New shows in the spotlight at museum’s New Look Weekend

The Minnesota Marine Art Museum (MMAM) will host its Spring New Look Weekend from May 15-17, 2026, celebrating the opening of two new exhibitions: “Gordon Coons: Gidibaajimomin / We Tell Stories” and “Myths & Legends of Minnesota: An Exhibition of the Minnesota Plein Air Collective.” The weekend features a Friday dinner at Nosh Scratch Kitchen with a marine-themed menu by Chef Greg Jaworski, and a full Saturday of programming including a Paint-Along Demonstration with Nelia Harper French, drop-in printmaking with Gordon Coons, a Meet the Artist tour, a plein air paint-out, and a social gathering. Both exhibitions run through August and September 2026.

Landmark £5.36m UK touring art exhibition to conclude in Edinburgh

A landmark £5.36 million UK touring art exhibition, "Earthly Paradise: Radical Living in the UK," part of the Going Places scheme coordinated by Art Fund, will conclude at Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh from March to September 2028. The exhibition is one of several initiatives under Going Places, which also includes "Making Her Mark: A Celebration of Women in Art" launching April 30, 2026 at Penlee House Gallery & Museum in Penzance, touring to Kirkcaldy Galleries in 2027, and "Communities of Making" at Inverness Museum & Art Gallery exploring Scottish wool traditions, plus "New Faces New Focus" at Aberdeenshire Farming Museum.

Ojai artist Pam Grau debuts solo exhibition at Santa Paula Art Museum

Ojai-based artist Pam Grau is presenting her first solo exhibition at the Santa Paula Art Museum. The show marks a milestone in her career, bringing together a body of work that reflects her artistic practice and connection to the local landscape.

Marie Antoinette Fashion at Museum Exhibitions [PHOTOS]

A photo essay showcases fashion and decorative arts associated with Marie Antoinette, drawn from multiple museum exhibitions in France. Images include an English-style dress and skirt (circa 1780-1790) from the Palais Galliera-Paris Musées, a shoe from 1895 at the Musée des Beaux Arts de Caen, a pug on a cushion from the Berlin Manufactory (circa 1760) courtesy of Les Arts Décoratifs, and a painting titled "The Bad News" by Jean-Baptiste-Marie Pierre. The collection also features a French-style dress (circa 1755-1765), a formal corset attributed to Queen Marie Antoinette (circa 1770-1780), and a view of the exhibition "Fashion in the 18th Century: A Fantasized Legacy" at the Palais Galliera fashion museum in Paris.

Maitland exhibit: Textures of Middle East come to life in paintings woven with cultural memory

Mär Martinez's first solo museum exhibition, “A loom, a fence, a wire, a thread,” opens at The Art & History Museums of Maitland, featuring paintings inspired by traditional Turkish and Middle Eastern textile practices. The works, developed during her 2024-2025 Fulbright research in Istanbul, weave together her Cuban and Syrian heritage, exploring themes of cultural memory, displacement, and resilience through imagery of carpets, barbed wire, and urban barriers.

UCF Alum and Fulbright scholar Mär Martinez exhibition in Maitland, FL

Contemporary painter Mär Martinez, a Fulbright scholar and UCF alum, presents her first solo museum exhibition, “A loom, a fence, a wire, a thread,” at the Art & History Museums of Maitland (A&H) in Maitland, Florida. The show features works developed during her 2024–25 Fulbright research in Istanbul and builds on ideas from her 2021–2023 Studio Artist Residency at A&H. Inspired by traditional Turkish and Middle Eastern textile practices, Martinez explores themes of urban life, surveillance, and cultural memory, using imagery from nighttime walks through Istanbul—fences, checkpoints, and barbed wire—combined with historic textile patterns. Her Cuban and Arab heritage and family’s experience of displacement inform her work, with weaving serving as a metaphor for endurance and resistance. The opening night is free to the public, with live music, food, and a cash bar.

NRW will Verbot für Handel mit Holocaust-Dokumenten

The German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) is introducing a legislative bill to ban the commercial trade of personal Holocaust documents and artifacts, such as letters from concentration camps, Gestapo cards, and yellow stars. The initiative follows international outrage over a planned auction in Neuss in November 2025, which was halted at the last moment; around 460 objects from that auction were transferred to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation. The bill, to be presented at the Bundesrat session on May 8, aims to prohibit the sale of items directly linked to Nazi victims, while exempting museums, archives, and research institutions.

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.

A U.S. agency that funds culture wins a judicial reprieve

Une agence américaine qui finance la culture gagne un répit judiciaire

A U.S. federal court has blocked the Trump administration's attempt to cut funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), a key agency supporting museums and libraries nationwide. The lawsuit was brought by the American Library Association (ALA) and the AFSCME union, with support from the legal organization Democracy Forward, arguing that the executive branch cannot unilaterally reduce programs authorized by Congress. The ruling temporarily halts the funding reductions, which were part of broader efforts to slash federal cultural spending during Donald Trump's second term.

