The Brooklyn Rail

The Brooklyn Rail
Name	The Brooklyn Rail
Type	Magazine
Format	Print and online
Founded	1998
Founder	Phong Bui
Language	English
Headquarters	Brooklyn, New York
Website	(online)

The Brooklyn Rail is a nonprofit arts, culture, and politics journal based in Brooklyn, New York. Founded in 1998, it publishes monthly print issues and maintains an active online presence featuring criticism, interviews, poetry, and exhibition reviews. The journal has become a nexus for exchanges among artists, curators, critics, poets, and scholars connected to institutions such as Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New Museum, and university programs including Columbia University and New York University.

History

The magazine was established by Phong Bui and collaborators from the Brooklyn arts scene in the late 1990s, a period that saw expansion in venues like PS1 Contemporary Art Center and neighborhoods including DUMBO and Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Early issues documented exhibitions at spaces such as Gagosian Gallery, Dia Art Foundation, and Artists Space, and recorded dialogues with figures linked to movements around Minimalism, Abstract Expressionism, and Conceptual Art. Over time, the journal expanded coverage to international events including the Venice Biennale, documenta and the Sao Paulo Biennial, and engaged with institutions like Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, and Kunsthalle Basel.

Editorial Mission and Content

The Rail positions itself at the intersection of contemporary art practice and critical discourse, foregrounding long-form interviews, exhibition criticism, poetry, and editorial statements. It publishes conversations that have included voices associated with Andy Warhol, Marina Abramović, Ai Weiwei, Jenny Holzer, and scholars from Harvard University, Yale University, and Princeton University. Editorial priorities emphasize on-the-ground reporting from exhibitions at Frieze Art Fair, Art Basel, and regional biennials, while also featuring essays engaging collectors and curators connected to Sotheby's and Christie's. The journal has produced thematic print issues examining topics tied to locations and institutions such as Brooklyn Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Cooper Hewitt, and academic symposia at Rutgers University.

Contributors and Notable Interviews

Contributors encompass a wide range of practitioners: critics and writers associated with The New York Times, Artforum, Art in America, and The Paris Review; poets and writers linked to Poetry Foundation, Kenyon Review, and Boston Review; and artists whose work appears in collections at Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Walker Art Center, and Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The Rail's interviews have featured significant figures including Cindy Sherman, Kara Walker, Richard Serra, Brice Marden, Yayoi Kusama, John Cage-adjacent interlocutors, and interdisciplinary thinkers from The New School and Cooper Union. Conversations have also engaged curators like Hans Ulrich Obrist, directors from Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and critics associated with Frieze and Artforum.

Publication and Distribution

Published monthly in print with a robust online archive, the journal circulates in galleries, museums, bookstores such as Printed Matter, Inc., and academic departments at institutions including Columbia GSAPP, Sarah Lawrence College, and Parsons School of Design. Special issues coincide with art fairs and festivals—distribution spikes near events like Armory Show, TEFAF, and regional showcases at SculptureCenter. Funding and partnerships have involved nonprofit entities, grantmakers such as National Endowment for the Arts-affiliated programs, and collaborations with museums like Brooklyn Academy of Music for public programs.

Reception and Impact

The Rail has been cited for reviving long-form arts journalism in the era of shrinking cultural coverage, with its pieces reprinted or referenced in catalogues from MoMA, academic syllabi at Columbia University, and exhibition texts at Whitney and New Museum. Its interviews and critical essays have influenced acquisitions and curatorial debates at institutions including Brooklyn Museum, Guggenheim Museum, and university galleries at Yale School of Art. The journal's poetical and literary content links it to reading series and festivals hosted by Poetry Project and venues like St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery.

Controversies and Criticism

The publication has faced disputes common to arts media: debates over reviewer bias, editorial independence, and representation among contributors from underrepresented communities including artists of color associated with Studio Museum in Harlem and Latin American programs tied to Museo Reina Sofía. Some critics connected to outlets like The New Republic and commentators at Hyperallergic have questioned selections and editorial stances, prompting responses from editors and dialogues with cultural figures including those from SculptureCenter, New Museum, and academic critics at Princeton University. Discussions about nonprofit funding, museum relationships, and critical accountability have also involved voices from philanthropic organizations like Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and museum boards at Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Category:Magazines published in New York City Category:Art criticism