A nationwide general strike, called for Friday, January 30, 2026, in protest of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minneapolis, has prompted numerous art galleries and organizations to close their doors. Major commercial galleries like Gagosian, David Zwirner, Hauser & Wirth, and Pace Gallery, alongside institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles and the Drawing Center, are participating in the shutdown.
A significant number of New York art galleries, including major players like Pace Gallery, David Zwirner, and Marian Goodman, will close on January 30 to join a nationwide general strike protesting expanded Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. The strike is a response to allegations of federal overreach, including the use of deadly force against protestors and the detention of Native Americans, which have fueled widespread outrage.
The Venice Biennale is facing intense international backlash following its decision to allow Russia to return for the 2026 edition after a hiatus caused by the invasion of Ukraine. High-ranking politicians from 22 European nations, along with thousands of artists and curators, have signed open letters condemning the move as a platform for state-directed cultural diplomacy and war-crime whitewashing. The Biennale has defended its stance by claiming a policy of non-censorship, asserting that it accepts any nation recognized by the Italian government.
A school district in Watertown, New York, is facing potential legal action from the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a conservative Christian legal organization, after a middle school art teacher assigned students to visit the Keith Haring Foundation website and interpret two of the artist's works from the 1980s. Parents complained at a school board meeting that the assignment exposed 11- and 12-year-olds to sexually explicit content. The ACLJ sent a letter to Superintendent Larry Schmiegel on November 21, demanding a reprimand for the teacher, parental consent forms for future sensitive content, and counseling for affected students, threatening litigation if the district did not respond by December 1. The teacher resigned in November but was rehired as an English teacher.
Dartmouth College students have reignited a campaign to rename the Black Family Visual Arts Center, a campus facility funded by billionaire investor Leon Black. The movement, led by freshman Oscar Rempe-Hiam and supported by student government, criticizes the administration's lack of urgency in distancing the institution from Black, whose long-standing ties to Jeffrey Epstein and personal allegations of sexual misconduct have sparked years of controversy.
A group of 74 artists and curators invited to the 61st Venice Biennale have issued an open letter to the institution's president, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco. The signatories are protesting the decision to relocate the Israeli Pavilion to the Arsenale, placing it in close proximity to the central exhibition 'In Minor Keys' curated by the late Koyo Kouoh. The letter demands the exclusion of official delegations from countries accused of war crimes—specifically Israel, Russia, and the United States—and accuses the Biennale of complicity through its silence on global atrocities.
Israel's Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism has reportedly moved to ban multimedia artist and New York City First Lady Rama Duwaji from entering the country. The ministry accuses the Syrian illustrator and ceramicist of antisemitism, citing her pro-Palestinian artwork, including the animation "Eyes on Jenin," and her past social media activity, such as liking a post describing Gaza as an "open-air prison."
The city of Austin, Texas, is set to remove a 'Black Artists Matter' street mural and a rainbow crosswalk after Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Department of Transportation to comply with a federal order from President Donald Trump. The July 1 directive from Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy requires states to eliminate political messages and artwork from roadways, citing driver and pedestrian safety. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson has identified about 16 locations that may be affected and warned that non-compliance could jeopardize $175 million in state and federal grant funding. The mural, painted in June 2020 in Austin's historically Black East side neighborhood by local artists with the Austin Justice Coalition and Capitol View Arts, was created in response to the police killing of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement.
A Milano si organizza un pranzo collettivo per discutere dei problemi del settore culturale. Ecco come partecipare
The nomadic assembly "OMTU – Organized Meals for Times of Uprising" is heading to Milan on April 19, 2026, coinciding with the miart art fair. Organized by a coalition of independent spaces including terzospazio, Osservatorio Futura, Parsec, and Arts of the Working Class, the event features a collective lunch followed by a public discussion at the Baséll space. The gathering aims to address the systemic precariousness of the cultural sector, focusing specifically on the scarcity of affordable social and cultural spaces in Milan.