SIU’s Sharp Museum to open exhibition featuring sculptor Preston Jackson

Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Sharp Museum will open “Here We Are,” an exhibition of recent bronze sculptures and paintings by nationally acclaimed sculptor and SIU alumnus Preston Jackson, on December 5, 2025. The show, running through June 26, 2026, features 17 paintings and nine sculptures, including works from Jackson’s public commissions. A separate closing reception on December 12 will highlight local artists Sue Gindlesparger and Nicki Rathert from the Oak Street Art Collective.

Abstract works by Local artist Frank Herrmann featured in new display at Elsmere's Gallery 506

A new abstract art exhibition titled 'Dimensions' has opened at Gallery 506 in Elsmere, Kentucky, featuring works by local artist Frank Herrmann. The show, running through December 20, 2025, includes paintings, drawings, watercolors, and sculptures characterized by bright colors, organic shapes, and playful forms. Herrmann, a professor emeritus of fine arts at the University of Cincinnati who earned his MFA there in 1972, works primarily in acrylic on stretched canvas but also experiments with mixed media such as sand, brick dust, and soot. His career includes exhibitions across the U.S., residencies at MASS MoCA and the Foundation for Contemporary Art in the Czech Republic, and pieces held in corporate and private collections.

Leslie Powell Gallery to host three art exhibitions

The Leslie Powell Gallery in Lawton, Oklahoma, will open three art exhibitions on November 15 with a reception from 6-8 p.m. The shows include "Discovery" by Thomas Stotts, featuring landscape works on canvas and wood; "So the Days Pass: Works on Paper" by Christen Humphries, a Cameron University alumna and adjunct professor; and a special exhibition of works by Eisenhower High School students. The exhibits remain on display through December 19.

DeLuce Gallery to exhibit work by Arkansas-based artist and illustrator

Northwest Missouri State University’s School of Fine and Performing Arts will host an exhibition of work by Arkansas-based illustrator and artist Sean Fitzgibbon at the Olive DeLuce Art Gallery, opening November 3, 2025. Fitzgibbon will deliver a lecture, visit art classes, and conduct studio critiques. The exhibition features original pages from his graphic nonfiction book “What Follows is True: The Crescent Hotel,” which investigates the Crescent Hotel’s history as a Depression-era cancer hospital in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Fitzgibbon is a 2022 recipient of the Arkansas Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship Award.

Artist John E. Dowell, Jr. explores life experiences in exhibition titled 'I Got Through It'

Philadelphia-based artist John E. Dowell, Jr., now 84, is preparing for a solo exhibition titled 'I Got Through It' at the James Oliver Gallery, opening October 18, 2025. The show features over 20 works spanning printmaking, painting, photography, and music-inspired pieces. Dowell, a professor emeritus at Temple University's Tyler School of Art and Architecture, discusses his lifelong creative journey, his use of jazz and blues as inspiration, and his experiments with translating visual art into sound.

Students bridge generational divides in new exhibition

Miami University students explore intergenerational connections through art in the 10th Student Response Exhibition, titled "Bridging Generational Gaps," presented by the Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum (RCCAM) in collaboration with the university's Department of Art. Inspired by Professor Megan Gerhardt's book "Gentelligence," the exhibition features works in ceramics, photography, textiles, drawing, and poetry from students across disciplines, responding to prompts about defining and bridging generational divides. Visitors can vote for their favorite pieces, with cash awards sponsored by the Art Museum's Members Association, and a reception and awards ceremony will be held on October 29.

Art Galleries Debut Dynamic Exhibitions Showcasing Local and Western U.S. Artists

Four new exhibitions open at the TMCC Art Galleries on the Dandini Campus from October 13 to November 6, 2025. The TMCC Main Gallery presents "Beyond Printmaking: The Artistic Journey of Candace Nicol Garlock (2004–2025)," a retrospective curated by Tamara Scronce tracing Garlock's evolution from traditional printmaking into experimental forms. The Red Mountain Gallery and Student Gallery feature "Communities West VI," a collaborative print folio exchange co-curated by Andrew Rice and Sukha Worob, connecting printmakers across the western U.S. The Erik Lauritzen Gallery hosts two print exchanges: "MashUP!" organized by Candace Garlock and Sarah Whorf, and "Fear Factory: Technology and the Culture of Fear," organized by Jim McCormick and Candace Nicol Garlock, exploring media-driven fear.

“Lessons in Expression” Local Teacher Art Show now on display

The Woodlands Arts Council has opened a new exhibition titled “Lessons in Expression,” a teacher art show featuring works by 20 local art educators. The exhibition, curated by artist Annette Palmer, includes a range of media from ceramics to paintings and had its opening reception on August 21, 2025. The show runs from August 12 to October 23, 2025, at the TWAC Exhibition Space in The Woodlands, Texas.

