February 2026 Opportunities: Open Calls, Residencies, and Grants for Artists

A curated list of open calls, grants, and residencies for artists and designers for February 2026 has been published. Key opportunities include applications for The Other Art Fair Brooklyn, the Quilt Visions 2026 exhibition at Visions Museum of Textile Art, Jackson’s Art Prize, a public art commission for Boise Airport, the McNeese National Works on Paper Exhibition, the Melancholy 2026 online exhibition, the Sónar+D digital creativity festival, the World of WearableArt Competition, and the Hasselblad Masters 2026 photography contest.

What are these 'art clubs' that Alessandro Benetton is opening around Italy? The story.

Cosa sono questi “art club” che Alessandro Benetton sta aprendo in giro per l’Italia? Il racconto

21Art, a company founded by Alessandro Benetton based on a project by entrepreneur Davide Vanin, is expanding its network of gallery spaces and affiliated 'Art Clubs' across Italy and into Monaco. This spring, a new location in Montecarlo will join existing galleries in Rome, Padua, and Treviso, with plans for further openings in Milan, Cortina, and Jesolo by 2027. The expansion is accompanied by a spring 2026 exhibition program featuring shows by Mario Ceroli in Treviso, Ahmet Güneştekin in Rome, and Jan Fabre in Montecarlo.

wang contemporary ying alexander wang

Designer Alexander Wang and his mother Ying Wang have acquired the historic 58 Bowery building in New York's Chinatown for $9.5 million, marking its first Chinese American ownership. They are transforming the former bank into a cultural venue named Wang Contemporary, which will host exhibitions, performances, and festivals focused on Asian and Asian American creatives, with its inaugural exhibition curated by the art collective MSCHF.

art young photographer camille farrah lenain

Cultured magazine profiles French-Algerian photographer Camille Farrah Lenain, nominated by Bell Pitkin of Leica Gallery Boston as part of the publication's '35—New Orleans, New York' feature. Lenain's documentary and portrait work has earned her the Arnold Newman Prize, a residency at the Joan Mitchell Center, and publication in The New York Times and Rolling Stone. She is preparing to release her first monograph in spring 2026. The article includes Lenain's personal reflections on photography, trust, and connection, illustrated with her self-portrait and images titled 'A Day With Edith,' 'Cassandra and Raymond,' and 'Ramziya's Dance.'

Poly Auction Hong Kong Spring Auctions 2026 concluded on a high note

Poly Auction Hong Kong's Spring 2026 season concluded with a total of HKD 255 million in sales, representing a 23% increase over the previous autumn cycle. The auction was headlined by Liu Wei’s 1995 painting "You Like Pork?", which fetched HKD 27.6 million, followed by a Ming Dynasty 'Grapes' foliate-rim dish that sold for HKD 24.6 million. The event saw participation from collectors across 17 countries, with significant growth in the Modern and Contemporary Art and Jewels and Watches sectors.

Hauser & Wirth will open a Palo Alto gallery in 2026.

Hauser & Wirth will open a new gallery in Palo Alto, California, in spring 2026, marking its first location in Northern California and its third in the state. The gallery will occupy a historic post office building at 201-205 Hamilton Avenue, near Stanford University, offering 2,600 square feet of exhibition space, a bookshop, and a design overseen by architect Luis Laplace. The expansion follows the gallery's existing venues in Los Angeles and comes nearly a decade after its major downtown L.A. complex opened in 2016.

The Met’s much-anticipated spring 2026 exhibit puts fashion on a fine art level

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute will open its spring 2026 exhibition, "Costume Art," on May 10, 2026, running through January 10, 2027. The show features nearly 400 objects from the Met's collection, pairing couture garments with paintings, sculptures, and decorative works across centuries. Organized by "body types" such as "Classical Body" and "Mortal Body," the exhibition will be housed in the new 12,000-square-foot Condé Nast Galleries. The Met Gala, co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour, will kick off the exhibition with a dress code of "Fashion is Art."

How This Palestinian-Canadian Artist is Bringing Her Voice to the Met Museum

Dubai-based Palestinian-Canadian artist Samar Hejazi has been commissioned to create mirrored sculptural mannequin heads for the Costume Institute's Spring 2026 exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, opening alongside the Met Gala. Hejazi's reflective works, designed for the exhibition "Costume Art," aim to collapse the distance between viewer and object, creating moments of surprise and questioning about identity, perception, and belonging.

