, who rose to prominence when his luminous piece “Piss Christ” landed in the crosshairs of conservative U.S. senators, sparking the culture wars of the ‘90s and an effort to defund the National Endowment for the Arts. Urine, the NEA, culture wars, the resurgence of the far Right—it all feels very familiar. A selection of over 30 years of Serrano’s confrontational and boundary pushing works is now on view at The School, the massive upstate offshoot of Jack Shainman Gallery.
Also, we've compiled an essential Action Plan, a ten-point list of practical, tactical, direct ways for all of us to get involved.
