The city of Lakeland, Florida, launched its inaugural Fuego Festival, a downtown celebration dedicated to Latin culture, heritage, and the arts. Organized in part by Tony Agnello of Notta Gallery, the event features live music, local vendors, a Cuban cigar lounge, and live painting demonstrations by artists such as William Araujo.
The Newport Beach City Arts Commission has selected artists Jim Doody and Elena Kealy for upcoming solo exhibitions at the Newport Beach Central Library. Kealy, a self-taught painter and former mechanical engineer, is recognized for her whimsical, dreamlike oil paintings featuring female figures and vibrant atmospheric light, including her award-winning work "Bliss." Doody specializes in emotive depictions of the American Southwest, capturing iconic Route 66 Americana, Spanish Missions, and desert landscapes through a style that emphasizes the play of light on architecture.
Local artist is set to present a new exhibition at Studio 2880 in Prince George, with nature as the central theme of the work. The exhibit will showcase the artist's creative response to the natural environment, reflecting local landscapes and ecological inspiration.
The South County Art Association has opened its 53rd annual 'Earthworks Open Juried Clay Annual' exhibition at the Kingston gallery in Rhode Island. The show features a variety of clay-based pieces from multiple artists, celebrating the versatility of the medium.
Maine Art Collective's (MAC) Gallery in Portland, Maine, has added five new artists to its roster for the 2026 season: Ann Tracy, Bill Elinoff, Sheri Oliva, donnersmith, and Tracy Hehmeyer. The gallery, which transitioned from a pop-up to a full-time space about a year ago, now features 17 artists total. Founder Susan Vittner, an artist herself, emphasizes the gallery's mission to support emerging artists through a cooperative model where artists retain most of their profits.
The City of Gaithersburg is presenting spring art exhibitions across four of its galleries, along with the Arts Barn Spring Artisan Market. Shows include "Beyond The Canvas," a three-dimensional exhibition of relief and sculptural works by 27 artisans at the Arts Barn; the Gaithersburg Fine Arts Association’s 40th Annual Membership Juried Exhibition at Kentlands Mansion, juried by artist J. Jordan Bruns; "Big, Bold & Bright" at the Activity Center at Bohrer Park, featuring large-scale abstract works; and an Asian-influenced exhibition by the Harmonious Art Group at the Benjamin Gaither Center celebrating Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The Spring Artisan Market on April 25 will offer handcrafted gifts from local makers.
Artist Raili Jänese, an Estonian-born painter now based in Kirkland, Washington, creates colorful acrylic works that capture everyday human and animal behaviors with humor and tenderness. Her practice, which began after a corporate career, focuses on observation of mundane moments—people eating, drinking coffee, riding transit, and animals in urban settings. Her upcoming solo exhibition, "E.L.U," will be on view at Ryan James Fine Arts from May 1–31, 2025, with a Gallery Night on May 22. Jänese has shown work regionally at venues including Happy Time Studio Gallery, Oxbow Montlake, and the Seattle Art Fair, and has completed public art projects in Bellevue, Kent, Kirkland, and Seattle.
Artapolooza 2026, a regional student art exhibition organized by the Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center, took place from April 17 to 22 in Mansfield, Ohio. Over 3,000 student artists from 23 local school districts participated, with Gracie Gallaway of Crestview Senior High School winning Best of Show for her acrylic floral portrait. Other top honors included Kayla Mendez, Anastasia Stimens, and Aria Wright in the High School Division, and Eelyn Crist, Ariel Ramsey, and Olive Richards in the Middle School Division. The revived Rising Star Award was presented to Georgia Gantz of Highland High School, who received professional art supplies to support her artistic development.
A new art exhibit titled "A Refugee's Origin" opens at the Shell Gallery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, featuring nearly 30 works by artist and rheumatologist K.T. Ho. The show includes paintings, photos, and installations that trace Ho's journey from Vietnam to Louisiana, exploring family history, culture, and the experience of survival and starting over. The free exhibit runs from April 27 through May 29, 2026, with an opening reception on May 1 featuring a lion dance and food, presented in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
The Marfa Untitled Studio Tour (MarfaMUST) has announced an arts weekend on May 29-30, featuring a tour of local artist studios, the return of the Martha Invitational at Rule Gallery, and a pop-up group exhibition titled "Homecoming" at New Star Marfa. The Martha Invitational, a spoof of the larger Marfa Invitational, will showcase works by co-founders Martha Hughes, Leslie Wilkes, and Diana Simard, along with Bettina Landgrebe. The weekend also includes tintype portraits by Carolyn Macartney and other Marfa artists.
