The 23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest has announced its 60 finalists, selected from over 17,000 submissions. The images span six categories: American Experience, Artistic, Drone/Aerial, People, Travel, and Wildlife. The magazine is now inviting the public to vote for a Readers' Choice award winner, with polls open through March 30.
MixHaus Gallery in Comfort, Texas, has opened a new exhibition titled "Songs of the Ocotillo," featuring a collaboration between local poet Lucy Griffith and Marfa-based mixed-media artist Darlene Marwitz. The show, which launched on April 10, combines Griffith's poetry with Marwitz's textured artworks to explore themes of the ocotillo plant and the landscape of the southern borderlands.
Brazilian conceptual artist Daniel de Paula is set to make his Expo Chicago debut with a solo presentation hosted by gallery Yehudi Hollander-Pappi. The installation features industrial thousand-liter water tanks filled with water from the San Francisco Bay, a site chosen for its symbolic and material convergence of neoliberal history and digital infrastructure. The water contains both the scattered ashes of economist Milton Friedman and chemical effluents from Silicon Valley data centers, creating a visceral link between economic theory and environmental reality.
British artist Rory J Browne has released a new contemporary realist landscape titled 'Dawn, Cow Parsley' (2026). The oil-on-canvas work, which features a detailed foreground of wild plants silhouetted against a warm, atmospheric sunrise, is currently being offered for sale through Signet Contemporary Art in London and via the Artsy platform.
Geek Brush Studio in Chelsea, Michigan, has launched a solo exhibition for local impressionist Sue Craig, running through the end of April. The showcase features a diverse range of original oil paintings, watercolors, and pastels that highlight the natural landscapes of Michigan and the historic architecture of Chelsea, including notable works like 'Lake Michigan Beach' and 'Seitz’s Tavern II.'
San Diego artist Young Min Jo is presenting his solo exhibition "Late Autumn in San Diego" at the Pacific Beach/Taylor Library’s Community Room through January 30. The free show features his impressionistic landscape paintings inspired by nature scenes from San Diego and around the world, including beaches, palm trees, harbors, and the San Diego-Coronado Bridge. A public reception will be held on January 17.
Limerick City Gallery of Art (LCGA) has announced an open call for its annual Test Space Residency programme for 2026, now in its sixth year. The residency offers two awards: one for early-career art practitioners and one for those at a more advanced stage. Selected artists will receive an 8-week studio residency with a €5,000 stipend, curatorial support, promotion, and the opportunity to engage with LCGA's audiences and community. The programme was established in 2020 in response to the Arts Council's EDI Policy and prioritizes projects involving public engagement, workshops, talks, or community inclusion events. Applications are open to writers, filmmakers, dancers, performers, academics, and visual artists across all disciplines.
Edinburgh's Hidden Door, an annual independent multi-arts festival, has announced an open call for visual artists to submit work for its 2026 edition, running from June 3 to June 7. The festival, which is volunteer-run, received transformative multi-year funding from Creative Scotland through 2027, enabling it to pay artists fairly and expand its ambitions. Artists based in Scotland or with a meaningful connection to the country are invited to apply by January 11, with themes including 'Out-of-Place Objects,' 'Stone Tape Theory,' and 'Myth of a Building.' The venue for 2026 remains secret, with the full program to be announced later.
BGC Glass Studio is presenting “GLASSWORKS: A Contemporary Glass Art Exhibition,” featuring works by nine emerging glass artists. The show highlights diverse techniques including glassblowing, fusing, and mixed materials, alongside a special collection tracing the evolution of Thai glass art.
Wells, England, is hosting a month-long cultural festival in October 2024, featuring multiple events including the Mendip Rocks! geological festival with a photography exhibition by artist Elizabeth Woodger at Wells & Mendip Museum, the Wells Art Contemporary open competition and installation show at Wells Cathedral, and the Wells Food Festival. The photography exhibition, titled 'Menhir,' explores how landscapes are shaped by geological processes and human actions, using a multi-layered technique of printing photographs onto local rock specimens and projecting them onto natural rock faces.
