Reposted from Artnet News

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is one of dozens of major cultural institutions across the US that has resorted to layoffs amid a prolonged shutdown. At the start of the month, the museum, which has been closed since March, announced that it was terminating 57 employees, with an additional 56 staff members taking voluntary retirement. Earlier, in April, the MFA furloughed more than 300 staff members—more than 40 percent of its 750-strong workforce.

Now, current and former staffers are stepping in—independent of the museum itself—to lend a hand to those hardest hit. In the latest example of peers raising money for colleagues through mutual aid, a group of MFA employees have organized the MFA Boston Mutual Aid Fund. According to its GoFundMe page, the fund has already exceeded its $75,000 target by $25,000, raising a total of $100,175 from 230 donors in the space of just five days.

The initiative is described as a community-based fundraiser outside the umbrella of the museum and established by and for the workers of the MFA. It is run by current and former colleagues who believe mutual aid is “one significant way to demonstrate collegiality and support.”

Noting that “overburdened unemployment systems have often been unable to offer immediate relief,” coupled with the fact that the additional $600 a week benefit for those out of work ended last month, the MFA’s fund will give donations directly to staff who have been laid off or had their furloughs extended between March and July 2020 and who need support covering rent, bills, food, and medical expenses.

This includes both full-time and part-time staff, restaurant associates, contract staff, fellows, teen staff, and interns, according to the GoFundMe page. “We will try to prioritize those hardest hit,” the group’s founders write. Depending on the amount of money raised, individuals can expect to receive amounts up to $500, and possibly more for extraordinary circumstances.

Organizers said they do not expect to have any leftover funds given that financial need will be immediate and widespread.

Mutual aid efforts—which serve as a symbol of both staff unity and the challenge of addressing inequality swiftly on an institutional level—have been launched by the Tenement Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and the Brooklyn Museum. (The latter saw four-figure donations from the museum’s director, former director, and board chair.)

The MFA Boston expects to bring back 211 of the 301 furloughed workers starting in August. “The fund is a wonderful initiative and to see the outpouring of support and generosity from across the MFA family has been incredible,” a spokeswoman for the museum told Artnet News. “Our thoughts are with our colleagues during this very difficult time, and we’re grateful to the group of staff who organized the fundraiser.”

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Reposted from Newsweek

A century-old anthropology museum in San Diego unveiled its new name on Sunday.

The institution, formerly known as the Museum of Man, is now officially called the Museum of Us. In one of several announcements about the switch, executives said the museum's updated identity better represents "our work toward equity, inclusion, and decolonization."

The museum adopted its previous moniker in 1942. At the time, "museum of man" aimed to reflect the establishment's focus on anthropology, a field of study that broadly encompasses scientific and cultural research pursuits related to human behavior.

Conversations about the ways in which its use of "man" was problematic began to circulate almost three decades ago, after community members noted its gendered, colonial implications.

"Not only did the Museum's old name support patriarchal systems, but it represented a colonial past that perpetuated racist narratives and harmed Indigenous communities," the museum said in a statement shared to its website on Sunday. "Today, we are addressing our colonial legacy in a number of ways, including actively listening to the voices of San Diego community members, Indigenous Peoples nationally, and our national and international visitors."

Following more than two years of discussions among stakeholders and members of the public, the museum said its trustee board officially approved the name change at the end of June. Its former website URL now redirects users to a new one consistent with the update. A pop-up message introducing visitors to the switch appears when loading the home page.

"It's us! Your new museum," the message reads. "Formerly known as the Sn Diego Museum of Man, we have begun the process of changing our name to better reflect our commitment to inclusivity."

Newsweek reached out to the Museum of Us for additional comments, but did not receive a reply in time for publication.

The museum board's decision to move away from a name reminiscent of the United States', and California's, history of colonization came amid a national movement to effect similar changes elsewhere. Demonstrations against systemic racism and police abuse that took place after George Floyd's death sparked widespread efforts to remove statues, and rename public spaces, with ties to the Confederacy.

Protesters and lawmakers have faced pushback against their initiatives, with some leaders, like President Donald Trump, arguing for the preservation of memorials linked to the Confederacy. Still, numerous symbols were taken down nationwide over the past two months. Local leaders in Virginia celebrated the removal of Confederate memorials from the state's capitol last week, and polls conducted around the same time showed most Americans support efforts to do so across the country.

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Reposted from Artnet News

Workers at the Philadelphia Museum of Arts (PMA) voted to unionize today, less than 48 hours after the institution announced that it had laid off 25 percent of its staff.

The bargaining group, which is affiliated with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) District Council 47, is the first wall-to-wall union at a museum in the country, meaning that any employee who works more than four hours a week at the institution is eligible to join.

