“Free First Thursday, which waives the general admission fee for all Bay Area residents from 4-8 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month, has been temporarily halted starting in February. … No return date has been set, but SFMOMA plans to announce a new program series in the summer.” - San Francisco Chronicle (Yahoo!)
Last Saturday, as museum staff were preparing the building for the winter storm, a sprinkler malfunction caused water to pour from a ceiling near the gift shop. The building was evacuated and closed for this week, but full repairs will require one additional week. - ARTnews
Over 50% of the AAM survey’s respondents reported fewer visitors than in 2019 and 29% reported “declines tied to weakened travel and tourism and/or economic uncertainty”. This, of course, varies hugely from state to state. - The Art Newspaper
Before dawn last Wednesday, two men broke into the Silver Museum in the Dutch city of Doesburg and stole every piece there except a few ceramic items on temporary display. - ARTnews
Workers on Thursday removed the exhibit, which included biographical details about the nine people enslaved by the Washingtons at the presidential mansion. Just their names — Austin, Paris, Hercules, Christopher Sheels, Richmond, Giles, Oney Judge, Moll and Joe — remain engraved into a cement wall. - Bucks County Beacon
Graham Granger: “I saw the AI piece and it was just—as an artist myself, it was insulting to see something of such little effort alongside all these beautiful pieces in the gallery.” - The Nation
Charles Fazzino "has been the official artist for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game for more than 20 years. He’s served a similar role for the Olympic Games, two Fifa World Cup tournaments, five Daytime Emmy Award ceremonies and the Grammy Awards.” - The Guardian (UK)
The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington (across the Ohio River from Cincinnati) is a scaled-down copy of Notre-Dame de Paris on the outside, while the interior is modeled on the French cathedral in St.-Denis. It’s a product of America’s turn-of-the-20th-century Gothic Revival, getting its first restoration in its 125 years. - AP
“Material created by Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) either partially or wholly, is not allowed in the art show. If there are questions, the Art Show coordinator will be the sole judge of acceptability.” - Artnet
A senior curator and two collections committee volunteers have resigned their posts at the Art Gallery of Ontario after the institution voted against acquiring a new slideshow work by the artist Nan Goldin. The purchase was defeated after several members expressed concern about Goldin’s remarks denouncing Israel’s attacks on Gaza as genocide. - Artnet
What would happen to the murals is an open question, as removing them may prove difficult. Advocates for the building fear that without protections put in place ahead of a sale, the buyer would have no incentive to maintain the historical features inside. - Washington Post
Americans argue about the Smithsonian far more than we would if only its possessions mattered. When our museums of record tell us a story, that story matters enormously. - The Atlantic
For just over five weeks, from February 7 to March 14, visitors will be allowed to climb the towering 20-foot scaffold inside the Sforza Castle’s Sala delle Asse to view conservators at work on a vast, unfinished wall and ceiling painting by Leonardo hidden for centuries. - Artnet
