Capital Walls, a mural program in Albany, New York, has transformed the city's streets over the past decade by commissioning large-scale public artworks from local and national artists. The initiative has produced dozens of murals that have become landmarks, revitalizing neighborhoods and fostering community engagement with visual art.
Russell Kaplan Auctioneers is holding the second session of its Autumn Wunderkammer Auction on May 15, 2026, in Johannesburg, South Africa. The session, titled "Contemporary Decorative Art," will feature lots 700 through 1499, with approximately 60 lots sold per hour from 09:00 to 18:00.
The Affordable Art Fair is coming to Austin, featuring a mix of international galleries and local artists, with artworks priced to suit a range of budgets. The event aims to make art collecting accessible to a broader audience, showcasing works from both established and emerging creators.
The Armstrong Spallumcheen Museum and Art Gallery in British Columbia is launching a dual exhibition on May 28, 2026, running through June 27. The Main Gallery features the Shuswap Plein Air Troupe—artists Diane Akey, Maureen Howard, and Patricia L. Smith—with their show "Together: From There to Here," presenting expressive landscape paintings inspired by outdoor painting sessions. Meanwhile, the Freeze Gallery hosts Nancy Vince's "A Touch of Whimsy," a collection of high-definition metal prints filled with playful imagery like enchanted cottages and hidden creatures.
A new exhibition titled "Resilience" has opened at the Hartlepool Art Gallery, featuring works by 50 artists selected through an open call for individuals with ties to the town. Inspired by the 100th anniversary of the General Strike, the show explores themes of personal survival, psychological recovery, community bonds, and overcoming barriers. Five artists have been shortlisted by an independent panel, and visitors can vote for their favorite artwork, with the winner earning a solo exhibition at the gallery. A companion display, "Hartlepool’s Resilience," curated by local museum volunteers, presents objects and artworks from the borough council’s collection.
Isle of Wight Open Studios 2026 opens this Friday, 15th May, and runs until Monday 25th May, featuring over 200 artists and makers across the Isle of Wight. Visitors can explore studios, galleries, and creative spaces to meet painters, ceramicists, photographers, jewellers, printmakers, textile artists, and sculptors. A preview exhibition, the IWOS Showcase Exhibition, is currently on display at Quay Arts until 30th May, showcasing work from over 90 participating artists. The event has been nominated in the Red Funnel Isle of Wight Awards under 'Best Event or Festival'.
The Field Museum in Chicago has opened 'Amerika Samoa,' an exhibition curated by Samoan artists to provide an authentic introduction to Samoan art and culture. The show highlights traditional practices such as tattooing and siapo (painted barkcloth), and features a collaborative barkcloth created during workshops with Chicago's Samoan community, museum staff, and master artists from American Samoa. The exhibition is located in the Halls of the Pacific and will run for two years.
Fairfield University Art Museum is hosting a new exhibition centered on the American flag as a visual and cultural symbol. The show brings together works by multiple artists who explore the flag's evolving meanings in American life, from patriotism to protest.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Sharp Museum is seeking submissions for a national juried exhibition titled "Spooks or Spoofs," focused on cryptid-themed art. The exhibition runs from August 11 through December 21, accepts all media except AI-generated images, and allows up to 50 entries with a $5-$10 donation per submission. The deadline for submissions is July 1, with jury results posted by July 14 and artwork drop-off due by August 11.
Laura Lit, an Austin-based artist, has opened her first solo museum exhibition, "Impossible Beings," at Laguna Gloria. The show features four abstract sculptures that are the outdoor debut of The Contemporary's HOST series, running from April 23, 2025, through January 17, 2027. Lit, who began her artistic reinvention after becoming a mother in 2020, creates dream-like figures inspired by meditation, using industrial materials like expanded polystyrene and Pal Tiya. The exhibition also includes a companion show at The Jones Center opening in September.
Fei Tian College in Middletown, New York, opened its 2026 Fine Arts Exhibition on May 11, showcasing oil paintings and graphic design works by undergraduate and graduate students. The week-long show serves as the MFA in Oil Painting graduation showcase, featuring works that blend traditional techniques with personal themes such as innocence, spirituality, courage, compassion, and humanity. Faculty members curated the layout, but each graduate artist developed their own vision over a year-long creative process, with many spending at least a year on a single painting from concept to completion.
A new exhibition titled 'Resilience' has opened at Hartlepool Art Gallery, running until July 4, 2025. Featuring 50 artists with ties to Hartlepool, selected through an open call, the show explores themes of personal survival, psychological recovery, community bonds, and overcoming barriers, inspired by the 100th anniversary of the General Strike. Visitors can vote for their favorite artwork from a shortlist of five artists, with the winner receiving a future solo exhibition at the gallery. A companion show, 'Hartlepool’s Resilience,' curated by museum service volunteers, displays objects from the borough council’s collection highlighting local spirit.