After months of negotiations between the union and the institution’s leadership, a mail-in vote for all museum employees was conducted between July 9 and July 30 by the National Labor Relations Board, a federal organization. 

The results, tallied this morning, showed that 89 percent of workers agreed to join the union, far surpassing the 50 percent mark needed for a win.  

“It feels fucking awesome,” says Adam Rizzo, a member of the union’s organizing committee.

Rizzo and dozens of other employees watched live on Zoom today as the Labor Relations Board conducted the final count. “We knew we had the support already. It felt great to see the votes come in in person, but it seems like the museum wasted a bunch of time and resources fighting this. Still, we’re absolutely thrilled.”

“Just as we respected the right of staff to organize at the outset, we also respect today’s outcome,” Timothy Rub, director and CEO of the museum, said in a statement to Artnet News. 

“As we move towards the development of a collective bargaining agreement, we pledge to work in good faith to achieve the best outcome for our staff and for this institution.”

Conversations about forming a union began percolating over a year ago, when a Google Spreadsheet of museum workers’ salaries went public, Nicole Cook, a member of the union organizing committee, told Artnet earlier this year.

After reaching a “supermajority” of eligible museum employees in favor of unionizing, the group of workers announced their official intent to do organize on May 22.

But the PMA denied the request for voluntary recognition, which would have eliminated the need for a vote. They cited objections to the size and makeup of the proposed group and instead argued that there should be two units, one each for “core” and “non-core” employees, which would dilute the influence of a singular group.

“That actually ended up working in our favor because it pissed so many people off,” Rizzo says. “No one wants to be told they’re not a core employee to the museum’s mission.”

In June, the museum retained the services of a notorious union-busting law firm, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, which has. has deep ties with the museum. It is a Gold-level corporate supporter, and Timothy W. Levin, one of the firm’s lawyers, is on the museum’s executive board.

In June, days after the museum announced plans to furlough more than 100 employees—amounting to more than 20 percent of its staff—the institution and the union agreed to hold the mail-in election. 

In a big win for the union, both parties agreed to count the votes of recently furloughed or laid-off employees. 

On Tuesday, August 4, the museum let go 85 employees for good, while an additional 42 left through voluntary separation agreements, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Those who signed separation agreements were ineligible for today’s vote. The museum also contested over 40 voters, arguing that they weren’t eligible.

“We did this because we really care about the museum,” Rizzo says. “We hope that this will actually affect some positive change.”

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Reposted from Artnet News

Beware the art museum selfie: another inconsiderate art lover has wreaked havoc in their quest for the perfect photo op. This time, the victim was a historic plaster model by the Italian artist Antonio Canova (1757–1822).

On July 31, a misguided Austrian tourist snapped the toes off the Neoclassical sculpture Pauline Bonaparte as Venus Victrix, housed at Possagno’s Museo Antonio Canova in northeast Italy, while attempting to sit on its lap for a photo.

Selfies have become something of a scourge for museums in recent years, leading to accidents that have damaged valuable artworks around the world.

In this most recent case, the guilty party “left the museum in a hurry without reporting the incident,” according to a post on the institution’s Facebook page. Staff discovered the damage shortly thereafter, and reviewed security footage to find the responsible party.

As museums in Italy reopened after the shutdown, they began to require foreign visitors to sign in by name, which meant that the museum was able to identify the responsible individual—but he or she has not been tracked down since fleeing the scene of the accident, and their name has not been released to the press.

Vittorio Sgarbi, an Italian politician and controversial art critic who serves as president of the Antonio Canova Foundation, called on Italian police in a Facebook post to find the person responsible for this “unprecedented stupidity” and take him into custody, “not allowing him to remain unpunished and return to his homeland.”

New proposed legislation in Italy would increase the maximum sentence for vandalizing art to eight years in prison on top of a fine of €100,000 ($117,000).

The 1804 plaster sculpture is a survivor of World War I, when a Christmas bombing raid hit the museum in 1917. A 2004 restoration reattached the figure’s severed head and repaired damage to the cloth, hands, and feet, according to la Repubblica.

This time around, the museum isn’t delaying efforts to fix the piece. “Luckily, we found the broken parts of the gypsum,” museum director Moira Mascotto told the Austrian Press Agency. “That helps us with the restoration.”

The artwork is part of the museum’s gypsotheca, or “collection of plasters,” containing the original plaster models for Canova’s finished marble works. Established by the artist’s half-brother, Giambattista Sartori, in 1829, it is Europe’s largest monographic gypsotheca.

The celebrated marble version of the statue, which depicts Paolina Bonaparte Borghese, Napoleon’s sister, as Venus, is part of the collection of the Galleria Borghese in Rome.