SPAIN ORIOL VILANOVA AND THE ABOLITION OF THE MUSEUM AND THE ARCHIVE

The Spanish Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale presents "Los restos," a project by Catalan artist Oriol Vilanova, curated by Carles Guerra. The installation transforms the pavilion into an anti-museum or pseudo-museum, featuring Vilanova's collection of postcards sourced from flea markets over more than twenty years. The work critiques traditional archival systems through accumulation, repetition, and fragmentation, and includes a publication and a performative action titled "El fantasma de la libertad" (2026), inspired by Luis Buñuel, which will take place across the Giardini and Arsenale.

Arte Museum Las Vegas debuts BTS immersive exhibit as part of citywide 'The City' project

Arte Museum Las Vegas has launched a BTS-themed immersive exhibition titled "ARTE MUSEUM X BTS THE CITY ARIRANG," running from May 20 to June 17, 2026. Produced by digital design company d'strict, the exhibition is part of "THE CITY," a larger project connecting multiple urban locations with BTS's tour period. The installation pairs digital visual works with tracks from BTS's fifth studio album, ARIRANG, and includes a retitled "ARIRANG GARDEN" zone featuring five media art pieces. The exhibition opens a week before BTS's Las Vegas concert dates (May 23–28) and extends two weeks after.

Cumbria’s largest museum gains six new trustees

Cumbria's largest museum, Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Trust in Carlisle, has appointed six new trustees to its board, expanding the total to 15 members. The new trustees include Lord Richard Inglewood, a former government minister; Lisa Middleton, head of marketing at National Museums Liverpool; Joanne Orr, former director of Tullie and ex-chief executive of Museums Galleries Scotland; Malcolm Rogers, a banking and finance specialist; Helen Smout, chief executive of Culture Perth and Kinross; and John Stevenson, a former MP for Carlisle. The appointments were announced by Tullie chair Andrew Smith and director Andrew Mackay.

Science Museum Partners With Serendipity Arts For Free Events In London This June

The Science Museum in London has partnered with Serendipity Arts, a not-for-profit foundation supporting artistic practice across South Asia, to present free events this June. The collaboration launches on June 5 with Innovation Lates, an adults-only evening of music, making, and ideas inspired by Indian innovation, as part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival. The festival marks 175 years since the Great Exhibition of 1851 and includes workshops, talks, performances, and a puppet parade directed by Dadi Pudumjee.

Glencoe Mansion to Host Gallery Art Show Featuring Works by LaDonna Sepers

Glencoe Mansion in Radford, Virginia, will host a gallery art show titled "Palette and Prism" featuring works by artist LaDonna Sepers from May 14 through June 25, 2026. An opening reception will be held on May 14 from 5:30 to 7:00 PM, free and open to the public. Sepers, who studied art at the University of Wisconsin, works in oil, watercolor, and heavy body acrylics, focusing on the expressive light in the eyes of human and animal subjects.

Buongiorno Ceramica! 2026 is underway. All the unmissable events of the twelfth edition

Al via Buongiorno Ceramica! 2026. Tutti gli eventi da non perdere della dodicesima edizione

The twelfth edition of "Buongiorno Ceramica!" will take place on May 23-24, 2026, transforming historic centers, museums, and workshops across Italy into open-air laboratories. The event spans from Piedmont to Sicily, featuring exhibitions, installations, guided tours, performances, tastings, and gastronomic events. Highlights include the Ceramiche Sonore competition in Castellamonte, the Museo della Ceramica's tribute to Marco Levi in Mondovì, and open studios in Montelupo Fiorentino, with participation from 60 cities organized by the Associazione Italiana Città della Ceramica.

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.

Aumenti salariali e welfare per i lavori della cultura. È stato firmato il nuovo Contratto Nazionale di Lavoro. L’intervista

A new national labor contract for Italy's cultural sector has been signed. The Federculture National Labor Contract, finalized on April 30, 2026, includes a 7.5% increase in minimum wages (effective December 1, 2024), doubled welfare contributions for healthcare, and a simplified job classification system. The agreement was reached between Federculture and major unions including FP CGIL, CISL FP, UIL FPL, and UIL PA, with negotiations for the 2025-2027 term set to resume on May 26.

“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.

Explore Art Galleries in Fort Wayne

This article is a directory-style guide listing art galleries and museums in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It highlights the Fort Wayne Museum of Art as a major attraction and provides addresses, hours, and contact information for over a dozen other venues, including Artlink Contemporary Art Gallery, the Jeffrey R Krull Gallery at the Allen County Public Library, and galleries at the University of Saint Francis and Purdue University Fort Wayne. The guide also mentions appointment-only spaces like Wunderkammer Company and The Art Farm.

