Art News. Vasari Codex

article policy schedule May 7, 2026 visibility 17

America’s Museums Have a Building Problem

A new report from the Government Accountability Office, analyzed by The Art Newspaper, reveals that roughly 85 percent of American museums are dealing with deferred maintenance or major repair needs, and about 77 percent have at least one structural issue that could endanger their collections. Many of the country's 16,700 museums are small, under-resourced operations housed in aging or historic buildings, with half reporting over $100,000 in deferred maintenance. Basic repairs like roofs or HVAC systems can consume large portions of annual budgets, forcing some institutions to store artworks in makeshift spaces like garages or bathrooms.

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article policy schedule May 7, 2026 visibility 25

No money, more problems: 85% of US museums in urgent need of building repairs

A recent survey by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that approximately 85% of US museums face a costly backlog of maintenance or building repairs, with 77% having at least one structural issue that puts their collections at risk. Based on a survey of around 300 museums and 17 site visits, the report reveals that institutions across the country struggle to keep buildings updated and safe due to a lack of funding, with challenges especially pronounced in rural and remote locations where shipping materials and finding skilled workers is prohibitively expensive. Many museums are housed in historic homes or sites that are part of their collections, adding further complexity, and smaller museums often lack the budget to address major problems like new roofs or HVAC systems.

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article news schedule Jan 22, 2026 visibility 10

walker art center closure ice protest 1234770547

The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis will close on Friday, January 23, to participate in the Day of Truth and Freedom protest, a statewide general strike organized by local labor unions and community groups in response to increased ICE presence in Minnesota. The museum is the largest institution to join over 300 small businesses, cultural organizations, and nonprofits in shuttering for the day, citing its institutional values of community care and staff support. The closure follows ICE's Operation Metro Surge, which intensified enforcement in the Twin Cities, and the January 7 killing of U.S. citizen Renée Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, which sparked nationwide protests and lawsuits against the Department of Homeland Security.

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article policy schedule Jul 17, 2025 visibility 14

yale art gallery rejects federal grants for africa migration show citing new anti diversity stipulations 1234747708

The Yale University Art Gallery has withdrawn two federal grant applications totaling $200,000 for an upcoming exhibition on the migration of Nguni peoples from southeastern Africa, scheduled to open in fall 2026. The museum rejected new anti-DEI stipulations attached to grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, which require applicants to certify they do not operate programs promoting diversity, equity, or inclusion that violate federal anti-discrimination laws. The gallery will instead use its endowment to fund the show, marking the second time it has forfeited NEA grants under similar circumstances.

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article news schedule Jun 26, 2025 visibility 6

rijksmuseum condom christian backlash 1234746234

The Rijksmuseum has acquired a nearly 200-year-old condom made from sheep intestine, which features an erotic illustration of a nun and clergymen and is now on display as part of a small exhibition on 19th-century sex work. The object, likely a brothel souvenir, has sparked outrage from the conservative Christian group Stichting Civitas Christiana and its youth wing TFP Student Action Europe, who organized a protest outside the museum and circulated flyers calling it an insult to God, the Catholic Church, and the Dutch nation.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 10, 2025 visibility 10

old condom erotica rijksmuseum show 2652526

Two print curators from the Rijksmuseum, Huigen Leeflang and Joyce Zelen, discovered a rare 19th-century condom with an erotic print at an auction house in Haarlem, Netherlands, in November 2023. They acquired the 1830s condom for €1,000 ($1,140) with no other bidders, and it is now the centerpiece of a small exhibition titled "Safe Sex?" at the Rijksmuseum, which explores 19th-century sex work and sexual health through Dutch and French prints. The condom, likely made from sheep's appendix, features an etching of a half-naked nun with clergymen and is believed to be a souvenir from an upmarket French brothel.

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article news schedule May 20, 2025 visibility 12

getty villa reopen june 27 palisades fire 1234742808

The Getty Villa will reopen on June 27 after closing on January 7 due to the Palisades Fire, which burned 23,448 acres and destroyed many homes of artists and art professionals. Seventeen Getty staff members volunteered to stay on site to protect the museum, sealing galleries and extinguishing small fires, while LAFD water drops and firefighting efforts helped spare the institution. The reopening will feature the exhibition "The Kingdom of Pylos: Warrior-Princes of Ancient Greece," showcasing over 230 works from the Late Bronze Age, including clay tablets in early Greek script and the Pylos Combat Agate sealstone dating to 1450 BCE.

