Art Movements
Michael Wellen and José Luis Blondet take on new roles, Tate announces a director, and the Immigrant Artist Biennial returns.
José Luis Blondet (left) and Michael Wellen (right) (photo Gabriel Noguez, courtesy the Hammer Museum)
Art Movements, published every Thursday afternoon, highlights key developments, appointments, and events in the art world.
Who’s Behind “Made in L.A.”?
The Hammer Museum has selected Michael Wellen and José Luis Blondet to curate the upcoming Made in L.A. biennial. This event, inspired by the now-discontinued Hammer Invitational, showcases both established and newly commissioned works from artists in Los Angeles. The eighth edition is set to debut in fall 2027.
Each biennial edition typically pairs curators from the Hammer with those from other institutions. Wellen, who joined the Hammer Museum as chief curator in April, previously served as senior curator of International Art at Tate Modern. Blondet is a senior curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, after a 13-year tenure at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
New Leadership at Tate
Jessica Morgan is set to take over as director of Tate and its four gallery locations in 2027. She comes to Tate after leading the Dia Art Foundation for over a decade, during which she managed the renovation of its Chelsea site and expanded its collection with works by women and Black artists. Morgan will replace Maria Balshaw, who stepped down this past spring after nine years.
Read more on Hyperallergic
Other Key Developments
- Ainsley M. Cameron appointed associate director of curatorial affairs at the Block Museum of Art in Evanston, Illinois.
- Yuko Kikuchi, former head of academic programs at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, claims resignation due to “systemic racism” in January.
- Ferran Barenblit named chief curator for the 16th Shanghai Biennale in November 2027.
- The Immigrant Artist Biennial’s next edition, titled Identity Card after Mahmoud Darwish’s poem, will feature 18 artists, including Bahar Behbahani and Anh Vo. The catalog will include contributions by scholars Judith Butler and poet Natalie Diaz.
- Casey Monroe appointed associate curator at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in Catskill, New York.
- Milwaukee’s Central City Plaza, Houston’s Martin Luther King Jr. Humanities Center at Texas Southern University, Nashville’s Park-Johnson Hall at Fisk University, Boston’s Southwest Corridor, and St. Mark AME Zion Church in East Chicago, Indiana, are recipients of the Getty Foundation and National Trust for Historic Preservation’s final Conserving Black Modernism grants.
- New York Foundation for the Arts distributed $903,000 to 132 recipients of the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship program.
- The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture in Chicago has been accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, becoming the fourth Latine institution to receive this recognition.
Engaging with Saints
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in collaboration with the tech company Ask Mona, is launching an initiative that allows visitors to interact with statues of saints via an AI model. By scanning QR codes, visitors can engage in conversations with figures like Mary Magdalene and Saint Augustine, asking about their origins, materials, and even for directions within the museum.
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