Calls for Artists: May 2026

Burnaway's May 2026 Calls for Artists roundup lists multiple opportunities with deadlines in early May. These include the Joan Mitchell Center's call for figurative works, the Michael P. Smith Fund for Documentary Photography for Gulf Coast photographers, the Center for Craft Teaching Artist Cohort offering $10,000 grants to mid-career craft artists, the Hopper Prize grants totaling $13,000, residencies at The Studios of Key West and Trillium Arts, and the National Performance Network Creation & Development Fund. Each opportunity has specific eligibility, fees, and deadlines ranging from May 3 to May 18, 2026.

Madeline Jiménez Santil’s Geometries of Dance

Artist Madeline Jiménez Santil has opened a solo exhibition at the Arróniz gallery in Mexico City. The show features her signature graphite drawings that create swivelling, geometric grids, which she describes as visual representations of dance and movement.

Hurvin Anderson and Caroline Walker to show new works on London Underground

London's Art on the Underground programme has announced its 2026 lineup, featuring new public artworks by Hurvin Anderson, Caroline Walker, Phoebe Boswell, and Ain Bailey. Anderson will create a commission for Brixton station tied to his long-standing studio in the area, while Walker will depict women working night shifts on the Jubilee line. Boswell will install photographic assemblages at Bethnal Green and Notting Hill Gate stations focusing on Black swimming communities, and Bailey will produce an audio piece for Waterloo station highlighting closed London venues.

Art meets tech: 6 ways to experience both during Miami Art Week

Miami Art Week is featuring a strong intersection of art and technology, with digital art taking center stage at major fairs. Art Basel Miami Beach (Dec. 5–7) debuts Zero 10, a curated section focused on digital art, showcasing works by Beeple (including robotic dogs resembling billionaires), Lu Yang, and others. CONTEXT Art Miami (Dec. 2–7) hosts Blackdove, a Miami-based digital art company, presenting its first fair exhibit titled "Code and Canvas: The Digital Art Genome." Other tech-forward installations include Emmanuel Van der Auwera's thermal video piece and Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst's AI-driven digital canvas.

scope art show

Scope Art Show is positioning itself as a site of encounters and experiences rather than purely sales driven during Miami Art Week 2025, with the theme 'Be Here Now.' The fair features a program of musical performances, wellness events, new technology, and hospitality, alongside installations and gallery presentations that invite visitors to focus on the present moment. Highlights include Connor Tingley's 'Nun Series' with Ori Gallery, MCSK's human-A.I. collaborative installation 'Replicatio: States of Collapse' at Pirovino, Desmond Beach's exploration of Black American experience at Richard Beavers Gallery, Yohannes Yamassee's ceremonial installation 'One Turtle Island' curated by Virginia Shore and Leah Kolb, and the returning Blue Floor Project showcasing 20 artists from Fuze Caribbean Art Fair.

3 Matisse Exhibitions at the Baltimore Museum of Art Highlight Different Sides of the Artist

The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) is presenting three simultaneous exhibitions focused on Henri Matisse, drawing from its world-leading collection of the artist's works. The shows include "Fratino and Matisse: To See This Light Again," pairing Matisse with contemporary artist Louis Fratino; "Matisse and Martinique: Portraits and Poetry," exploring a little-known book illustration series inspired by the artist's 1930 visit to Martinique; and "Matisse in Vence: The Stations of the Cross," featuring 85 rarely or never-before-seen works on paper from Matisse's only architectural project—a chapel in Vence, France. The exhibitions run through 2026, with the Vence show curated by scholar Yve-Alain Bois.

Coming to campus this spring? Check out these exhibitions.

The University of Chicago is hosting a diverse slate of art exhibitions across its campus this spring. Highlights include 'A Bestiary of Ancient Nubia' at the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, 'Beyond Boundaries: Three Decades of Contemporary Chinese Art' and 'Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas' at the Smart Museum of Art, the photography exhibition 'Black Culture in Chicago' at the Logan Center, and 'History on the Edges: Michel-Rolph Trouillot’s Caribbean' at the Regenstein Library.

