The Teiger Foundation has announced its largest grant allocation to date, awarding $7 million to 85 curators working at more than 60 institutions across the United States and Puerto Rico. This marks the third year of the foundation's groundbreaking initiative, which remains the only program in the country dedicated exclusively to supporting curators and their professional development.
The 2025 grants represent nearly double the funding provided last year, with individual awards ranging from $50,000 to $150,000. These grants will support a wide range of curatorial activities including research projects, exhibitions, and multi-year programming initiatives. Notable upcoming shows funded by these grants include exhibitions on Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, L.V. Hull, and Rodney McMillian.
The foundation's awards particularly emphasize projects that highlight previously overlooked archives and underrepresented perspectives. This year's recipients will work on projects spanning Indigenous histories, queer narratives, and regional as well as diasporic cultural networks, reflecting the foundation's commitment to diversifying museum programming and scholarship.
In other cultural news, the fashion journalism world is mourning the loss of Michael Coady, former editor-in-chief of Women's Wear Daily (WWD) and W magazine, who passed away at age 86 on August 24. Former colleagues at WWD remembered Coady as both "exhilarating" and "unapologetic" in his approach to fashion journalism.
During his three decades at Fairchild Publications, Coady transformed WWD into a dominant force in fashion journalism while navigating the industry's evolving relationship with celebrity culture. Former staff members described him as a fierce newsman whose sharp critiques and exceptionally high standards pushed generations of journalists to excel. Despite his reputation for having a quick temper and theatrical newsroom presence that became legendary among staff, colleagues also remembered him as deeply supportive and a leader who stood by his team during both personal and professional crises.
Meanwhile, Sotheby's is making significant strides in the Middle East art market with its first-ever auction series in Abu Dhabi, scheduled for December. The four-day event, branded as "Abu Dhabi Collectors Week," represents a major milestone in the emirate's ambitious push to establish itself as a global hub for art and luxury goods.
The auction series will feature sales across multiple luxury categories including jewelry, rare watches, supercars, and high-end real estate. The timing is strategically planned to coincide with Abu Dhabi's Formula 1 Grand Prix and Finance Week, maximizing attendance from international collectors and investors. Star lots for the auction include a 2010 Aston Martin One-77, a Pagani Zonda 760 Riviera, and an impressive diamond collection valued at more than $20 million.
This move follows Abu Dhabi's significant investment in Sotheby's last year and builds upon the emirate's broader cultural development strategy. The region has been actively developing its cultural infrastructure with projects including the acclaimed Louvre Abu Dhabi and the highly anticipated Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, which is expected to open soon.
In domestic policy news, the White House has issued a new mandate requiring all future federal buildings to adopt neoclassical and traditional architectural styles. The executive order, titled "Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again," specifically mandates the use of styles including Greek Revival, Beaux-Arts, and Spanish Colonial for government construction projects.
The directive applies to courthouses, federal agency headquarters, and other public buildings with construction budgets exceeding $50 million. It explicitly rejects modernist architectural approaches such as Brutalism and Deconstructivism, instead encouraging architects to draw inspiration from classical figures including Andrea Palladio, Christopher Wren, and American architect Julia Morgan. This order updates the 1962 Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture and follows similar architectural mandates issued in 2020 and January 2025.
The luxury retail sector continues to face significant challenges, as evidenced by Montreal-based fashion retailer SSENSE filing for bankruptcy protection. The company made this move just months after implementing layoffs that affected 100 employees, citing the severe impact of new tariffs and shipping restrictions on their business model.
SSENSE directly attributed their financial difficulties to escalating cross-border shipping costs, noting that Canada now faces a 35 percent tariff on shipments to the United States. Additionally, the closure of the de minimis loophole, which previously allowed duty-free shipping on packages valued under $800, has further strained the company's finances. The company stated that its primary lender pushed it into proceedings under Canada's Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act, a legal process that allows for corporate restructuring while maintaining ongoing operations.
This filing underscores the broader crisis currently affecting multi-brand luxury retail operations worldwide. The sector has witnessed several high-profile casualties, including the complete shutdown of Matches, the fire-sale acquisition of Farfetch, and Luisaviaroma's own recent filing for court protection, indicating systemic challenges facing online luxury retailers in the current economic climate.
