Mexican gallery aids refugees
kurimanzutto, the recipient of the 2016 Stand Prize at Frieze London, has donated the winnings from the award to a charity for refugees.
The Mexican gallery gifted the prize money to SMR, the Scalabrinian Mission for Migrants and Refugees, a charity also based in Mexico city that delivers aid to displaced people. SMR is part of the Roman Catholic mission church San Carlos Borromeo Scalabrinianas, which has been supporting migrants worldwide for 121 years, and in Mexico for more than two decades. A large portion of kurimanzutto’s £10,000 donation will go towards the construction of the Casa SMR-Proyecto MAMBRÉ, a shelter in Mexico City built to accomodate up to 65 people, where migrants in vulnerable situations are provided with a place of rest and recuperation. The gallery said that it took the decision in recognition of “the migratory crisis unfolding throughout the world.” More on Frieze’s website.
Foundation for emerging art shuts down
New York’s ISE Cultural Foundation has announced it will be closing indefinitely on December 31.
Since 1984, the foundation has dedicated itself to the promotion of emerging and underrepresented artists and curators. In an open letter, foundation’s director Tomi Ise alluded to a sudden decision made by the foundation’s headquarters abroad in Tokyo as the reason for the closure. Located at 555 Broadway in SoHo, the gallery is known for its pioneering projects such as the “Asian Art Series,” which introduced lesser-known Asian artists to US audiences, and its “Program for Emerging Curators,” an open call for curators worldwide to present exhibitions. In 2015, the foundation directed its focus to providing grants for emerging artists and art communities. Artforum has further details.
Huge donation for Portland Museum of Art
New York–based philanthropists and collectors Judy and Leonard Lauder are donating $5 million to the Portland Museum of Art in Maine.
The museum announced in a press release that the Lauders’ donation was intended to encourage others to give. It is the largest matching donation in the institution's history. In honour of the gift, the museum has renamed its directorship the Judy and Leonard Lauder Director of the Portland Museum of Art. More via ARTnews.
Details announced of Volta NY
Art critic Wendy Vogel has been selected to organize the Curated Section of the 2017 Volta NY art fair.
Vogel’s show will be titled “Your Body Is a Battleground,” a reference to the 1989 Barbara Kruger photograph of the same name. The names of the participating artists are yet to be announced. The fair opens on March 1, 2017 at Pier 90 in New York. More information on ARTnews.