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Reposted from AAM

You come into your office, juggling your gym bag and a cup of hot coffee, and boot up your laptop to an ominous red and black screen that announces:

“All your files and documents have been encrypted!”

Congratulations, you’ve been hacked.

Last week the New York Times published an article highlighting the rise in ransomware attacks: incidents in which hackers lock down entire computer networks and demand payments to let users recover their data and regain control of their systems. The author cites data documenting a 41 percent increase in ransomware attacks from 2018 to 2019, for a total of over 205,000 reported attacks last year. The average ransom payment jumped to over $190 thousand. And, as the article notes, these numbers probably underrepresent the true costs of such attacks, as organization often don’t want to publicize that they have been hacked.

To that point, I know of at least three museums that have been the targets of ransomware attacks, but so far none have been willing to go on the record about their experiences. Evidently ransomware is the digital equivalent of STDs—but the stigma of (unwarranted) shame attached being a victim is misplaced and counterproductive. By sharing information, museums can become better able to defend themselves and recover from such attacks.

Meanwhile, I’ve compiled some facts on ransomware drawing on free web resources for training and response. Each of the sources excerpted below provide a variety of advice and resources. Take the time to explore them and bookmark useful information—hopefully before an attack takes place!

What is ransomware?

“Ransomware is a type of malware that blocks access to a system, device, or file until a ransom is paid. This is achieved when the ransomware encrypts files on the infected system (crypto ransomware), threatens to erase files (wiper ransomware), or blocks system access (locker ransomware) for the victim. The ransom amount and contact information for the cyber threat actor (CTA) is typically included in a ransom note that appears on the victim’s screen after their files are locked or encrypted. Sometimes the CTA only includes contact information in the note and will likely attempt to negotiate the ransom amount once they are contacted.” 

How does ransomware infect computers?

“Here are some of the ways computers and mobile devices can be infected:

• Links in emails or messages in social networks — In this type of attack, the victim clicks a malicious link in an email attachment or a message on a social networking site.
• Pay per install — This popular method attacks computers that are already part of a botnet (a group of infected computers under the control of criminals called botmasters), further infecting them with additional malware. Bot herders, criminals who look for security vulnerabilities, are paid to find these opportunities.
• Drive-by downloads — This form of ransomware is installed when a victim clicks on a compromised website. McAfee Labs researchers have seen an increase in drive-by downloads. In particular, users of some streaming video portals have been hit.”

Is my museum at risk?

Yes. Hackers are targeting a wide variety of businesses, large and small, as well as individual users. Dozens of cities have been hit by ransomware attacks—and if your museum is part of a municipality, your data may be compromised as well. Keep in mind that university museums inherit the risk of their parent organizations, too. (Last year Regis and Stevens Universities suffered devastating attacks.)

 How can I prevent ransomware attacks?

• “Update and patch your computer. Ensure your applications and operating systems (OSs) have been updated with the latest patches. Vulnerable applications and OSs are the target of most ransomware attacks
• Use caution with links and when entering website addresses. Be careful when clicking directly on links in emails, even if the sender appears to be someone you know. Attempt to independently verify website addresses (e.g., contact your organization’s helpdesk, search the internet for the sender organization’s website or the topic mentioned in the email). Pay attention to the website addresses you click on, as well as those you enter yourself. Malicious website addresses often appear almost identical to legitimate sites, often using a slight variation in spelling or a different domain (e.g., .com instead of .net).
• Open email attachments with caution. Be wary of opening email attachments, even from senders you think you know, particularly when attachments are compressed files or ZIP files.
• Keep your personal information safe. Check a website’s security to ensure the information you submit is encrypted before you provide it.
• Verify email senders. If you are unsure whether or not an email is legitimate, try to verify the email’s legitimacy by contacting the sender directly. Do not click on any links in the email. If possible, use a previous (legitimate) email to ensure the contact information you have for the sender is authentic before you contact them.
• Inform yourself. Keep yourself informed about recent cybersecurity threats and up to date on ransomware techniques. You can find information about known phishing attacks on the Anti-Phishing Working Group website. You may also want to sign up for CISA product notifications, which will alert you when a new Alert, Analysis Report, Bulletin, Current Activity, or Tip has been published.
• Use and maintain preventative software programs. Install antivirus software, firewalls, and email filters—and keep them updated—to reduce malicious network traffic.”

Are there training programs that can help prevent successful attacks?

Yes. The Alliance uses KnowBe4 for its security awareness training. There are a number of similar programs like AwareGO and Mimecast. All programs follow a similar framework, reoccurring short video training sessions mixed in with periodic assessments. Administrators can use the results to gauge the organization’s risk and impact of training program. Costs are based on the number of users enrolled in the program and start as low as a couple dollars per month. Since threats are evolving it is important to view this training as on-going and not a one-time rubber stamp.

