Janet Werner Is Distorting Fashion’s Beauty Ideals Through Painting

Janet Werner, an artist with a nearly four-decade career, has created a new body of work titled "Landscape with Legs" that distorts fashion imagery from Vogue archives and vintage campaigns by Marc Jacobs. Her paintings transform archetypal fashion models—thin, blonde, and emblematic of privilege—into unsettling, complex figures that expose a tension between glamor and the grotesque. The exhibition runs from May 1 to June 12, 2026, at Anat Ebgi Gallery in New York, marking her second solo show there. In an interview, Werner discusses her background as a dancer, her creative process of collaging photographic images with art historical references like Watteau and Caspar David Friedrich, and the political moment that makes the show feel urgent.

What Artists Sign Away

Artist and writer Sarah Hotchkiss recounts two personal experiences where galleries and residency programs used standard contracts to limit artists' rights. In the first, a new gallery refused to shorten a six-month consignment period after an exhibition, leaving her work in "contractual limbo" where she would owe the gallery half of any sale even if she found the buyer herself. In the second, a residency required her to waive moral rights under the Visual Artists Rights Act, protections that allow artists to prevent distortion and control attribution of their work.

Art Life gallery and shop to open on Forest Road

Artist Michael Twery is set to open Art Life, a new hybrid gallery and retail space located at 2912 Old Forest Road in Lynchburg. The grand opening is scheduled for April 19, 2026, featuring a diverse collection that spans fine art, handmade crafts, and unique collectibles.

Why Italy's cultural wealth never really enters public accounts and budgets?

Perché la ricchezza culturale italiana non entra mai davvero nei conti e nei bilanci pubblici?

Italy has exceeded the European Commission's structural adjustment path by 0.1 percentage points of GDP, reopening fiscal scrutiny. Amid this debate, the article highlights a deeper issue: Italy's immense cultural heritage is drastically undervalued in public accounts. For example, the Pompeii Archaeological Park is recorded at just €48.9 million, the Colosseum at under €15 million, and the Uffizi at about €2 billion—figures based on outdated 2002 ministerial criteria that bear no relation to actual economic or cultural worth. The State General Accounting Office, with the University of Roma Tre and EU technical assistance, has proposed a new methodology to value cultural assets by discounting their future net financial flows, including direct revenues and indirect tourism-related returns.

South Coast Artists exhibition brings 112 works to Gallery X

The 2026 Members’ Invitational Exhibition organized by South Coast Artists Inc. is now on view at Gallery X in New Bedford, Massachusetts, through May 16. The show features 112 works by 61 artists selected from nearly 200 active members, spanning media such as photography, fiber, encaustic, porcelain, cyanotype, pastel, acrylic, oil, watercolor, mixed media, printmaking, digital art on metal, and found-object assemblages. Awards were presented at the opening reception on April 25, with first place going to Dot Bergen, second to Serena Parente Charlebois, and third to Robert Abele; juror’s choice awards were given to Diana Azevedo-Carns, Lindsey Epstein, and Heather Stivison, selected by independent juror Catherine Carter.

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.

How Two Men with Hard Heads Broke Through Murano’s Glass Ceiling

Edoardo Pandolfo and Francesco Palù, the founders of the glass brand 6:AM, are revitalizing the traditional glassmaking industry of Murano with a contemporary, "punk" sensibility. By collaborating with master artisans and pushing the technical boundaries of the medium, the duo creates avant-garde pieces that challenge the island's historical aesthetic while maintaining its rigorous craftsmanship standards.

The National Museum of Mexican Art’s Special Mission

The National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA) in Chicago was founded in 1987 by a group of public school educators, led by Carlos Tortolero, to address a lack of Mexican history and culture in the curriculum. It has grown into a 48,000-square-foot institution with a collection of over 20,000 objects, spanning from Pre-Columbian times to the present, and was the first Latino museum in the U.S. to be accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

More Than 100 PPS Student Art Pieces Are on Display at the Portland Art Museum This Summer

The Portland Art Museum is hosting the "HeART of Portland" exhibition, featuring over 100 artworks created by students from all 81 Portland Public Schools. The showcase includes a diverse range of media, from ceramics and rug tufting to screen-printed apparel and zines, and for the first time, the student work is being displayed in a professional gallery space within the museum's main building. The exhibition, which opened on Tax Day, serves as a tangible demonstration of the results of the city's unique arts tax.

Steps to Dreams: Artists with intellectual disabilities

The Patan Museum in Lalitpur recently hosted "Sapanaka Paila" (Steps to Dreams), an exhibition showcasing paintings by nine artists with intellectual disabilities. Organized by Mikha Creative Begins, the showcase featured works by artists including Sama Bajracharya and Sandhya Singh, whose vibrant depictions of nature, animals, and personal aspirations often bypass traditional artistic conventions. The exhibition served as a platform for these individuals to communicate complex emotions and dreams that they are often unable to express through verbal language.

