Protests

Whitney Museum workers protest outside the institution’s fundraising gala over union contract negotiations

Around 100 demonstrators rallied outside the institution during its gala, hoping to give greater urgency to ongoing negotiations with museum leaders

Labournews

Staff, faculty and students at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts hold rally amid union vote and negotiations

The rally comes as faculty who have already unionised seek to secure their first contract and staff members undertake a vote to form their own union

Labournews

Whitney Museum staff protest against stalled contract negotiations at biennial’s VIP opening

Guests arriving at Tuesday’s reception were handed leaflets explaining the current state of negotiations between the newly formed union and museum administration

Kazakhstan protestors entered leading museum looking for ancient armour

The Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the capital sustained some damage, according to a government statement

Cuban artists shine a light on state repression

Amid calls to boycott the Havana Biennial, artists and dealers are using Miami Art Week as a bullhorn

Benjamin Sutton. with additional reporting by Gareth Harris

'End BP sponsorship of British Museum': 90 heritage professionals sign open letter against oil giant

Archaeologists and museum professionals "urge" institution to cut ties with British Petroleum company

UK’s controversial new police bill poses major threat to the art world

Proposed legislation aimed at cracking down on unruly protests may criminalise protest art

Activists including the artist Nan Goldin protest bankruptcy settlement shielding the Sackler family from prosecution

Demonstrators plant cardboard tombstones outside a New York courthouse to call attention to Purdue Pharma’s role in deaths from the opioid painkiller Oxycontin

Cubanews

Cuba cracks down on protestors with summary trials and prison sentences

Artists and writers are among those targeted by the government, causing human rights groups to raise an alarm about abuses

Protestors gather at the reopening of New York’s Museum of Chinese in America

Demonstrators argue the museum is complicit in mass incarceration and the gentrification of Chinatown

Cubanews

'Patria y Vida': anti-government protests sweep Cuba, as artist-led movement gains ground

The 11 June protests, the largest seen on the island in 30 years, were sparked by years of economic hardship and a lack of government support for its people

Cubanews

Cuban dissident artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara taken to hospital by security forces eight days into a hunger strike

Otero Alcántara’s hunger strike and calls for free speech and artistic freedom in Cuba has drawn international attention

Cubanews

Despite Raúl Castro's retirement, Cuban artists don't believe the country will change any time soon

"As long as the Communist Party is in power, Cuba will be a ‘dictatorship’," some believe as Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel takes over leadership

Leon Black, under fire, will reportedly not seek re-election as MoMA’s board chairman

Tumult over his former business ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein brought pressure for him to step down

Coalition of activist groups announces ‘strike’ action against MoMA

Accusing the museum of elitism, alliance says its ultimate goal is “disassembling” the institution

MoMA’s board leader Leon Black quits equity firm, citing 'relentless scrutiny' over links to Epstein

Decision raises questions about his future role at the museum after artists call for him to go

Facing protest, Museum of Chinese in America cancels exhibition about Asian American art collective Godzilla

Members of the collective argue that the museum implicitly supported construction of a jail

Podcastspodcast

The fight against Putin: artists on the frontline

Plus, India reconstructs its history and Navid Nuur on Walter de Maria

Street art, social media, visibility: how the Arab Spring has changed art and culture, a decade on

We ask artists, writers and experts on Middle Eastern art about their memories of the revolutionary movements—and what they think the lasting legacies are

US Capitol’s works of art survive amid right-wing rampage in Washington

The authorities say that cleaning and conservation will be needed, however, after art was damaged by tear gas, pepper spray and fire extinguishers

Tania Bruguera under house arrest in Cuba as anti-government protests escalate

Authorities are “building a case against” the artist, says sister

Cuban artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara released, but then placed under house arrest as protests in Havana continue

Support for the San Isidro Movement is growing, while Cuba’s government continues to retaliate against demonstrators calling for the release of jailed rapper Denis Solís González

Social media advocacy group calls for a boycott of all US museums in October

The @changethemuseum Instagram account is demanding rapid change to address inequality in institutions, but even with the support of the Guerrilla Girls, its calls are being met with skepticism

Photographers fear steep costs and little payment for covering protests

A lack of protections for—and an increase in domestic dangers to—photojournalists is becoming increasingly visible amid the pandemic and political rallies

Activist employee group demands resignations of three Guggenheim leaders

But support for the statement, alleging “oppressive behaviours” by director, chief operating officer and chief curator, is unclear

Podcastspodcast

Hong Kong: has the new law 'destroyed' the art scene?

Plus, art historian Alyce Mahon on Leonor Fini’s illustrations. Produced in association with Christie's

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by Julia Michalska, David Clack and Aimee Dawson