Weisman Explores What Makes a City in New Exhibition

The Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis has opened a new exhibition titled "Imagining Future Cities: Global and Minnesota Visions, Past and Present," running through September 14. Curated by Dingliang Yang, an urban designer and McKnight Land-Grant Professor at the University of Minnesota, the show features architectural drawings, diagrams, and models that examine the history and meaning of cities over the past 150 years. Yang collaborated with faculty members Thomas Fisher and Jennifer Yoos, research fellow Michael Keller, and 17 student research assistants over three years to create the exhibition, which is organized into three galleries exploring theoretical, experimental, and perceptual approaches to urban design.

Artists in Haddington to hold open studios weekend

Artists in Haddington, Scotland, are organizing an open studios weekend on September 6 and 7, showcasing their work across seven venues including homes, a garage, a gallery, an arts hub, and an arts centre. Organizer Alistair McIntyre, who previously ran a similar event in Musselburgh, has signed up 15 artists for the event, with participants including Jacqui Wilkie, Fiona Lambert, Sheena Phillips, and others working in media such as painting, needle felting, printmaking, and sculpture.

Leaders of former Maine syringe provider open Winterport art gallery

Abby D'Alessio and her husband Josh, former leaders of the Bangor-based Health Equity Alliance (HEAL)—which operated a syringe exchange and closed in April amid financial turmoil—have opened Selah Gallery on Main Street in Winterport, Maine. The gallery, named after a Biblical word meaning 'pause' and 'reflect,' offers a space for mindful contemplation and sells a mix of artwork, skin care products, jewelry, and accessories, with pieces priced from a few hundred dollars to $100,000. Abby D'Alessio, who stepped down as HEAL's harm reduction manager in December, curates the gallery, while Josh D'Alessio is a featured photographer. The space also includes the 'Canvas of Courage' project, which showcases artists who have faced homelessness, substance use, or mental health struggles, such as acrylic painter Ben Rasche.

Spring Senior Art Exhibition Showcases Student Achievements

West Liberty University (WLU) is hosting its Spring Senior Art Exhibition in the Nutting Gallery, starting April 30 with an opening reception from 5:30-7 p.m. The exhibit, running through May 8, features capstone projects by senior art majors in graphic design, art education, and studio art, including students Olivia Bernola, Allison Diantonio, Lilianna Hardt, Ireland McCafferty, Briston Ramby, Kaylee Savage, Nico Walker, and Nathan Wharton. The work was guided by Professor Brian Fencl, director of the Nutting Gallery, and Professor of Graphic Design Moonjung Kang.

Aging more slowly thanks to museums? Science confirms it

Vieillir moins vite grâce aux musées ? La science le confirme

A study published on May 11 in Innovation in Aging by University College London analyzed data from 3,556 adults in the UK, measuring their cultural engagement against biological age using epigenetic clocks. Researchers found that those who visit museums, exhibitions, concerts, or libraries at least once a week age approximately 4% more slowly than those who rarely participate. Even three cultural outings per year correlate with a 2% slowdown in biological aging, with monthly visits yielding a 3% effect—comparable to the benefits of physical exercise.

Accusé de viol, le directeur du Frac Bretagne est révoqué

The director of the Frac Bretagne (Regional Contemporary Art Fund of Brittany), Étienne Bernard, has been dismissed following an internal investigation into allegations of sexual violence. The case began in October 2025 when an anonymous testimony on the Instagram account #MeTooArtContemporain accused a former art professor of sexual assault; the post noted the accused had since become a Frac director. After graffiti appeared on the Frac Bretagne building, the institution hired the external consultancy Égaé to conduct an internal inquiry. Two reports submitted in February and April 2026 documented multiple serious allegations against Bernard, including harassment and assault. The board voted unanimously to revoke his position on May 4, 2026, and the public prosecutor's office in Rennes has opened a criminal investigation for moral harassment, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and aggravated rape. Bernard denies the allegations and has filed an appeal with the administrative court.

In Berlin, a controversy over subsidies sweeps away the culture official

À Berlin, une polémique sur des subventions emporte l’élue à la Culture

Sarah Wedl-Wilson, Berlin's senator for culture, resigned after the Berlin Court of Auditors ruled that €2.6 million in public subsidies for 13 antisemitism-fighting projects were awarded illegally, bypassing regulatory checks and violating budget law. The controversy intensified when a parliamentary inquiry revealed that CDU politicians, including Christian Goiny and Dirk Stettner, pressured her to approve the funds immediately, coordinating with the Israeli embassy, despite warnings from state secretary Oliver Friederici, whom she later dismissed. Stefan Evers, the finance senator, has been appointed interim successor until Berlin's parliamentary elections in September.

