Day by day digest: KAWS reveals in Fortnite, shopping for an previous Staten Island ferry is a foul concept, and extra

Good morning and welcome back to another aggregation of what’s going on in the world today.

Here’s what you need to know:

KAWS is exhibiting at the Serpentine Galleries and Fortnite simultaneously

Street and vinyl artist KAWS is currently exhibiting his first major solo show in London at the Serpentine Galleries, but for those who can’t go see New Fiction in person, it’s also on display virtually in massively popular third-person shooter Fortnite.

The retrospective brings together 20 paintings and sculptures on loan from private collections, and although the real-world version of the exhibition is getting withering reviews from unimpressed art writers, Fortnite players are seemingly being more forgiving. If you want to check out the digital recreation of the Serpentine yourself and snag a KAWS skeleton skin for your avatar, the show runs through today, January 25, but will be available to tour forever if you have the correct island code (which you can find here).

Although New Fiction marks the first time a real-world art venue has been brought into Fortnite, it’s become a hot spot for interactive concerts and (infamously) movie preview debuts.

H/t to Artnet News

Colin Jost and Pete Davidson bought a Staten Island Ferry but might have bitten off more than they can chew

If you have $280,000 lying around, there might be a better use for it than buying a decommissioned Staten Island Ferry. At least that’s what Curbed is arguing after comedians Colin Jost and Pete Davidson did just that. The pair of SNL players and Paul Italia, owner of comedy club the Stand, purchased the 77-foot-long, 57-year-old John F. Kennedy ferry earlier this week with plans to repurpose the boat into a floating club.

But even though the trio admitted that the renovation will cost millions and won’t be completed any time soon, history hasn’t been kind to prospective ferry conversions. The trio will have to deal with docking fees, loads of maintenance, and the final result will likely need to be permanently docked as the engines are likely ruined.

H/t to Curbed

Michigan State University selects SmithGroup to design its new multicultural center

Michigan State University has tapped the Detroit-headquartered SmithGroup to design its new $34 million multicultural center for the school’s East Lansing, Michigan, campus. The 40,000-square-foot center will help students examine identity, diversity, and social justice, and how each interacts—ultimately empowering students to direct positive change.

“We are honored to be selected to design this historically significant space with the MSU community for future generations of Spartans,” said SmithGroup Principal-in-Charge Tricia Beck, in the announcement. “Our dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion is indicated in our team, our practices and our dedication to working with local and minority-owned partners.”

H/t to MSU Today

Clive Wilkinson laments on his role in building the sprawling Googleplex

Google’s sprawling Mountain View, California, headquarters, cut the template for “fun” tech headquarters when it opened in 2004. The internal, multistory slide; swimming pools; parks; full laundry and meal services—you get the picture. Now, Clive Wilkinson, who helped master plan the cutely-named Googleplex has voiced his regrets, telling NPR that the generous perks, supplementation of at-home services, and private transportation services have left employees “tethered” to the office.

Wilkinson lamented that by aggregating all of these services at Google, it drained the actual neighborhoods where the employees lived of demand and left them dependent on the tech giant’s whims. And with Google trying to lure its workers back to the office, it’s free to ramp the level of benefits up or down as it sees fit.

H/t to NPR

A ground-up 15-minute community is planned for Draper, Utah

The Point, a new ground-up community master-planned by SOM, will touch down in Draper, Utah, across a car-free quarter-square-mile site. The site is owned by the state of Utah and the Point of the Mountain State Land Authority is currently selecting a developer for the project, which is likely to break ground in 2024.

H/t to Archinect

The U.K.’s first LGBTQ museum will open in London

The first museum in the U.K. dedicated wholly to LGBTQ+ history and culture is coming to London, first as a pop-up and later as a permanent institution. Charity Queer Britain is set to take over the first floor of the Art Fund building in Granary Square and will announce its first exhibitions soon, but promises a rotating collection that will put vulnerable communities front and center in the public eye. Queer Britain will remain at the Art Fund building for two years, after which the charity is hoping to find a permanent venue to call home.

H/t to the Evening Standard