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article local schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 8 link 3 artists

Racine Art Museum announces sizzling slate of summer events

The Racine Art Museum (RAM) and its Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts campus have announced a packed schedule of summer events for 2026, including new programs like the Twilight Garden Series, which combines cocktails, creativity, and themed activities. Highlights include Free First Friday, a Master Workshop with artist Liandra Skenandore on black ash plaiting, Kids Day inspired by the Handcrafted exhibition, and City Movie Night featuring a screening of Lilo & Stitch (2025). Wustum also offers one of Wisconsin's largest museum-based studio arts programs with over 60 class options in ceramics, drawing, glass, fiber, jewelry, painting, and paper arts.

newspaper Milwaukee Record open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 6 link 1 artist

Stark Museum of Art to present America 250 exhibition

The Stark Museum of Art in Orange, Texas, will present a new exhibition titled "America 250: Three Presidents - Lincoln, Grant, and Garfield" to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States. The show features three watercolor paintings by Taos artist Oscar E. Berninghaus, each depicting a formative moment from the early lives of Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and James Garfield, highlighting their humble beginnings and aspirations. The exhibition runs from May 16 to December 23, 2025, as part of the broader America 250 and SETX 250 celebrations across Southeast Texas.

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article culture schedule May 12, 2026 visibility 9 link 5 artists

Syracuse-born artist Peter McGough hand-painted Anne Hathaway’s Met Gala dress

Syracuse-born artist Peter McGough hand-painted a custom Michael Kors gown worn by Anne Hathaway to the 2026 Met Gala. The dress, a strapless black Mikado silk ball gown with a plunging neckline and high-leg slit, features intricate Grecian patterns inspired by the Met's urns and statues, including a goddess with a dove on the back. McGough, a former classmate of Michael Kors at the Fashion Institute of Technology, painted directly on the silk and wool gown over a week using three layers of fabric paint. The design aligns with the gala's 'Fashion Is Art' dress code and references John Keats' poem 'Ode on a Grecian Urn,' also tying into Hathaway's upcoming film 'The Odyssey.'

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article local schedule May 10, 2026 visibility 12 link 2 artists

FYI Calendar: Arkansas Living Treasure Longhua Xu’s exhibit at Fort Smith RAM continues through June 21

The article is a calendar of arts and community events in the Fort Smith, Arkansas area, compiled by features writer Dustin Staggs. It lists dance and theater performances, plant swaps, life drawing classes, historical society events, and multiple art exhibitions. Among the visual art highlights are "Soul Taking Shape," an exhibition by Arkansas Living Treasure Longhua Xu at the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum (RAM) running through June 21, along with other shows at RAM and Arts On Main featuring works by local artists and student artists.

newspaper Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 3, 2026 visibility 16 link 5 artists

Summer Exhibitions Coming to Venues in East & South Texas

Summer exhibitions are opening across East and South Texas at venues including the Art Museum of Southeast Texas, the Beeville Art Museum, the Longview Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of East Texas in Lufkin, and the Rockport Center for the Arts. Highlights include Janavi Mahimtura Folmsbee's 'Magic Water' at the Rockport Center for the Arts, a 2026 FotoFest Biennial Participating Space; Jennifer Arnold's 'A Layered Space: Coming Up For Air (v.6)'; Elena Rodz's 'Byways' as part of the Past Master Artists | Rockport Legends exhibition; Bill Pangburn's 'Printed Traces – A Neches River Journal' at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas; and Woody Gwyn's 'Skylight On Water, Trees, Rock and Road' at the Art Museum of South Texas.

