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ast month, Amnesty International named the Cuban artists Hamlet Lavastida, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and four others as prisoners of conscience: “People imprisoned because of their political, religious or other beliefs who have not used or advocated violence.” Both artists, who are outspoken critics of government repression, have been held in maximum security prisons on trumped-up charges for several months. The statement from Amnesty is “a symbolic gesture to the many hundreds more who likely deserve the designation”, says the organisation’s Americas director, Erika Guevara Rosas, calling for the “immediate and unconditional release” of all those imprisoned.

Full-time and part-time workers at the Brooklyn Museum have voted to form a union, Local 2110 of the United Auto Workers (UAW) has announced. The vote follows successful labour organizing efforts at a range of US museums including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the New-York Historical Society, the New Museum, and the Hispanic Society of America.

After a year’s hiatus, Frieze London and Frieze Masters return to their respective tents in Regent’s Park this October, with 276 galleries from 39 counties expected to take part.