Michael Wellen and José Luis Blondet to Curate 2027 Made in L.A. Biennial

Michael Wellen and José Luis Blondet have been selected as curators for the eighth iteration of the Made in L.A. biennial, set to debut in fall 2027 at the Hammer Museum. Wellen, who took on the role of chief curator in April, was formerly the senior curator of International Art at Tate Modern. Blondet, currently the senior curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, has a 13-year history with LACMA. Each biennial pairs a Hammer curator with an outside curator. In other news, Jessica Morgan will take over as director of Tate in 2027, succeeding Maria Balshaw. Additional appointments include Ainsley M. Cameron at Block Museum of Art and Ferran Barenblit for the 16th Shanghai Biennale. Yuko Kikuchi left the Victoria and Albert Museum, citing systemic racism. The Immigrant Artist Biennial announced its fall edition "Identity Card," featuring 18 artists such as Bahar Behbahani and Anh Vo, alongside contributors Judith Butler and Natalie Diaz. The Getty Foundation and National Trust for Historic Preservation revealed the final Conserving Black Modernism grantees in cities like Milwaukee and Houston. NYFA distributed $903,000 to 132 artists, while the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture achieved AAM accreditation. The Met introduced an AI initiative with Ask Mona, enabling visitors to interact with saint statues through QR codes.