Metropolitan Museum of Art: Ultimate 2026 Guide for Travelers

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is drawing record crowds in spring 2026 with its latest exhibitions, including newly restored ancient artifacts. The article, written by travel editor Elena Müller, positions The Met as a top cultural destination for American travelers, highlighting its location on Manhattan's Upper East Side, its Beaux-Arts architecture, and its proximity to Central Park. It also covers the museum's founding in 1870, its expansion into a neoclassical landmark on Museum Mile, and its role as a cornerstone of New York's cultural landscape.

Art Museum Announces Spring 2026 Exhibitions

The Syracuse University Art Museum has announced three new exhibitions for spring 2026: “Possible Worlds: 20 Years of the Wynn Newhouse Awards,” “Afterimages: Legacies of the Thirteenth Amendment,” and “Undressed: The Nude in Dutch Art, circa 1550-1800.” These shows will join the permanent collection exhibition “Human/Environment: 4,000 Years of Art” and an Art Wall Project by artist Bhen Alan. The exhibitions explore themes of disability, race, and the human body, with curator talks and programming scheduled throughout the semester.

New El Camino art exhibit offers hope and insight into depression and anxiety

El Camino College Art Gallery is hosting an exhibition titled "Kieva Campbell: The Sister I Never Met," featuring paintings by artist Kieva Campbell that tell the story of her sister April Savino, a teen runaway who struggled with depression and died by suicide in 1987. The show, on view through spring 2026, includes workshops and interactive stations led by participant Carrie Lockwood, who presents a coloring book called "A Book About Me" to help visitors explore emotions. The exhibition aims to address youth mental health through art.

Museum Announces 2025-26 Exhibitions

The Fairfield University Art Museum has announced its 2025-26 exhibition season, featuring three shows tied to the United States semiquincentennial. Two exhibitions open in fall 2025: "Stitching Time: Social Justice Collaboration Quilts Project" and "Give Me Life: CPA Prison Arts Program," showcasing art by incarcerated individuals from Louisiana State Penitentiary and York Correctional Institution; and "Monuments: Commemoration and Controversy," organized by The New York Historical, examining public monuments as sites of debate over national identity and race. In spring 2026, the museum will present "For Which it Stands…," curated by Executive Director Carey Mack Weber, focusing on depictions of the American flag across the last century.

Right royal style: 90 years of Queen Elizabeth II’s fashion to go on show at Buckingham Palace

The Royal Collection Trust will mount an exhibition titled "Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style" at the King's Gallery at Buckingham Palace in London in spring 2026, marking the centenary of the late monarch's birth. The show will feature around 200 pieces, including the dresses she wore at her 1947 wedding and 1953 coronation, both designed by Norman Hartnell, along with diplomatically significant gowns, everyday attire, and never-before-exhibited colorful prints from the 1970s by Ian Thomas. Sketches and correspondence with her couturiers will also be on display.

Poly Auction Hong Kong concludes spring sales - Vietnam Investment Review

Poly Auction Hong Kong concluded its Spring 2026 auction series with total sales exceeding HKD 255 million, representing a 23% increase over the previous autumn season. The sales were led by Liu Wei’s 1995 masterpiece "You Like Pork?", which fetched HKD 27.6 million, and a Ming Dynasty Blue and White 'Grapes' Dish that realized HKD 24.6 million. The auction saw participation from collectors across 17 countries, with significant growth in the Modern and Contemporary Art segment, which rose over 63% compared to the prior season.

A Spring of Exhibitions in Bologna 2026

Bologna is set to host a diverse array of major art exhibitions throughout the spring 2026 season, spanning photography, street art, and contemporary installations. Key highlights include a photographic exploration of Frida Kahlo at Palazzo Pepoli, a retrospective of Italian Informal artist Mattia Moreni at MAMbo, and a significant showcase of Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Mirror Paintings at Palazzo Boncompagni. The city’s cultural institutions are also featuring international names like Banksy, Agnès Varda, and the influential German photography duo Bernd & Hilla Becher.