Hannah Powell: Pushing the University Art Gallery forward

Hannah Powell, a University of Pittsburgh alumna, has been appointed as the first official coordinator of the University Art Gallery (UAG) at Pitt. After earning a degree in anthropology and a minor in museum studies from Pitt in 2016, she pursued a master's in museum studies from the University of Glasgow, then worked at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and later at Pittsburgh institutions like the Heinz History Center and Carnegie Science Center. Since starting her role at the UAG in 2024, Powell coordinates exhibitions, plans educational programming, and improves accessibility to a collection of over 3,000 pieces, working alongside one other full-time employee.

May - June Exhibits @ Art Works!

Art Works in Richmond, Virginia, is presenting six new exhibits from May through June 2026, featuring artists Heidi Peelen, Geneva Dinh, Anna Demovidova, RVA Clay Founding Members, and Meagan Samuel. Highlights include the May All Media Show, a juried exhibition of regional artists, and a collaborative Bridge Project with Richmond Public Schools, the Children’s Museum of Richmond, and Richard Harding. The venue also offers over 80 working artist studios, free admission, and free parking, with exhibits running through various dates in June and July.

Danville museum exhibit showcases student art honoring America’s 250th anniversary

The Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History is hosting an exhibition featuring student artwork created in honor of America’s upcoming 250th anniversary. The show highlights young artists from local schools, with pieces reflecting themes of American history, identity, and patriotism. The exhibit is part of a broader community effort to engage students in the nation’s semiquincentennial celebrations.

The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho is Opening a new Exhibit Next Week

The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho in Pocatello is opening a new exhibition next week, as reported by local news outlet KPVI. The article provides basic details about the upcoming show, though specific artworks or artists are not named in the text.

Arte Museum launches immersive BTS exhibition inspired by 'Arirang'

Arte Museum in Las Vegas has opened "Arte Museum X BTS The City Arirang," an immersive exhibition created in partnership with Hybe's citywide fan experience project "The City." The show, launched on Wednesday ahead of a BTS concert in the city, centers on BTS's fifth studio album "Arirang" and translates its themes into multisensory visual installations. Operated by Seoul-based digital design company D'strict, the exhibition features five signature media artworks including "No. 29" and a new edition of the iconic "Wave" installation titled "Arirang Wave." The exhibition will travel to Busan and New York after its Las Vegas run through June 17.

Japan Crown Prince, Crown Princess Visit Belgian Exhibition

Japan's Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko visited a special exhibition at Kokugakuin University Museum in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward, celebrating the 160th anniversary of Japan-Belgium diplomatic relations. The exhibition, opening May 23, 2026, features about 40 items from the Royal Museums of Art and History in Belgium, including a flower vase donated by Emperor Meiji and diplomatic documents. The royal couple viewed the exhibits while listening to explanations from a Belgian researcher.

Museum Art Handing Market Analysis By Application, Type,

A market research report projects the Museum Art Handing Market will grow from $11.83 billion in 2026 to $30.44 billion by 2035, at a compound annual growth rate of 12.54%. The sector covers professional services for transferring, installing, and deinstalling artworks in museums, including condition assessments, conservation, transportation, and security. Growth is driven by rising demand across industrial, commercial, and technology-oriented applications, increased investments in cultural infrastructure, and the expansion of international traveling exhibitions.

Sign Language to Bring Art Exhibitions Closer... Ministry Invites Applications for Sign Language Video Production Institutions

South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is accepting applications from ten institutions—including museums and art galleries—for its "2026 Exhibition Information Sign Language Video Production Support Project." Applications run from May 21 to June 12, with priority given to institutions offering permanent or long-term exhibitions. The ministry will evaluate regional balance, facility accessibility, video utilization potential, and exhibition suitability, and will survey the deaf community's viewing needs. The final list of selected institutions will be announced on June 22.

Opening Reception – Things Don’t Seem The Same: 2026 MFA Thesis Exhibition

The USF School of Art & Art History is hosting the opening reception for its 2026 MFA Thesis Exhibition, titled "Things Don’t Seem The Same," on April 3, 2026. The event celebrates seven MFA candidates—Enoch Appiah, Mike Cannata, Patrick Michael Carew, Darlene Gold, Atia Shafie, Diana Sosnowska, and Brogan Willis—with introductions, an awards ceremony, and ArtHouse XXVI featuring open studios, live music, food, and exhibitions.

Scholars and curators share museum practice cases at Beijing symposium

A symposium for young scholars and curators was recently held at Beijing's Culture Palace of Nationalities, moderated by a council of museums with ethnic content from the Chinese Museums Association. Ten speakers from museums, cultural institutions and universities, both on-site and online, presented case studies and ideas under the theme "Bridge, Symbiosis," focusing on the research and exhibition of China's ethnic cultures. The event coincided with International Museum Day, when many museums and art spaces opened their doors to the public, with exhibitions and events held throughout the week to encourage more time at museums.

An Unmissable Art Museum Just Opened in the Hill Country

A new art museum has opened in the Texas Hill Country, as reported by Texas Monthly. The museum aims to become a major cultural destination in the region, offering a significant collection and exhibition space for visitors.