I’ve been attacked by ransomware—what’s the first thing I should do?

The BackBlaze Blog recommends that your first step should be to isolate the infection:

“The first thing to do when a computer is suspected of being infected is to isolate it from other computers and storage devices. Disconnect it from the network (both wired and Wi-Fi) and from any external storage devices. Cryptoworms actively seek out connections and other computers, so you want to prevent that happening. You also don’t want the ransomware communicating across the network with its command and control center.

Be aware that there may be more than just one patient zero, meaning that the ransomware may have entered your organization or home through multiple computers, or may be dormant and not yet shown itself on some systems. Treat all connected and networked computers with suspicion and apply measures to ensure that all systems are not infected.”

What’s next? 

Your museum’s IT department or security office may have a procedure in place to respond to ransomware attacks. This may include shutting down and isolating other devices that may have been connected to the infected computer and ensuring that your backup data (you have backup data, right?) is offline and secured.

Where can we get help with responding to a ransomware attack?

Many firms offer to help with recovery of data after a ransomware attack. Be cautious if you decide to engage such a firm—an investigation by Pro Publica revealed that some companies that promise to recover encrypted data simply pay the hackers and pass the charge on to the victim. I have not found a credible, independent review of reputable recovery services. Let me know if you have any source to share.

Should we pay the ransom?

Opinions vary, but many cybersecurity experts (including Lee Mathews, writing for Forbes) argue that you should never pay a ransomware ransom. For one thing, as Mathews points out, only 19% of ransomware targets who pay the ransom actually get their data back. The NYT article I cite at the beginning of this article makes the case that paying ransoms will fuel more attacks, by “giving attackers more confidence that they will get paid.”

Can we recover our data without paying a ransom?

Maybe. Even as hackers create new ransomware programs, programmers race to create encryption programs to free locked data. You can work with a forensics and data recovery program to try to recover what you can. That said, your best recovery strategy is to have a good backup system.

Should we report the attack?

The Department of Homeland Security asks that you report ransomware attacks immediately to CISA at www.us-cert.gov/report, a local FBI Field Office, or Secret Service Field Office.

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Reposted from Pinnacol Assurance

Summer is off to a blazing start, with temperatures approaching record levels in many places. 

Unfortunately, heat plus the masks employees in many industries are wearing to help control the spread of COVID-19 could add up to a higher risk of developing heat stress, which can lead to heatstroke, rashes, exhaustion or cramps. 

Employees who work outdoors or in restaurant kitchens may be especially vulnerable, since they spend time in places where high temperatures are already a concern. 

Fortunately, you can help your employees stay safe this summer while helping control the spread of the novel coronavirus. 

10 ways to avoid heat stress while wearing masks

1. Remind employees to hydrate regularly

Hydration is critical to avoiding heat stress. Let employees sip from water bottles as they work. Discourage them from sharing water bottles, which can raise the risk of COVID-19 transmission. 

2. Monitor workers with preexisting conditions

People with asthma, emphysema or other lung- or breathing-related conditions may be at greater risk for breathing problems with masks, and these issues can worsen with heat stress. Offer at-risk workers extra breaks or other accommodations. 

3. Post signs listing symptoms of heat stress

‍Alert employees to heat stress symptoms such as thirst, fatigue, nausea, dizziness or weakness, and heavy sweating. Tell them to seek help as soon as possible if they experience multiple signs. 

4. Allow employees more breaks

‍Even giving workers 10 to 15 minutes to walk outside and remove their masks helps. You can also create a shady or air-conditioned area for employees to take socially distant breaks.

5. Use disposable non-medical masks

‍Paper masks may feel lighter and easier to breathe through than cloth masks. Expandable pleats in the mask allow better airflow to the mouth for a more comfortable experience. 

6. Buy backup masks

‍Wet masks make it difficult to breathe. Give employees new ones if theirs become sweaty. Wet masks also do not filter air as well, and microorganisms may grow in wet masks.

7. Encourage light-colored masks

‍Light-colored masks absorb fewer ultraviolet rays than dark-colored ones, keeping the mask cooler for employees working outside. 

8. Let workers wear hats 

‍Hats protect your employees’ faces from the sun, making them less likely to overheat. 

9. Change working hours

‍If possible, let employees who work outdoors begin their shifts earlier in the day, when temperatures are lower. 

10. Provide sweat-wicking clothes

‍Offer employees sweat-wicking uniforms that will keep them cooler and reduce the chance of heat stress. 

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Reposted from Forbes

Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks. Grant Woods’ American Gothic. Georges Seurat’s A Sunday on the Grande Jatte.

