Texas university's sudden cancellation of exhibition with works critical of Ice sparks censorship row

The University of North Texas (UNT) abruptly shuttered a solo exhibition by Brooklyn-based artist Victor Quiñonez just nine days after its opening at the College of Visual Art & Design Gallery. The show, titled "Ni de Acquí," featured sculptures from the artist’s "I.C.E. Scream" series, which utilizes Mexican popsicle motifs to critique the enforcement tactics of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Following the closure, university staff covered the gallery windows with brown paper and terminated the loan agreement with Boston University without providing a detailed public explanation.

Woodhaven Art Circle hosts inaugural gallery show ‘Love, Left Open’ in Kew Gardens

The Woodhaven Art Circle artist collective launched its inaugural gallery exhibition, titled 'Love, Left Open,' at the Neighborly Events space in Kew Gardens, Queens. The show features introspective works from over 16 local artisans, ranging from ink illustrations and digital photography to mixed-media pieces, all exploring themes of personal and communal love. The opening night was complemented by poetry readings and a celebration of International Mother Language Day, emphasizing the intersection of cultural heritage and creative expression.

UNT cancels Dallas artist's exhibit without explanation, sparking campus backlash

The University of North Texas abruptly canceled artist Victor Quiñonez's (Marka27) exhibition 'Ni de Aquí Ni de Allá' at its College of Visual Arts and Design shortly after its opening. The show, which explores dual identity and cultural heritage, was taken down and covered with paper, with the university providing no explanation for its removal, leading to confusion and frustration for the artist.

Artist whose art was pulled by UNT credits students with alerting him about his exhibit's removal

Street artist Victor Quiñonez (Marka27) spoke at the Latino Cultural Center in Dallas, addressing the sudden closure of his exhibition at the University of North Texas (UNT). The university covered the gallery windows with paper and terminated its loan agreement with Boston University without explanation, removing art that confronted U.S. immigration policy and criticized ICE. Quiñonez credited UNT students for alerting him to the removal, stating he was "ghosted" by the institution and received only a vague justification after their intervention.

U of North Texas Cancels Exhibit With Anti-ICE Art

The University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design canceled the exhibition 'Ni De Aquí Ni De Allá' by artist Victor Quiñonez just before its scheduled opening. The show, which includes works critical of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), was removed after the university terminated its loan agreement with Boston University Art Galleries, providing no public explanation for the decision.

UNT Faculty Denounce Closure of Victor Quiñonez Show in Open Letter to University President

Faculty at the University of North Texas College of Visual Art & Design have issued an open letter to university leadership, protesting the sudden and unexplained closure of artist Victor "MARKA27" Quiñonez's solo exhibition, 'Ni de Aqui, Ni de Allá,' just nine days after it opened. The letter demands an explanation for the cancellation, which occurred before a scheduled public reception, and cites university policies protecting artistic expression and academic freedom.

News From Around the South Carolina Lowcountry

The Society of Bluffton Artists (SOBA) announces its "Large Art" exhibition, running from January 5 to February 2 at the SOBA Gallery in Old Town Bluffton, South Carolina. The show features oversized works by SOBA member artists, including vibrant abstracts, mixed media, and contemporary compositions. Proceeds from artwork sales and donations during the exhibition will support SOBA's fundraising efforts to secure a new, permanent home for the nonprofit organization.

Reopening of Libya's national museum celebrated as ‘new beginning’

The National Museum of Libya in Tripoli reopened on 12 December after being closed since 2011, following the fall of Muammar Gaddafi and years of civil war. Housed in the historic Red Castle (Al-Saraya Al-Hamra), the museum was originally established by Italian colonizers in 1919 and later expanded by the British. Gaddafi opened a modernized version in 1988. A comprehensive restoration project with UNESCO assistance began in 2023 to bring the institution up to international standards.

Art exhibition features Brookhaven students

Two Brookhaven College students, Victor Vera and Patch Darnell, have been selected to exhibit their artwork in the Founders’ Foyer art exhibition at Dallas College’s Administrative Office. Vera’s oil painting “Autumn Season” and Darnell’s still-life “Still-Life” are among the pieces chosen from a district-wide juried show honoring the legacy of Margaret McDermott, a founder of Dallas College. The exhibition runs until May of next year, and the artists received monetary awards and certificates; their works are available for purchase with proceeds going directly to them.