Exhibition by textile artist Kadi Pajupuu to be opened at the Riigikogu

Textile artist Kadi Pajupuu has opened a solo exhibition titled "Sinane" (This Very) at the Art Gallery of Toompea Castle, the seat of the Estonian Parliament. Inaugurated by Riigikogu President Lauri Hussar, the showcase features experimental works that blend archaic Estonian linguistic themes with modern material technologies. The exhibition highlights Pajupuu’s innovative weaving techniques, including her patented RailReed and MultiWeave systems, which allow for adjustable warp density and three-dimensional textile structures.

Tripura artist's solo exhibition in Mumbai inaugurated by Guv Jishnu Dev Varma

The solo art exhibition of Tapati Bhowmik Majumder, Tripura's first National Award-winning woman artist, opened on May 12 at Mumbai's Jahangir Art Gallery. The show was inaugurated by Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, marking the first time a Governor of Maharashtra has attended an inauguration at the gallery. Special guests included professor and artist Maruti Selke and actress Jayati Bhatia. The exhibition runs through May 18.

California State Univ hosts artist Tutul’s exhibition

California State University hosted a five-day solo exhibition titled 'Lost Symbiosis' by Bangladeshi artist and graphic design professor Md Harun-ar-Rashid Tutul at its Media Art Gallery from April 27 to May 1. The exhibition featured 24 oil and acrylic paintings on recycled paper mesh and canvas, exploring the fragile relationship between humanity and the natural world. Tutul also delivered a lecture on visual communication to students at California State University, Bakersfield, and a separate showing of the exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles Acting Academy and the local Bangladeshi community at the Church of Scientology in Los Angeles on May 3.

Mount Wachusett Community College student art exhibit opens in Gardner

Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) has opened its 55th Annual Student Art Exhibition at the East Wing Gallery inside the Raymond LaFontaine Fine Arts Center on its Gardner campus. Running from May 11 through May 26, the show features student work in painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, and design, selected collaboratively by faculty and students. Art department chair, professor, and gallery director Joyce Miller is the contact for the event.

The church, the village, the park. FAI's 'Places of the Heart' returns to save ruins

La chiesa, il borgo, il parco. Tornano i Luoghi del Cuore del FAI per salvare i beni in rovina

The Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano (FAI) has launched the 13th edition of its "Luoghi del Cuore" (Places of the Heart) initiative, a biennial census that invites Italians to vote for cultural heritage sites most in need of restoration. Since 2003, the campaign has collected over 13.5 million votes, with the 2024 edition alone receiving more than 2.3 million votes for over 41,000 sites across 6,508 municipalities. The initiative has funded 180 recovery projects, 40% of which involve churches, followed by environmental, architectural, and archaeological assets. Notable successes include the Church of San Pietro dei Samari in Gallipoli, the Oratorio del Sasso in Orasso, and the Complesso di Sant’Angelo Magno in Ascoli Piceno.

The gardens are beautiful but we have stopped designing them. Analysis by architect Gabriele Mulè

I giardini sono bellissimi ma abbiamo smesso di progettarli. L’analisi dell’architetto Gabriele Mulè

Architect Gabriele Mulè analyzes the garden of Bruce Ginsberg in Hampshire, England, describing it as a masterful blend of Eastern and Western traditions. The garden, cultivated for over thirty years, features fluid curves, geometric hedges, a Tibetan stupa, and a labyrinth, embodying the concept of sharawadgi—planting without apparent order—while integrating elements from ancient Greece, the Renaissance, and Buddhist philosophy.

The arrival of the Orient Express hotel in Venice reopens the historic Palazzo Donà Giovannelli (filling it with contemporary art)

L’arrivo dell’hotel Orient Express a Venezia riapre lo storico Palazzo Donà Giovannelli (riempiendolo di arte contemporanea)

Palazzo Donà Giovannelli, a 15th-century Venetian palace, has reopened as the flagship Orient Express hotel after an eight-year restoration led by architect and interior designer Aline Asmar d’Amman. Located in the Cannaregio district, the 5-star luxury hotel features 47 rooms, suites, and residences, blending historical frescoes and neogothic details with contemporary sculptures, Murano glass chandeliers, and custom furnishings. The property, owned by Arsenale Group since 2019, includes a transformed courtyard lobby, a secret garden, and a rotating selection of contemporary artworks displayed in a passage called Calle Meraviglia.

