A new housing development in Seattle called Corvidae Co-op offers an affordable, communal living model. The 10-unit complex in the Beacon Hill neighborhood, designed by Allied8 and funded via a Frolic Community model, sells homes for less than half the city's median price, with units starting at $180,000. Residents, ranging from children to retirees, share kitchens, decks, laundry, and a guest unit.
Photographer Rich-Joseph Facun documents life in Athens, Ohio, in his project '1804,' focusing on the profound influence of Ohio University on the town. His images and interviews capture the socioeconomic and cultural dynamics, including strained housing markets, a nightlife economy driven by students, and the town's identity as a "company town" shaped by the university's calendar and employment.
The Venice Art Biennale's official awards ceremony, scheduled for May 9, has been canceled after the entire five-member jury resigned days before the event. The jury had previously announced they would not consider countries whose leaders face International Criminal Court charges, directly impacting Russia and Israel. Instead of jury-selected prizes, visitors will vote throughout the Biennale's run, with "Visitor Lions" awarded on November 22. The event, running from May 9 to November 22, features 100 national participations, including seven first-time countries, and a posthumous main exhibition titled "In Minor Keys" curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, the first African woman to lead the show. Iran withdrew on May 4 amid Middle East tensions, while Russia's return to the Biennale in 2026 has sparked EU threats to cut funding.
Photographer Rania Matar has opened a new exhibition at the Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University. The show features her work focusing on the lives, resilience, and resistance of women and girls in Lebanon, particularly in the aftermath of the 2020 Beirut port explosion.
Mokhtar Alkhanshali, a pioneer of specialty Yemeni coffee in San Francisco, and author Dave Eggers are partnering to open a cafe and gallery at Pier 29's Art + Water, a new 70,000-square-foot arts nonprofit set to launch in late summer or fall 2026. Alkhanshali will operate a large cafe space featuring a new luxury coffee brand, while Art + Water will offer free studio space for artists and 10,000 square feet of gallery space, hosting rotating artists and workshops in collaboration with the Community Arts Stabilization Trust.
Victor Kossakovsky's new documentary *Architecton*, opening in US theaters on August 1, premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival. The film is a silent, drone-shot meditation on the destruction of the built environment, showing war-ravaged buildings in Ukraine, earthquake ruins in Turkey and Lebanon, and the violent process of stone being blasted for concrete. It contrasts modern structures that collapse within decades with ancient buildings that still stand, and features architect Michele di Lucchi as a quiet voice for thoughtful, enduring design. The film's score is by Russian expatriate composer Evgueni Galperine.
Following the UK Supreme Court's 16 April ruling that the terms "woman" and "sex" in the Equality Act refer only to biological sex, UK museums are publicly reaffirming their support for transgender communities. The Museum of Transology, which houses the world's largest collection of trans, non-binary, and intersex artefacts, had recently marked its tenth anniversary with the exhibition Transcestry at Central Saint Martins' Lethaby Gallery. Smaller institutions like London's Vagina Museum quickly posted statements of solidarity, while larger bodies such as Arts Council England await a revised code of practice from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Writer Dave Eggers and artist JD Beltran have launched a new initiative called Art + Water in San Francisco. The project provides free studio space for 30 artists, hosts exhibitions, and offers community events, creating a dedicated hub for local artistic production and engagement.
ArtReview's feature 'The Museum in Crisis' presents a critical diagnosis of contemporary museums, questioning their foundational authority, purpose, and relevance. The article compiles perspectives from professionals, highlighting challenges like restitution claims, alienated audiences, and the need to dismantle colonial hierarchies embedded in language and display practices. It argues that museums must move beyond being mere preservers to become active producers of public knowledge.
Martha Ortiz has stepped down as director of Bogotá’s Museo de Arte Moderno (MAMBO) amid allegations of harassing staff and fostering a toxic work environment. The museum announced her retirement and will begin a search for a successor, with board president Ángela Royo and financial manager Francy Hernández assuming interim leadership. Ortiz, who had no prior museum management experience, took the role in March 2024. Her departure follows the ousting of artistic director Eugenio Viola less than three months earlier, after he raised concerns about deteriorating working conditions.
Staff and faculty at Goldsmiths, University of London, are preparing for strike action in response to a restructuring plan titled "Future Goldsmiths." The initiative aims to save £22 million by the end of the 2026/27 academic year through significant job cuts, starting with professional services staff and extending to academic positions. The Goldsmiths University and College Union (UCU) reports that 81 percent of its members voted in favor of the strike, arguing that the proposed austerity measures will devastate the institution's educational quality and its capacity for radical creative thought.
