Community News Roundup
Art Movements, published every Thursday afternoon, is a roundup of must-know news, appointments, awards, and other happenings in today’s chaotic art world.
Anicka Yi’s Collecting Galleries
It seems like the South Korea-born, New York-based artist isn’t just collecting scents, bacteria, and other assorted oddities for her art practice — she’s also collecting galleries. Anicka Yi is now represented by Pace, in collaboration with Gladstone Gallery, 47 Canal, and Esther Schipper.
NYC’s New Culture Commissioner
Diya Vij, previously VP of curatorial and arts programs at the Brooklyn nonprofit Powerhouse Arts, has been appointed as NYC’s new culture commissioner. With experience on Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s transition team, Vij is set to bring fresh perspectives to the city’s cultural landscape.
Art Schools Suffer Closures
The School of Visual Arts in New York is closing its 14-year-old curatorial practice MA program due to ongoing financial challenges. Additionally, the DePaul Art Museum in Chicago is planning to shut its campus art museum, sparking outrage among faculty and staff.
New Lows at the High Museum
Brady Lum, the chief operating officer of Atlanta’s High Museum of Art, has resigned after the discovery of $600,000 missing from the museum’s budget. This revelation has raised questions about financial oversight and accountability within the institution.
Transitions
Several key appointments have been made in the art world, including Austen Barron Bailly as deputy director of curatorial affairs at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and Charles Chemin as artistic director of the Watermill Center.
Awards
Hank Willis Thomas has been named the inaugural winner of the Liu Shiming Legacy Award, while Han Ishu and yang02 received the sixth Tokyo Contemporary Art Award from Tokyo Arts and Space. Additionally, recipients of the 2026 Grants to Artists from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts in New York City have been announced.
Wildcard
The ill-fated Centre Pompidou in Jersey City has undergone a series of developments, from initial plans for a North American satellite museum to the eventual decision to repurpose the space for affordable housing. The project’s journey reflects the challenges of balancing cultural aspirations with community needs in urban development.
Stay tuned for more updates on the ever-evolving world of art and culture.
