Artists in Columbia have partnered with political advocacy groups to create works that intertwine aesthetic beauty with calls for social justice. The collaboration aims to amplify messages of equity and reform through visual art, blending creative expression with activist campaigns to reach broader audiences.
Washington and Lee University (W&L) established the Museums Student Engagement Committee (MSEC) in December 2023 to strengthen ties between students and the W&L Art Museum and Galleries (AMG). The committee, composed of students from various class years, advises museum staff on programming, exhibitions, and events to make the museum more relevant and accessible. Officers include Avery Dennard, Hailey Neaman, Nora Kuhn, and Grace McCurdy, with advisors Isra El-beshir and Jessica Wager.
A full-length sculptural relief of Joseph Stalin was reinstalled in Moscow's Taganskaya metro station as part of efforts to restore original designs. The work, a 3D-printed copy of a 1950 original, has been criticized by art historian Elizaveta Likhacheva as poorly made and crudely painted. Visitors have laid flowers at the site, while critics note that over 95 Stalin monuments have been installed under Vladimir Putin's rule, including in occupied Ukrainian territories.
The 2025 Communication Arts Student Art Exhibition is on display through June 6 at the Schulman Gallery on the campus of Luzerne County Community College (LCCC). The opening night on May 9 drew a large crowd to celebrate student talent, highlighted by the President’s Choice Awards presented by LCCC President John Yudichak and Schulman Gallery Curator Robert Husty. Awards were given in categories including Mixed Media, Sculpture/3-Dimensional Art, Illustration, Photography, Painting, Music Recording Technology, Best Portfolio, and Best of Show, with winners such as Karla Richiez, Jenna Tutorow, Antonio Solis Jr., Amber Jones, Sydney Ogle, Evan Wenner, and Ashley Duran. The awards were sponsored by Marquis Art & Frame.
Binghamton University Art Museum (BUAM) is hosting a pop-up exhibition curated from its permanent collection of over 4,000 pieces, with each work selected by a member of the Binghamton University community. The exhibition was conceived by Richard Quiles, a diversity education coordinator and former museum intern, who collaborated with museum director Diane Butler and preparator Jessica Petrylak to invite faculty and staff to choose artworks that resonate with their identities and write reflection essays. The show includes paintings, prints, and works by prominent Black artists, and will run during Celebrate Diversity Month.