Mitchell Art Museum at St. John’s College Unveils New Exhibitions and Spring Events

The Mitchell Art Museum at St. John’s College has announced its spring programming lineup, headlined by the exhibition "In the VIDEODROME: Abjection and Alienation." Opening March 26, the show features seminal video works by Martha Rosler and Pipilotti Rist that critique systemic injustice and the societal treatment of women's bodies. The museum is also continuing its survey of Fluxus artist Ken Friedman, which encourages community participation through instructional art scores.

13 Open Calls To Apply for in Spring 2026. The Season To Be Seen.

A curated selection of international open calls and residencies for Spring 2026 offers diverse opportunities for emerging artists across visual arts, photography, and film. Key highlights include the Krupa Art Foundation Young Prize, which has expanded its categories to painting, digital art, and sculpture with three major cash prizes, and the 14th edition of 'Wystaw się w CSW' for independent photographers in Poland. Other notable opportunities include 'Underneath the Floorboards,' a platform for avant-garde and experimental video work seeking to showcase non-traditional artistic languages.

Hilliard Art Museum announces spring season featuring Andy Warhol

The Hilliard Art Museum at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette has announced its spring 2026 exhibition season, titled 'Spring Awake.' The season features a major focus on Pop Art and its legacy, with exhibitions including 'Andy Warhol: Plus One,' showcasing Polaroids gifted by The Andy Warhol Foundation, and a new exhibition by contemporary artist Rachel Libeskind. The program also includes 'Gulf Streams,' an exhibit blending field recordings from the Atchafalaya Basin with contemporary art, and continues the immersive installation 'Nervescape XI' by Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir (Shoplifter). The museum will host several public events, including an opening preview, a day-long fête, and an outdoor fundraising picnic.

Spring Exhibitions at the Lilley Museum of Art

The John and Geraldine Lilley Museum of Art at the University of Nevada, Reno, has announced three new exhibitions for its spring 2026 program, running from January 27 to May 23. The shows include “Home Truth: Image Making in Absence, Photography by Steven Seidenberg,” co-curated by Stephanie Gibson and Carolyn L. White; “Ayana V. Jackson,” co-curated by Gibson and visual storyteller Iyana Esters; and “Homeland Security: Images from the Epicenter of the Cuban Missile Crisis,” featuring archival photographs from Prensa Latina. An opening reception will be held on February 19, with free parking and refreshments.

Art Department announces spring 2026 exhibitions, True Inspiration Artist in Residence

Furman University's Department of Art has announced its spring 2026 exhibition schedule at the Thompson Art Gallery, featuring three shows: Jessica Lambert's "Sportsball" (Jan. 12-Feb. 13), Alexa Wheeler's "ToastLab" (Feb. 19-March 27), and the 2026 Senior Thesis Exhibition. Wheeler will also serve as the spring 2026 True Inspiration Artist in Residence, working in an open studio and collaborating with university departments and the Greenville community. All events are free and open to the public.

Christie’s sale confirms it: Indian art has arrived on the world stage

Christie's achieved a rare 'white-glove' sale in its Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art auction, selling all 84 lots for $12.38 million—150% above the low estimate. The sale was led by Vasudeo Gaitonde's *Untitled (1984)* at $2.4 million, with strong bidding from India, the US, the UK, the UAE, and Singapore. New artist records were set for Sheikh Mohammed Sultan and Ivan Peries, while works by Rashid Choudhury and Biren De also drew intense interest. The auction, overseen by Nishad Avari, head of Christie's Indian art department, signals a broadening of the market beyond established modernists like M.F. Husain and S.H. Raza.

Check out first look images of L.A.’s trippy museum of AI arts — and its new opening plan

Media artist Refik Anadol has announced that Dataland, the world's first museum of AI arts, will open in spring 2026 at the Frank Gehry-designed Grand L.A. complex in downtown Los Angeles, delayed from its original 2025 schedule. The museum spans 25,000 square feet and includes five galleries; a sneak peek was released of the Infinity Room, an immersive multisensory space featuring swirling colors, AI-generated scents, and a proprietary AI model called the Large Nature Model. The Infinity Room concept originated in 2014 at UCLA and has since toured 35 cities, attracting over 10 million visitors.