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museum exhibitions schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 19 link 3 artists

Sidle House Gallery Presents: “Anne Hebebrand: A World That Is”

Sidle House Gallery in Freeport, Maine, opens its 2026 season with a solo exhibition titled “Anne Hebebrand: A World That Is,” on view from May 1 through June 13. The show features cold-wax and oil paintings created over the past seven years, described by the artist as intuitive maps of memory. Related events include an opening reception, an artist talk, a cold wax and oil workshop, and a violin performance by Katherine Liccardo.

newspaper Maine Art Scene Magazine open_in_new Read original

article local schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 16 link 3 artists

Exhibit Features Works by Ward Nichols

An exhibition titled “From Reality to Realism, A Lifetime Perspective,” featuring works by veteran artist Ward Nichols, opened at the Wilkes Art Gallery in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina on April 17. The opening event included a jazz performance by the Todd Wright Trio, hors d’oeuvres and drinks, and a street closure on C Street / Ward Nichols Way. Nichols, a full-time professional artist for over 60 years, has participated in 200 group shows, more than 170 solo exhibitions across 94 galleries and museums in 24 states, and has received 30 major awards including the Grumbacher Award of Merit from the El Paso Museum of Art. The exhibit runs through June 17.

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article local schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 15 link 8 artists

May First Friday: 8 shows to see this month around Missoula

Missoula artist Julia LaTray presents a solo exhibition titled "Animal Pleasures" at Bob's Your Uncle gallery in May, featuring paintings of animals on glitchy, digitized backgrounds alongside lighting and other works. The gallery is only open to the public on dedicated nights, so the exhibition is paired with performances, comedy, and readings on May 1, 8, 15, and 29. Separately, Hanis Coos artist Sara Siestreem brings her major exhibition "Acts of Love, Refusal and Resistance" to the Missoula Art Museum, filling the museum's main galleries with large-scale mixed-media paintings and sculpture, including handmade baskets and ceramic molded versions with gilded flourishes. The museum hosts a First Friday reception on May 1 and a "Coffee and Conversation" with the artist on May 2.

newspaper The Missoulian open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 20 link 2 artists

National Museum of Asian Art Presents Paintings From India’s Himalayan Kingdoms in New Exhibition

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, DC, has announced a new exhibition titled “Of the Hills: Pahari Paintings from India’s Himalayan Kingdoms,” running from April 18 to July 26, 2026. The show features 48 paintings and colored drawings, including canonical masterpieces and never-before-seen works, drawn largely from the museum’s 2017–2018 acquisitions of the Ralph Benkaim and Catherine Glynn Benkaim collection. The exhibition explores three key periods from 1620 to 1830, highlighting the collaborative creativity of artists in the small Hindu kingdoms of the Himalayan region.

newspaper Deccan Chronicle open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Apr 10, 2026 visibility 29 link 8 artists

“Constellations”: Jewelry as Art

The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) has launched "Constellations: Contemporary Jewelry," its first exhibition dedicated exclusively to its contemporary jewelry collection. The show features hundreds of pieces organized into four thematic sections—Zones of the Body, Archetypes, Signals, and Play—alongside a historical retrospective titled "Connecting the Dots." The exhibition highlights experimental and often impractical works that blur the lines between wearable objects and sculpture, featuring artists such as Brian Fleetwood, Joyce J. Scott, and Peter Chang.

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article local schedule Apr 8, 2026 visibility 19 link 2 artists

10th Weston Loan Programme sees national collections in 15 regional museums

The Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund has announced its tenth round of support, facilitating 15 exhibitions at regional museums across England, Scotland, and Wales through 2027. This initiative funds the logistical costs—including transport, insurance, and security—required to move masterpieces from major national institutions like the Tate, the National Gallery, and the V&A to smaller local galleries. Notable upcoming highlights include the return of Joseph Wright’s 'An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump' to Derby for the first time in eight decades and a landmark Leonard McComb exhibition in Birkenhead.

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museum exhibitions schedule Feb 15, 2026 visibility 12 link 1 artist

Bucks County museum to showcase Eric Carle's work with exhibit, events

The James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, is presenting the exhibition 'Small Living Things: The Magical Art of Eric Carle.' The show, organized by The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, features original artwork from Carle's classic children's books, process sketches, and related cultural objects, including a 1996 McDonald's Happy Meal toy series and a bronze sculpture of the Very Hungry Caterpillar. It runs from February 14 through May 24, supported by several donors and foundations.