Indiana University's University Collections at McCalla has opened "Capturing the Campus: T.C. Steele," a collaborative exhibition with the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites that brings together many paintings by Hoosier artist T.C. Steele for the first time in decades. Steele, who served as IU's first artist in residence from 1922 until his death in 1926, created impressionist works depicting campus scenes, portraits of university presidents and faculty, and landscapes that capture what the campus looked like a century ago. The exhibit, which opened April 17, features paintings sorted by geographic location on campus, alongside a historic map, letters, documentaries, and 3D renderings.
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.
Riforma dei beni culturali. La legge “Italia in scena” dà alcune risposte ma produce tante domande
Italy's parliament approved the "Italia in scena" law in March 2026, a cultural heritage reform aligned with right-wing priorities: territorial valorization, local identity promotion, autonomy, and private-sector involvement. The law establishes a digital registry (Anagrafe), a roster of accredited operators, and a framework for private management of cultural assets, but allocates only €4.5 million annually—a symbolic sum compared to France's cultural mediation budgets. It also opens participation to the Third Sector (cooperatives, community foundations) but defers all critical details to implementing decrees with no strict deadlines or enforcement mechanisms.
Nella campagna alla periferia di Milano ci saranno una serie di performance artistiche in un campo di grano
The Biblioteca del Grano, an experimental agricultural and cultural site on the outskirts of Milan, is hosting a series of artistic performances and workshops led by artist Edoardo Mozzanega. Scheduled to coincide with Milan Art Week and Design Week, the program includes 'Tiger’s Nap,' a collective public sleeping performance, and 'A House Full of Tigers,' a workshop based on Social Dreaming. These events are part of the broader 'Learning Landscapes' initiative, which brings together international researchers and artists to explore food and land as cultural infrastructure.
A Bologna una mostra mette assieme tradizioni pittoriche e profumi contemporanei
The exhibition "Sogni di natura" (Dreams of Nature) has opened at the Collezioni Comunali d’Arte in Bologna’s Palazzo d’Accursio, coinciding with the 57th edition of Cosmoprof Worldwide. The show transforms the historic Sala Boschereccia into a multisensory "imagined garden" where 18th-century landscape paintings by Vincenzo Martinelli and Giuseppe Valiani are paired with contemporary fragrances. Students from the Italian Perfumery Institute developed these scents by analyzing the historical and symbolic identity of the room’s original decorations.
Anche il vino diventa Patrimonio Unesco? Ok, ma si dovrebbero immaginare nuovi criteri di certificazione
EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen has proposed that the culture of wine and vine be officially recognized as UNESCO World Heritage, citing its deep roots in European and Italian tradition. While wine-related practices like Pantelleria’s 'vite ad alberello' and various vineyard landscapes are already protected, this new proposal seeks a broader, more unified cultural designation for the industry.
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.
La ripresa del mercato dell’arte, i trend del collezionismo e altre analisi nel nuovo report appena pubblicato
The global art market has returned to growth in 2025, recording a 4% increase compared to the previous year despite geopolitical tensions and financial uncertainty. According to the fourth edition of the "Collectors and the Value of Art in Italy 2026" report by Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking, buyers are increasingly shunning speculative assets like NFTs and ultra-contemporary art in favor of established categories. Significant growth was noted in Modern art, Impressionism, and Old Masters, signaling a flight to quality and historical stability.
Siamo stati al concerto di Torino dove i Marlene Kuntz festeggiavano i 30 anni del loro indimenticabile disco “Il vile”
Italian alternative rock band Marlene Kuntz recently performed two sold-out shows at the Hiroshima Mon Amour venue in Turin to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their seminal album, *Il vile*. The concert featured a near-complete performance of the 1996 record, which is widely regarded as a cornerstone of Italian noise rock. The anniversary celebration also includes a nationwide tour and a special vinyl reissue featuring new artwork by renowned illustrator Alessandro Baronciani.
Expo Chicago, the city's major international art fair, has opened its 2024 edition at Navy Pier with a redesigned floor plan intended to improve visitor flow and gallery visibility. The fair features over 170 galleries from 29 countries, with a notable contingent of Chicago-based exhibitors and a special section dedicated to art from the African diaspora.
