South London Gallery begins work on the former Peckham Road Fire Station, to open in 2018
The Grade II-listed former Fire Station was acquired by SLG via an anonymous benefactor, however the building’s redesign and renovation will be funded in part by an £1,650,000 grant awarded by Heritage Lottery Fund London, and designed by 6 architects. The grant will also be used to develop programs that engage the local community in creative activities, to set up traineeships and volunteer schemes, with a focus on expanding the SLG’s cultural historical archive.
The £4 million project has also received substantial funding from the Mayor’s London Regeneration Fund as well as funding from numerous trusts, foundations and commercial galleries – raising £3.3 million in total. With just £700,000 to go, the fundraising campaign is in its final stages, seeking to establish a fund for the future running of the building.
The redesign will configure a series of bright spaces over four floors, whilst maintaining the original layout. 6a architects are known for their work on the award-winning gallery Raven Row as well as the current expansion of Milton Keynes Gallery.
View of proposed new entrance by 6a architects, © South London Gallery
Projects for Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi "should be postponed"
According to Thomas Krens, the former director of the Guggenheim Foundation in New York and the man who launched the project for an Abu Dhabi outpost of the museum. the time is not ripe for the opening of the institution.
In an interview given last week, Krens has in fact discussed the project at length, commenting that events such as the world financial crisis and the Arab Spring have considerably affected the realization of the museum, which was slated to open in 2012, although construction works on the building are yet to begin. Among other things, terrorism was also a key factor to slow down the construction of to have "an American museum…with a Jewish name in a country [that doesn’t recognise Israel] in such a prominent location, at such a big scale.” The Art Newspaper has more information.
Lourdes I. Ramos, the first latina to lead California’s Museum of Latin American Art
Currently executive director and chief curator of the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Lourdes I. Ramos, will be the first Latina to head The Museum of Latin American Art since its founding in 1996. Her tenure will commence May 1.
“To be able to contribute to and expand upon the artistic legacy and the vision of MOLAA, in a framework of strategic development, is a great responsibility. Nevertheless, it is a shared responsibility with all those visionaries who see the arts as the pinnacle of human expression and a unifying force that celebrates diversity and inclusion without regard to borders.” After twelve years at Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, Ramos looks to be more than qualified for the prominent position. More info via The Los Angeles Times.
MOLAA, photo by Natalie Moser | Lourdes I. Ramos, photo by John Betancourt
MOCA hires curators Amanda Hunt and Anna Katz
Amanda Hunt, photo by Sharon Suh | Anna Katz, photo by Myles Pettengill
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, (LACMA) has announced two new curatorial staff hires. Amanda Hunt was named director of education and public programs, whilst Anna Katz was appointed assistant curator. Katz is currently the Wendy Stark curatorial fellow at the Museum, and will officially take to her new post on May 1.
Hunt began working at LACMA earlier this month, after serving as associate curator at the Studio Museum in Harlem, where she curated “inHarlem: Kevin Beasley, Simone Leigh, Kori Newkirk, Rudy Shepherd,” a multi-site public art initiative in four Historic Harlem Parks, on show through July 25. Details via artforum.
Kevin Beasley, Who's Afraid to Listen to Red, Black and Green? from “inHarlem.” Photo by Liz Gwinn
NYU appoints art historian Christine Poggi as new Director of Fine Arts.
As the new Judy and Michael Steinhardt Director of the Institute of Fine Arts, Christine Poggi will succeed Patricia Rubin, stepping down after eight years in the position. Poggi will begin September 1.
Previously at the University of Pennsylvania, Poggi served as chair of the undergraduate and graduate program; director of the program in gender, sexuality, and women’s studies; and, director of the Alice Paul Center for the Study of Gender, Sexuality, and Women. Poggi has also authored a number of books, including In Defiance of Painting: Cubism, Futurism, and the Invention of Collage (1992); and Inventing Futurism: The Art and Politics of Artificial Optimism (2009). Details via NYU
Phillips acquires art advisor Laurence Calmels as regional director for France
Independent art advisor Laurence Calmels will join the auction house as regional director for France, working to increase Phillips’s presence in France by cultivating new networks of collectors and art dealers. “With her intimate knowledge of the art world in France”, Calmels was an ideal candidate. As CEO Edward Dolman commented, “Paris has always been one of the world’s most important cultural capitals and will become an increasingly important market for Phillips.”
A partner of the Paris-based auction house Calmels-Cohen, Calmels began her career as the youngest female auctioneer in France, leading several successful sales including the auction of André Breton and Jean Arp collections. Further info via artforum
Laurence Calmels, image courtesy of Phillips ©
