Plans to extend the US-Mexico border wall through Val Verde County, Texas, threaten to damage or destroy hundreds of prehistoric rock art murals in the Lower Pecos region. Archaeologists and local landowners warn that construction vibrations could destabilize the rock surfaces housing these ancient paintings, some of which are over 5,700 years old and span up to 100 feet in length.
Kim Kardashian auctioned 24 outfits worn during the first season of the Hulu legal drama 'All's Fair' through her Kardashian Kloset platform, raising $247,200 for the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. The sale was dominated by two high-value archival designer sets, one by Dior and one by John Galliano, each selling for over $100,000, though a bidding glitch temporarily inflated one lot to $80 million. Ten unsold outfits remain available for immediate purchase at their original starting prices.
Greek authorities have arrested Athens-based art dealer and television personality Giorgos Tsagarakis following an investigation into a suspected criminal network involved in the theft, forgery, and illegal trade of antiquities. The arrest, executed by the Organized Crime Division, led to the seizure of hundreds of paintings, ancient ceramics, Byzantine artifacts, and a rare 1745 gold-plated Gospel manuscript. Investigators were reportedly alerted to the illicit items after Tsagarakis posted a video of the artifacts on social media.
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.
The Whitworth gallery in Manchester is presenting a major exhibition comparing the works of Japanese masters Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige. The show traces the evolution of ukiyo-e prints from their origins as mass-produced, voyeuristic snapshots of Tokyo's pleasure districts to the profound, psychologically complex landscapes that would later revolutionize Western art.
Bard College has initiated an independent review of President Leon Botstein’s relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein following the release of Department of Justice emails. While Botstein previously characterized the connection as purely philanthropic, the new correspondence suggests a more personal friendship, including frequent visits to Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse and a 2012 trip to Epstein’s private island. The college's board of trustees has hired the law firm WilmerHale to investigate the extent of these communications and any financial contributions.
Leon Botstein, the longtime president of Bard College, is facing scrutiny following the release of emails with Jeffrey Epstein. The correspondence, reported by the New York Times, includes a 2012 note from Botstein thanking Epstein for a Caribbean trip and expressing admiration, suggesting a more personal relationship than Botstein's previous claims of purely transactional fundraising communications.
Archaeologists in Oaxaca, Mexico, have discovered a remarkably well-preserved Zapotec tomb dating to around 600 CE. The tomb, found in San Pablo Huitzo, features intricate carvings, including a sculpture of an owl with a human head in its beak, and multicolored murals depicting a procession of figures.
The San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI), a 149-year-old institution, announced last month that it would shut down its degree programs and stop enrolling new students after the current semester, signaling what many believed was the end of the school. However, the board of trustees has now voted to keep the school open in a limited capacity, suspending degree programs but offering studio art classes, public education programs, and grant-funded exhibitions while launching a campaign to reinvent its business model and raise philanthropic funds.
French archaeologists have discovered the wreck of a 16th-century merchant vessel, named Camarat 4, 1.6 miles below the Mediterranean Sea—the deepest shipwreck ever found in French waters. The French Navy first detected the site via sonar during a routine mission off the coast near Saint Tropez, then deployed an underwater drone that captured images of hundreds of ceramic pots. The Department of Underwater and Submarine Archaeological Research (DRASSM) confirmed the 98-foot-long ship sank nearly 500 years ago, carrying cargo including polychrome earthenware pitchers and plates traced to Liguria, Italy, along with cannons and iron bars.
A major exhibition titled "Artists’ Colony 100" has opened at MűvészetMalom in Szentendre, Hungary, to mark the centenary of the Old Artists’ Colony founded in 1926. The show features hundreds of works by nearly a hundred artists, from founding members such as József Bánáti Sverák, Miklós Bánovszky, and Béla Onódi to contemporary figures including József Baksai and Imre Szakács. It includes iconic pieces, rare works, and recent discoveries, organized thematically with a focus on the garden motif that has long inspired colony artists.
The Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris opens "Fashion in Majesty: Haute Couture and Tradition at the Thai Court" from May 13 to November 1, 2026. The exhibition features over a hundred garments, accessories, and textile pieces from the Thai royal family's collections, focusing on how Queen Sirikit modernized Thai ceremonial dress while preserving traditional codes through her collaboration with Pierre Balmain and Maison Lesage. The show also highlights the work of the SUPPORT Foundation, established by Queen Sirikit to safeguard traditional crafts, and the ongoing legacy carried by Queen Suthida and Princess Sirivannavari.
