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Ireland Gets The Most Beautiful Sewage Treatment Plant In The World

Perhaps that’s not a long list, but still - its design is inspired by the Sydney Opera House, and the plant “stands like a pair of minty green pagodas on the edge of the Irish Sea.” - The Guardian (UK)

What To Do If You Wake Up With A Banksy On Your House

“You'll have to make a series of clever decisions to come out of it unscathed.” - BBC

Kevin Young, Head Of The Smithsonian’s National Museum Of African American History And Culture, Leaves His Post

“His departure comes as President Trump has targeted the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, in an executive order,” though the museum’s official statement was that he wanted to focus more on his writing. - The New York Times

Meet Philadelphia’s Newest (Old) Museum

The Temple Anthropology Lab and Museum (TALM) officially opened this week. “The space was languishing and something needed to happen — either it was going to be shut down or someone was going to be having to take care of them.” - Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

ARTnews Picks The Ten Most Controversial Artworks Of The 21st Century (So Far)

From the banana on the wall to the butt-plug-shaped balloon to the (alleged) vulva in Versailles, here’s a chance to revisit some of the biggest brouhahas of the past quarter-century. - ARTnews

The Palace Of Versailles Restored An Opulent Fountain Using 17th-Century Techniques

“The gold leaf had washed off the 350-year-old statues, leaving a behind dull, ruddy scene. Algae had spread across the 13 statues, leaving marks down Apollo’s dashing face that appeared like a trail of green tears. Things were not much better internally.” - Artnet

Concerned About Climate Risks, Getty Will Sell $500 Million In Bonds To Enhance Protection

The Getty maintains earthquake and fire insurance but, as expressed in the filing, there are concerns “such insurance could become unavailable at rates considered reasonable by the Getty Trust.” - ARTnews

Director Of The  National Museum of African American History and Culture In DC Put On Leave

Kevin Young’s leave came two weeks before Trump issued an executive order calling for the elimination of what he described as “improper, divisive or anti-American ideology” within the Smithsonian. - The Guardian

Texas Lawmaker Introduces Bill To Fine Museums Which Display “Obscene Material”

Following the attempted prosecution of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth for child pornography over an exhibition of Sally Mann’s photography, a state representative has proposed a law that would fine a museum $500,000 per item per day for displaying anything deemed “obscene or harmful material.” - Fort Worth Report

Is Museums’ Social Media Use Dying?

While most of the 100 museums in the list grew their social media followings over the past year, this is despite almost all of them experiencing a decline in followers on X. - The Art Newspaper

Museums As Medical Therapy Prescriptions

Years after the pandemic sharpened issues around mental health, the practice has boomed, with doctors prescribing visits to museums from Montpellier to Massachusetts as a complement to more traditional treatments. - The Guardian

What We Could Learn About Accommodating Climate Change From Frank Lloyd Wright

“The man-made building heighten the beauty of the desert and the desert more beautiful because of the building,” Wright wrote in To Arizona. “A dream, but realization is coming.” - Bloomberg

Sudan’s National Museum Ransacked And Looted By Paramilitaries

“Videos of (the) museum showing empty rooms, piles of rubble and broken artefacts posted on social media after the Sudanese army recaptured the area from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. … The museum held an estimated 100,000 artefacts from thousands of years of the country’s history.” - The Guardian

Small Nebraska Museum Says It Has Discovered Five Edvard Munches

Much like Munch’s iconic painting, this suite of five “never-before-seen” works made around 1893 all depict the main figure on a bridge alongside a pair in the background. In this case, the central character displays a range of emotions, from happiness to anger and boredom. - Hyperallergic

Historic Landmarks Damaged In Myanmar Earthquake

“The most significant damage to cultural heritage sites appears to have occurred in and around Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city and the home of many ancient monasteries and palaces.” - ARTnews

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