national museum of puerto rican arts and culture homeland security

Agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) arrived at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture in Chicago on Tuesday, with at least 15 DHS vehicles occupying the museum's parking lot for nearly two hours. Museum staff reported that an agent entered the building under the pretense of using the bathroom but instead looked around and refused to leave when asked. Museum president Billy Ocasio described the incident as intimidating, comparing it to "Gestapo-style" tactics, and staff expressed fear. DHS later denied targeting the museum, stating the vehicles were staging for a narcotics investigation, but museum officials and local Representative Delia Ramirez criticized the lack of identification and the intimidating show of force.

institute of museum and library services staff leave doge

The entire staff of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in Washington, D.C., was placed on administrative leave by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), effective immediately. Between 55 and 70 employees received a letter informing them of the leave with full pay and benefits for 90 days, requiring them to turn in government property and disabling their email accounts. This follows President Donald Trump’s executive order calling for the elimination of the IMLS within seven days as part of a broader reduction of federal bureaucracy. The agency, established in 1996, awarded approximately $266.7 million in grants last year to museums and libraries across all 50 states.

icom russia president slams calls to eject russia from icom for violating code of ethics as political libel

ICOM Russia president Vasilij Pankratov has denounced calls for Russia's expulsion from the International Council of Museums (ICOM) as "political libel." The controversy follows an open letter published in Le Monde on May 5, in which a group of art experts—including art historian Konstantin Akinsha, Francesca Thyssen Bornemisza, and Vitalit Tytych—accused Russia of systematically erasing Ukraine's cultural identity since the 2022 invasion. The signatories threatened to take ICOM to court in France if it failed to oust Russia for violating the organization's code of ethics. Pankratov dismissed the accusations as unfounded, arguing that Russian museum workers operate within the country's constitution and local ethical criteria, and denied claims that Ukrainian cultural property has been appropriated by Russian museums.

legal injunction pauses imls funding cuts

A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday blocking President Trump's executive order to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). District Court Judge John J. McConnell Jr., appointed by President Obama, ruled that the dismantling violated the Administrative Procedure Act and Congress's constitutional power over appropriations. The injunction follows a lawsuit by the American Library Association and AFSCME, and a temporary restraining order last week. Trump's March 14 executive order had declared IMLS "unnecessary," placing staff on leave, terminating grants, and dismissing board members.

Photo gallery: Fine Arts Fiesta opens in Wilkes-Barre

The 70th annual Fine Arts Fiesta opened on Thursday, May 14, 2026, on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and runs through Sunday. The event features artists, crafts, entertainment, and music, with headliners including the Phil Giordano Jazz Orchestra and Doug Smith & The Dixieland Band. A tribute to the late trumpeter Bobby Baird Jr. is scheduled, and eight local dance companies will perform at the F.M. Kirby Center. During the opening ceremony, Wilkes-Barre official George Brown presented a proclamation and key to the city to Fine Arts Fiesta board president Ann Saxton, executive director Brian Benedetti, and second vice president Gina Malsky.

On the Somalia Pavillion

At the 2026 Venice Biennale, Somalia has established its first-ever national pavilion, commissioned by the Somali government to showcase the richness of Somali culture through the theme of Saddaxleey, a triadic form of Somali poetry and proverbs. The pavilion features works by Somali Swedish artist Ayan Farah, UK-based Somali Danish multidisciplinary artist Asmaa Jama, and Somali British poet Warsan Shire. However, a collective of queer Somali artists, curators, and culture workers called Warbixinta Cidda has publicly criticized the pavilion for overrepresenting the diaspora, selecting an all-male advisory board, and appointing an Italian co-curator instead of Somali curators, raising concerns about representation and neocolonialism.

Venice Biennale jury resigns amid row over Russian entry

The international jury of the Venice Biennale resigned en masse just nine days before the opening of the world's oldest contemporary art fair, amid a dispute over Russia's participation and the panel's decision to bar prizes for countries accused of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. The jury, comprising president Solange Farkas and members Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi, stepped down without explanation, following tensions that also involved Italy's Culture Ministry cutting €2 million in EU funding over Russia's presence and sending inspectors to the Russian Pavilion.

Bringing ‘Nari Shakti’ to life on canvas: ‘Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu’ art exhibition in Delhi

The Kalamkar Gallery at Bikaner House in Delhi is hosting 'Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu,' a contemporary art exhibition by artist Shiny Sharma that explores the cultural and spiritual power of the Divine Feminine, or 'Nari Shakti.' Running until April 26, the exhibition features paintings on canvas using acrylic and oil, along with multimedia elements, each depicting a distinct manifestation of Shakti. Sharma, who also serves as President of the Army Wives Welfare Association for the Northern Army Command, draws inspiration from the resilience of Army wives and war widows (Veer Naris).