All of them among the most recognizable images in art history. 

All of them in the permanent collection at the Art Institute of Chicago.

All of them from the hand of a white male artist depicting white people.

As art museums nationwide commit to becoming more welcoming to black audiences, the Art Institute of Chicago faces a question: how does it best balance continuing to highlight its treasure trove of art history’s greatest hits from white artists – Monet, van Gogh, Chagall, Picasso, Pollack, Warhol–with work from black artists, depicting subjects more relevant to the 30% African-American community it serves locally?

“The awareness with which we consider what we're showing in our galleries and how we're interpreting artworks in the gallery has become more important, instead of being on the list of things to do it's, number one,” Sarah Guernsey, Deputy Director and Senior Vice President, Curatorial Affairs at the Art Institute of Chicago told Forbes.com.

The museum reopened to the public following its coronavirus closure on July 30, several years into multi-faceted efforts to be more inclusive of black voices. Importantly to the Art Institute, that inclusion starts from within.

“For us, it's not just an external approach to audiences, but it's also about our internal staff culture,” Guernsey said. “We want to make sure that our internal culture is supportive in the way we want to invite external guests.”

One new initiative in that direction is the development of a department titled “people and culture.”

“It is meant to work on having a better staff culture with equity, inclusion and anti-racism at the core, emphasizing the need for our staff culture and engagement to impact how we're presenting art in the galleries,” Guernsey explained.

The museum, additionally, has an equity forum, employees who volunteer to take positions pushing the institution’s anti-racism work forward. Within the equity forum is a group called “narratives and content.” 

“This is a group of people that as we hit on some of the issues of social identity in the exhibitions or in acquisitions, if we have questions we want to consider more broadly, they're willing to work through challenging topics without it just being one curator who thinks he or she knows what to do,” Guernsey said. 

The efforts continue with staff color affinity groups, providing employees of color a space to gather and talk, “and we're working to create another place for dialogue where we're putting together meetings with the director and black staff to talk about their concerns because we realize that everyone is reacting to the brutal murders of George Floyd and others, but that it impacts our black staff more than anyone else,” Guernsey noted, adding that, “we are working really hard to center black voices inside the museum, to make it a welcoming place for staff where they feel supported… really thinking about black staff and not speaking for black staff.”

One of the museum’s longest running efforts toward inclusion is its “leadership advisory committee” dating back to the 1990s. This group of black supporters consult with curators and the learning and public engagement department on acquisitions, exhibitions and programming in an effort to decentralized decision making.

Subtle, but significant, tweaks to guest services have also been undertaken to place black artists on a more equal footing with their celebrity white counterparts. One such example takes shape in the visitor guides highlighting what to see in an hour. 

Hundreds of thousands of tourists annually stream into the museum. Many of them are looking primarily to breeze through for an in-person glimpse of the images they’ve read about in books and seen on posters before moving on to the city’s next attraction. 

“Years ago, you’d look at the ‘what to see in an hour’ (guide) and it was all 19th century masterpieces by Seurat, Monet, and we have very intentionally moved away from just listing those same 10 objects every time in the ‘what to see in an hour’ suggested tour,” Guernsey said. “As much as it's our job to share with the world the famous artworks, we want also to educate people on artwork they may not have noticed or considered.”

One such example is Archibald Motley’s electric, jubilant, purple juke joint utopia Nightlife, a previously less-celebrated painting from a black artist now elevated to the stature of Monet’s haystacks or van Gogh’s bedroom.

“There are ways that artwork becomes famous and part of it is putting it in the public eye and letting people learn about it,” Guernsey said. “We definitely take that seriously, we can't just share the most famous objects that everybody expects, we want to share more to broaden the cannon and broaden our visitors understanding of art history.”

To that end, the Art Institute will be presenting a rich exhibition schedule of black artists through the remainder of 2020 and 2021. Richard Hunt, Joseph Yoakum, Bisa Butler and the Obama presidential portraits–his by Kehinde Wiley and hers by Amy Sherald–all take center stage. Hunt is a Chicago native, Yoakum lived there later in life until his death, and the Obama’s, of course, arrived in Washington, D.C. from Illinois. 

“We are a major national art museum, but we are Chicago-centric,” Guernsey said. “It's our civic role, but it's also just a proud part of who we are to look to Chicago voices.”

While not a Chicagoan, a mostly-unknown black artist taking center stage as the museum opens with an exhibition alongside El Greco and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, two traditional art history stalwarts, is Malangatana Ngwenya (1936–2011). 

“Malangatana: Mozambique Modern” brings together over 40 key paintings and drawings, serving as both the first survey of the artist’s early work since his death and the first solo exhibition of a modern African painter at the Art Institute. 

