1) Instagram is Changing Art: But for Better, or Worse?

The LA Times offers an interesting look at the way Instagram is changing the art world. Increasingly, the social media platform has become a popular place for artists to not only showcase their works, but to communicate with other artists, collectors, and gallery owners. Many emerging artists, in particular, feel that Instagram is a more democratic way to get their art out there -- with plenty of examples of artists being “discovered” or getting offers for exhibitions and residencies through the app. Of course, there are plenty of criticisms, as well -- some believe Instagram is a distraction, getting in the way of the true process of creativity by forcing artists to focus on how many “likes” each image receives.

2) MCA Launches Art Library Program

Here’s a neat idea: the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, Colorado, is starting a program called the Octopus Initiative, in which local artists will create original works to be added to an “art library,” where anyone can borrow a work for up to a year. Launching on March 15th, the program is designed as a way to make art more accessible, not only as something to be seen in museums, but as something that can be shared and enjoyed in the home. Right now, only residents of Denver can apply to borrow a work, but perhaps the idea will catch on in other cities.

3) How Much do Museum Directors Need to Justify?

It’s been a year of controversy in the art world, particularly with arguments over what should and should not be shown in a gallery or, indeed, called “art.” In this article, a number of high-profile museum leaders talk about how their programming and methods have changed in the light of this “year of protest.” One thing everyone can agree on -- for the first time in decades, curators and museum directors need to be prepared to justify everything they show.

4) Dia Foundation Acquires Sun Tunnels

Finally, since yesterday was International Women’s Day, why not celebrate the Dia Art Foundation’s acquisition of Nancy Holt’s Sun Tunnels -- the foundation’s first piece of land art by a woman artist. The Sun Tunnels are currently installed in Utah’s Great Basin Desert -- another work, Holes of Light, was gifted to the Dia by the Holt-Smithson Foundation, and will be exhibited in September. Holt-Smithson’s executive director Lisa Le Feuvre says she hopes that the September exhibition will encourage more viewers to trek out into the desert to see Sun Tunnels in person.