This week's Metro Detroit events guide highlights several art exhibitions and cultural happenings from April 23–30. The Elaine L. Jacob Gallery at Wayne State University presents 'Keith Haring: Subway Drawings' (April 17–August 15), featuring 25 drawings created by Haring between 1980 and 1985. Wayne State also hosts its 2026 Undergraduate Art Exhibition (April 24–May 8) showcasing student work in fine arts, art history, and design, with an opening reception on April 24. That same evening, the Wayne State University Graduate Artist Coalition holds an open studio and gallery event with live music and refreshments. Additional events include a 12-hour party at Marble Bar & Lincoln Factory, a house music event by Specter at an undisclosed location, an R&B night at Big Pink, and an Oakland University Film Showcase.
5 joyaux secrets à découvrir en Europe
L'Œil magazine has curated a list of five European cities rich in art historical treasures, highlighting hidden gems for cultural getaways. The first city profiled is Mainz, Germany, featuring the Romanesque-Gothic Mainzer Dom (Imperial Cathedral of St. Martin), the Gutenberg Museum showcasing the 42-line Bible as a landmark of printing history, and the Church of St. Stephen with its iconic blue stained-glass windows designed by Marc Chagall. The second city is Plovdiv, Bulgaria, where the old town blends ancient Roman ruins (a stadium, forum, odeon, and theater from the 2nd century) with 19th-century Bulgarian National Revival houses, such as the Balabanov, Hindliyan, and Kuyumdzhioglu houses, now converted into museums.
Carlton Gallery in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, is hosting its 43rd Winter Group and Small Works Exhibition, featuring artwork in all media by standing gallery artists. The exhibition includes paintings, sculptures, wood, glass, clay, and wearable fiber by local and regional artisans, with notable works by George Cadell, Joe Mareka, Nancy Brittelle, Valerie Schnaufer, Mary Means, Bob Meier, Eric Reichard, and others. The gallery invites visitors for holiday cheer, and the show highlights winter landscapes, abstract compositions, and handcrafted jewelry. Separately, Blowing Rock Frameworks & Gallery promotes its collection of local art and framing services, emphasizing works by Elliott Daingerfield, North Carolina's most prolific artist.
The South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC) in Chicago, the first Black art institution in the United States, is undergoing a major rehabilitation and expansion campaign. Founded in 1940 during the Chicago Black Renaissance, the center was established by community members including Dr. Margaret Taylor-Burroughs, Eldzier Cortor, Charles White, and Archibald Motley Jr., who raised funds through initiatives like the 'Mile of Dimes' campaign and the Annual Artists' and Models' Ball. Housed in a historic Bronzeville brownstone, the center has served as a vital hub for Black artists, hosting landmark exhibitions and creative programs.
A new permanent home for animation cinema, the Cité internationale du cinéma d'animation, will open in Annecy, France, on June 19, 2025, just before the annual Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Housed in a restored 19th-century horse stable (haras) listed as a historic monument, the 54-million-euro project includes a 450 m² permanent museum, a 332-seat cinema, temporary exhibition spaces, educational workshops, artist residencies, and image-education facilities. The city of Annecy contributes 30 million euros, with additional funding from the Haute-Savoie department, the state, and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Designed by architecture firm dd.a and landscape architect Philippe Deliau, the center aims to be a hybrid, year-round hub for animation, blending heritage, creation, and transmission.
McRae Art Studios, Orlando's oldest and largest professional artist collective, is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a spring open house on April 25 at its 10,000-square-foot converted garage space in urban Orlando. Founded in 1986 by George and Marty Whipple, the studio has hosted over 100 award-winning artists across five locations. The event features studio visits, original artwork sales, live music, and a cash bar, along with a new exhibition of self-portraits titled "The Faces of McRae" created by the current 22 member artists. The collective is also reorganizing as a nonprofit to strengthen the local arts community.
Louisville Metro Department of Corrections (LMDC) has partnered with the Portland Museum to display artwork created by inmates in the 'Chance 4 Change' program, a voluntary 90-day substance abuse treatment initiative. The exhibition, titled 'Human, Too,' features paper-based works by at least ten inmates and will run through the end of August, with a public reception scheduled for Friday evening.
Artist Zenia Olesnyckyj is presenting her exhibition "Impressions of Alaska" at the Gallery at the Summit Free Public Library from May 1 to June 30, 2026. The show features twenty mixed-media works inspired by the Alaskan landscape and the art of the Tlingit people, aiming to capture the grandeur and intimacy of the region through texture and color.