The museum vividly describes his work as, “an aesthetic defined by a dense assembly of figures; phantasmagoric depictions of animals, humans, and supernatural creatures; and a palette of both bright and dark colors.”

“Our exhibition is looking at the early part of his career alongside the backdrop of the social, cultural and political conditions in Mozambique that in some ways he was commentating on,” Felicia Valentine Mings, Academic Curator, Department of Academic Engagement and Research, told Forbes.com. “It’s a tumultuous moment as it was the height of the anti-colonial struggle.”

The exhibition covers the period 1959-1975, 1975 being the year Mozambique was finally granted independence from Portugal, one of the last African nations to realize its freedom from colonial rule. 

Malangatana’s unforgettably gruesome figures fall nicely into an art historical through line connecting him to Hieronymus Bosch, Goya and Dali. 

“He would have most likely absorbed some of that material while also really looking to his Ronga cultural background and bringing in the monstrous forms, the dense composition, the fantastic themes pulling from culture and folk lore and bringing that together,” Mings said. “It’s really exciting to think about how we can see his work in dialogue with modern African artists who were practicing on the continent at that time as well as European artists who we see resonance with.”

“Malangatana: Mozambique Modern” is on view through November 16. 

Richard Hunt’s exhibition is tentatively set for an opening date of September 18, 2020, followed by Bisa Butler on November 14th. In 2021, both the Joseph Yoakum and Obama portrait exhibits are scheduled to debut in June.

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Reposted from Artnet News

Last week, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art revealed on Instagram that a mother duck had moved in, and was currently nesting on the Cantor Roof Garden, which is home (under normal circumstances) to a seasonal contemporary art installation and a pricey bar.

The museum quickly got in touch with the New York City Parks Department about relocating the mother and her forthcoming ducklings down to Central Park, but also invited art lovers to suggest names for the animal while she was visiting. (Candidates include “Friduck Kahlo,” “Leonora Quackington,” the gender-bending “Quackson Pollock,” and “Maduck X.”)

The duck family will likely have moved on by the time the museum reopens August 29, but as it turns out, they aren’t the only animals on the premises: several fish live in the koi pond in the museum’s Astor Court.

That makes the Met something of a rarity—lots of museums have famous masterpieces, but it is far rarer to boast animals in residence.

Here are a few of our favorite animals that can be found at institutions across the US. (Cultured animals overseas include the Tate Modern’s resident parking lot cat, Mildred, in London and Gli the cat at the Hagia Sophia, who will remain even as the museum transitions back into a mosque.)

RILEY, SCENT DOG - MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON

In 2018, the MFA Boston made an unusual hire: Riley, a 12-week-old Weimaraner puppy. The adorable canine actually belongs to Nicki Luongo, the museum’s head of protective services, who trained Riley to detect bug infestations that could endanger the museum’s collection.

Weimaraners have a strong sense of smell, making them well-suited to the task of identifying test—a task that has even inspired a children’s book.

Even with the museum currently closed, “Riley is still working hard,” a museum spokesperson told Artnet News in an email. “He’s mostly behind the scenes, but before closure he would occasionally interact with the public. Nicki does demonstrations with him sniffing out hidden pests and always includes tips on owning a dog safely.”

DONKEYS - MAGAZZINO ITALIAN ART, COLD SPRING, NEW YORK

In 2017, husband and wife collectors Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu unveiled Magazzino, a new museum dedicated to their collection contemporary Italian art in Cold Spring, New York.

The couple already had a home and artist residency program with a working farm in nearby Garrison, so when the art space opened, they moved over a quartet of Sardinian donkeys—Dina, Donna, Donatella, and Dino—to go with the art.

“In Sardinia, people use donkeys widely to assist with farming–they almost function as a tractor would, but they have the added benefit of being such friendly, loving animals,” Spanu, who grew up on the Italian island, told Artnet News. “Having the donkeys around brings back memories of my childhood.”

The donkeys live an idyllic life on the property’s rolling hills, he added, running around in the mornings, greeting visitors throughout the day, and enjoying organic meals of hay and barely each night. Museum shuttle driver Jay Nicholas, who visited the animals during lockdown, playing for them on guitar, also regularly brushes the donkeys—”which they love,” said Spanu.

PERILLA AND CLEOME, GARDEN CATS - PHILBROOK MUSEUM OF ART, TULSA

Keep your eye out for a pair of cats prowling the gardens at the Philbrook Museum. Perilla and the youngster Cleome, who was dropped off a the museum as a kitten, are always willing to pose for photos or accept a good cat scratch from visitors. And the human staff are more than happy to share their space with feline workers.

“They help with pest control and the guests love them,” boasts the museum website. “Our cats live a lavish life with heat in the winter and A/C in the summer.”

