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This art museum has a new home for its Picassos: The women’s bathroom

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This art museum has a new home for its Picassos: The women’s bathroom


A private museum in Australia has moved part of its collection, including several Picassos, to a ladies restroom after a court ruled that displaying them in a female-only Ladies Lounge was discriminatory to men.

The American artist behind the lounge, Kirsha Kaechele, is appealing a court decision handed down in April after a man complained about being refused entry to the exhibit at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Hobart because of his gender.

In the meantime, Kaechele, who is married to the museum’s owner, says she did “a little redecorating.”

“I thought a few of the bathrooms in the museum could do with an update … Some cubism in the cubicles. So I’ve relocated the Picassos,” she said in an email shared by a spokeswoman, Sara Gates-Matthews.

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The lounge was a conceptual artwork that, as The Washington Post reported previously, only allowed one man inside: the butler who served women fancy high teas. It has been closed since the state of Tasmania’s civil and administrative tribunal gave the museum 28 days to stop refusing entry based on gender.

Kaechele is considering several other possible workarounds to the court ruling.

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The law states that there are certain grounds for denying access based on gender, such as in a religious institution where the religious doctrines require it, in the case of single-gender schools, and in some types of shared accommodation.

“We’ll get the Lounge open again as a church / school / boutique glamping accommodation,” Kaechele said in a social media post on Monday.

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Last month, she suggested the Ladies Lounge could become a place to do Bible study — saying that the Bible includes both “inspiring perspectives” and “challenging concepts,” particularly in regard to women “as with all great art.” On Sundays, she proposed “we would open [the Lounge] to men” for “personal enrichment and meditation” in the form of ironing and folding laundry.

“As our work continues on Section 26 of the Anti-Discrimination Act, ladies can take a break and enjoy some quality time in the Ladies Room,” Kaechele said in an email Tuesday.

Previously, the museum’s restrooms were all unisex.

During the tribunal hearing, Kaechele said the practice of requiring women to drink in ladies lounges rather than public bars only ended in parts of Australia in 1970 and that, in practice, exclusion of women in public spaces continues. “Over history, women have seen significantly fewer interiors,” she wrote in her witness statement.

The Tasmanian museum, billed by its wealthy owner David Walsh as a “subversive adult Disneyland,” has a history of unusual — and sometimes controversial — exhibitions.

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This month it is exhibiting the world’s only copy of Wu-Tang Clan’s mythical 2015 album “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin,” which is not available to stream in full anywhere online.

Its collection includes a wall of sculpted vulvas and a machine that mimics human digestion, complete with odors, from chewing to defecation.

“I actually think the lawsuit is a blessing in disguise,” Kaechele wrote in an interview posted on the museum’s webpage last month. She added that it “encourages us to move beyond the simple pleasures of champagne and expensive art.”

Frances Vinall and Leo Sands contributed to this report.





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Man charged with shooting co-worker in Washington Heights

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Man charged with shooting co-worker in Washington Heights


A 26-year-old man had an argument with a co-worker before allegedly fatally shooting the colleague in Washington Heights, prosecutors said Friday.

Bobby Martin, who was charged with first-degree murder Thursday, made his first appearance Friday in Cook County court.

Martin, is accused of killing his co-worker, Antoine Alexander, 32, in a parking lot at 9411 S Ashland Ave about 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, according to Chicago police.

Prosecutors said Martin and Alexander worked together at an armed security company and got into a verbal altercation inside the guard shack on Tuesday afternoon. During the altercation, prosecutors said Alexander removed his bullet proof vest and threw it to the ground. A witness, another co-worker, then told the defendant and the victim to take the altercation outside.

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After stepping outside, the defendant pulled his firearm and fired one shot into the victims abdomen, prosecutors said. The victim’s firearm was holstered at the time of the argument and the shooting. The defendant fled the scene and came into contact with another co-worker, whom he told that he had just shot Alexander.

Alexander was then taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead.

Martin was arrested by authorities three blocks from his home approximately 20 minutes after the shooting, prosecutors said.

Martin was detained and will appear in court again on March 17, authorities said.

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Washington Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury announces she’s pregnant

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Washington Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury announces she’s pregnant


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Washington Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury has announced that she and her husband Matt are expecting a baby in July.

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The couple made the announcement in a video on the Spirit’s social media channels, holding a baby goalkeeper jersey on the pitch at Audi Field.

Kingsbury becomes the most recent Spirit star to go on maternity leave, following defender Casey Krueger, midfielder Andi Sullivan and forward Ashley Hatch.

Sullivan gave birth to daughter Millie in July, while Hatch welcomed her son Leo in January.

Krueger announced she was pregnant with her second child in October.

Kingsbury has served as the Spirit’s starting goalkeeper since 2018, and has been named the NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year twice (2019 and 2021).

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The 34-year-old has two caps with the U.S. women’s national team, and was named to the 2023 World Cup roster.

The club captain will leave a major void for the Spirit, who have finished as NWSL runner-up in back-to-back seasons.

Sandy MacIver and Kaylie Collins are expected to compete for the starting role while Kingsbury is on maternity leave.

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The Spirit kick off their 2026 campaign on March 13 against the Portland Thorns.





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Washington state board awards Yakima $985,600 loan for Sixth Avenue project design

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Washington state board awards Yakima 5,600 loan for Sixth Avenue project design


Yakima could soon take a major step toward redesigning Sixth Avenue after the Washington State Public Works Board awarded the city a $985,600 loan.

The loan was approved for the design engineering phase of the Sixth Avenue project. The funding can also be used along Sixth Avenue for utility replacement and updated ADA use.

The Yakima City Council must decide whether to accept the award. If the council accepts it, the city’s engineering work will move forward with the design of Sixth Avenue.

The cost of installing trolley lines is excluded from the plan. The historic trolleys would need to raise the funds required to add trolley lines.

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The award is scheduled to be discussed during next week’s City Council meeting.



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