Art Movements, published every Thursday afternoon, offers a roundup of essential news, appointments, awards, and other happenings in the art world. Today, we cover the announcement of new fellows at ISLAA, the closure of a West Coast arts magazine, Mamdani’s intentions for Elizabeth Street Garden, and leadership changes at SFMOMA, the Portland Art Museum, and more.
Institute for Studies on Latin American Art Announces 2026 Fellows
Exploring the curatorial practices of the Bienal de La Habana, neográfica in Mexico, women printmakers in Buenos Aires, and early artificial intelligence experiments by a Chilean artist, these are among the topics that 24 scholars will study as 2026–27 fellows at the Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA).
This week, the New York City nonprofit revealed a record-breaking cohort of 16 Latin American scholars and eight US-based PhD researchers for its fellowship program. The fellows include Gonzalo Aguilar, Amaury A. García Rodríguez, Daniel Link, Isabel Plante, Sebastián Vidal Valenzuela, Mónica Amieva Montañez, Fernando García, Lucía Laumann, Farah Beatriz Leyva Batlle, Ayelen Pagnanelli, Julián Sánchez González, Torrivilla, Ana Inciarte, Letícia Asfora Falabella Leme, Danila Desirée Nieto, Pedro Edgar Rizo Peña, Pablo Guarín Robledo, Leandro Martínez Depietri, Michelle Patiño-Flores, Doreen Ríos, Jana Soler Libran, Natasha Tiniacos Ferrer, Henry Neim Osman, and Cristalina Parra.
Each fellow will spend two to four weeks utilizing ISLAA’s Research Center in Tribeca, which contains over 1,000 archival collections, artist files, and primary sources on modern and contemporary art in Latin America and the Caribbean. Ariel Aisiks, the founder of ISLAA, shared with Hyperallergic that the original 13 recipients were increased to 24 due to the strong applications received.
Aisiks stated, “The response to this call revealed the depth of the research now taking place across the Americas.”
The Portland Art Museum Has a New Director
Michael J. Anderson has been named the new director of the Oregon institution, effective October 12. Anderson, who is currently the president and CEO of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, will replace Brian Ferriso, who left to lead the Dallas Museum of Art last summer.
SFMOMA Names Head of Painting and Sculpture
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) has appointed Anna Katz as its new senior curator and head of Painting and Sculpture. Katz is the inaugural holder of this position, which has recently been endowed by the family of Doris and Donald Fisher. She is joining SFMOMA after an 11-year stint at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, where she curated several notable exhibitions, including the first comprehensive survey of the Pattern and Decoration movement.
A West Coast Art Magazine Says Goodbye
Variable West, a nonprofit publication established in 2020 by Portland-based writer and editor Amelia Rina with support from Critical Minded, is closing. In a sincere statement this week, Rina cited the current challenges facing the media landscape and mentioned that she could no longer sustain the site while managing a full-time job. Both she and Associate Editor Ella Ray “manage different, comorbid disabilities that make life difficult in many ways,” she added.
Rina wrote, “One particular challenge in this context has been the social and in-person requirements needed for networking and fundraising. It never felt easy for me and was often extremely draining, which led to feelings of frustration and inadequacy. I suspect this is difficult for others as well.”
What Else Happened?
- The Joan Mitchell Foundation has named 15 recipients for its 2026 fellowships. More details can be found in Hyperallergic.
- The Storm King Art Center has appointed Anne Reeve as senior curator, starting November 1.
- The South London gallery Sid Motion will close in October after a decade of programming, according to the Art Newspaper.
- Gallery Kendra Jayne Patrick is now representing Antonio Darden.
- Emily Mello has been named executive director of Mural Arts Philadelphia.
- Art Toronto has unveiled the 105 exhibitors for the fair’s 27th edition, happening from October 29 to November 1.
Will Mamdani Save an Embattled Sculpture Garden?
Following a decade of legal battles, community efforts, and endorsements from celebrities like Patti Smith and Robert De Niro, Mayor Zohran Mamdani is expected to abandon a plan to convert the cherished Elizabeth Street Garden in Lower Manhattan into affordable housing, according to the New York Times. The publication reports that the Mamdani administration is negotiating with developers, who sued the city after the site was designated as “parkland,” to resolve the issue.
