Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and its sister foundation have acquired 90 Indigenous artworks.
Crystal Bridges and the Art Bridges Foundation have jointly acquired 90 works by contemporary Indigenous artists from the John and Susan Horseman Collection. The acquisition significantly expands Crystal Bridges’ holdings of Native art, raising it from 3 percent of the collection to roughly a third. Art Bridges will loan 81 of the works—by artists including Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Kent Monkman, and George Morrison—to partner institutions across the country. The gift reflects collector John Horseman’s belief that these artists deserve to be seen alongside their non-Native peers in the canon of American art.
MOCA director Johanna Burton has been appointed to lead ICA Philadelphia.
Johanna Burton, currently director of LA’s Museum of Contemporary Art, has been named the next director of the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania. Known for her curatorial leadership and work with artists like Simone Leigh and Jeffrey Gibson, Burton has held key roles at the Wexner Center, the New Museum, CCS Bard, and the Whitney. She will take up the post in November. At MOCA, Burton led institutional restructuring, launched new programming, and helped establish a collaborative collection-building initiative with LACMA and the Hammer.
Storefront for Art and Architecture has announced a new street-facing artwork by Denilson Baniwa.
Storefront for Art and Architecture will unveil a new public artwork by Indigenous artist Denilson Baniwa on Aug. 23,, on its Kenmare Street facade in New York. Titled Na floresta à noite (In the Forest of the Night), the mural combines everyday and mythical Amazonian imagery to explore Indigenous cosmologies and challenge colonial histories. The piece uses iridescent colors and lighting to transform the building’s exterior into a dynamic, shifting forest. This commission continues Storefront’s “Groundworks” series, following a previous work honoring Mexican-American lowrider culture.
Amy Sherald has canceled her Smithsonian exhibition, citing censorship concerns.
Amy Sherald has withdrawn from her upcoming solo exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. The museum requested changes to works in the show, prompting Sherald to cancel the presentation, which would have been her largest to date. A museum spokesperson said the decision followed “ongoing dialogue,” while Sherald expressed concern over the implications of institutional censorship. The exhibition was expected to explore representations of Black life and legacy in American history.
Preservationist groups are rallying to save late textile designer Bernat Klein’s Scottish studio.
Preservation groups are mobilizing to save Bernat Klein’s modernist studio, in the Scottish Borders county, which was unexpectedly put up for auction despite hopes for a private sale. Designed by architect Peter Womersley in 1972, the Category A-listed building has been vacant and deteriorating for decades, earning a spot on Scotland’s buildings at risk register. A coalition including the National Trust for Scotland and the Bernat Klein Foundation aims to raise around $3.3 million to restore the studio and reopen it as a design workspace and public education center. The effort highlights the studio’s significance as both a showcase of Klein’s textile innovation and Womersley’s architectural legacy.
Today’s attractive distractions:
Adidas has carved out a 200-meter running track at a Santa Fe gypsum mine.
Kate Moss and Chloë Sevigny are the faces of Saint Laurent’s new “Velvet Heat” campaign.
Gilded Age costume designer Kasia Walicka Maimone speaks on the show’s “playful” fashion.
Beyoncé closed her Cowboy Carter tour with a Destiny’s Child reunion.