A plein air art contest is being held in Alton, Illinois, from May 1–31, 2026. Artists over 16 are invited to create works on-site at up to eight Rivers Project recreation areas. For a $25 submission fee, they can enter their work for prizes, and all submissions will be exhibited at the National Great Rivers Museum through August.
MixHaus Gallery in Comfort, Texas, has opened a new exhibition titled "Songs of the Ocotillo," featuring a collaboration between local poet Lucy Griffith and Marfa-based mixed-media artist Darlene Marwitz. The show, which launched on April 10, combines Griffith's poetry with Marwitz's textured artworks to explore themes of the ocotillo plant and the landscape of the southern borderlands.
Los Angeles is preparing for a major influx of cultural and sporting events, including hosting matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at SoFi Stadium and the 2028 Summer Olympics. The city is also enhancing its cultural infrastructure with new Metro stations featuring site-specific art commissions and the imminent openings of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art and the David Geffen Galleries at LACMA.
Kuala Lumpur is experiencing a wave of new museum and gallery openings in 2025, marking a significant cultural expansion for the Malaysian capital. Key developments include the Merdeka Textile Museum, set to open in August within the Merdeka 118 tower and billed as Asia's first state-of-the-art textile museum; Muara Arts, a public gallery project by Creador Foundation opening in September in the historic Medan Pasar district; and recent openings such as the heritage building Seri Negara and restored gallery spaces at Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad. These join earlier private collector-led spaces like Ur-Mu (2022), Toffee (2023), and +N (2025), as well as the established Ilham Gallery (2015).
Hōhepa Canterbury, a not-for-profit organization, will host its biennial Art and Sculptural Exhibition in Christchurch next month. The event features works from over 50 established and emerging New Zealand artists, including Renata Przynoga and Gwyn Hughes, alongside pieces created by Hōhepa residents. A VIP preview and auction will be held on May 22, followed by public exhibition days on May 23-24, with proceeds funding the organization's wellness and community programs.
The Highlands, a senior living community in Decorah, has opened a new on-site art gallery. Its inaugural exhibition features acrylic paintings by tri-state area artist Corey Cleven, with all artwork available for purchase. A portion of each sale will be donated to The Highlands Foundation to support resident programs and services.
Jag Gallery in Key West has announced an open call for its 7th annual "Poolside" juried exhibition, seeking 2D and 3D original artwork with swimming pools as the subject. The show opens with a reception on August 5, and selected artists will be notified by July 12, with an entry fee of $35 per artwork and a 50/50 commission split. The article also highlights current shows at other local Key West venues: Harrison Gallery is featuring vibrant paintings by Santa Fe artist Melinda K. Hall, Shade Ceramics and Shutter Photography is displaying pottery by Mark Klammer and landscape photography by Sarah Carleton, and it notes the legacy of the late textile artist Suzie dePoo.
A new gallery called Solvang Fine Art has opened at 482 First Street in Solvang, California, specializing in historic fine prints by American and European artists like Rembrandt and Salvador Dalí. It will also feature contemporary landscape paintings by prominent California artists, particularly those from the Central Coast.
Kuala Lumpur is experiencing a surge of new museum and gallery openings, signaling a significant expansion of its cultural infrastructure. Key developments include the recent opening of the heritage site Seri Negara and the restored Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad, with major upcoming projects like the Merdeka Textile Museum and the Muara Arts gallery set to launch later in 2026.
A community-led exhibition titled 'We Are Rutherglen' is being held at the Number 18 Venue in Rutherglen, Scotland. The show features work from 14 local artists across various media, including painting, drawing, and sculpture, and is part of the town's 900th-anniversary celebrations. Entry is free, with several viewing dates remaining in April.
Artist Gina O'Connor has opened a new exhibition titled 'Into the Wild' in Kilkee, Ireland. The exhibition features her latest collection of works, which are inspired by the Atlantic landscape of the west coast, focusing on its colour, movement, and energy.
The historic Hopton Hall Estate has opened a new gallery in Ashbourne, England, called the Hopton Hall Gallery. The gallery, housed in an 18th-century building that previously served as a butcher's, clockmaker's, and draper's shop, is the creation of estate owners Chris and Andi Harvey. Its inaugural exhibition, 'Brushed Light: Atmospheric Watercolours,' features works by local artists, and the gallery will host a rotating program of exhibitions and events through at least May 2027.