Every Thursday afternoon, Art Movements provides an essential summary of key news, appointments, awards, and other events shaping today’s vibrant art scene.
Oluremi C. Onabanjo has been appointed as the new curator of photographs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She brings a profound expertise in African and Black diasporic photographic histories. Born in London with a diverse upbringing across Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and the USA, Onabanjo previously served at the Museum of Modern Art since 2021, curating shows for artists like Ernest Cole and Ming Smith. Her notable work includes ‘Marilyn Nance: Last Day in Lagos’ (2022), detailing a significant 1977 Pan-African art festival. In 2025, she was honored with the inaugural Vilcek Foundation Prize for curatorial excellence.
In a significant boost for local talents, 129 artists, collectives, and nonprofits in Queens are set to receive $493,350 in grants from the New York Foundation for the Arts and NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. Among the recipients is artist Adelle Yingxi Lin, who emphasized the grant’s role in connecting ecological data from Newtown Creek to cultural practices through multilingual calligraphic textiles. Find the complete list of honorees here.
In other news, Melissa Chiu will leave her position at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC, to become the new director of the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. United States Artists has revealed the recipients of its $50,000 Knight Arts + Tech fellowship, including LIZN’BOW, Miguel Novelo, Rhonda Holberton, Taeyoon Choi, and Wes Taylor.
Meanwhile, the gallery 47 Canal, known for advancing artists like Anicka Yi and Josh Kline, is relocating to Chelsea, sharing space with Max Levai’s new endeavor. Additionally, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art has named Bryan Collier as its artist honoree for the Carle Honors, celebrating contributions to the art form.
In a lively twist, British artist Stuart Semple marks a decade of his “pinkest pink” pigment by distributing free signed editions to everyone except Anish Kapoor, who owns exclusive rights to the world’s blackest black since 2016. Buyers must confirm they are not Kapoor to purchase this ultra-bright pigment, which Semple believes demonstrates the joy of sharing colors.