Donald Trump Endorses Steve Hilton for California Governor

99CENT art exhibition

President Donald Trump has officially endorsed former Fox News host Steve Hilton for the California governorship. Hilton, who previously served as an advisor to UK Prime Minister David Cameron, is campaigning on a platform of repairing the state's relationship with the federal government and has adopted the "Make California Great Again" slogan. This endorsement positions Hilton as a primary front-runner among Republican voters, potentially consolidating the GOP base in a crowded field that includes Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and several prominent Democrats.

Canada's Art Gallery of Hamilton gets federal funding for expansion that will double its exhibition space

The Art Gallery of Hamilton (AGH) in Ontario, Canada, announced on January 20 that it has received nearly C$1 million ($684,000) in federal funding from the Canadian Heritage Cultural Spaces Fund for a major expansion. The project will add a 745-square-meter gallery, increasing exhibition space by 70%, and is expected to attract up to 300,000 visitors annually. AGH President and CEO Shelley Falconer stated the funding will launch the first phase, including hiring an architectural firm and creating schematic drawings for a new Main Street entrance and a gallery dedicated to Hamilton's industrial history. The gallery is also exploring adding affordable housing for creative workers in partnership with City Housing Hamilton.

Fevicryl’s The Art Chapter Showcases Local Artists at Ahmedabad Ni Gufa

Fevicryl, a brand under Pidilite Industries, launched 'The Art Chapter – Celebrating the Local Artist' at Ahmedabad Ni Gufa, an iconic underground gallery designed by Balkrishna Doshi in collaboration with M.F. Husain. The six-day exhibition featured over 50 local artists working in acrylics, mixed media, sculpture, folk motifs, and contemporary mythological reinterpretations. Highlights included a painting titled 'Melody of Knowledge' and an Indian Art Workshop offering hands-on traditional techniques. The event drew nearly 5,000 visitors, with on-site sales and commission inquiries reported, and was inaugurated by Dr. Bhanwar Rathore, Founder and President of BRDS.

Paintings by US president Jimmy Carter go to auction

Paintings by the late US president Jimmy Carter, along with personal effects from his family, will be auctioned at Christie's in New York this month as part of a sale titled "We the People: America at 250," marking the country's semiquincentennial. The works were selected by his daughter Amy Carter and include scenes of a Georgia church, a still-life with a pomegranate, a waterfall, and a historical painting titled "The Hornet's Nest" (2003), with estimates ranging from $2,000 to $12,000. Also offered are a portrait of Carter by Don Powers, scarves with a peanut print, ties, a Stetson hat, a coffee table made by Carter, and a copy of Chairman Mao's quotations.

Topkapı Palace opens new Tile Art Gallery in Mabeyn section

Topkapı Palace in Istanbul has opened a new Tile Art Gallery in its Mabeyn section, featuring a restored historic passage that connects the Mabeyn area with the Harem-i Hümayun. The gallery, called the Mabeyn Yolu (Route) Tile Art Gallery, showcases the stylistic and technical evolution of Ottoman tile art from Iznik to Kütahya, displaying tiles that were previously kept in storage. National Palaces President Professor Yasin Yıldız announced that the project took nearly three years and includes tiles bearing the names of Ottoman sultans from Osman Gazi to Sultan Selim II, as well as couplets from the 11th-century poem "Qasida al-Munfarija."

Francis Bacon’s Paris pad honoured with plaque

A commemorative plaque honoring artist Francis Bacon has been unveiled in Paris, installed by the City of Paris at the studio apartment near the Place des Vosges where Bacon lived and worked from 1974 to 1987. The unveiling was attended by art historian Michael Peppiatt, who wrote a biography of Bacon and served as his guide to the French capital, and Guillaume Cerutti, president of the Pinault collection. Bacon took the small studio after his hit 1971 exhibition at the Grand Palais, and Peppiatt helped him find the space, which Bacon used for both living and painting during his frequent visits to Paris.

Miami Arts Organizations Respond to NEA Cuts

Miami arts nonprofits, including Dimensions Variable and Fountainhead, received termination notices from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) stating their federal funding would end May 31st because their projects did not align with presidential priorities. The cuts compound existing financial strain from state and local reductions, including Governor Ron DeSantis's veto of $32 million in state arts funding and a proposed $12.8 million cut by Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who later restored $11.5 million after public backlash. Organizations now face canceled programming, raised fees, and uncertainty about reimbursing already-spent funds.

