Turning passion and pride into success

The article reports on the global surge in appreciation for handicrafts, highlighted by their prominent presence at the 2024 Venice Biennale, where curator Adriano Pedrosa noted a renewed interest in traditional, handmade techniques once considered marginal to fine art. It specifically focuses on Saudi Arabia's strategic push to capitalize on this trend by designating 2025 as the Year of Handicrafts, launching the Nama' Accelerators program through the state-run Cultural Development Fund (CDF) to support artisan businesses. The program has already helped entrepreneurs like Ranad Alsaif, who is preparing to open the first specialized natural-dyeing studio in the country.

If You Could Design Any Museum Exhibition, What Would It Be?

The New York Times poses a hypothetical question to several prominent figures in the art world: if they could design any museum exhibition, what would it be? The article features responses from artists, curators, and critics who describe their dream shows, ranging from a survey of overlooked female abstract expressionists to a retrospective of a fictional artist. Each contributor outlines a concept, the venue they would choose, and the rationale behind their curatorial vision.

She Sees Beauty in Black Men at Work. She Won’t Apologize for That.

The New York Times profiles an artist who creates works celebrating Black men in labor, depicting them with dignity and strength. The artist refuses to apologize for her focus, which she sees as a corrective to historical erasure and negative stereotypes.

How binge-watching Wheel of Fortune started a two-year art project

Melissa Nightingale reports on a two-year art project inspired by binge-watching *Wheel of Fortune*. The project reimagines the game show's prize wheel, replacing material goods like sewing machines and cars with intangible rewards such as belonging and dignity. Participants can spin the wheel, but the prizes are conceptual rather than physical, reflecting a shift in values from consumerism to human connection.

Leland brewery gets artsy with beer-fueled gallery

A new brewery called MOBA Beer Co. (Museum of Beer and Art) is opening in Leland, North Carolina, in the former Mannkind Brewing space that closed abruptly in December 2024. The venture is owned by Jason "Foz" Fosdick, Carl Cross, and Matt Ray, with Cross envisioning a combined art gallery and brewery. The 5,000-square-foot space will feature rotating art exhibitions, commissioned local artwork, live music, and serve beer, wine, and cocktails, aiming to open by late August 2025.

Popular art exhibition back for NAIDOC Week

The City of Gosnells in Western Australia is hosting a week-long NAIDOC Week celebration starting July 7, featuring a flag-raising ceremony, cultural performances, bush tucker walks, and storytelling. A key event is the return of the popular NAIDOC Week Art Exhibition, running from July 8 to July 18 at the Civic Centre, showcasing works by local emerging and seasoned Aboriginal artists, with pieces available for purchase.

Ready for Their Reboot: How Galleries Plumb Art History’s Forgotten Talent

The New York Times article explores how contemporary art galleries are increasingly turning to overlooked or forgotten artists from art history, giving them a second act through exhibitions and market attention. These galleries research historical figures who were marginalized, underappreciated, or simply lost to time, and reintroduce their work to collectors and institutions, often leading to rediscovery and renewed critical interest.

David Lynch retrospective Up in Flames to open at Prague’s DOX art gallery in June

A major retrospective of David Lynch's artwork, titled 'Up in Flames', will open at Prague's DOX Centre for Contemporary Art on June 19, 2025. The exhibition spans Lynch's visual work from the late 1960s to the present, including drawings, lithographs, photographs, and experimental films. Lynch was directly involved in planning the show in 2024, meeting with curator Otto M. Urban to approve the concept and selection of works before his sudden death on January 16, 2025. His estate worked with DOX to reschedule the opening and ensure the exhibition meets his standards.

Arts center, gallery space to open in downtown Redmond

The Dry Canyon Arts Association (DCAA) will open the Dry Canyon Community Arts Center in downtown Redmond later this year, occupying 3,000 square feet (eventually 4,500) of the historic Rogers & Lynch Building at SW 6th and Deschutes Ave. The space will include three classrooms, a gift shop, and 2-3 galleries, with plans for art studios and workshops. DCAA takes possession on August 1 and hopes to host a grand opening that week. The project is funded through grants, donations, memberships, and corporate sponsorships, with about $38,000 raised toward an estimated $80,000 renovation cost.

Exhibition explores works by 6 overlooked surrealist artists

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (NMCA) has opened an exhibition titled 'Surrealism and Korean Modern Arts' at its Deoksugung Palace branch in Seoul, running from April 17 to July 6. The show features six overlooked Korean surrealist artists—Kim Chongnam (Hideo Manabe), Kim Ukkyu, Kim Chongha, Park Gwangho, Kim Younghwan, and Shin Youngheon—displaying some 230 works by 50 surrealist artists. These painters explored surrealism despite the movement's limited adoption in Korea due to colonialism, war, and national division, expressing inner landscapes through unique contemplative styles.

Eastern New Mexico University Runnels Gallery Presents Annual "K through ENMU" Juried Art Exhibition

Eastern New Mexico University's Runnels Gallery is hosting the 2025 'K through ENMU' Juried Art Exhibition from March 31 to April 26 at the Golden Student Success Center in Portales, NM. The annual spring show features over 100 original artworks selected from more than 300 submissions by students in kindergarten through 12th grade from public, private, and homeschool backgrounds across the region. Entries were evaluated by a juried panel based on first impression, originality, and artist's perspective, with awards given in three grade-level divisions and a Best of Show prize.

A Reinterpretation of the Fuentes Angarita Collection at La Neomudéjar

A REINTERPRETATION OF THE FUENTES ANGARITA COLLECTION AT LA NEOMUDEJAR

Museo La Neomudéjar in Madrid is presenting a major exhibition titled '30 Years of Irreverence and Vision in the Fuentes Angarita Collection.' The show features over 130 works from the collection of Venezuelan artist and collector Andreína Fuentes Angarita, curated by Néstor Prieto and Omar Castañeda. It is structured as a living archive, mapping three decades of Latin American political art through four thematic stations: the collective self, diaspora, identity and gender, and the memory of the body.