The New York art scene was bustling with events this week. The New York Botanical Garden held its annual Orchid Dinner at the Plaza Hotel, featuring elaborate floral designs and guests like Martha Stewart and Sigourney Weaver. Meanwhile, Sotheby's hosted the Art for Water benefit auction for the Waterkeeper Alliance, with works by Jeff Koons and Ed Ruscha, and the New Museum celebrated the opening of a major Raymond Pettibon exhibition.
This article from Artnet News recaps a series of holiday parties and galas in the New York art world during December 2016. Highlights include the New York Botanical Garden's 18th Annual Winter Wonderland Ball, attended by Anne Hathaway, Tinsley Mortimer, and Andrew Warren; artnet's own holiday party featuring the Bumbys and a magician; ACRIA's 21st Annual Holiday Dinner honoring the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation and actress Judith Light; and Project for Empty Space's Winter Bacchanal Benefit, which presented the first Badass Art Woman Awards to curators Rujeko Hockley, Rocio Aranda-Alvarado, and Deana Haggag.
Quattro Gatti Gin, a spirits brand founded by the prominent Mordant family of art patrons, has been named the official gin of the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026. The gin will be served at the Giardini and Arsenale venues, as well as during the high-profile professional preview days. Developed by Simon and Catriona Mordant alongside their children, the brand utilizes local Umbrian juniper and botanicals, marking a commercial extension of the family's deep ties to Italy and the international art world.
Artist David Morrison has released a new series of hyperrealistic botanical drawings, created with colored pencil. The works, including pieces titled "Botanical Series No.4 Drawing" and "Iceland Poppy," focus on flowers, seeds, and plants, capturing intricate textures and organic forms with delicate lines and smooth gradients that create a soft, luminous effect.
This article compiles a list of open calls, residencies, and grants for artists and photographers with deadlines in late 2025 and early 2026. Opportunities include the Rotterdam Photo 2026 open call themed 'Echoes of Silence—War in the Artist’s Soul,' offering exhibition space in multiple European cities; the Innovate Grant awarding $1,800 each to one visual artist and one photographer; the Ah Haa School for the Arts' HAHA 2026 immersive installation opportunity; Decagon Gallery's Sanctuary open call with cash prizes; the Biafarin Awards providing $4,000 CAD in grants plus global exposure; PeepSpace's exhibition proposal call; and All About Photo's Nature Photography Contest.
This article compiles a list of open calls, residencies, and grants for artists in November 2025, featuring opportunities such as the Hopper Prize offering $4,500 and $1,000 artist grants, the Biafarin Awards with $4,000 CAD in cash grants and global exposure, and the GLEAM public art exhibition at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. Other calls include the Contemporary Reflection exhibition in London, an open call for exhibitions at Municipal Gallery dlr LexIcon in Ireland, the INteriors show at Glen Arbor Arts Center, Sight/Geist film and performance series in New York, and a main gallery commission at Locust Projects in Miami, among others.
Artist Hillary Waters Fayle has developed a unique series titled 'Portraits of Place,' which utilizes foraged botanicals to create intricate cyanotypes. By collecting and drying seeds, petals, and foliage from specific locations like Grace Farms and Maymont Park, Fayle arranges them into symmetrical, mandala-like compositions on UV-sensitive paper. The resulting bright blue prints serve as a botanical record of a specific geography and moment in time.