The New School in New York City plans to lay off 15 percent of its full-time faculty and staff by June. This follows a months-long conflict with faculty and a reported $48 million deficit, with the university previously offering voluntary separation packages to 40% of staff.
Sta per uscire la nuova newsletter TAILOR tra crisi del lusso, nuove generazioni creative e salute mentale (abbonatevi!)
Artribune has launched a new edition of its newsletter TAILOR, which examines the transformation of the global fashion system amid a luxury crisis, the rise of new creative generations, and the growing structural importance of mental health in the industry. The newsletter features a focus on five emerging designers shifting fashion from product to narrative, an exclusive interview with influential stylist Tom Eerebout, and the debut in Italy of the project "One Person. One Voice" as part of the Mental Health in Fashion campaign, created by Florian Müller with artist Claudia Malecka.
La Biennale di Venezia più pazza di sempre: a una settimana dall’apertura si dimette la giuria (I Leoni li deciderà il pubblico!)
The entire international jury of the 61st Venice Biennale has resigned en masse just one week before the opening. The jury, chaired by Solange Oliveira Farkas and including Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi, had publicly announced they would not consider countries whose leaders are accused of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court—effectively excluding Russia and Israel from the Golden Lion competition. This decision came amid ongoing tensions between Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli and Biennale President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco over Russia's participation, as well as controversy surrounding Israel's presence. After a meeting with Buttafuoco, the jury resigned, leaving the Biennale without a key body to award its top prizes.
Gli idonei dimenticati. Protesta per la graduatoria dei 200 storici dell’arte del Ministero della Cultura
The CISDA (Committee of Qualified Art Historians) has issued a strong protest against the Italian Ministry of Culture's intention to let the ranking list from a 2018 public competition for Art Historian Officials expire on May 30, 2026, without extension. This would invalidate the eligibility of 204 qualified candidates who passed rigorous selections. The protest has escalated into a parliamentary inquiry directed at Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli, and a public demonstration is scheduled for April 28 in front of the Ministry's headquarters in Rome.
Il concetto di “Capitale Italiana della cultura” avrebbe bisogno di un ripensamento
Ancona has been named the Italian Capital of Culture for 2028, a decision that was widely anticipated but has sparked debate regarding the selection process. While Ancona’s proposal was praised for its depth and quality, critics point out that nine out of the ten shortlisted cities are led by center-right mayors, raising concerns about political influence and the independence of the evaluation commission.
A Verona arriva un grande evento itinerante dove i libri si acquistano un tot al chilo: intervista
The traveling literary event Librokilo is set to arrive in Verona on April 11–12, 2026, hosted at the independent cultural space Habitat 83. This initiative allows attendees to purchase second-hand and rare books at a fixed price of 10€ per kilogram, aiming to rescue titles that would otherwise be sent to landfills. Since its inception in 2022, the project has recirculated over 120,000 books across Italy, addressing the systemic issue of overproduction in the publishing industry.
The implementation of new EU regulations on the import of cultural goods over 250 years old is causing significant disruption at TEFAF Maastricht. Dealers and collectors are facing administrative hurdles, including difficulties obtaining mandatory EORI numbers and inconsistent enforcement by customs officials. These rules, which require extensive documentation for items originating outside the EU, have led to seized shipments and a general crisis of confidence among international exhibitors.
Staff at the Musée du Louvre staged another walkout on Monday, forcing the Paris museum to close temporarily before partially reopening at noon. The striking workers, representing 350 staff members including curators, unanimously voted for the action, citing concerns over working conditions and infrastructure. They are demanding that director Laurence des Cars scrap her "unrealistic" €666m plan for a new entrance, subterranean complex around the Mona Lisa, and an exhibition hall, arguing that funds should instead be directed toward urgent technical maintenance to preserve the collections. The strike follows a three-day walkout before Christmas and an October theft of crown jewels, which have not been recovered despite arrests.
The official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), originally scheduled for July 3, has been postponed again due to the outbreak of war between Israel and Iran. Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced the delay on Saturday, with the tourism and antiquities ministry citing "current regional developments" and stating the full launch will now occur in the last quarter of this year. The museum is already partially open, including its conservation studios (operating since 2010), contemporary program (since 2023), and most Egyptian galleries with the grand staircase, but the Tutankhamen galleries are being held back for the formal opening.
