What’s Happening: Hudson Valley’s sprawling museum and sculpture park recently unveiled an amorphous brick installation by Martin Puryear—and $45 million in planned renovations to benefit visitors and exhibiting artists alike.

The Download: Is it a Croc? Or perhaps a thumb? Martin Puryear’s latest feat, a site-specific installation located on the sprawling, 500-acre grounds of Storm King Art Center, is neither. Puryear described Lookout as more akin to a “grotto” or a “brick pouch.” His first work in brick has come together decades after first broaching the idea of a permanent work with former Storm King director David Collens. In the intervening years, the New York–based sculptor has accrued a multitude of honors and recognition for his work: a 2011 Medal of Arts and exhibitions of MoMA, the National Gallery of Art, and Smithsonian American Art Museum. In 2019, he represented the United States at the 58th Venice Biennale.

Set among the picturesque Hudson Highlands about an hour outside of Manhattan, Storm King gives visitors a multidimensional lesson in scale; Puryear’s Lookout is no exception. Critics have pointed out that themes of shelter, African American history, and a balance between representation and abstraction have permeated his practice from the beginning, and Lookout brings it all together in a fantastical way. Nubian vaulting, an ancient bricklaying technique developed in Egypt, gives the structure its concave shape and cathedral-like pitch. Inside, 90 circular openings impart the tantalizing illusion of peering into another universe.

The installation—a major moment for both artist and institution—comes at a moment that sees the art center proactively planning for its longevity. In the spring of 2024, the museum plans to welcome artists and enthusiasts alike to an expanded campus: a collaborative effort between WXY Architects, Ireland’s Heneghan Peng Architects, Reed Hilderbrand, and Gustafson Porter + Bowman. The capital project touches on a number of additions and renovations, among them building 12 more acres of exhibition space, a facility for sculpture maintenance and repair, and, with any luck, easily accessible indoor plumbing.

In their Own Words: “We’re really excited to have a space that feels like it’s up to what we’re asking from our artists,” says Nora Lawrence, the art center’s creative director and chief curator. “We can show visitors more of what we can do. That’s why the capital project is so important. We want this place to provide a public service.”

Surface Says: As any art-inclined New Yorker knows, there’s nothing like A Summer Night at Storm King.

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Florence Knoll’s sharp design acumen cemented her namesake company as an international arbiter of style and design, defining the standard for postwar America’s corporate interiors with modern notions of efficiency and space planning. Some of the luminary’s best designs, however, are still hiding in the archives. That’s precisely the case for the Model 31 lounge chair and Model 33 sofa, both of which were taken out of production in 1968 so Knoll could prioritize panel-based office systems. In a tribute to Florence Knoll’s lasting legacy, both pieces are being reissued.

“Model 31 and Model 33 are well-proportioned, rectilinear forms that serve as vehicles for textile and color within interiors,” says Jonathan Olivares, Knoll’s senior vice president of design. The lightweight yet sturdy pieces, an early example of Knoll experimenting with tubular steel frames, are now available to upholster in a wider range of textiles, from colorful weaves to durable leathers and vinyl. “This reissue underscores how considered reduction stands the test of time,” Olivares continues. “We’re thrilled to make these archival pieces available to the public.”

Growing up between Long Island and New York City sparked Shaina Tabak’s early fascination in how the natural and built environments—and the materials contained within—can coalesce to generate moments of intrigue. Formally trained in drawing and painting, the Queens-based artist now applies her interests to making sculptural furniture, a selection of which is currently on view at Superhouse, that incorporates flatness and linework while subverting particular materials from their common uses.

Our weekly roundup of the internet’s most preposterous headlines, from the outrageous to the outright bizarre.

Man Visits Toronto Zoo and Canada’s Wonderland Between Killing Spree [Complex]

Widow of Man Who Died Driving Off Collapsed Bridge Sues Google for Directing Him There [NBC]

Sam Altman Is the Oppenheimer of Our Age [The Intelligencer]

Amusement Park Ride Malfunction Leaves Guests Upside Down For Nearly Half an Hour [Cinemablend]

Florida Authorities Killed an Alligator That Was Seen With Human Remains in Its Mouth [NPR]

Peru Doctors Save Toddler Who Swallowed Eight Medical Needles [Reuters]

Sheep Wander Into Greenhouse, Eat 600 Pounds of Marijuana Plants [UPI]

When: Until Feb. 11

Where: Fondation Azzedine Alaïa, Paris

What: Azzedine Alaïa, who arrived in Paris in 1956, became a design virtuoso known for his body-hugging garments, dressing celebrities like Tina Turner and Grace Jones and propelling models like Naomi Campbell to fame. Lesser known is his role as a prolific collector of haute couture; his archive is the third largest in France and includes more than 15,000 pieces. This exhibition, held at Alaïa’s Rue de la Verrerie maison, explores the similarities between Alaïa and Madame Grés, another self-taught designer who disregarded fashion calendars, focused on monochrome palettes, and studied sculpture. It features 60 of her gowns and highlights both designers’ mastery of fabric and simplicity.

Last week, the museum rang in its 45th anniversary with a gala benefiting its extensive programming and educational initiatives. Guests mingled over botanic-infused cocktails by Greenhouse Gin. Before sitting down to dinner, partygoers crossed a threshold of projection art by Tramaine Townsend. Mid-way through the dinner, the gala’s co-chairs took to the stage to offer remarks and welcome Rebekah Bowling, the head of 21st-century art at Phillips, for an auction of works by Jonathan Gardner, Alicja Kwade, and more. From there, guests headed out into the night—or over to the museum’s after-party wing.

When was it? Sept. 22

Where was it? Dallas Contemporary

Who was there? Brandon Maxwell, Lauren Bancroft, Lele Sadoughi, Jacquelin Sewell Atkinson, William Atkinson, Jordan Jones Munoz, Carolina Alvarez-Mathies, and more.

Since 2016, Wrensilva has been producing handbuilt HiFi record consoles coveted by both design and audio connoisseurs alike. Rooted at the intersection of high design and technological innovation, Wrensilva sets a new standard for the home music experience. All Wrensilva consoles are made in San Diego with the finest American hardwoods and carefully selected materials.

Surface Says: HiFi purists know the importance of sound, but Wrensilva goes a step further by making console tables that also look worthy of your favorite records.

Artists in Montauk partake in a summer “drunk vs. stoned” soccer match.

Frank Rubio sets the U.S. record as the first man in space for a whole year.

This fierce crew of Floridian shark taggers are scientists and drag queens.

Julian Schnabel gives a nightmarish interview about his new velvet paintings.