Chicago Expo Art Week Announced
Expo Chicago announced last month that it would expand its programming this year into a full “Expo Art Week,” with an expected roster of “museum and gallery exhibitions, music, dance and theater performances, public art projects and dining experiences.” The events will take place September 16 to September 22, but the centerpiece will still be the Expo Art Fair to be held that same weekend. No specific programming has been announced yet.
Cooper Union Continues Effort to Start Charging Students Tuition
Early applicants to New York City’s tuition-free Cooper Union School of Art were turned away last month as the administration continues to look for ways to change their unique financial model. President Jamshed Bharucha informed faculty that the applicants to the art school would not be considered for early admission at that moment, while those applying to the schools of engineering and architecture were. The student-led group Cooper Union Student Action to Save our Schools continues to resist any changes to the school’s policy of fully funded tuition for every student, in place since 1859.
George W. Bush Paints in His Spare Time, Media Goes Nuts
Every news media outlet in the country devoted extraordinary coverage to the leaked pictures of paintings by former president George W. Bush. Jerry Saltz and a series of other critics weighed in on the paintings, particularly two self-portraits of Bush in the shower. “Paint, George, paint. Paint more. Please,” wrote Saltz. “If you exhibit it, I’ll write about it. The Whitney Museum of American Art should get on the stick and offer this American a small show.”
Jesse Jackson Jr. and Sandi Jackson Spent Campaign Funds on Celebrity Memorabilia
The former Illinois congressman and his wife, former Chicago alderwoman, pled guilty to charges of misusing campaign funds. Jackson and his wife allegedly took $750,000 from his campaign fund to buy items such as a $43,350 gold-plated men’s Rolex, nine pieces of Michael Jackson memorabilia for $17,100, a $4,000 guitar that once belonged to Jackson and Eddie Van Halen, fur capes and parkas and a football signed by U.S.presidents.
Former Director of NYC’s El Museo del Barrio Sues Insititution
Margarita Aguilar left El Museo early this year, amidst financial turmoil and layoffs. She has now sued the museum for employment discrimination based on gender and a hostile work environment. The decision to hire star curator Chus Martínez, who arrives from Documenta 13, has also prompted questions on just how connected to the community the museum will remain.
