Montreal artist Abbas Akhavan's installation "Entre chien et loup" transforms the Canadian pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale into a living climate system, featuring a humid, Amazon-like environment with a pond of Victoria water lilies. The seeds were sourced from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and germinated at the Orto Botanico di Padova, with the lilies growing and blooming over the course of the biennale.
Maddy Inez, a Los Angeles-based ceramic artist, discusses her practice in an interview with Phillip Edward Spradley. Her work draws on California's natural environment and histories of displacement, using ceramics to explore maternal lineage, oral history, and plant-based knowledge. A key inspiration is a midwifery certificate belonging to her great-great-great grandmother from the era of enslavement. Inez's upcoming solo exhibition at Megan Mulrooney opens May 16, 2026.
Ceramist Maddy Inez, daughter of artist Alison Saar and granddaughter of assemblage pioneer Betye Saar, creates hand-built biomorphic ceramic sculptures inspired by mysticism and ancestral knowledge. Her works have recently grown in scale, reflecting a deepening exploration of hidden stories tied to ancestral plants.
The Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington DC is marking the 250th anniversary of US independence with a major exhibition titled "In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness," opening on 14 May. The show displays 250 objects spanning all three floors of the museum, ranging from a Revolutionary War-era gunboat (the Philadelphia) to a Donald Trump "Make America great again" hat. Seventy-six rarely seen objects are concentrated in entry hall cases, while the rest are embedded throughout existing galleries, connected by a "ribbon" design. Director Anthea Hartig frames the exhibition as a commemoration of moments where individuals and communities fought for recognition and identity, pairing each object with an action verb to emphasize democracy as participatory.
The 11th edition of the All About Photo awards – The Mind's Eye has announced its 2026 winners, with first place awarded to Matt McClain for his image of an intern working in a historic millinery shop at Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. The competition features a diverse range of winning photographs, including conceptual self-portraiture by Brooke Shaden, a street scene at the Benin-Togo border by France Leclerc, a train sleeping in Tunisia by Javier Arcenillas, freedivers with sperm whales by Khaichuin Sim, and young monks playing football in the Himalayas by Andrew Newey. Winners receive $5,000 in cash prizes.
第10回マックスマーラ・アート・プライズ・フォー・ウィメン
The 10th Max Mara Art Prize for Women has been awarded to Indonesian artist Dian Suci, marking the first time the prize has been held in Asia. Suci was selected from five finalists for her project "Crafting Spirit: Cultural Dialogues in Heritage and Practice," which examines the intersection of religious craftsmanship traditions and capitalist systems. The prize is organized in partnership with the Museum MACAN in Jakarta. Suci will undertake a six-month residency in Italy, followed by solo exhibitions in 2027 at both Museum MACAN and Collezione Maramotti in Reggio Emilia.
Twenty-seven students from South Pasadena High School have been selected to exhibit their work in the Autry Museum of the American West's "Visions of Humanity" student show, marking the largest number of SPHS students ever accepted into the exhibition. The display runs through May 31 at the Autry Museum in Griffith Park, featuring fourteen students in painting and drawing and thirteen in photography, taught by teachers Rouzanna Berberian and Aimee Levie-Hultman.
Twenty-seven students from South Pasadena High School (SPHS) had their artwork selected for the "Visions of Humanity" student exhibition at the Autry Museum of the American West. The selected works span painting, drawing, and photography and will be on display at the museum from April 18 to May 31, 2026.
Art House Productions has unveiled "In The Wind," a large-scale public art installation in Lincoln Park, Jersey City, featuring artist-designed flags with original works by Hudson County artists. Curated by Tina Maneca, the exhibition celebrates the organization's 25th anniversary and includes over 80 artists who live, work, or maintain studios in Hudson County. The flags are installed around Edgewood Lake, moving with the wind to create a dynamic, ever-changing exhibition. All flags are priced at $500 and available for purchase. The installation runs from June through November 2026, with an opening reception on June 5, 2026, during ACCESS JC Fridays.
Columnist Philip Kennicott reports that the Smithsonian's most contested exhibition has returned to public view, largely intact, despite ongoing culture war attacks from the Trump administration. Since Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, the Smithsonian has been a primary target for the administration's campaign against diversity and inclusion initiatives, as well as historical narratives that address slavery, Native American genocide, and the struggles of marginalized communities.
The Muskegon Museum of Art has announced a landmark exhibition titled "HerStory of Animation: Mary Blair & Beyond," premiering June 6 through September 27, 2026. The show highlights the overlooked contributions of women animators and artists who shaped animation history, featuring figures such as Helena Smith Dayton, Bessie Mae Kelley, Lotte Reiniger, Mary Blair, Faith Hubley, Lillian Schwartz, Caroline Leaf, Joan Graz, Brenda Chapman, and Nora Towmey. Curated by historian and author Mindy Johnson, the exhibition includes production artwork, studio artifacts, rare imagery, films, and newly uncovered research spanning over a century of animation.
Art & Light Gallery has partnered with The Anchorage restaurant in Greenville to host an exhibition of works by local artist Eric Benjamin. The show, available virtually on the gallery's website and on view through July 7 at the restaurant, features Benjamin's landscape paintings characterized by bold color and abstract energy created with hand-mixed oil paints. A ticketed artist talk is scheduled for June 18.