The Art Kyiv fair, titled "This is Normal," has been held in Kyiv, Ukraine, as a contemporary art event designed to help society cope with the realities of war. Organized by director Anna Avetova, the fair features hundreds of works by Ukrainian artists at the Lavra Gallery, deliberately avoiding any booths dedicated to the war itself. The event aims to provide cultural continuity, emotional sustenance, and a boost to the domestic art market, which has struggled since the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion.
The 2026 Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys" by its late artistic director Koyo Kouoh, has been marked by loud protests and urgent environmental alarms, notably at Florentina Holzinger's Austria pavilion. Amid this chaos, the Hong Kong collateral exhibition "Fermata" at Campo della Tana offers a quiet counterpoint, featuring Kingsley Ng Siu-king's installation *Laundry Nocturne (2026)*, a rest lounge with padded floors and cushions that has caused visitors to doze off. The exhibition follows Kouoh's curatorial vision of creating space for silenced voices and convivial collectivity.
Belinda Gray, founder of breast cancer charity Art For Cure, shares her story ahead of the charity's latest exhibition at Wyken Vineyards. After her own breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, Gray launched Art For Cure in 2014, initially hosting an exhibition in her home and garden that drew 2,000 visitors and raised £100,000. The charity has since sold over £3 million worth of art through exhibitions and online sales, with a percentage of each sale donated by artists to fund UK breast cancer research and support services. Gray, who had no prior art-world experience, now leads a voluntary team of 10 people staging annual public exhibitions at unique venues.
The 61st Venice Biennale, scheduled to open on May 9, has been thrown into turmoil after its International Jury announced that national pavilions and artists representing countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court will not be eligible for prizes. This excludes Israel, represented by sculptor Belu-Simion Fainaru, and Russia from competing for the Golden Lion. The decision follows an open letter signed by hundreds of artists and curators demanding Israel's exclusion over the war in Gaza, and comes amid ongoing geopolitical tensions, including Russia's absence from previous editions after its invasion of Ukraine. The Biennale's theme, 'In Minor Keys,' curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, aimed to focus on dignity and listening to marginalized voices, but the prize ban has sparked accusations that identity politics are overshadowing artistic merit.
The Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta hosted its 39th Annual Spring Into Art Gala on April 13, drawing hundreds of attendees. Over 150 regional artists submitted more than 300 original works for the region's most prominent art exhibition, which remains on display through June 10. Cash prizes totaling $6,000 were awarded across four categories, with Joe Morgan winning Best of Show for his painting "Lobster Lottery." The exhibition was curated by Madison Caldwell, and admission to the galleries is free.
Freshwater Parish Council has launched a community-driven fundraiser featuring a skate deck art auction to support the development of a new skatepark and pump track on the Isle of Wight. The initiative kicked off with an opening night at the Newport and Carisbrooke Community Centre, showcasing custom-designed decks by local artists alongside historical displays of the island's skating culture. The event also secured a significant financial boost through a donation from High Sheriff Jacqueline Gazzard.
The Briscoe Western Art Museum’s 25th anniversary Night of Artists (NOA) Exhibition and Sale achieved a record-breaking $2.345 million in sales during its opening weekend. The event, held in San Antonio, saw 72% of the featured contemporary Western artworks sold immediately, including high-value pieces by Gladys Roldán-de-Moras and Todd Connor. Several prestigious honors were awarded, including the "Cowboy Bob" Museum Purchase Award, which secured Morgan Weistling’s portrait of Buffalo Bill Cody for the museum’s permanent collection.
The Museum of the Southwest in Midland, Texas, is launching a diverse spring season featuring a blend of regional art and scientific exploration. Key highlights include the "West Texas Triangle" exhibition showcasing local talent, a specialized exhibit on space exploration at the Blakemore Planetarium, and the annual "Septemberfest" community fundraiser. The programming aims to bridge the gap between fine arts and the region's scientific interests.
Open Doors Youth Service in Brisbane is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a trans youth art exhibition titled "Shimmer," created in collaboration with artist Gerwyn Davies, Museum of Brisbane, MELT Festival, and Brisbane Powerhouse. Twelve trans and gender diverse young people worked with Davies to produce artworks now on display at the Museum of Brisbane until April. The organization is also hosting a fundraising gala dinner inside the exhibition space to support its ongoing services for LGBTQIA+ youth in Queensland.
Two exhibitions in Sarasota trace the origins of the Sarasota Artist Colony, which flourished between 1945 and 1965. One is at Ringling College of Art and Design, titled “Origins: Sarasota Artist Colony, 1945-1965,” co-curated by Tim Jaeger and Bill Hartman. The other is at the downtown offices of Michael Saunders & Co. The Ringling College show features 36 works by colony artists, including Jon Corbino, Ben Stahl, Syd Solomon, and Craig Rubadoux, and places them in the context of post-World War II America, when the GI Bill and cheap rents attracted hundreds of artists to the small beach community.
