The director of V&A East says he wants to create a “life-changing” museum experience for Gen Z.
Gus Casely-Hayford, director of the forthcoming V&A East Museum, says he wants to build a space where young visitors can have “life-changing” encounters with art and design. Opening next April in London’s Olympic Park, the museum aims to connect Gen Z audiences with the V&A’s collection through themes of identity, craft, and social justice. Casely-Hayford has spent five years engaging local schools and consulting tens of thousands of young people to shape how the museum looks and feels, from its exhibitions to its staff uniforms. His goal, he says, is to create a museum that reflects the creative energy of East London and makes cultural institutions feel open to everyone.
Workers at the Detroit Institute of Art have announced their intention to unionize.
Employees at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) have announced plans to form a union with AFSCME Cultural Workers United, joining a growing labor movement across U.S. museums. The group, DIA Workers United, said it seeks fair pay, transparency, and a workplace that reflects the museum’s public values. The campaign follows a wave of organizing at major institutions like the Met, the Art Institute of Chicago, and LACMA, as cultural workers push for improved conditions amid industry-wide burnout and wage disparities. The effort comes as the museum continues a broader revitalization of its mission and galleries, including recent updates to its African American art spaces.
Credit: Francesca Beltran…
Olivier Rousteing has officially stepped down from Balmain.
Olivier Rousteing has stepped down as creative director of Balmain after 14 years at the helm. Appointed in 2011 at age 25, he became the house’s first Black creative director and one of the youngest to lead a major Paris fashion brand. During his tenure, Rousteing expanded Balmain’s global reach and helped boost revenues tenfold while shaping its celebrity-driven identity. The label has not yet announced his successor, and Rousteing has not disclosed his next move.
Google is reportedly embarking on plans to put data centers in space to keep up with A.I. demand.
Google has revealed plans to launch data centers into orbit by 2027 as part of a project called Suncatcher, aimed at meeting the surging energy demands of artificial intelligence. The company envisions a network of about 80 solar-powered satellites equipped with AI processors that would transmit data back to Earth through optical links. Falling rocket launch costs and the efficiency of solar power in space could make the system economically viable within a decade, while easing strain on terrestrial land and water resources. The initiative faces hurdles around heat management and communication reliability, as well as potential criticism from astronomers over the growing number of satellites in low orbit.
Following its controversial rebrand, the Philadelphia Art Museum fired its director.
The Philadelphia Art Museum board dismissed director Sasha Suda three years into her five-year contract, citing termination for cause. Her tenure included efforts to rebrand the institution from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the Philadelphia Art Museum, a campaign that was widely criticized and mocked locally. Suda had previously aimed to revive audiences and highlight diversity through exhibitions like “The Time Is Always Now” and the Brind Center for African and African Diaspora Art, but the rebrand’s poor reception strained relations with the board. Louis Marchesano, the museum’s deputy director of curatorial affairs and conservation, will oversee day-to-day operations while an interim leader is sought.
Courtesy of Lego…
Today’s attractive distractions:
Lego is getting into the world of F1 with its APXGP Team Race Car set.