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museum exhibitions schedule Feb 3, 2026 visibility 10 link 4 artists

Smith College Museum of Art Exhibit Explores Access

The Smith College Museum of Art (SCMA) is presenting the exhibition 'Don’t mind if I do,' a project conceived by artist Finnegan Shannon. The show features a 25-foot conveyor belt loop that displays 30 small, touchable sculptures by eight artists, allowing visitors to view the art from comfortable seating without needing to move through the gallery. The project originated from a 2019 residency at the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland and has toured to several university galleries before arriving at Smith.

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article local schedule Jan 22, 2026 visibility 10 link 4 artists

47th Annual Valley Visual Art Show opens as first Carbondale Arts exhibit of the year

The 47th Annual Valley Visual Art Show has opened at the Carbondale Arts Gallery in Colorado, running from January 23 through February 26, 2026. Featuring 75 local artists, including Judy Fox-Perry, Marilyn Lowey, and Linda Halloran, the exhibition showcases a diverse range of works such as Fox-Perry's marble sculpture "In Good Hands," Lowey's surrealist-inspired photograph, and Halloran's kiln glass flowers. The show marks the first Carbondale Arts exhibit of the year and provides a platform for artists to experiment and present new creations.

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museum exhibitions schedule Dec 15, 2025 visibility 18 link 5 artists

'ARTnews' Names 'Confessions of Fire' by Isaiah Davis '25 One of New York's Best Art Exhibitions of 2025

Isaiah Davis '25, a visual arts alumnus of Columbia School of the Arts, opened his third solo exhibition, 'Confessions of Fire,' at King's Leap gallery in Chinatown this fall. The exhibition, which runs through December 20, 2025, features steel sculptures and enamel paintings on metal that explore Black masculinity through the motifs of leather culture and steel, inspired by rapper Cam'ron's debut album. ARTnews named it one of New York's best exhibitions of 2025, with senior editor Alex Greenberger praising the sculpture 'Slave (2025)' as the most surprising work of the year. The New York Times critic Travis Diehl and Frieze critic George Egerton-Warburton also gave it positive reviews.

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article news schedule Nov 6, 2025 visibility 14 link 2 artists

How China’s private museums are navigating a post-boom era

China's private museum sector, which boomed in the 2010s with hundreds of new institutions often tied to property developments or vanity projects, is now contracting. Notable closures include Guangzhou's Times Museum (shuttered in 2022, later relaunched as a project space), OCAT Shanghai (closed indefinitely in 2021), and Qingdao's TAG Museum (suspended operations in 2024). Other prominent museums like Sifang Art Museum, Yinchuan MoCA, and Shanghai MoCA have scaled back, while Long Museum's future appeared uncertain after its owners auctioned part of their collection. The downturn follows the collapse of China's property sector, Covid-19 restrictions, and a broader economic slump.

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article local schedule Oct 14, 2025 visibility 11 link 2 artists

Knight Artist-in-Residence Michael Takeo Magruder Showcases Art, Mentors Students

Michael Takeo Magruder, the Knight Fund Distinguished Artist-in-Residence at Knox College, presented a new exhibition titled "re:GeneratedPrairie" at the Borzello Art Gallery in the Ford Center for the Fine Arts from September 16-30, 2025. The show featured digital prints, canvases, 4K videos, and soundscapes inspired by the prairie burn and regrowth at Knox's Green Oaks ecological site. Magruder, who has held over 300 exhibitions in 35 countries, was invited by Knight Distinguished Chair Robert M. Geraci and also mentored students during his residency, helping them with exhibition setup, curation, and offering critiques.

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museum exhibitions schedule Oct 8, 2025 visibility 13 link 7 artists

Highlighting Contemporary Art in Georgia | Seams to Be: New Approaches to Textile Techniques

The Georgia Museum of Art has organized "Seams to Be: New Approaches to Textile Techniques," a traveling exhibition opening October 2, 2025, at the Lyndon House Arts Center in Athens. Guest curated by Didi Dunphy, the show features 13 Georgia-based artists who reinterpret traditional textile methods through contemporary practices, including beaded chip bags, free-motion quilts, yarn paintings, and multimedia sculptures. It is the fourth installment of the triennial "Highlighting Contemporary Art in Georgia" series, which aims to discover and cultivate local artists and bring their work to audiences across the state.

