"Two people were arrested on Sunday morning at the entrance of the Musée d’Orsay for being suspected of attempting to damage classified property. … When they were arrested, they were 'in possession of a white liquid – glue and a viscous whitish mixture – and were wearing" t-shirts of an environmental activist group. - ARTnews
"The Art Gallery of Ontario, which closed to the public on March 26 as more than 400 unionized workers went on strike, (reopened) on April 30. The employees, whose ranks included curators, archivists, designers, researchers, technicians, and front desk staff, … had sought wage increases and protection for part-time workers." - Artforum
At the new gateway to the campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology the 180,000-square-foot Student Hall for Exploration and Development offers views into two nearly transparent cubes. In one, actors rehearse a theater performance; students are practicing their moves in a dance studio in the other. - Bloomberg
Architect Seun Oduwole: "This museum pops with colour and sound." Curator Will Rea: "It is very different to a European museum, you walk in a soundscape and it’s noisy, it’s performative, you have to move your body the whole time." (It also has a public swimming pool.) - The Guardian
The changes since 2004 have been dramatic. "It has created, in its 50 new and restored buildings, about 1,700 homes, more than 40% of them affordable, 30 bars and restaurants, 10 new public parks and squares, 4.25m sq ft of offices and capacity for 30,000 office jobs." - The Observer (UK)
The extreme college workout facility is passé - now it’s cool, newly renovated and/or expanded museums that attract undergrads and their tuition-paying parents. - The New York Times
“The pope greeted the inmates of the Giudecca prison individually in an inner courtyard. Some gave him flowers, and others pressed envelopes and notes in his hands." - The New York Times
“‘It’s a shop disguised as an exhibition, or an exhibition disguised as a shop,’ Clark said. 'We kind of built a house, and we blew the roof off,’ Altay added.”- The New York Times
At the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver, for instance, an Art Crawl "is held three times a month for newborns through 14-month-old children, who can crawl freely through selected galleries and are encouraged to stop at each work to engage in an interactive activity." - The New York Times
"Such a move would give visitors, many of whom visit the Louvre for the famous painting alone, a better experience, Laurence des Cars told the broadcaster France Inter." - Agence France-Press (The Guardian UK)
The architects describe the building as acting like a microchip on a circuit board, a central meeting point connected to all parts of the university campus. There is no front or back, but nine equal entrances all around the 1,000 square metre (10,760 sq ft) building, making it feel like an open hub. - The Guardian
"A recent survey showed tourists did not enjoy the experience (of seeing the famous portrait), with comments ranging from 'never been so disappointed' to 'torture.'" Says the museum's director, "Moving the Mona Lisa to a separate room could put an end to public disappointment." - The Telegraph (UK) (MSN)