"While the music never stops and its doors didn’t close, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is undergoing the largest renovation and expansion since it was built in 1995 — a $195 million, nine-year effort." - The New York Times
Despite months of controversy, the United States managed to get Alma Allen‘s enormous sculptures to Venice for this year’s Biennale. Getting them home, however, is proving more difficult. - ARTnews
“The Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency is concerned that the Smithsonian Institution (Smithsonian) does not properly review proposed exhibits in its museums,” says a letter to outgoing Smithsonian secretary Lonnie Bunch III, penned by subcommittee chairman Tim Burchett of Tennessee along with Georgia’s Brian Jack. - ARTnews
“At the heart of the alliance is an agreement that the institutions will treat their holdings as a shared collection. … This alliance differs from past models such as traveling exhibitions, co-organized shows, and collaborations on specific projects … in that it is a long-term commitment to building programs together from the ground up.” - ARTnews
“The 1.3-acre space was designed by artist and architect Hiroshi Sugimoto to better integrate with the National Mall, and it includes new works and spaces for education and programming. … It's the biggest update to the museum since it opened in 1974, almost doubling the number of sculptures on display.” - Axios
Italy‘s National School of Heritage and Cultural Activities and the École du Patrimoine Africain in Porto-Novo, Benin, are collaborating on a specialized training course, the first of its kind, with faculty from the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, popularly known as the Carabinieri Art Squad. - ARTnews
We might never have known about Van Gogh without Theo's wife. "Jo didn’t seek to put herself at the center of this story, but she is there, nonetheless." - Time
The Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity, the nonprofit established by the family of design and art pioneers Ray and Charles Eames, is set to file a master plan with the city of Novato that will transform the 85.5-acre site into a global design museum, attracting some 200,000 visitors a year. - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
“California architecture studio Johnston Marklee has unveiled designs to expand the Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach, including elevated galleries and courtyard spaces.” - Dezeen
The Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial, honoring servicemembers who died during the 1990-91 war to end Iraq’s occupation of Kuwait, consists of two dune-shaped walls made of sand-colored granite, one with a 125-foot bas-relief by sculptor Emily Bedard and the other with inscriptions. - Smithsonian Magazine
“Depending on where a light source is positioned, the Lycurgus Cup changes colour, from jade green under normal lighting to ruby red when lit from behind – a feat of optical engineering that has confounded historians and glassmakers for centuries. Now scientists from the University of Sheffield have replicated its optical behaviour.” - The Guardian
In the first hour that the second round of tickets to view the tapestry were available last Wednesday, payments from Monzo cardholders to the British Museum reached £14,100 and were 48 times that of a normal Wednesday morning. More than half (55%) of those buyers were aged under 35. - The Guardian
“The strike was suspended on Monday pending last-minute talks with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, after the V&A management made an improved offer.” - The Guardian
Want to sell tickets? Get a K-pop star's art collection up. "The show has been a blockbuster success, with over 66,000 tickets sold and advance sales that were six times higher than any previous exhibition at the museum." - The Guardian (UK)