From controversy to clarity: how a Philadelphia medical museum is rethinking the display of human remains

The Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, known for its collection of medical artifacts including human remains, has been embroiled in controversy since a 2023 ProPublica investigation revealed it held Native American remains without repatriating them as required by NAGPRA. The museum's executive director Kate Quinn and then-president Mira Irons responded by removing digital content mentioning human remains, sparking a petition signed by over 30,000 people accusing them of reactive decisions. High-level staff departed, donors requested their body parts back, and both Quinn and Irons eventually resigned. The museum is now led by science historians Erin McLeary and Sara Ray.

Trump seeks to defund Institute of American Indian Arts

President Donald Trump's proposed 2026 federal budget seeks to eliminate all federal funding for the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), the only four-year school dedicated to contemporary Indigenous arts. IAIA relies on federal funding for 75% of its operational costs and received $13 million in the prior two fiscal years; the budget also cuts over $500 million from the Bureau of Indian Education, which supports 37 tribal colleges including IAIA.

Collector Ken Griffin spends $18.1m on historic US documents signed by Abraham Lincoln

Billionaire hedge fund founder Ken Griffin purchased two rare historic documents signed by President Abraham Lincoln for a total of $18.1 million at a Sotheby's auction in New York on June 26. The lots included a congressional copy of the Thirteenth Amendment (abolishing slavery in 1865) for $13.7 million and a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation (1863) for $4.4 million. Only 15 known versions of the Thirteenth Amendment signed by Lincoln exist, with just four in private hands. Griffin, a top Republican donor and prolific collector, previously bought a first-edition copy of the U.S. Constitution for a record $43.2 million in 2021.

Tribute exhibition celebrates ‘extraordinary’ Devon artist

A tribute exhibition titled "Jennifer Johnson: Atmosphere, Colour and Light" will be held at The Loft Studio, Salcombe Art Club, from May 24 to June 7, 2025, celebrating the life and work of Devon-based artist Jennifer Johnson, who died last year after a long battle with cancer. The exhibition, organized by her son Christopher Derrick, will showcase her extensive body of work—including watercolours, oils, drawings, collages, and digital art—and will raise funds for St. Luke’s Hospice, which cared for her in her final days.

How Javier Milei’s war on history is threatening art spaces in Argentina

Argentina's President Javier Milei has escalated his campaign to rewrite the history of the country's 1976-1983 dictatorship by closing art and human-rights spaces on the grounds of the ESMA Museum and Site of Memory in Buenos Aires, a former clandestine prison turned memorial and UNESCO World Heritage Site. In January, the Haroldo Conti Cultural Centre was shuttered for 'internal restructuring,' with 50 of its 87 employees fired; in early April, the government halted operations at Espacio Memoria, suspending salary payments and funding pending an audit. Both centres are public institutions managed by the Human Rights Secretariat, which has undergone mass layoffs and changes under Milei's administration.

New Kensington Art Gallery to open Eddie Adams photography exhibit May 8

Penn State New Kensington Art Gallery will open "Eddie Adams: Vietnam" on May 8, featuring over 50 photographs by the late Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist. The exhibit includes his iconic "Saigon Execution" (1968) and "Boat of No Smiles" (1979), with a reception on May 28 featuring Adams' widow Alyssa Adams and former Associated Press photo editor Hal Buell. The free show runs through August 27.

‘Exhausted’ life models at Florence art academy threaten nude protest

Life models at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze (Florence Academy of Fine Arts) are threatening legal action and a nude protest in the academy's courtyard over poor working conditions. They describe their work as “exhausting,” involving eight-hour sessions with minimal breaks, and say their renewable annual contracts—offering 500 hours over 11 months—lack insurance, paid leave, sick days, or a digital timecard. The dispute centers on Italy’s ministry of universities and research rules introduced last year, which the academy interprets as excluding models hired more than three years ago under simplified procedures from permanent contracts. Union president Giancarlo Iacomini has met with academy director Gaia Bindi to seek a resolution, while the academy says it will publish a new public recruitment notice that counts previous contracts as qualifications.

