Virginia MOCA hosted a free Community Day on Saturday, May 9, at its new Virginia Beach location, in partnership with Virginia Humanities. The event featured inaugural exhibitions including Nina Chanel Abney: The Pursuit of Happiness and Seamless: Art and Design, along with hands-on art making, live performances, artist demonstrations, a U-Haul art gallery, food trucks, and workshops for all ages.
The Ellen Noël Art Museum in Odessa, Texas, is hosting its annual Community Art Day, a free public event designed to engage the local population through hands-on creativity. The program features a variety of art-making stations, live demonstrations, and guided tours of current exhibitions, aiming to make the museum's resources accessible to families and individuals of all ages.
The article highlights two spring-themed art events in the region. In Fitchburg, the 2026 Hidden Treasures Festival of Nature, Culture & History offers free public events throughout May, including a Henry David Thoreau reading, a community vigil, and a drumming workshop at the Fitchburg Art Museum. In Lowell, the Loading Dock Gallery presents "Full Bloom 8," a members' exhibition celebrating flowers, birds, insects, and gardens, running through May 31 with a reception on May 2.
The Savannah African Art Museum will host a ribbon cutting and gallery opening on April 30th, unveiling two new exhibitions: The Liren Wei Collection, a permanent gallery of works from West and Central Africa, and “Roots and Rituals: Agriculture and Spirituality in the West African Interior,” which explores farming and spirituality in Mali and Burkina Faso. The free public event runs from 5:30 PM to 8 PM, with the ribbon cutting at 6:00 PM.
The Southern Utah Art Guild is hosting a series of free public events in St. George this May, including gallery openings at Arrowhead Gallery and Red Cliff Gallery. Arrowhead Gallery will hold an open house on May 6 featuring a live demonstration by landscape painter Marilyn Rose, a 10% discount on artwork, and opportunity drawings. Red Cliff Gallery launches its “Explosion of Color” exhibit on May 8, showcasing vibrant works from contemporary Guild artists through June 18. Additional community events include CONNECT, a critique session sponsored by the Utah Arts Alliance on May 28, and MEET + MINGLE, a networking gathering on May 12.
The Rio Grande International Study Center has announced the three judges for the 2026 Birds of the Brush art exhibition, part of the Laredo Birding Festival. The judges are Kassandra Romero, an artist and educator; Anakaren Escamilla, a Laredo-based artist focused on healing and feminine strength; and Raul Delgado, an avid bird photographer and member of the Monte Mucho Audubon Society. The free public event will take place February 5 at the Laredo Center for the Arts, featuring aviary-themed works from artists of all ages and skill levels.
The Bush Barn Art Center in Salem, Oregon, will host an opening reception on January 9, 2026, for four new exhibitions. The shows include Yuji Hiratsuka's "Personal Mythology: Color Intaglio" in the A.N. Bush Gallery, Sam Marroquin's "Inhabit: Reflections of Us" in the Focus Gallery, and SAA Represented Artists in the Camas and Annex Galleries. The free public event runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with artist introductions at 6:00 p.m.