A Russian drone strike on November 14 damaged the studios of Nahirna22, a collective of young artists based at the Kyiv Institute of Automation, for the second time in three months. The attack, which killed six people in Kyiv, shattered wooden windows and left studios covered in glass and rubble, though plastic windows installed after a previous strike in August survived. Co-founder Marta Nyrkova expressed uncertainty about whether the building can be repaired, while the collective plans a fundraising event and a sale of works in Berlin.
A community news roundup from the Chicago area reports on multiple local events, including a National Merit Scholarship announcement at Oak Park and River Forest High School, a two-day art exhibition and silent auction hosted by the First Congregational Church of Western Springs, a drive-in movie screening at Triton College, a Halloween brunch at Brookfield Zoo Chicago, a fall carnival in Darien, and a Zumba dance fundraiser for breast cancer research in Franklin Park. The art exhibition features works by about 20 church members and friends, with a watercolor workshop for children led by artist Jess Root and proceeds benefiting charities.
Curator and blogger Florencio “Lenny” Campello has organized a series of 18 exhibits featuring 600 female artists from the Washington, D.C. region under the project Women Artists of the DMV. The main exhibition is at American University’s Katzen Arts Center, displaying 63 pieces, with additional shows at venues like Strathmore Galleries in Bethesda and Montpelier Arts Center in Laurel. Campello hand-selected each work, receiving nearly 4,000 inquiries from local artists, and structures the shows in a three-tier pyramid from well-known to emerging artists.
An art exhibition titled 'Retrospective of Works' held at the West End Art Studio in Mallow, Ireland, from July 23 to August 3, raised €6,600 for two charities. Organized by Colman Dalton and his wife Marie, the 10-day show featured approximately 65 works by Irish, British, and French artists, including pieces by James O’Halloran, Paul Kelly, Jack Vettriano, T.S. Lowry, and others. The opening night was so crowded that 20 people had to wait outside. A raffle on opening night generated the funds, which were split equally between Focus Ireland, a homelessness charity, and HART, a local dog rescue charity.
The Inter Lyceum Art Competition (ILAC) 2025 took place on July 12-13 at the J.D.A. Perera Art Gallery in Colombo, Sri Lanka, featuring 747 student artworks from 10 Lyceum International School branches. The event included categories such as drawing, collage, 3D art, digital graphics, sculpture, and assembling art, and was supported by sponsors Atlas and Academy of Design (AOD). A charity art auction of selected student drawings raised funds for Thimbiriwewa Primary School, a rural school in the Kurunegala area. Chief Guest Dharshan Thavaraja and Guest of Honour Professor Jagath Ravindra attended, with a judging panel of Chandana Kumarasinghe, Anupa Indika, and W.M.A.N. Wasala evaluating the works.
The Gaza Biennale, a 60-artist exhibition featuring works by artists from Gaza, will debut in New York City from September 10-14 at Recess, a non-profit art space in Brooklyn, with a smaller iteration remaining on view through December 20. The biennale is a decentralized event taking place across 19 venues in 12 cities worldwide, including new pavilions in Toronto, Washington, DC, and New York. It builds on previous editions in London, Athens, Istanbul, Padua, Valencia, and elsewhere, showcasing art made from humble materials like garment scraps and old aid boxes, and includes works by 22 Gaza-based artists in its New York iteration.
Sydney Fringe Festival has announced its full 2025 program, featuring over 460 events and more than 2,900 artists across four precincts and ten festival hubs this September. Highlights include the immersive theatre experience 'When Night Comes' by Broad Encounters, internationally acclaimed shows by storytelling duo Wright & Grainger, the return of the Queer and First Nations Hubs, and the reopening of the Eternity Playhouse as the home of the Off Broadway Hub. The festival kicks off with a free street party at The Rocks on 4 September, and includes SIDESHOW performances, the Cabaret Hub at Marrickville Town Hall, and a new group exhibition by Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative.
The 12th annual Art in the Village, organized by the North Shore Art League, took place June 21-22 in Hubbard Woods Park, featuring a juried exhibition of artists from across the U.S. The event included live portrait painting by faculty member Lisa DePinto, a silent auction, and a raffle with donations from local businesses. Professional artists Bill Marvin and Corey Postiglione served as judges, awarding first place to Jenny Henley of Satsuma, Florida. Separately, the Winnetka Historical Society raised $132,000 at its annual gala honoring the late Jim Hansen, and Jeff Rosen was named assistant principal at The Joseph Sears School.