Tutte le ‘Sicilie’ di Armando Rotoletti all’Antiquarium di Centuripe in un viaggio tra memoria e visione

The article reports on the exhibition "Sicilia. Un’isola, tante Sicilie. Fotografia, memoria e patrimonio culturale nell’opera di Armando Rotoletti" at the Antiquarium Comunale di Centuripe in Sicily, running until September 27, 2026. The show features over thirty years of black-and-white photographic research by Armando Rotoletti (born 1958 in Messina), a photojournalist who left Sicily for London and Milan but maintained a deep connection to his homeland. His work captures the island's plural, complex identity through rituals, daily gestures, and cultural resistance to standardization, with images that blur past and present.

Summit County seeks artists to design public art benches for Silver Summit building

Summit County's Public Art Advisory Board has issued a call for artists to design and fabricate seven artistic benches for the exterior of the Silver Summit Services Building in Park City, Utah. The project includes two 8-foot and five 5-foot benches that must reflect themes of unity, community, justice, service, and law and order, while being durable enough to withstand deep snowfall, high winds, and temperature extremes. Proposals are due by May 22, with a pre-proposal meeting on May 15, and installation is planned for summer to fall 2026.

Get out: Here's what's happening in Madison County

Mooneyham Art Gallery in Alton, Illinois, will host a dual-artist exhibition titled "Nature Framed and Authenticity Is the New Gimmick" on May 9, featuring new works by professional wrestler and painter Devin "Itchy" Gable alongside wildlife photographer Carol Bock. The event includes dessert from Dolci's Cafe and Bakery and music by Psychedelic Symphony, and is free and open to the public.

"For me, art is less about the finished piece and more about the journey"

Rotherham-born, Sheffield-based textile artist Jodie Cooper, who specializes in free-motion embroidery, discusses her journey from completing a degree in Fine and Applied Arts at University Centre Rotherham to becoming a full-time artist. She was commissioned by ArtWorks Together International and East Midlands Railway to create a tactile tapestry installation at Sheffield Train Station, running until 15 June, which explores themes of travel anxiety, neurodiversity, and accessibility. Cooper also shares her work through ArtWorks Together International Festival at Millennium Gallery and local art markets.

B.A. exhibition gives seniors sendoff: Senior art students exhibit their best pieces at the Myers Fine Arts Building

SUNY Plattsburgh Art Museum recently hosted the 2026 B.A. Art and Design Senior Show at the Myers Fine Arts Building, showcasing the capstone projects of graduating art students. The exhibition featured a diverse range of media, including ceramics, sculpture, painting, and textiles, with notable works such as Kate LaPoint’s fiber art and Alexis Adamkowski’s botanical-themed figurative paintings. Curated by Museum Director Tonya Cribb and the art faculty, the show served as a formal introduction to professional gallery standards for the emerging artists.

L’offre de formation se développe

French art training institutions are expanding their curricula to include provenance research, responding to a 2022 government report that identified gaps in conservator education. The Institut national du patrimoine (INP) now offers seminars on Nazi-era spoliation (1933-1945) and has added a five-day provenance research module for external competition students since 2024-2025. Paris-Nanterre University launched a master's-level diploma in 2022 covering legal, historical, and methodological aspects of provenance research. The École du Louvre now offers a specialized master's in "sensitive goods and provenance research" addressing spoliated works, human remains, colonial acquisitions, and illicit trafficking, while also integrating provenance methodology into its general curriculum from master's level one.

A new certification has been created to improve the management and valorization of Italian cultural heritage

È nata una nuova certificazione per migliorare gestione e valorizzazione del patrimonio culturale italiano

A new certification standard called SGPI01:2024 has been launched in Italy to improve the management and valorization of cultural heritage. Developed by Certiquality and the Stati Generali del Patrimonio Italiano (SGPI), the standard was presented in Florence at Palazzo Guadagni Strozzi Sacrati, with the patronage of the Tuscany Region. It applies to all public and private entities that own or manage cultural and landscape assets, introducing a comprehensive management system that goes beyond legal compliance, focusing on conservation, economic sustainability, accessibility, and safety through independent third-party audits.

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.

Insects, Dresses, and Rebellion: Why 'The Law of Lidia Poët' is Different from All Other Costume Dramas

Insetti, abiti e ribellione: perché “La legge di Lidia Poët” è diversa da tutte le altre serie in costume

The third and final season of the Netflix series "The Law of Lidia Poët" concludes the story of Italy's first female lawyer in 1880s Turin. While the narrative follows her legal battles and social defiance, the production distinguishes itself through a rigorous and symbolic approach to costume design led by Stefano Ciammitti. Rather than modernizing the past, the series uses historical aesthetics—specifically gothic literature and naturalistic obsessions—to construct a visual language of rebellion.

What are therapeutic gardens and how are they designed? An expert explains

Cosa sono i giardini terapeutici e come si progettano. Ce lo spiega l’esperta

Landscape architect Monica Botta discusses the resurgence and design principles of healing gardens, specialized green spaces designed to promote physical and psychological well-being. While the therapeutic value of nature was largely ignored in mid-20th-century clinical architecture, a modern shift is reintegrating 'nature therapy' into healthcare facilities to combat stress, depression, and chronic illnesses.

From Creators to Curators: MHS students get hands-on museum training ahead of annual Festival of the Arts

AP Art students from Meridian High School participated in a professional curation and installation master class at the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAEX). Led by curator Christina McField, the students transitioned from artists to curators, learning the technical and conceptual requirements for mounting a professional museum exhibition.