天马行空·马上迎新——2026马·生肖艺术大展
The 2026 'Horse' Zodiac Art Exhibition opened at the Shanghai Library East Branch on January 28th. This annual event, now in its fourth year, showcases over 200 selected works from more than 7,000 global submissions, featuring diverse mediums like traditional Chinese painting, oil painting, sculpture, installation, and digital art. The exhibition is structured into four sections: a special invitation section with works by renowned Shanghai artists, a three-dimensional works section, a traditional art section, and a digital art section.
“骏启新岁——2026宁夏生肖版画迎春展” 在宁夏银川开幕
The 'Galloping into the New Year – 2026 Ningxia Zodiac Printmaking Spring Exhibition' opened on January 18, 2026, at the Yuecai City Public Art Exhibition Area in Yinchuan, Ningxia. Organized by the Ningxia Artists Association and co-organized by its Printmaking Art Committee and the Ningxia University College of Fine Arts, the exhibition features 101 works, including 81 selected from an open call and 20 invited pieces from established printmakers. The opening ceremony was attended by association officials and artists, and a printmaking workshop was set up to allow visitors to try the art form.
2025年重庆市美术家协会“送欢乐、下基层”文艺惠民活动暨中国画艺委会“子庄精神——书画名家进校园”走进永川子庄小学
The Chongqing Artists Association, in collaboration with local government and cultural bodies, organized a cultural outreach event at Yongchuan Zizhuang Primary School. The event, part of the "Bringing Joy to the Grassroots" initiative, featured a calligraphy and painting exchange where artists from the city and district levels created works alongside teachers and students, culminating in a collaborative Chinese ink painting titled "Spring Garden." The program also included the donation of 100 art books to the school and the appointment of a prominent artist as an external art education counselor.
Major U.S. museums experienced a significant decline in attendance during 2025. The downturn was primarily driven by a series of severe natural disasters, including hurricanes and wildfires, which disrupted travel and forced temporary closures, alongside periods of domestic political instability that deterred both local and international visitors.
Austin's art scene is currently showcasing ten new exhibitions across various galleries and museums, highlighting a diverse range of artists and mediums. This surge in activity signals a period of significant growth and vitality for the city's cultural landscape, attracting both local engagement and broader national attention.
The New York Times has published its annual roundup titled "Best Art of 2025," highlighting the most significant artworks, exhibitions, and artistic achievements of the year. The article curates a selection of standout pieces and shows that defined the visual art landscape in 2025, as chosen by the newspaper's critics and editors.
Studio Russo Gallery, in collaboration with Artvocate, is hosting the opening reception of "Disintegration Regeneration," a solo exhibition by artist Anastasia Travieso-Diaz. The show features works that explore themes of rupture and renewal, using layered compositions and material experimentation to examine cycles of loss, resilience, and transformation.
Bundaberg Regional Galleries in Queensland, Australia, will launch five new exhibitions in May 2025, with opening events spread across the month. The shows include 'Lost in Palm Springs', a national touring exhibition curated by Dr Greer Honeywill featuring 14 artists and thinkers from America and Australia exploring Palm Springs' landscape and mid-century modern architecture; 'Shifting Perspectives: the Self Reconciliation Project' by local artist Avi Amesbury, which uses ceramics and storytelling to examine settler-colonial family history; 'Post Truth' by Gureng Gureng/Gangalu artist Darren Blackburn, addressing the Australian Government's Close the Gap campaign through led-neon signs; 'The Nature of Silk: The Glad Not Sad Book', a family-friendly exhibition of silk art by children's book author Kim Michelle Toft; and 'Metal in Motion' by Kevin Dekker, a collection of sculptures that transform steel, wood, stone and ceramics into dynamic, fluid forms. Opening events will be held at Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery and Childers Arts Space, with free admission and no RSVP required.
Kentucky-based painter Samuel Baltes will be featured in a solo exhibition opening May 8 at Yes Arts in Frankfort. The showcase highlights Baltes’ plein air landscape paintings, which draw heavily from Realist and Impressionist traditions to capture the subtle shifts of light and atmosphere in everyday environments.
Fermanagh-born artist Rachael Johnson is set to debut her solo exhibition, "Pareidolia," at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh. Running from May 1 to May 30, the show features a collection of mixed-media works that utilize paint, ink, charcoal, and organic materials to explore the psychological phenomenon of finding meaning in random patterns. The exhibition serves as a retrospective of sorts, blending new creations with selected pieces from her diverse career.