Wifredo Lam: When I Don’t Sleep, I Dream

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York is hosting "Wifredo Lam: When I Don’t Sleep, I Dream," the first comprehensive U.S. retrospective of the Cuban modernist's career. Running from November 2025 to April 2026, the exhibition traces Lam’s artistic evolution from his formative years in Europe to his return to the Caribbean, where he integrated Afro-Caribbean histories and spirituality into the language of modern painting. The show features major loans, a documentary film, and a scholarly catalogue exploring his unique synthesis of Surrealism and decolonial thought.

Orlando Museum of Art just announced its 2026 Florida Prize lineup

The Orlando Museum of Art has unveiled the artist lineup for the 2026 Florida Prize in Contemporary Art, scheduled to run from May 30 through August 23. This 12th edition marks the largest in the program's history, featuring 12 artists including Maria Theresa Barbist, Jason Hackenwerth, and the duo We Are Nice’n Easy. The exhibition will culminate in a $20,000 grand prize awarded by juror Jade Powers, alongside a $2,500 People’s Choice Award.

10 Chicago art exhibitions we’re most excited about in spring 2026

Chicago’s major cultural institutions have unveiled a diverse lineup of exhibitions for the spring 2026 season, ranging from historical retrospectives to pop-culture crossovers. Highlights include the U.S. debut of the Pokémon Fossil Museum at the Field Museum, a rare display of Henri Matisse’s cut-paper maquettes at the Art Institute of Chicago, and an immersive recreation of Anne Frank’s Secret Annex at the Griffin Museum of Science & Industry. Other notable shows explore the intersection of contemporary art and Caribbean music genres at the MCA Chicago and a site-specific residency by Brendan Fernandes at the Driehaus Museum.

Read the Room: Dallas Museum of Art’s “International Surrealism” Misses the Mark

The Dallas Museum of Art's exhibition "International Surrealism" is critiqued as a missed opportunity during the centennial of the surrealist movement. The author argues that while the show presents a broad survey of mixed-media works from around the world, divided into six thematic subgroups, it lacks the political urgency and revolutionary context that defined surrealism's origins in 1925. The exhibition, initially curated by Matthew Gale from the Tate Modern collection and presented locally by Sue Canterbury, is described as whimsical and decorous, reducing the movement's subversive power to quirky categories and gift-shop fodder.

Curator Conversation: Behind The Honest Eye

On October 25, 2025, co-curators Clarisse Fava-Piz, Claire Durand-Ruel Snollaerts, and Nerina Santorius will host a conversation at the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the exhibition "Pissarro’s Impressionism." The talk will explore Camille Pissarro’s life and legacy, from his Caribbean roots to his role in Impressionism, and detail how over 80 works were assembled for the first major U.S. retrospective of the artist in over 40 years. The event is sold out in person but will be livestreamed.

Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month at the DAM

The Denver Art Museum (DAM) is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15–October 15) by showcasing several exhibitions featuring works by artists from Latin America, Spain, and the Caribbean. Key exhibitions include "A Century of Art in Latin America," which presents a comprehensive survey of Latin American art over the past 100 years, featuring masters like Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and José Clemente Orozco; "Confluence of Nature: Nancy Hemenway Barton," displaying textile sculptures and works on paper by the late multidisciplinary artist; "Ink & Thread: Codices and the Art of Storytelling," highlighting contemporary codices by Enrique Chagoya and the Tillett Tapestry; and "Painting in the Andes, 1680–1780," exploring colonial-era art from Andean centers. All exhibitions are included with general admission, which is free for visitors 18 and under.

Lionel Messi names his favourite ever goal

Lionel Messi has revealed his favorite goal from his 860 career scores—a 2009 UEFA Champions League final goal for Barcelona against Manchester United—as part of a collaboration with media artist Refik Anadol. Anadol will transform the goal into an AI-powered data sculpture, which will be auctioned online at Christie's New York from June 11 to July 25, with proceeds supporting educational charities in Latin America and the Caribbean through the Inter Miami CF Foundation and Unicef.

In Pol Taburet’s New Show, Being Paranoid Is the Point

French artist Pol Taburet has opened a solo exhibition titled *Paranoia as Method* at Villa Medici in Rome, on view through July 15. The show features sculptures, large-format paintings, and charcoal drawings created during his spring residency at the institution, transforming the villa’s gardens, loggias, and salons into tense psychic landscapes. Taburet’s figures drift between human and animal, evoking transformation, mortality, and spiritual tension, drawing on his Caribbean roots, voodoo traditions, contemporary culture, and classical painting.

