Plans for the National Juneteenth Museum are revealed, Paris Hilton launches digital art fund with Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and Yellowstone National Park closes at the start of peak tourist season. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
National Juneteenth Museum slated to open in 2025
Rendering courtesy of BIG, KAI, and Atchain
Ahead of the Juneteenth holiday on Sunday, renderings of the forthcoming National Juneteenth Museum in Fort Worth, Texas have been revealed. Construction on the 50,000-square-foot building is set to begin in 2023 and the museum is expected to open on June 19th, 2025, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Located in the city’s Historic Southside neighborhood and designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and North Texas-based architect of record KAI Enterprises, the institution will hold exhibitions, discussions, and events that explore enslaved peoples’ path to freedom in the United States as well as the legacy of local activist Opal Lee, who is often described as the “grandmother of Juneteenth.”
Historic storms temporarily close Yellowstone National Park
The Grand Prismatic Spring Geyser at Yellowstone National Park
For the first time in more than three decades, Yellowstone National Park, which spans parts of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, closed all five of its entrances to inbound traffic on Monday, Skift reports. Heavy rains caused record flooding and rockslides in the area, which has reportedly received four times the normal amount of rainfall since the beginning of June. While park officials initially expected to reopen the 2.2-million-acre park to tourists on Wednesday, that date has since been postponed. “The closures come as Yellowstone was gearing up to celebrate its 150th anniversary year, and as local communities heavily dependent on tourism were counting on a rebound following COVID-19 travel restrictions over the past two summers,” Ruffin Prevost writes.
Space tourism remains out of reach for most
A rendering courtesy of the Voyager Station space hotel, which is expected to debut in 2027; courtesy of Orbital Assembly
Space travel has been dominating headlines in recent years. From balloon spacecrafts and the development of outer space hotels to billionaires chartering flights, space tourism has our attention—and a recent New York Times article explores what offerings are currently available and what that means now and for the future. Ted Parson, professor of environmental law at the University of California, Los Angeles, points out: “Despite extensive projections, space tourism is likely to remain a tiny fraction of commercial space exploration. It reminds me of tourism on Mt. Everest. It’s the indulgence of very rich people seeking a transcendent, once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the local environmental burden is intense.”
Paris Hilton spearheads digital art initiative
Photo courtesy of Sam sam/Flickr
Businesswoman and socialite Paris Hilton is diving further into the world of NFTs and cryptocurrency through the launch of a new acquisition fund at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The fund will acquire digital art made by female artists, reports Artnet. “As an activist and entrepreneur who likes to push the boundaries in many male-dominated fields, I immediately identified the need to support women in Web3,” Hilton said in a statement. “There are so many incredibly brilliant and creative women innovators in the space.” The museum has not disclosed how much Hilton invested in the fund.
New Illinois law broadens interior design scope
Chicago, Illinois
Just last week, the State of Illinois passed a piece of legislation that will have a great impact on the interior design industry, according to DesignWell. The passage of House Bill 4715, signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker, allows registered interior designers the ability to stamp and seal plans, thus defining them as professionals who protect and advance occupant health, safety, and wellbeing in their work. “Interior designers bring an extensive body of knowledge, experience, and care to their profession, and this legislation reaffirms their impressive qualifications,” says ASID CEO Gary Wheeler. “We are grateful to the state of Illinois for recognizing the profession’s value and empowering designers to be true custodians of health and safety in the built environment.”