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museum exhibitions schedule Oct 2, 2025 visibility 12 link 1 artist

Book Honors for Art Museum’s Monhegan Show Publication

A book produced by Bowdoin College faculty, highlighting artistic portrayals of ecological change on Maine's Monhegan Island, has won the 2025 Historic New England Book Prize as one of two Honor Books. The interdisciplinary project was co-created by Frank Goodyear, codirector of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, plant scientist Barry Logan, and Jennifer Pye, director of the Monhegan Museum of Art & History, where the accompanying exhibition ran through September 30, 2025. The book and exhibition merge art, science, and history to explore ecological events on the island—such as pastureland formation and abandonment, forest recovery, and land conservation—through visual art and historical artifacts.

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museum exhibitions schedule Oct 1, 2025 visibility 14 link 6 artists

Every Year This Wisconsin Museum Hosts the Best Modern Bird Art in the World

The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin, celebrated the 50th anniversary of its annual "Birds in Art" exhibition in September 2024. The show, the largest in its history, features 142 artworks by 142 artists from 16 countries, including paintings, sculptures, and collages. The exhibition originated in 1976 as "Birds of the Lakes, Fields, and Forests," organized by wildlife artist Owen J. Gromme, and has since become a premier global showcase for modern bird art. This year's selection included 101 works chosen from 1,160 entries, plus 41 pieces by past Master Wildlife Artists from the museum's collection.

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article local schedule Sep 29, 2025 visibility 13 link 12 artists

Call to Artists: Exhibit Your Work at the Barrymore Film Center

The Barrymore Film Center in Fort Lee, New Jersey, is issuing a call for local visual artists to exhibit their work on a rotating Gallery Wall in its museum. The center seeks hanging artwork such as paintings, photography, mixed media, textile, or illustration from artists in Fort Lee and surrounding areas, with exhibitions lasting three months and including press, social media, and email promotion. A public opening reception is available, and the center retains a 30% commission on sales. The article also lists several other upcoming art exhibitions in New Jersey, including shows at CARE Gallery, buds & blooms, Gallery Jupiter, the Oyster Point Hotel, the Waretown Library, and the Summit Free Public Library.

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museum exhibitions schedule Aug 30, 2025 visibility 14 link 14 artists

Museum Exhibitions On View in East Texas, South Texas & the Valley this Fall

Several museums and art centers across East Texas, South Texas, and the Rio Grande Valley have announced their fall 2025 exhibition schedules. Highlights include the Tyler Museum of Art’s "Alas…" by Alicia Eggert, a floral sculpture that wilts over three weeks, and "Assembled: A Look at Contemporary Collage" featuring Texas artists. The Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi will present three shows: Jason DeMarte’s surrealist photography in "Arcadian Enclosures," the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi faculty biennial "Quarter Turn," and "Breadth of Latino/a Voices" from its permanent collection. The Rockport Center for the Arts opens Jessica Ninci’s "A Field Guide" and Moira Garcia’s "Nepantla: In-Between." The Beeville Art Museum hosts Caprice Pierucci’s "Threads Through Time," and the Five Points Museum of Contemporary Art in Victoria will survey work by Fort Bend County artists.

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article news schedule Aug 22, 2025 visibility 12 link 2 artists

New app aims to improve access to Los Angeles art scene

A new mobile app called ArtWrld, founded by Josh Goldblum (CEO of Bluecadet), has launched to improve access to the Los Angeles and New York art scenes. The app provides up-to-date listings of gallery shows, museum exhibitions, talks, and events, allowing users to search by date, view editors' picks, and save shows on Google Maps. It aims to be "the AllTrails for art," making great shows more accessible and providing context for newcomers. Other projects filling the gap in local art coverage include Shana Nys Dambrot's newsletter "13 Things LA" on Substack and the anonymous Instagram account Diva Corp USA, which offers artist-on-artist criticism.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original