Call to step up to end violence against women - Ballarat Times

The Ballarat community has launched the 16 Days of Activism campaign to end violence against women, beginning on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25) and running until Human Rights Day (December 10). The campaign includes a '16 Ways for 16 Days' trail map with daily activities, and features the 'Transforming Pain into Power' art exhibition at Ballarat Library, Barkly Square, and Art Space Ballarat, showcasing works by local artists speaking out against gendered violence. Survivor Marita Forsyth's artwork depicts her perpetrators in a burning car, symbolizing her empowerment.

Mind of the Masters in collaboration with WASCA and NK Art Space set to exhibit The Spirit of Coffee

Mind of the Masters, in collaboration with the West African Specialty Coffee Association (WASCA) and NK Art Space, is hosting an art exhibition titled “The Spirit of Coffee” at The Spotlight Hub in Victoria Island, Lagos, from November 29 to December 12, 2025. The exhibition features 20 artworks curated by Mind of the Masters and NK Art Space, created by professional artist Lenrie Preks, whose works such as “The Spirit of Coffee,” “Coffee Blitz,” and “Flavour of Coffee” explore coffee culture through ritual, memory, and geometric abstraction.

Local Notes: Claremorris duo are All-Ireland handball champions

A local news column from Claremorris, Ireland, reports on multiple community items, including a new art exhibition. Claremorris Gallery will host 'Slow Heat', a solo exhibition by artist Emma Stroude, opening on September 27, 2025. Stroude, a graduate of Chelsea College of Art and Design and the Slade School of Art, is known for her work in painting, drawing, and mixed media. The column also covers the victory of Claremorris handball players Niall Joyce and Paddy Murphy in the All-Ireland Senior Hardball Doubles Championship, a visit from the No Name Club to St Colman's College, and local golf competition results.

Blue Fern Artists Collective Gallery will host grand opening in Peterborough on Sept. 5

Blue Fern Artists Collective Gallery will hold its grand opening and ribbon-cutting on Friday, Sept. 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. at 40B Main St. in Peterborough, N.H., in a space formerly occupied by Grey Horse Candles. The gallery, founded by Deborah Caplan and a group of local artists, had a soft opening during the Aug. 8 Night Market. It features 18 artists working in diverse media including paintings, drawings, collage, multimedia, ceramics, felting, jewelry, leather work, and photography. The collective is collaboratively owned and run, with each artist paying a nonrefundable buy-in and monthly dues, and working two shifts per month. Artists receive 82% of sales profits, far above the typical 40-50% gallery commission. The gallery is also partnering with MAXT Makerspace to showcase makers’ work and plans to host classes, art history lectures, poetry readings, and evening events in the adjacent alley.

Experience the Fall 2025 Exhibitions at Boston University Art Galleries

Boston University Art Galleries (BUAG) has announced its fall 2025 season, featuring three exhibitions: "Information, Overload: School of Visual Arts 2025 Alumni Exhibition," which examines how artists navigate the circulation of images and text in the digital era; "Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá (Not From Here, Not From There)," a solo show by acclaimed artist Victor “Marka27” Quiñonez exploring identity shaped by immigration and resilience; and "Hidden in the Layers," a returning exhibition celebrating printmaking, photography, and new media. All shows are free and open to the public at the Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery and 808 Gallery on BU's Charles River Campus.

This architecturally spectacular environment-focused arts space has just opened in regional Victoria

A new arts and environmental precinct called Where Art Meets Nature (WAMA) has opened in Halls Gap, Victoria, on a 16-hectare property in the Grampians. The site features Australia's first National Centre for Environmental Art (NCEA), designed by MvS Architects and Taut Architects, along with a botanic garden, native grasslands, wetlands, and outdoor artworks. The inaugural exhibition is by Western Australian artist Jacobus Capone, focusing on humanity's engagement with nature through multidisciplinary works.