L.A.’s AI art museum DATALAND is opening next spring—with a trippy infinity room

DATALAND, the world's first museum dedicated to AI art, has announced it will open in spring 2026 at the Grand L.A. complex in Downtown Los Angeles, a delay from its original 2025 target. Founded by artist Refik Anadol and his wife Efsun Erkılıç, the 25,000-square-foot venue will feature five galleries, including an Infinity Room that incorporates AI-generated scents drawn from the studio's Large Nature Model, trained on data from 16 rainforests. DATALAND will also partner with Google Arts & Culture for an artist residency program, selecting three artists for six-month collaborations culminating in public displays.

Pratt’s 2026 Fine Arts MFA Thesis Exhibitions, on View This Spring

Pratt Institute's Fine Arts MFA program is presenting its 2026 thesis exhibitions in a two-part show curated by Alessandra Gómez at Dock 72 in the Brooklyn Navy Yard this spring. The exhibitions feature the culminating work of the graduating MFA candidates, offering a public showcase of emerging artistic talent.

And the (Senior Show and URECA Art Exhibition) Winners Are …

The Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery at Stony Brook University hosted the opening reception of the ninth annual combined Senior Show and URECA Arts Exhibition on April 29, drawing about 300 attendees including students, faculty, staff, university leaders, and local museum curators. The Senior Show, a nearly 50-year tradition, features works by senior studio art majors and minors, while the URECA exhibition highlights undergraduate research-based art selected by faculty. This year's exhibition is noted for its diversity in subject matter and materials, from chalk painting to digital media, and runs through May 22.

Spring Exhibitions Opening at the Tom Thomson Art Gallery

The Tom Thomson Art Gallery (TOM) in Owen Sound is launching two new exhibitions this spring. 'Liz Zetlin: More Than Human – a year in my garden' is an immersive video installation documenting the seasonal cycles of the artist's garden, while 'Emergence 2026' showcases works by regional high school students.

Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art highlights dynamic spring exhibition season

The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art in Tarpon Springs, Florida, has launched a dynamic spring 2026 exhibition season featuring four shows that highlight regional artists and student creativity. Exhibitions include "Richard Heipp: Reliquaries & Artifacts" (through July 26), which uses hyper-realistic paintings to explore how museums shape cultural memory; "Dallas Jackson: Unsung Heroes, The Fabric of America" (through June 14), a mixed-media tribute to overlooked community figures; and "David Anderson: Now and Again" (through June 14), presenting eight newly acquired works never before publicly exhibited. The season also includes student-focused programming from kindergarten through middle school.

Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art WSU announces four spring exhibitions

The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Washington State University has unveiled its spring 2026 exhibition program, featuring four distinct showcases that emphasize sensory awareness and embodied perception. The lineup includes a solo exhibition of sculptural works by Montana-based artist Mimi Jung, a site-specific kinetic sound installation by Trimpin titled 'Ambiente432', a curated selection of photography from the permanent collection focused on light, and the annual MFA Thesis Exhibition featuring emerging artists Keegan Baatz, S. Camille Comer, and Kahyun Uhm.

James Jean on blurring boundaries between fine art and fashion

Taiwanese-American visual artist James Jean visited Jakarta for the first time in July 2025, laying groundwork for a solo exhibition at BAIK Gallery in spring 2026. During his trip, he met with Indonesian fashion designer Biyan to discuss a potential collaboration, and also visited the atelier of Beyond. In an exclusive interview with Prestige Indonesia, Jean discussed his creative process, his approach to collaborations (including past work with Prada), and his interest in blurring boundaries between fine art, fashion, and pop culture.

Community Space: Celebrating Local Art with the ‘Metamorphosis’ Exhibit

The Redwood City Parks and Arts Foundation has launched its fifth art exhibition, 'Metamorphosis: Evolving Identities,' in the CZI Community Space in downtown Redwood City. The exhibition features 11 local artists from San Mateo County, including four teen artists, showcasing works in painting, wall sculpture, and mixed media that explore themes of transformation, growth, and self-discovery. The launch event on March 21 included panel discussions and artist talks, and the exhibit will remain on display through spring 2026.