The Morgan Library Announces $12.5 Million Restoration and Other Art and Design Industry News

Here are this week’s must-read news stories in the fields of art and design.

1. Theaster Gates and Ava DuVernay to Cochair Prada’s New Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council

Prada has created a Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council that will be cochaired by artist Theaster Gates and filmmaker Ava DuVernay. The formation of the council follows accusations of racism against the fashion house last year after Pradamalia figurines were released with a design that evoked blackface imagery.

2. The Morgan Library & Museum Announces $12.5 million Restoration Project

The library and museum announced this week that the historic Morgan Library building will undergo a four-year, $12.5 million restoration to conserve the landmark structure’s exterior. It will be the first preservation effort of the building’s exterior in its 112-year history.

Recommended: Architect Junya Ishigami to Design 2019 Serpentine Pavilion

3. New Art and Design Fair Is Coming to Brooklyn

Called Object & Thing, the fair is founded by former Frieze artistic director Abby Bangser and will be curated by designer Rafael de Cárdenas. In lieu of charging galleries for a booth, the fair—which is slated to take place from May 3 to 5—asks them to submit works to be displayed throughout the venue and then charges participants a commission on sales. So far, exhibitors such as Blum & Poe, Mendes Wood DM, and Salon 94 Design have all committed to participating.

The Getty Foundation has awarded nearly $1 million in grants for digital mapping of cultural heritage sites like this one in Brazil. Photo: Humanities Research Center / Instituto Moreira Salles

4. Getty Foundation Awards $1 Million in Grants for Digital Mapping of Cultural Heritage Sites

The Getty Foundation has awarded grants to four universities in support of projects that will use digital mapping tools to document and analyze significant cultural sites around the world. The nearly $1 million in grants will help fund projects already underway in Pompeii and Florence; Çatalhöyük, Turkey; and Rio de Janeiro.

5. New York Art Dealer Mary Boone Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison

Blue-chip gallerist Mary Boone, a staple of the New York art world who came to prominence in the 1980s, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for tax fraud, Artnews reports. A federal judge in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on February 14 granted Boone up to one year of supervised release and ordered her to serve 180 hours of community service.