And with museums struggling financially this year thanks to months-long closures, the industrious duo “recently started dealing catnip to the neighborhood cats to help the museum’s bottom line,” wrote the Philbrook on Instagram. “We didn’t ask them to do this, but we are impressed.”

EMMA, DOCENT DOG - UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI’S MUSEUM OF ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY, COLUMBIA

Emma, a standard poodle, is the official canine tour guide and ambassador for the University of Missouri’s Museum of Art and Archaeology. Quite possibly the country’s first dog museum docent, 11-year-old Emma was trained for her duties from puppyhood by her owner, museum volunteer Kathryn Lucas.

A hit with museum visitors of all stripes—from university medical residents in the museum’s Art in Medicine Experience Program to school children on field trips—Emma represents a welcome exception from museum prohibitions against touching.

When stressed out med students “are greeted by a waggy-tail, grinning poodle, they visibly relax and invariably stroke her fur in response to her doggy smiles,” Lucas told Artnet News in an email. “Many continue to randomly pet her as we progress through the session, appearing to be soothed by the feel of her fur.”

POLYDACTYL CATS - ERNEST HEMINGWAY HOME AND MUSEUM, KEY WEST

The Ernest Hemingway Museum pays tribute to the great American writer, but its also well known for its large population of six-toed cats, said to be descended from Hemingway’s own cat, Snowball.

The cats, typically named after celebrities, became so well known that they actually attracted the attention of the Department of Agriculture—a lawsuit at the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit found in 2012 that the agency had the power to regulate the museum’s popular polydactyl felines.

Today, the museum’s cats boast over 15,000 Instagram followers who enjoy watching their leisurely life by the pool, hanging out with visiting iguanas, and celebrating guest’s birthdays.

VARIOUS ANIMAL AMBASSADORS - RANDALL MUSEUM, SAN FRANCISCO

The Randall Museum bills itself as “a natural history museum, science museum, and arts center in one,” but it’s also part zoo, thanks to some 100 resident “animal ambassadors” that help teach visitors about local wildlife and conservation.

The resident critters range from a cuddly domestic rabbit to a barn owl to a desert hairy scorpion. Much of the museum’s animal population is made up of rescued creatures.

“Different rehabilitation centers all over California (and beyond) have the Randall Museum on a list of potential places that may be able to house animals that have been injured or can not survive in the wild,” Genevieve Antaky, a representative of the museum, told Artnet News in an email.

Among visitor favorites is the raccoon that joined the crew in 2013. Some media reports have referred to him as Edward, but the museum has a strict policy against naming wild animals, to avoid anthropomorphizing them.

Instead, the museum strives to replicate the animals’ natural environment, to teach visitors about California’s different habitats, from the desert to chaparral to forests to urban areas.

HONORABLE MENTION: GOATS GETTY CENTER, LOS ANGELES

The J. Paul Getty Museum has to pay close attention to clearing the brush on its 110-acre hillside campus ahead of California’s fire season each year. In 2007 and 2008, those efforts including bringing in a fleet of goats to graze on flammable brush—a much cuter alternative to chainsaws, not to mention more environmentally friendly.

The goats came with their own goatherd, Hugh Bunten, and his dogs Steve and Boo, who protected the flock from coyotes while living in a tent on the Getty grounds. (The Getty hired the goats through Bunten’s company, a “vegetative management company” based in Oregon.)

Unfortunately for goat lovers, the Getty has relied on more conventional means of brush-clearing in the years since. “There are companies who bring flocks of goats to different locations, they graze awhile and then move on to the next gig,” Getty press rep Julie Jaskol told Artnet News in an email. “Not like we had on-staff goats.  Alas, we haven’t had them back!”

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Reposted from Pinnacol Assurance

It’s hot, with record highs already this month, and you want your employees to stay comfortable while they work. That usually means running the air conditioning.

But nothing is playing out like usual this summer. The COVID-19 pandemic has raised new safety concerns, with business owners second-guessing all their regular summer behaviors. You may wonder, is it OK to use air conditioning at work or could it help spread coronavirus?

The experts we spoke with agreed you can run it, if you are careful. Joan Brown, CIH, ARM, an industrial hygienist at Pinnacol, notes that while researchers have raised concerns about air conditioning safety, workplaces that take proper precautions can maintain a healthy work environment using the building ventilation system.

“Supplying fresh outdoor air, increasing outdoor air exchange rates and improving central air filtration are important factors in controlling the spread of the virus,” she says.

Mike Van Dyke, PhD, CIH, associate professor at the Center for Health, Work & Environment at the Colorado School of Public Health, identifies airflow direction (blowing air from one person in the direction of others) as a key to using AC safely.