At 1-54 New York 2026, Afro-Brazilian art takes centre stage for the first time

The 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in New York (May 13–17, 2026) will debut a curated section titled '1-54 Presents: Brazil Beyond Brazil,' focusing exclusively on Afro-Brazilian art and artists. Organized by Brazilian curator Igor Simões, the section features works by ten Black Brazilian artists—including Ana Claudia Almeida, Rebeca Carapiá, and Rommulo Vieira Conceição—presented by leading Brazilian galleries such as Almeida & Dale, Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel, Nara Roesler, and Aura. The initiative draws on archival research, reinterprets modernist legacies, and challenges narrow narratives around Afro-Brazilian art, highlighting the cultural links between Africa and Latin America.

Review: Thomias Radin, Echoes of KA at Esther Schipper, Berlin

Thomias Radin’s fourth solo exhibition at Esther Schipper in Berlin, titled "Echoes of Ka," presents a multidisciplinary environment blending painting, woodwork, and installation. The Guadeloupe-born artist draws heavily from Caribbean embodied knowledge, dance philosophy, and the ancient Egyptian concept of 'Ka'—a vital life force—to transform the gallery into a choreographed 'secret garden.' The works, characterized by vibrant colors and gestural oil paintings on raw linen, are informed by Radin’s collaboration with dance scholar Léna Blou and his own practice of improvisation.

‘Sweet Lilly-Marie’ by Marlos E’van – A Burnaway Artist Edition

Burnaway has launched its fourth Artist Edition, a limited-run t-shirt titled 'Sweet Lilly-Marie' created by artist Marlos E'van. The design is inspired by a character from the film *La Strada* and represents themes of family, innocence, and joy during chaotic times. Preorders are open until April 10, with shirts being hand-printed in Nashville and shipped in late April.

hurricane melissa hits jamaica cultural institutions

Hurricane Melissa has devastated Jamaica and Haiti, causing deadly floods and landslides before moving on to Cuba. The storm forced the closure of major cultural institutions in Kingston, including the National Gallery of Jamaica (closed since October 24) and the Bob Marley Museum, which announced it would remain shut until further notice. The National Gallery offered artists advice on protecting their work, such as removing art from walls, storing it above ground, and anchoring outdoor sculptures. At least 30 deaths have been reported across the region, with Jamaica declared a disaster area.

The Bad Bunny chairs taking over the art world

Edra Soto, a Puerto Rican artist based in Chicago, has created a series of plastic lawn chairs upholstered with the face of reggaetón superstar Bad Bunny, now on view in the exhibition "Dancing the Revolution: From Dancehall to Reggaetón" at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The chairs, part of Soto's broader practice transforming everyday Puerto Rican objects into art, also appear at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City and were shown at EXPO Chicago. The exhibition explores the visual history and political power of Caribbean music, highlighting Bad Bunny's role in the 2019 protests that led to the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosselló.

First-of-its-kind MCA exhibition plays the beat of Caribbean activism

Carla Acevedo-Yates has curated "Dancing the Revolution: From Dancehall to Reggaetón," a major exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, which will be her final show before departing for a role on the Documenta 16 team in Germany. The exhibition, which occupies the museum's entire fourth floor through September 20, features over 40 artists and explores the social and political histories of Caribbean music genres.

A New Exhibition of Contemporary Latinx Paintings at Buffalo AKG

The Buffalo AKG Art Museum has announced a major upcoming exhibition titled "Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way," featuring fifty-eight contemporary Latinx artists. Curated by Andrea Alvarez, the show examines how artists from the Latin American and Caribbean diaspora are redefining the traditions of painting while challenging political and disciplinary boundaries. After its debut in Buffalo in March 2026, the exhibition will embark on a national tour to Des Moines, Phoenix, and Seattle.