Georgia artist John Cleaveland brings Jimmy Carter’s childhood to life in 'The Nature of Man' exhibit

Georgia-based artist John Cleaveland has created a series of realistic landscape paintings titled "The Nature of Man: Landscapes from the Childhood of Jimmy Carter," inspired by the former president's 2001 memoir "An Hour Before Daylight." The exhibition is on display at the Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta through May 31, depicting locations from Carter's childhood in Sumter County, Georgia.

Russian artist reveals portrait Putin commissioned him to make as gift for Trump

Russian artist Nikas Safronov revealed a portrait of Donald Trump commissioned by Vladimir Putin as a gift for the U.S. president. The painting depicts Trump after the July 2024 assassination attempt, with blood on his face and fist raised, against a U.S. flag and Statue of Liberty backdrop. Safronov confirmed Putin personally conveyed the importance of the order, and the portrait was delivered via Trump envoy Steven Witkoff. The Kremlin pool journalists posted the image, and Putin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the gift.

France Passes Law Easing Process of Returning Looted Art

France has passed a new law that simplifies the process of returning looted art and cultural artifacts to their countries of origin. The legislation, championed by President Emmanuel Macron, is seen as a major step in addressing colonial-era acquisitions, particularly for African artworks held in French museums. Experts describe the law as a seismic shift in restitution policy, enabling faster and more systematic returns without requiring individual parliamentary approvals for each item.

The Audacity of Art at the Obama Presidential Center

Barack and Michelle Obama commissioned 30 artists to create site-specific works for the Obama Presidential Center on Chicago's South Side, which begins visitor previews next week. The commissioned artworks span multiple media and will be integrated throughout the campus, reflecting the Obamas' commitment to public art and community engagement.

Accused of Harassing Staff, Martha Ortiz Steps Down as Director of Bogotá’s MAMBO

Martha Ortiz has stepped down as director of Bogotá’s Museo de Arte Moderno (MAMBO) amid allegations of harassing staff and fostering a toxic work environment. The museum announced her retirement and will begin a search for a successor, with board president Ángela Royo and financial manager Francy Hernández assuming interim leadership. Ortiz, who had no prior museum management experience, took the role in March 2024. Her departure follows the ousting of artistic director Eugenio Viola less than three months earlier, after he raised concerns about deteriorating working conditions.

Milan Depaves: A New Garden Arrives to Combine Sustainability and Culture

Milano si depavimenta: sta per arrivare un nuovo giardino per tenere insieme sostenibilità e cultura

Construction will begin in the coming weeks on Giardino Manifesto, an urban regeneration project at the historic Milanese cultural space Santeria Toscana 31. Presented on May 19, 2026, with Mayor Giuseppe Sala, Gruppo CAP President Yuri Santagostino, and architect Cristiana Cutrona of ReValue, the initiative transforms a fully paved external area into a green infrastructure applying sponge city (SUDS) principles. The design includes rain gardens, drainage surfaces, a rain-collecting amphitheater, and a sensory garden, aiming to reduce flood risk and lower perceived temperatures by up to 4-5°C through de-paving and resilient vegetation.

Philanthropist and Patron Emmanuele Emanuele Dies; Creator of Rome's Palazzo Sciarra and Palazzo Cipolla Museum Spaces

È morto il filantropo e mecenate Emmanuele Emanuele. Fautore a Roma degli spazi museali di Palazzo Sciarra e Palazzo Cipolla

Emmanuele Francesco Maria Emanuele, a prominent Italian philanthropist, jurist, and patron of the arts, has passed away in Rome at the age of 86. Born in Palermo, Emanuele dedicated the latter half of his life to cultural promotion, most notably serving as the President of Fondazione Roma and the Fondazione Terzo Pilastro – Internazionale. His leadership was instrumental in transforming Rome's Palazzo Sciarra and Palazzo Cipolla into significant museum spaces, hosting both permanent collections and major temporary exhibitions.

Plas Art Show goes back to basics with renewed focus on its sculpture, 3-D work

The Plas Art Show, a Seoul-based art fair specializing in sculpture and three-dimensional works, returns for its 11th edition from June 4 at Coex in Gangnam District. Featuring 102 galleries (91 domestic and 11 from Taiwan, Germany, Japan, and Georgia), the fair presents roughly 750 artists and 3,500 works under the theme “New Chance.” Fair president Shin Jun-won acknowledged criticism that the event had drifted from its sculptural focus and announced stricter curation, including on-site inspections and penalties for galleries that fail to include at least one three-dimensional artist and one stereoscopic work. Standard booth prices range from 5.7 to 6.7 million won, which Shin says attracts Gangnam-area galleries priced out of larger venues.