“This directional air flow could theoretically increase the distance that COVID-containing droplets travel from person to person. Employers should be thinking about airflow direction in how they locate employees in the workplace — this includes both air conditioning (and heating) supply vents and the use of portable fans,” Van Dyke says. “In most commercial buildings, turning off a central air conditioning system would be counterproductive.”

He says there is limited evidence that HVAC systems spread coronavirus. One recent study tied an outbreak in China to air conditioning in a restaurant, and researchers concluded that the most likely cause was droplet transmission. Van Dyke cautions that the research has limitations. “The article that everyone is referencing regarding COVID-19 and air conditioners provides limited evidence due to small numbers and an incomplete evaluation of the air conditioning system,” he says.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has endorsed continued use of air conditioning, saying companies should also consider the risks of not keeping employees cool. A statement on its website says, “Unconditioned spaces can cause thermal stress to people that may be directly life threatening and that may also lower resistance to infection.”

To use your AC safely in the next few months, Brown suggests following these tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Increase ventilation rates.
• Ensure ventilation systems operate properly and provide acceptable indoor air quality for the current occupancy level for each space.
• Increase outdoor air ventilation, using caution in highly polluted areas. With a lower occupancy level in the building, this increases the effective dilution ventilation per person.
• Disable demand-controlled ventilation (DCV).
• Further open minimum outdoor air dampers (as high as 100%) to reduce or eliminate recirculation.
• Improve central air filtration to the MERV-13 rating or the highest compatible with the filter rack, and seal edges of the filter to limit bypass.
• Check filters to ensure they are within service life and appropriately installed.
• Keep systems running longer hours — 24/7 if possible — to enhance air exchanges in the building space.

Research on COVID-19 is evolving quickly, and guidance can change just as fast. 

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Reposted from Artnet News

Protesters wearing masks gathered outside Tate Modern this morning in protest of the London gallery’s plan to cut some 200 jobs.

Demonstrators were out in force on Monday, July 27, as the London gallery reopened its doors to the public for the first time in four months, including members of the PCS union who work in the gallery’s commercial arm, Tate Enterprise, where some 200 commercial jobs from retail to publishing to catering, are at risk.

“Today’s protest shows our members’ determination to save jobs and protect a culturally iconic site,” the union’s general secretary Mark Serwotka tells Artnet News.

The gallery, which was widely praised for setting a good example in the beginning of the coronavirus crisis after committing to paying all of its commercial staff through the end of April is now planning to cut jobs, which unions and Black Lives Matter demonstrators say will disproportionately affect its Black and minority ethnic staff.

The PCS union, one of the UK’s largest trade unions, has asked that the gallery invest 10 percent of an anticipated £7 million ($9 million) government bailout to save these jobs. “This would be a good start in showing that Black lives, and Black and minority ethnic workers, truly matter to the Tate,” it said.

The union is currently balloting its members over whether to take strike action over the museums’ plans. In a statement, it says it hopes the protest actions draw attention to the massive job losses at Tate as well as other cultural institutions including Southbank Center, home to London’s Hayward Gallery, where some 400 job cuts are on the table.

The union’s general secretary says it will support its members whatever they decide to do, including a prolonged strike action. “It is staggering that after receiving a £7 million grant from the government, Tate has decided to treat loyal staff who support some of our country’s most important cultural sites, with redundancy,” Serworka says. 

The union also says that the recent government announcement of a £1.57 billion ($2 billion) investment into the culture sector, while welcome, “falls woefully short of the needs of the sector.”

A Tate spokeswoman clarified that the planned redundancies will “affect all levels of staff” in Tate Enterprises, adding that Tate has already allocated £5 million ($6.4 million) from its reserves to support its commercial arm, and that the yet to be determined sum that it will receive from the government “will be used to offset loss of revenue from ticket sales and the drop in footfall at the gallery.” The directors of Tate Enterprises, Hamish Anderson and Carmel Allen, said in a joint statement that no official decision on redundancies has yet been made, and that they are consulting with staff and working hard to retain as many workers as possible.

The gallery is facing further criticism after a photograph of one of its patrons, Anthony d’Offay, holding a doll depicting a racist caricature, resurfaced online last week. D’Offay sold Tate and National Gallery Scotland the majority of a multimillion-pound collection to create their Artist Rooms.

The gallery said in a statement on Friday that it cut ties with d’Offay in 2017, amid allegations of abuse and sexual misconduct (which d’Offay denies). “We do not condone racist imagery, abuse or discrimination inside Tate, our galleries, or digital platforms,” Tate said, adding that it still does not have “any active involvement” with d’Offay. However, critics point out that it has yet to remove d’Offay’s name, which is displayed on the walls at the Turbine Hall.

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