Finland-based artist researcher Sheung Yiu presents his long-term project "(Inter)faces of Predictions" at C/O Berlin, exploring how faces have been used across cultures and the implications of facial reading technologies. The exhibition examines the shift from spiritual to economic imperatives in facial interpretation, highlighting the progressive deterioration of human agency.
Giant Runt Gallery, an artist-run space in Fort Worth's Near Southside, was founded in September 2024 by Cosmo Jones and Max Marshall. The gallery showcases experimental, eclectic art that challenges the local norm of Western-themed work. Its latest exhibition, “Everyone is Someone’s Baby,” opens May 1 featuring artists Megan Solis and Glory West. The gallery recently held its first Juried Show, drawing over 400 applicants and awarding first prize to Jori Jori for her sculpture “The East Wind.” The space occupies a former gallery suite in the Dickson-Jenkins Lofts & Plaza, previously home to Bale Creek Allen’s gallery and Cufflink Art.
A group of 17 Lawrence-based artists with children have collaborated on a new exhibition titled 'Breeders' at Cider Gallery, opening April 24. Organized by local artist and teacher John Sebelius, the show explores the joys and challenges of parenthood through diverse media, including paintings, collages, and ceramics. A sister show, 'Offspring,' featuring works by the artists' children, will open simultaneously at Seedco Studios. Participating artists include Mona Cliff, Stan Herd, Angie Pickman, Kevin Willmott, Megan Embers, and Katie Winter, among others.
The Euclid Art Association will hold its next meeting on May 4 at the East Shore United Methodist Church in Euclid, Ohio, featuring a demonstration by artist Kerry Cumpstone. Cumpstone, who created the "Spiral Series" of 130 animal drawings, will showcase her technique; many of her subjects are endangered species. The article also announces the Lake Metroparks' 39th annual amateur photo contest, with entries accepted through May 31 at Penitentiary Glen Reservation.
The Cincinnati Art Museum will host "Elizabeth Hawes: Radical American Fashion," the first major museum exhibition dedicated to the early 20th-century designer, running from April 24 to August 2. Curated by Cynthia Amnéus, the show features over 50 garments from the 1920s through the 1960s, drawn largely from the museum's collection of 23 Hawes pieces—the second-largest after the Met's Costume Institute. Hawes, a Vassar graduate who worked as a Paris copyist before becoming disillusioned with the fashion industry, advocated for comfort, personal identity, and gender-fluid clothing, and wrote nine books critiquing fashion's commercial cycle.
The Cincinnati Art Museum is opening a new exhibition titled "Elizabeth Hawes: Radical American Fashion," the first-ever showcase dedicated to the groundbreaking American designer Elizabeth Hawes. The exhibit features over 50 garments from the 1920s to the 1960s, along with sketches, illustrations, and the first publication focused on her career. Hawes, who designed for icons like Lauren Bacall, championed gender-neutral clothing and quality mass manufacturing, ideas ahead of her time. The collection was largely donated by Dorette Kruse Fleischmann, a frequent client, and was curated by Megan Nauer, the museum's acting curator of fashion arts and textiles.
Hartwick College's Art and Art History Department held its Senior Art Show Reception on May 15 in the Foreman Gallery, showcasing graduating students' work across diverse media. Awards included the Presidential Purchase Prize ($1,000) to Marissa Yanacheak for "Transformation," a plexiglass layered piece; first-place Best in Show ($600) to Kylee Hosmer for "Minoans in the Modern Day," a 3D installation inspired by ancient Minoan civilization; and second-place Best in Show ($400) to Megan Bryla for "Internal Integrity," a ceramic work. Additional awards were given earlier in May to Devlin Woughter and Samuel Scott.
M. Lyn Arts will host its first 2026 Art Show on May 9-10 at Mystic Brew in Tillet Gardens, St. Croix, featuring original artwork for sale. The exhibition introduces new techniques, color palettes, and larger-scale works, including storm-themed pieces inspired by hurricanes Irma and Maria, with a shift toward personifying storms to convey human emotions. Food and drinks will be provided by Mystic Brew and Rock City Tacos.
Fulton Public Schools students displayed over 80 artworks in the "Building Peace: From Within to the World" exhibit at the Mildred M. Cox Gallery in William Woods University's Kemper Art Center. The show, open Monday through Friday, was organized in partnership with the William Woods Rotaract Club, the Fulton Rotary Club, and Fulton Public Schools, with funding from a Rotary peace project grant. Art teachers Pamela Doss and Rebecca Diekamp coordinated student submissions from kindergarten through 12th grade, with works exploring themes of inner peace, community kindness, and symbolic acts of making a difference.
Henderson City Hall is hosting an exhibition titled 'Siapo: Continuing a Siapo Legacy Art Exhibition,' showcasing the traditional Samoan art of siapo across four generations of artists. The exhibit features works by master artist Kuulei Jakubczak, who learned from her grandmother Mary Pritchard, a key figure in preserving this dying art form. The display includes both freehand siapo mamanu and rubbed siapo 'elei, along with pieces created by students from Liberty High School during a workshop led by Jakubczak.