Vasari Art Codex

article news schedule Apr 23, 2026 visibility 4 link 3 artists, 2 galleries

Dartmouth Students Turn to Moldy Beef Jerky Installation in Renewed Bid to Remove Leon Black’s Name from Arts Center

Art students at Dartmouth College installed a provocative piece titled "Something Rotten" in the Black Family Visual Arts Center, consisting of 20 moldy beef sticks arranged into a smiley face over the dedication wall honoring billionaire financier Leon Black and his family. The work, created by students Erik Siegel, Angeles Juarez-Ruiz, and Roan Wade, was removed one week after the exhibition "Storage Room" opened on April 14. The piece references Black's documented friendship and business dealings with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with the wall label quoting an Epstein email mentioning "jerky." The installation is part of a broader student and alumni campaign to remove Black's name from the arts center, which was funded by a $48 million gift from Black and his wife Debra.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article local schedule Apr 22, 2026 visibility 6 link 8 artists, 3 galleries

Richmond exhibitions to check out as art comes into bloom

A guide highlights several art exhibitions and events opening across Richmond, Virginia, this spring. It lists shows at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), Southside Contemporary Art Gallery, Gallery5, the Visual Arts Center of Richmond (VisArts), Anne's Vital Art Studio Gallery, and Quirk Gallery, covering a range from historical prints and portraiture to contemporary emerging artists, activist art, and an annual auction.

newspaper The Commonwealth Times open_in_new Read original

article policy schedule Apr 8, 2026 visibility 12 link 1 artist

Dartmouth Students Renew Calls to Remove Leon Black’s Name From Arts Center

Students at Dartmouth College have intensified their campaign to remove billionaire collector Leon Black’s name from the school’s visual arts center. The renewed push follows the release of Department of Justice files detailing Black’s extensive financial ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including $170 million in payments for tax and estate advice. While Black has denied all allegations of misconduct and his legal team maintains he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal activities, student leaders are citing the college's recent decision to strip César Chávez’s name from a fellowship as a precedent for moral accountability.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article policy schedule Apr 9, 2026 visibility 7 link 1 artist

Dartmouth Students Renew Efforts to Rename Leon Black–Funded Arts Center

Dartmouth College students have reignited a campaign to rename the Black Family Visual Arts Center, a campus facility funded by billionaire investor Leon Black. The movement, led by freshman Oscar Rempe-Hiam and supported by student government, criticizes the administration's lack of urgency in distancing the institution from Black, whose long-standing ties to Jeffrey Epstein and personal allegations of sexual misconduct have sparked years of controversy.

newspaper Artforum open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Apr 23, 2026 visibility 4 link 4 artists

MIT List Visual Arts Center celebrates 40 years

MIT's List Visual Arts Center celebrated its 40th anniversary on April 10, 2026, with performances, receptions, and the opening of a new exhibition titled "Performing Conditions," which explores work, debt, and labor. Housed in the Wiesner Building designed by I. M. Pei, the museum manages public art across MIT's campus, including works by Olafur Eliasson and Sanford Biggers, and runs a Student Lending Art Program that loans about 700 works annually. An anonymous donor has launched a $1 million matching challenge grant for conservation of the public art collection.

newspaper The Tech open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Apr 12, 2026 visibility 3 link 2 artists

Becoming Midwest: Mother and daughter artist pair mount museum collaboration

Watercolor artist Judy Thompson and her daughter, poet Kristin Gifford, have launched a collaborative exhibition titled “Becoming Midwest: Life Between” at the Washington Pavilion Visual Arts Center in Sioux Falls. The show features 27 artworks and 12 poems that explore shared themes of motherhood, the natural landscape of the Great Plains, and the complexities of regional identity. The project marks the first formal partnership between the pair, blending Thompson’s established watercolor practice with Gifford’s contemporary poetry.

newspaper The N'West Iowa REVIEW open_in_new Read original