In January, Nora Lawrence will take over Storm King Art Center as its executive director.

Storm King Art Center has appointed Nora Lawrence as its first executive director outside the founding family, marking a generational shift as the institution celebrates its 65th anniversary. Lawrence, who has served as artistic director and chief curator, will lead the 500-acre sculpture park into a new era with expanded accessibility, a $53 million campus upgrade, and upcoming exhibitions, including Sonia Gomes’s U.S. solo debut. 

Judy Garland’s red slippers from The Wizard of Oz sold for $32 million at auction in Austin.

Judy Garland’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz sold for a record-breaking $32.5 million at auction, surpassing initial estimates of $10 million within seconds of bidding. The slippers, recovered by the FBI in 2018 after being stolen from a Minnesota museum in 2005, now hold the title of the most expensive piece of movie memorabilia ever auctioned. 

Samanta Helou Hernandez’s Stripper Co-Op photo essay advocates for sex workers.

A photo essay by Samanta Helou Hernandez highlights the Strippers’ Co-op in Los Angeles, exploring how strippers are reshaping their industry through collective ownership and equity. By pairing intimate backstage portraits with dynamic performance shots, the series emphasizes individuality while challenging stereotypes about sex work. The project, created in collaboration with a podcast on labor rights in the sex industry, envisions strip clubs as empowering spaces where performers reclaim agency over their work and identities.

Sotheby’s New York stages a landmark auction of Louis Poulsen’s most rare lighting.

Security guards at the Seattle Art Museum have been on strike since November 29 after failing to reach an agreement on their first union contract, following more than two years of negotiations. Represented by SAM VSO, the workers are demanding higher wages, improved health care, restored retirement benefits, and protections against union-busting. 

Sotheby’s New York stages a landmark auction of Louis Poulsen’s most rare lighting.

John Galliano will leave Maison Margiela after a decade-long tenure, during which the brand saw rapid growth and elevated artistic acclaim. Galliano’s creative stewardship was marked by theatrical innovation and gender-fluid designs, helping Margiela achieve a 22 percent sales increase in 2023, even as the luxury market softened. While Galliano has not disclosed his next move, speculation suggests a possible return to LVMH, where key positions, including at Fendi, remain open.

Today’s attractive distractions:

Budget cuts seem to spell trouble at the U.K.’s Alan Turing AI research institute.

We didn’t have a sick Squid Game Puma sneaker collab on our 2024 bingo card. 

After a year and half of the Eras tour, Taylor Swift’s red lipstick is back in stock. 

This year, Design Miami received Rihanna and A$AP Rocky’s stamp of approval.