New National Centre for Environmental Art opens near Grampians

A new Wama Foundation has opened near the Grampians (Gariwerd) mountain range in Pomonal, western Victoria, Australia, featuring the National Centre for Environmental Art and a native Australian botanical garden. The 16-hectare project, 14 years in the making, launched on July 5 with an exhibition titled 'End & Being' by Jacobus Capone, which uses pre-recorded performance art filmed on Mont Blanc glaciers to address climate change. The site also includes a feral-proof endemic plant garden serving as a seed bank for post-bushfire revegetation.

Paradise Center for the Arts Hosts Opening Gallery Reception Tonight; The Work of Aramis Wells, Dana Lacina, Trudi Schaefer, Marissa Shackleford, Monica Wilder, and the Minnesota Mosaic Guild on Display

The Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault, Minnesota, is hosting an opening reception tonight for new gallery exhibitions featuring multiple artists. The displays include work by the Minnesota Mosaic Guild, painter Dana Lacina, assemblage artist Trudi Schaefer, oil painter Marissa Shackleford, acrylic painter Monica Wilder, and Northfield photographer Aramis Wells. Wells, an astro and landscape photographer, is showing a series of winter scenes from Lake Superior alongside his signature images of the Northern Lights and solar eclipses. The reception runs from 5pm to 7pm and is free to the public, with the galleries open through August 9th.

A grocery store turned art gallery? Only in the East Village

Village Gourmet Grocery, a corner store on 2nd Avenue and East 6th Street in New York's East Village, is hosting "EN EL KIOSCO," a solo exhibition of surreal paintings by Miami-born artist Juan Jose Heredia, through June 29. The show is organized by the nomadic Desnivel Gallery, founded by artist-curator Maria De Victoria, and features Heredia's works on soft fabrics like burlap, including pieces such as "Bunny ears of absence" and "Anemone Cerberus." The grocery store remains open for regular business from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. (3 a.m. on weekends), allowing visitors to view contemporary art while shopping for snacks.

One of the last surviving Union flags from the Battle of Trafalgar to come up for sale at Treasure House Fair

A Union flag from the Battle of Trafalgar, flown on the Royal Sovereign under Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, is being offered for sale at the Treasure House Fair for £450,000. The flag, newly identified by expert Martyn Downer, is one of only three known Union flags from the battle and is believed to be the most important such relic still in private hands. It was previously sold for a few hundred pounds in 2003 due to confused provenance.

Village Art Gallery opens on Brevard Avenue in Cocoa Village

The Village Art Gallery has opened at 200 Brevard Avenue in historic Cocoa Village, owned by local artists Bruce Reigle and Teri Roper. The gallery represents 37 artists across multiple media including painting, photography, pottery, sculpture, and jewelry, and features a dedicated music/art room with ukuleles and hand-painted guitars, as well as a workshop for building and repairing picture frames and furniture. Reigle co-founded the Ukulele Lending Program with the Brevard County Library System, and the gallery is seeking donations to expand the program to all 17 libraries. The space also offers fine-art and drawing classes, and a Crystal Bowl Meditation event is scheduled for May 29.

A U.S. agency that funds culture wins a judicial reprieve

Une agence américaine qui finance la culture gagne un répit judiciaire

A U.S. federal court has blocked the Trump administration's attempt to cut funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), a key agency supporting museums and libraries nationwide. The lawsuit was brought by the American Library Association (ALA) and the AFSCME union, with support from the legal organization Democracy Forward, arguing that the executive branch cannot unilaterally reduce programs authorized by Congress. The ruling temporarily halts the funding reductions, which were part of broader efforts to slash federal cultural spending during Donald Trump's second term.

Mass for Care of Creation; exhibition of art inspired by Laudato Si'

The London Jesuit Centre is hosting "Paintings of Prayer and Protest," an exhibition featuring the works of artists Helen Elwes and Martin Jarvis. The show coincides with a special Mass for the Care of Creation at Farm St Church in Mayfair, marking the anniversary of Pope Francis' death. Both artists, members of Christian Climate Action and the Laudato Si' Movement, present works that blend ecological activism with spiritual devotion, including painted banners used in climate marches and contemporary icons addressing rainforest devastation.

Upcoming in the Loveland area: Art exhibits, music, veterans monument groundbreaking

The city of Loveland, Colorado, is preparing for a series of cultural events on April 10, headlined by the opening of Michael Simms’ photography exhibition "Eye on Loveland" at the Loveland Museum. The local art scene will also feature the Aims Student Art Show, themed "Shapes and Figures," and the monthly "Night on the Town" art walk, which includes gallery openings and community events across the downtown area.

