Blanca Serrano Ortiz de Solórzano serves as Project Director at the Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA), where she focuses on modern and contemporary art from Latin America. With a PhD in Art History from The Institute of Fine Arts, NYU, she brings her expertise to her work. Additionally, she is co-author of the digital humanities project Banana Craze, which suggests her involvement in innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to art research.
https://hyperallergic.com/author/blanca-serrano-ortiz-de-solorzano/Five Montanans were honored with the Governor’s Arts Award for their contributions to the arts at a ceremony held on December 5 at the Montana State Capitol. The recipients included Jackie Larson Bread, a bead artist and culture carrier of the Piikuni Blackfeet nation; Jim Dolan, a metal sculptor with a career spanning five decades; John Dunnigan, a musician who performs for local non-profits; John Lowell, a singer-songwriter and guitarist who performs worldwide; and Mary Gayle Shanahan, a watercolorist and book illustrator. The Montana Arts Council, established in 1965 by the state legislature, administers the awards to recognize outstanding Montanans who promote arts and culture.
https://www.kpax.com/news/montana-news/five-montanans-honored-at-governors-art-awardsThe lower end of the art market, defined as sales up to $50,000, has experienced modest growth of 2% in contrast to a declining trend, accounting for over 90% of transactions and helping to maintain overall sales volume. This shift is a reversal from previous years when only high-end sales above $10 million showed growth following the COVID-19 pandemic. The major international auction houses have also seen a significant increase in online-only sales, with these now making up 63% of their total sales, while live sales have decreased by over 20%. Economist Clare McAndrew notes that expanding the base of the market is crucial for its stability and has been a long-needed development.
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2024/12/04/small-but-mighty-sales-under-100000-defy-marketThe Pottery and Craft Market will take place in Prague's Industrial Palace at Výstaviště from December 7 to 8, featuring 130 artisans from the Beroun fair showcasing a variety of crafts including pottery, glasswork, blacksmithing, woodworking, and weaving. The event will also offer a selection of local food and drinks such as mulled wine, punch, mead, beer, langoustines, gingerbread, and roasted nuts, as well as unique Czech food gifts like Dráteník beer for holiday presents.
https://www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/prague-s-top-10-weekend-events-classical-ballet-christmas-flicks-and-crafty-giftsThousands of artists, writers, and creative workers in Berlin have taken to the streets to protest a recent decision by the city's Senate to cut the annual cultural budget. The movement, known as #BerlinIstKultur, argues that the cuts will destroy the city's cultural infrastructure, lead to program cuts, layoffs, and closures, and threaten diversity, excellence, resilience, and social cohesion. The group has launched a petition with over 110,000 signatories calling on the Senate to revise its decision and protect Berlin's creative identity and cultural economy.
https://hyperallergic.com/971253/berlin-senate-to-slash-arts-and-culture-budget/Indonesian Minister of Culture Fadli Zon highlighted the importance of preserving traditional arts and culture in Indonesia. He emphasized that efforts have been made to document, promote, and sustain Reog Ponorogo, a performing art from East Java's Ponorogo District, which showcases dance, music, and mythology. The recognition of Reog Ponorogo as an intangible cultural heritage can bolster cultural cooperation and exchange between Indonesia and its partner countries, according to Indonesian Ambassador to Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay Sulaiman Syarif. This is the 14th element in Indonesia's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, following other significant cultural traditions such as Wayang puppet theatre and Saman dance.
https://en.antaranews.com/news/336945/indonesias-reog-ponorogo-inscribed-on-unesco-intangible-heritage-list?utm_source=antaranews&utm_medium=desktop&utm_campaign=popular_rightThe Palazzo Reale in Milan is hosting an exhibition featuring over 80 works of art that were confiscated from a Calabrian mafia boss and his associates as part of a money laundering operation. The artworks, which include pieces by artists such as Salvador Dali, Giorgio de Chirico, Andy Warhol, and Christo, are being displayed in a room dedicated to the seizure of cultural assets by Italian courts. The exhibition aims to highlight the mafia's involvement in art trafficking and promote culture, with the director of the Palazzo Reale stating that it is a "rebirth" for the artworks, which were previously hidden away as part of the mafia's illicit activities.
https://www.montanarightnow.com/national_news/seized-mafia-art-on-display-in-milan/article_ac058353-297f-5b13-a7b4-12758f0ddbdc.htmlThe Art Gallery of NSW has announced its 2025 program, featuring mostly Australian and First Nations artists. The gallery's summer blockbuster will be led by London-based sculptor Ron Mueck, who is renowned for his hyperrealistic figures that explore universal themes such as birth, death, adolescence, and ageing. Mueck's work includes a sculpture of his father's lifeless body, created from memory and imagination, which caused a sensation in London in 1996. The gallery will also showcase Mueck's oversized elderly sunbakers "Couple under an Umbrella" (2013), which is being loaned from Montreal, Canada. The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia will present a program of international firsts, new commissions, and a large outdoor public sculpture on its harbour-front lawn at Circular Quay. The MCA's winter blockbuster will feature the first solo Australian show by Welsh-born conceptual artist Cerith Wyn Evans.
https://www.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/major-galleries-reveal-their-2025-blockbusters-with-big-surprises-in-store-20241129-p5kujq.htmlCey Adams, a contemporary artist and founding creative director of DEF JAM Recordings, is being honored with a career-defining retrospective exhibition titled "Departure: 40 Years of Art and Design". The exhibition, presented by Spotify, will be on display from December 4, 2024 to March 1, 2025 at the Art of Hip Hop. It marks the first time Adams' artistic contributions are being showcased publicly, with a media preview taking place on December 3, 2024 and an opening event on December 4, 2024 at 12PM. During Art Week, visitors can enjoy live music, limited edition drops, and design their own Spotify playlists using the "Create Cover Art" feature in the Spotify Artists Lounge.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spotify-presents-cey-adams-departure-40-years-of-art-and-design-during-miami-art-week-at-the-art-of-hip-hop-302320274.html