Marcello Dantas Named Curator of 2027–29 Vancouver Biennale

The Vancouver Biennale has appointed Brazilian artist and documentary filmmaker Marcello Dantas as senior curator for its 2027–29 edition. Dantas, currently art director at the immersive museum Ster Ik in Tulum, Mexico, recently cocurated the 2024 iteration of Saudi Arabia's Desert X AlUla with Maya El Khalil. He has previously organized exhibitions for artists including Ai Weiwei, Anish Kapoor, Shirin Neshat, and Bill Viola, and curated a project by Vik Muniz for the 2013–15 Vancouver Biennale. Dantas plans to shape the event by addressing the city's corporate real estate development alongside its First Nations and colonial history, exploring themes of displacement and belonging.

A majestic former mill in Milan is about to become a new cultural hub: studios, residences, and a creative boutique hotel

In un maestoso ex mulino di Milano sta per nascere un nuovo polo culturale: studi, residenze, alberghetto creativo

A historic 1929 flour mill in Milan, originally designed by Cesare Chiodi and Gio Ponti, is being transformed into 'Mulino Factory,' a multidisciplinary creative hub. Spearheaded by Ludovica Virga, the granddaughter of the building's mid-century owner, the site eschews traditional real estate development in favor of a community-focused ecosystem. The complex already houses artist studios, including that of Lola Montes Schnabel, an art gallery, and a gym, with a boutique hotel designed by Tom Dixon set to open following the 2026 Milan Design Week.

Underground Railroad stop in New York threatened by real-estate development

A hidden chute within the Merchant's House Museum in Manhattan, identified as a rare surviving stop on the Underground Railroad, is threatened by a planned real-estate development next door. The two-foot-square vertical passage, concealed behind a built-in dresser, was built in 1832 by abolitionists Joseph and Susanna Brewster to shelter Black fugitives escaping slavery. The museum's western wall, which contains the hideaway, adjoins a one-story garage slated for demolition to make way for a commercial building, prompting the museum team to oppose the development due to risk of structural damage.

Before SoHo, This Building Was at the Heart of New York’s Arts District

A West Side co-op building originally built for artists and later converted into offices is being transformed into a luxury condominium called Parc Beaufort. The building, located in a historic New York arts district, once housed a vibrant community of creatives before commercial use took over.