'It's something we should all be concerned about' - Belfast studio moves to temporary hub amid rising costs

Vault Artist Studios, a Belfast-based arts collective with over 100 members including musicians, circus performers, and visual artists, has moved into a temporary hub at Bankmore House on Bedford Street after spending three years at Victoria Street and the Shankill Mission building. The collective, formed in 2017 to transform derelict buildings into affordable studio space, now provides studios for 30 artists plus a gallery and project space, with further space opening soon in a former Masonic Lodge on the lower Newtownards Road. Their first exhibition in the new space, titled 'Mayday Mayday', serves as both a distress signal and a rallying call for workers.

Gallery opening to feature two new exhibits at Creative Arts Guild

The Creative Arts Guild in Dalton, Georgia, is hosting a gallery opening to debut two new exhibitions. The event marks the launch of these shows at the community arts center.

Church History Museum Showcases 13th International Art Competition

The Church History Museum of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah, is presenting an exhibition of works selected from the 13th International Art Competition, running from April 24, 2025, to January 3, 2026. The exhibition features 150 artworks chosen from hundreds of submissions by five jurors, with artists from 26 countries including Angola, Argentina, Australia, and Vietnam. The theme, “Lift Up the Hands Which Hang Down,” is drawn from Doctrine and Covenants 81:5, and the show includes a variety of media such as sculpture, ceramic, chitenge, and tapa. Purchase and merit awards were announced at an April 24 ceremony, and a virtual gallery allows public voting for a Visitors’ Choice Award through November 30, 2025.

During the Venice Biennale there is also the Ibiza Pavilion, inside a takeaway pizzeria

Durante la Biennale di Venezia c’è anche il Padiglione Ibiza, dentro una pizzeria da asporto

During the Venice Art Biennale, an independent project called the Ibiza Pavilion opens from May 7 to 9, 2026, inside Pizza al Volo, a popular takeaway pizzeria in Campo Santa Margherita, Dorsoduro. Conceived and curated by Margherita Chiarva with support from Victoria Genzini and Gabriele Della Maddalena, the three-day initiative features a group exhibition, performances, collective embroidery, tarot readings, and somatic practices by international artists connected to Ibiza through experience or collaboration, including Noemi Manser, Beatrice Dettori, Liz Kueneke, COSIMA, and Maria Giulia Alvigini.

Six contemporary artists reimagine ‘the Gothic’ for new Tyntesfield exhibition

Six contemporary artists have created new works reimagining the Gothic aesthetic for an exhibition at Tyntesfield, a Victorian Gothic Revival house in Somerset, England. The artists were invited to respond to the architecture, collections, and atmosphere of the National Trust property, producing paintings, sculptures, and installations that engage with themes of the macabre, the supernatural, and the uncanny.

“长征前夜·抚州烽火”纪念红军长征胜利90周年美术采风创作活动在抚州举办

From April 30 to May 4, 2026, the "Long March Eve·Fuzhou Beacon" art sketching and creation event was held in Fuzhou to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Red Army's Long March. Organized by the Jiangxi Artists Association and the Fuzhou Municipal Propaganda Department under the guidance of the China Artists Association, 15 artists including China Artists Association Chairman Fan Di'an and Secretary-General Wang Ping visited revolutionary heritage sites such as the Red Ninth Army Luojiapu Command Post, the Dengxian Bridge Victory Site in Le'an County, and the Long March National Cultural Park (Guangchang Section). They also explored the intangible cultural heritage Nuo Dance in Shiyou Village, Nanfeng County, to absorb local cultural roots for their creations.

Gtz Art Gallery opening soon on West Davis Street

A new art gallery, Gtz Art Gallery, is opening soon on West Davis Street in a yet-to-be-announced date in May. Founded by Josue Gutiérrez, a self-taught artist who left a corporate career in global business to pursue art, the gallery will focus on emerging artists and the convergence of art and design. The inaugural exhibit features 27 of Gutiérrez’s own works, drawn from three prior exhibitions—Metamorphosis, Bloom, and Raw—with plans to later issue an open call for local artists.