Hurricane Melissa relief: artists and art organisations lead fundraising efforts for devastated Caribbean

One month after Hurricane Melissa devastated the Caribbean, causing an estimated $48bn-$52bn in damage and over 100 deaths, artists and art organizations are leading fundraising efforts. The National Gallery of Jamaica launched a donation drive through its western branch, while New York-based nonprofit Forgotten Lands, artist Ania Freer, the Lemon Seed Project, and the Prints for Jamaica initiative have raised thousands of dollars for relief, medical aid, and heritage preservation.

'Through the Veil' exhibition at Sarasota Art Museum an immersive labyrinth of mixed media hanging assemblages

Nassau-born, Atlanta-based artist Lillian Blades presents 'Through the Veil,' her first solo museum exhibition, at the Sarasota Art Museum. The show features suspended mixed-media assemblages called 'veils,' made from Plexiglas, wood, family photographs, and found objects, stitched together with a metallic knotting technique. Inspired by her mother, who was a quilter and died in childbirth, Blades creates immersive, tapestry-like works that envelop viewers and cast intricate shadows on the museum's walls and floors. The exhibition also includes earlier wall assemblages encrusted with three-dimensional materials like antique mirrors and empty picture frames.

Marco Island Center for the Arts and Miami museum exchange exhibitions that feature Latinx art and artists

The Marco Island Center for the Arts and the Miami Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas (MoCAA) are exchanging exhibitions focused on Latinx art and artists. The Marco Island Center is currently hosting works by 15 contemporary artists from Latin America and the Caribbean, including Ivonne Ferrer, Ruben Torres Llorca, and Luis Cruz Azaceta, on view through July 1. In exchange, MoCAA will present "Marco to Miami" from June 20 to July 20, featuring 14 artists from Collier County.

The Walters Art Museum: New leadership and a new exhibition

The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore has appointed Kate Burgin as its new director, succeeding Dr. Julia Alexander, who left the museum after 11 years to run a foundation in New York and passed away suddenly at age 57 earlier this month. Burgin, previously the museum's deputy director, now leads the institution while the community mourns Alexander's loss. Meanwhile, the museum has opened its first permanent exhibition of Latin American art, featuring works from over 40 cultures across North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean.

1-54 New York Lines-Up More Than 20 Exhibitors, with a Special Focus on Brazil

The 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair has announced its exhibitor lineup for its New York edition, set for May 13–17 at the Starrett-Lehigh Building in Chelsea. More than 20 galleries will participate, including a mix of returning and first-time exhibitors from Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Americas, with the fair running concurrently with Frieze New York and NADA New York.

Guadeloupean artist Kelly Sinnapah Mary wins French art prize at Art Basel Miami Beach

Guadeloupean artist Kelly Sinnapah Mary has won the CPGA-Villa Albertine Étant Donnés Prize at Art Basel Miami Beach, awarded annually to a French artist exhibiting at the fair. Her work *The Book of Violette: Marie-Anne* (2025) was displayed at James Cohan's booth and sold for $80,000 to a US-based foundation. The prize is presented by France’s gallery association, the Comité Professionnel des Galeries d'Art (CPGA), in partnership with Villa Albertine.

'Emergence' exhibition at Galerie Myrtis features artists telling powerful stories

The 'Emergence: Stories in the Making' exhibition at Galerie Myrtis in Baltimore features 12 artists, including Maxwell Pearce—an artist and Harlem Globetrotters player—and Linnea Poole. Pearce uses sports equipment like shoelaces and basketballs to create portraits of loved ones, responding to the 'shut up and dribble' narrative he faced after a traumatic incident. Poole's work focuses on mourning and grief, dedicated to Black women. The exhibition includes artists from Nigeria and the Caribbean, aiming to preserve personal and collective histories through uncensored storytelling.

QUISQUEYA HENRÍQUEZ: THE CENTER CAN BE EVERYWHERE

QUISQUEYA HENRÍQUEZ: EL CENTRO PUEDE ESTAR EN TODAS PARTES

A major retrospective exhibition titled "El centro puede estar en todas partes" (The Center Can Be Everywhere) for artist Quisqueya Henríquez has opened at the Centro de Arte Complutense in Madrid. Curated by René Morales with Isabella Lenzi and Alfonsina Martínez, the show presents the most comprehensive European review of Henríquez's multidisciplinary work, spanning photography, video, collage, and installation, and is organized thematically rather than chronologically.