No, the closed Museum of Comics in Milan has not found a new home in Brianza

No, il Museo del Fumetto chiuso a Milano non ha trovato la nuova sede in Brianza

The Museum of Comics (Museo del Fumetto) in Milan, which suspended operations in June 2025 due to a €180,000 debt to the city, has not found a permanent new home despite online rumors. Instead, the Fondazione Franco Fossati, which runs the museum, has secured temporary storage for its archive in Desio (Monza-Brianza) for up to two years, using spaces granted free of charge by the local municipality. The archive—containing over 500,000 items including publications, original boards, and memorabilia—will be cataloged and preserved there, but the museum itself remains closed to the public.

“La preistoria non è stata solo violenza, ma anche cura”. Intervista all’archeologa femminista Marga Sánchez Romero

Marga Sánchez Romero, a professor of Prehistory at the University of Granada and a leading voice in feminist archaeology in Spain, argues in an interview that prehistory has been misrepresented as a sequence of violence and hierarchies. She emphasizes that new questions are reshaping our understanding of the past, highlighting that care, cooperation, and solidarity were as crucial as conflict in human evolution. The conversation covers biases in archaeological interpretation, the famous Viking tomb of Birka, the origins of inequality, and the role of museums in creating more inclusive narratives.

In Piazza Navona the École française de Rome opens a space for exhibitions (all will be free admission)

A Piazza Navona l’École française de Rome apre uno spazio per le mostre (saranno tutte ad accesso gratuito)

The École française de Rome, founded in 1875 and housed at Palazzo Farnese, has opened a permanent exhibition space at Piazza Navona 62 in Rome. A current exhibition running until April 30, 2026, traces the institute's 150-year history of historical, archaeological, and social science research, highlighting its Italian and Mediterranean focus and the collaborative spirit between France and Italy. The new gallery will host a regular program of free-admission exhibitions and events dedicated to cultural heritage, archaeology, and history, starting with the show "Isole e santi – Monasteri e santuari dell’Adriatico orientale, da san Girolamo a Gregorio VII" from May 27, 2026.

The process for awarding the title of Italian Capital of Culture should be rethought. Here's why.

Il processo per assegnare il titolo di Capitale Italiana della Cultura andrebbe ripensato. Ecco perché

An analysis of the selection process for Italy's "Capital of Culture" title reveals a consistent pattern: cities chosen for the prestigious designation are almost exclusively administered by political coalitions aligned with the national government in power at the time of selection. The sole exceptions were Bergamo and Brescia, which were jointly awarded the title via a special parliamentary decree in recognition of their suffering during the pandemic, bypassing the standard procedure. This political alignment has persisted across different legislatures and changes in government.

Faculty artist Matt Fox brings 'Water’s Embrace' exhibit to OHIO Eastern Art Gallery

Associate Professor Matt Fox is set to debut his solo exhibition, "Water’s Embrace," at the Ohio University Eastern Art Gallery. The showcase features a dual-medium approach, combining the technical precision of stained glass with the fluid spontaneity of watercolor paintings. Fox, who also serves as the Associate Director of Nursing at the university, explores themes of transparency and transformation, with a public reception scheduled for March 17, 2026.

fashion tom ford eyewear miami art week

Tom Ford is launching its first eyewear-only pop-up during Art Basel Miami Beach, staged on the sand facing the Miami Beach EDITION from December 4-6. The installation showcases the full Eyewear family—Core, ICON, and the Private Collection—alongside exclusive styles from Haider Ackermann's Fall/Winter 2025 runway. Visitors can try on and purchase rare frames like the Bronson and Fausto lenses in a chrome-and-marble setting designed to present eyewear as collectible design objects.

OPINION: How the biennial staff and faculty exhibition benefits art students

Western Washington University's Western Gallery is hosting its biennial faculty and staff exhibition, featuring 20 artists from the art department. The show includes diverse works such as interactive sensory pieces, weavings, and photographic rings, offering students a rare glimpse into their professors' professional art practices outside the classroom. Students like printmaker Myrie Murphy and faculty such as fiber professor Seiko Purdue emphasize how the exhibition demystifies the art world and humanizes instructors as practicing artists.

Western’s Art Gallery to host student artworks in end of year exhibition

Western Wyoming Community College (Western) will host its annual Student Art Exhibition in the Art Gallery from May 8 through August 28, with a public reception and awards ceremony on May 14. The exhibition features works in painting, printmaking, ceramics, photography, drawing, sculpture, and mixed media by Western students, many of whom are exhibiting and selling their art professionally for the first time. Proceeds from sales will be split between the artists and the college's Art Gallery. The show is curated by Assistant Professor of Art Ben Nathan with student gallery interns.