Guernsey artist Tiffany Anna, who began painting during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, is hosting her first solo exhibition at the JARO Gallery in St Helier, Jersey, running until 25 May 2025. Anna, who previously worked as a photographer, started with a simple bee painting and now has over 200,000 Instagram followers, using her vibrant, positivity-themed works to inspire others to take up art.
Pond Gallery, a new artist-run exhibition space, has opened in the basement of a former flower shop on the downtown square in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Founded in May 2024 by artist-friends Taylor Loftin, Ty Barnes, and Christian Schultz, the gallery operates on a DIY model, with the founders handling construction, curation, and rent. Its programming, including recent shows by Akeylah Imani Wellington and Natalie Conway, focuses on creating a communal hub for local artists.
The Oxford Community Arts Center recently hosted the opening of "Changing Climate, Changing Communities," an exhibition organized by Engaging for Climate in Oxford (ECO). The show features a diverse range of media, including paintings, sculptures, and graphic works created by professional artists, Miami University faculty, and local elementary students. Notable works include Tara Trueblood’s abstract painting "The Flood," which explores the tension between crisis and hope, and imaginative drawings of undiscovered animals by sixth-grade students from Ridgeway Elementary.
A group exhibition titled 'Wild, Ordinary, Enchanting, Excruciating Beauty' is on view at Thapar Contemporary in New Delhi until June 21. Curated by Vaibhav Raj Shah in collaboration with Jasone Miranda-Bilbao, the show brings together eleven contemporary artists—including Amitabh Kumar, Bhrigudev Ranade, Chandrashekhar Koteshwar, Harmeet Singh Rattan, Harsha Durugadda, Jagadeesh Tammineni, Madhurjya Dey, Raj Jariwala, Vanshika Babbar, Vasudha Kapadia, and Yogesh Ramkrishna—whose works in sculpture, installation, drawing, and moving image explore the blurred boundaries between personal anxiety and collective crisis.
Two Indian artists, Manveer Singh (aka Plasticvalla) and Smriti Dixit, are creating artworks from discarded materials to address environmental degradation. Singh transforms multi-layered plastic waste into sculptures inspired by local landscapes and folk traditions, such as a snow leopard for Spiti Valley and a landfill-inspired piece for Delhi. Dixit finds her practice meditative, while other young artists like Anuja Dasgupta and Mrugen Rathod recently exhibited at the 'Sustaina' exhibition using recycled materials like agricultural waste and discarded hotel textiles. Additionally, Tara Lal's Aranyani Pavilion, made from invasive Lantana Camara wood, was displayed at Sunder Nursery to promote forest restoration.
Tehran-born artist and human rights lawyer Sanam Ghandehari is presenting a new body of work in Paterson, New Jersey, against the backdrop of escalating military conflict in Iran. Her multi-layered pieces reflect the duality of the current crisis, juxtaposing the hope for democratic liberation with the immediate trauma of seeing her childhood home bombarded.
A Florida artist, while preparing for an approaching hurricane, decided to paint a calming scene of a sailboat on a peaceful bay as a form of stress relief. This spontaneous act, captured in a video that went viral, has now led to a full-fledged solo exhibition of her work at a local gallery.
UNESCO has expressed serious concern over recent Russian attacks damaging cultural heritage sites in Ukrainian cities including Odesa, Lviv, and Kyiv. The winter bombardment has targeted power grids and infrastructure, complicating the work of museums and cultural institutions. The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a World Heritage Site, suffered its first military damage since WWII, and the historic center of Odesa, already on UNESCO's endangered list, saw its Holy Dormition Monastery severely hit.
The article reports on the 'Ghosts of the Hunt' exhibition, a photography show hosted by Greyhound Welfare SA (GWA) in Cresta, Johannesburg. The exhibition features two photographic series: one by Dean Bush, founder of GWA, documenting greyhounds rescued from the Yat Yuen racetrack in Macau, China—a facility that killed 20,000 dogs over 54 years before closing in 2018—and another by professional photographer Warren Johnson, focusing on locally rescued greyhounds. The article also highlights ongoing controversies, including a recent auction in Bela Bela, Limpopo, where SA breeders paid R2.4 million for 65 greyhounds destined for international racing, and lobbying by the Amaphisi Hunters' Association to decriminalize dog hunting in South Africa.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a traveling exhibition titled "Gaza: Stories of Hope and Resilience," featuring over 40 paintings by Gazan artist Ahmed Muhanna. Muhanna created the works on WFP aid boxes and paper over three intense months under constant threat of bombings, using the boxes as canvas due to a lack of art materials. The exhibition opened on 15 September in Brussels and will tour nine European cities before closing on 23 October, with funding from the EU.