Arizona’s Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum (MCA Museum) has revised its seasonal exhibition program after Angela Ellsworth canceled her show. This show was initially scheduled to run concurrently with a survey of artists affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), commonly known as the Mormon Church. Ellsworth, a Phoenix-based artist and former Mormon who often critiques the religion in her work, withdrew her exhibition due to lack of communication with MCA Museum. Currently, the museum is hosting “Materializing Mormonism: Trajectories in Contemporary Latter-day Saint Art” until August 4, organized by the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts, a non-profit promoting contemporary Mormon art. Ellsworth had hoped for a more proactive effort from MCA Museum in coordinating a symposium or panel to contextualize both exhibitions. “I thought it was brave and smart that I was invited, but there wasn’t much planning for a dialogue between the shows,” she told The Art Newspaper.
Despite past criticism, the Spanish Ministry of Culture has announced plans to promote a process to move past a colonial framework rooted in ethnocentrism. This policy, previously halted by Miquel Iceta, is now being advanced by current minister Ernest Urtasun (Green Left) under the government of Pedro Sánchez (Socialist Workers’ Party). Starting with the Museo Nacional de Antropología and the Museo de América in Madrid, two expert groups will work on reshuffling their permanent collections, aiming for completion by 2025. According to a press release on July 8, the goal is to “modernize and enrich knowledge of the collections” in line with international commitments and new ICOM guidelines on “cultural diversity and community participation in the renewal of museographic discourses.”
**Churchill’s Unseen Paintings:** The Heather James Fine Art gallery in Palm Desert, California, is showcasing ten never-before-exhibited paintings by former prime minister Winston Churchill until December 31. The works, including a still life, an interior vignette, and landscapes, come from a single-family owner with the largest private collection of Churchill’s works outside the UK. [Artnet]
**New Artistic Director at La Biennale:** Wayne McGregor has been appointed the new artistic director of the dance department of La Biennale di Venezia for 2025/2026. “Wayne McGregor has built a far-reaching project for Biennale Danza, showing remarkable sensibility towards younger generations on the world stage,” said president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco. [La Biennale]
**Matey Merchandise:** Nicholas Cullinan, the new director of the British Museum, gifted trustee Tracey Emin a T-shirt with “Margate is my Marfa,” which he commissioned as a birthday gift. [The Art Newspaper]
**A View From the Easel:** This week’s installment features Maricel Ruiz, who has been working for the past four months in a new studio in Fort Pierce, Florida. Ruiz often paints several canvases simultaneously while enjoying reggae and music by Rick Ross, Bad Bunny, and others. [Hyperallergic]
**SHE’S OUR VENUS.** Katie White delves into why Sandro Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” continues to mesmerize us. Often misinterpreted as depicting the goddess of love’s birth, it actually shows her arrival on the island of Cyprus or Cythera. The painting’s pose recalls the “Venus Pudica” tradition, with influences from Greco-Roman, Gothic, and Catholic art. Hints to its meaning can be found in Botticelli’s earlier painting “Primavera” and the poem “Stanze per la Giostra” by Angelo Poliziano.
Stay tuned for more updates and insights in the world of art and culture!
