Denver Museum Workers Ratify Historic Union Contract; Dallas Mural Lawsuit Hits $25M
Workers at the Denver Art Museum just approved their first-ever union contract after almost two years of talks. This three-year deal enhances employee rights and is part of a larger trend of labor movements in museums, spanning from the Seattle Art Museum to the Guggenheim. In Dallas, artist Robert Wyland filed a lawsuit against FIFA, aiming for at least $25 million over the damage to his whale mural from 1999, referencing the Visual Artists Rights Act. Meanwhile, the Menil Collection in Houston plans to transform its Fresco Building into a new art venue, set to debut in late 2027 with a five-year project by Teresita Fernández. Other highlights include the Phoenix Art Museum's acquisition of a triptych by Cara Romero and various grants awarded to artists across the Southwest.
Key facts
- Denver Art Museum Workers United ratified the first union contract for museum employees in Colorado after nearly two years of negotiations.
- Robert Wyland sued FIFA and other parties for at least $25 million over the painting over of his 1999 whale mural in Dallas.
- The Menil Collection will repurpose its Fresco Building into a new art space opening in late 2027 with a five-year installation by Teresita Fernández.
- Phoenix Art Museum acquired Cara Romero's commissioned triptych 'Coyote Appears at Muhaḍagĭ Doʼag (Greasy Mountain)' and received 185 Indigenous artworks from the William P. Healey Collection.
- MOCA Tucson named eight 2026 Night Bloom grantees, each receiving $7,500.
- Creative Capital awarded Santa Fe writer Samantha Burns the inaugural State of the Art Prize with a $10,000 grant.
- Jordan Ann Craig received a VIA Art Fund grant for a 900-square-foot mural at the Memphis Art Museum.
- The Contemporary at Blue Star in San Antonio marked its fortieth anniversary with exhibitions and a new river-facing mural.
- Material gallery in South Salt Lake announced leadership transition with Molly Heller joining Jorge Rojas as co-owner and co-director.
- Shelle VanEtten de Sanchez was honored with a pavilion named for her and a national award from Americans for the Arts.
- Jessica Fuentes will depart Glasstire to become ACLU of Texas's inaugural artist engagement manager.
- Untitled Art, Houston announced its second edition with ninety-five galleries from twenty countries at the George R. Brown Convention Center, October 2-4, 2026.
Entities
Artists
- Robert Wyland
- Miranda July
- Teresita Fernández
- Cara Romero
- Samantha Burns
- Jordan Ann Craig
- Jorge Rojas
- Colour Maisch
- Molly Heller
- Maurice de Vlaminck
- André Derain
- Shelle VanEtten de Sanchez
- Jessica Fuentes
- Lucia Simek
- Jill Desmond
- Carin Silkaitis
- Christine Crame Brindza
Institutions
- Denver Art Museum Workers United
- Denver Art Museum
- Seattle Art Museum
- Guggenheim
- FIFA
- Aspen Art Museum
- Art Center of Western Colorado
- Albuquerque Museum
- Menil Collection
- Untitled Art, Houston
- George R. Brown Convention Center
- Contemporary at Blue Star
- Material
- Phoenix Art Museum
- MOCA Tucson
- Creative Capital
- VIA Art Fund
- Memphis Art Museum
- Western New Mexico University Museum
- Museum of Northern Arizona
- New Mexico Historic Sites
- American Association for State and Local History
- McNay Art Museum
- Robertson Foundation
- Albuquerque Department of Arts & Culture
- Americans for the Arts
- Glasstire
- ACLU of Texas
- Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art
- Breck Create
- Institute of American Indian Arts
- MoCNA
- University of Alaska Southeast
- San Antonio Museum of Art
- Tucson Museum of Art
- Southwest Contemporary
Locations
- Denver
- Colorado
- Dallas
- Houston
- Aspen
- Grand Junction
- Albuquerque
- San Antonio
- South Salt Lake
- Utah
- Phoenix
- Tucson
- Santa Fe
- New Mexico
- Memphis
- Silver City
- Boulder
- North Boulder
- Texas
- Seattle
- New York