Humanitas Braided art, a new interdisciplinary certificate, and a space for local artists

Yale University's latest Humanitas column highlights several arts and humanities developments: an exhibition by artist Nontsikelelo Mutiti at Schwarzman Center titled "Rusununguko," inspired by Black hair-braiding traditions and community; a new interdisciplinary certificate in Native American and Indigenous Studies approved by Yale College Faculty; and a Yale-run art space opening to local New Haven artists. Mutiti's installation uses black vinyl braids to transform the domed gallery, reflecting her experiences as a Zimbabwean graduate student finding community in Harlem's hair-braiding salons.

6-13-25 Student Excellence in the Arts - SUNY

The State University of New York (SUNY) has announced the 2025 recipients of its annual arts awards, including the Thayer Fellowship of the Arts, the Patricia Kerr Ross Award, and the Best of SUNY art exhibition winners. Key Bird from the University at Albany and Misael Hernandez from the University at Buffalo each received a $7,000 Thayer Fellowship, while Rush Carson from Purchase College won the $1,000 Patricia Kerr Ross Award. Three students received Best of SUNY Awards, with four additional students earning honorable mention. The awards were presented by SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. and the SUNY Board of Trustees.

Surprise art exhibition in Gourock brought together 18 artists from Inverclyde

A surprise art exhibition in Gourock, Scotland, brought together 18 artists from Inverclyde in a pop-up shop on Kempock Street. Organized by local painter Catriona Reid on just a week's notice, the show featured paintings, sculptures, photography, and illustrations, including works like Linda Ross's oil painting 'Rain Storm' and Andrew King's sunset photography. The event drew many visitors and received an overwhelmingly positive response.

He can’t speak, so his art does it for him — Nonverbal Bethesda artist debuts expressive artwork

Charles Lunn, a 35-year-old nonverbal autistic artist from Bethesda, Maryland, will debut his exhibition "Nonsense & Hopeful Songs: My Inner Fight to be Heard" at Lost Origins Gallery in Mount Pleasant, Washington, D.C. The show features his paintings and poetry, which serve as his primary means of communication. Lunn's mother, Lorie Peters-Lauthier, explains that his art allows him to express emotions and social commentary that his body cannot verbalize due to a brain-body disconnect.

NW Minnesota Arts Council announced its NW Minnesota Art Exhibit Winners

The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council announced the winners of its 2025 Northwest Minnesota Art Exhibit, awarding $2,300 in cash prizes to student and adult artists from a seven-county region. The winners were recognized at a reception in Crookston on April 27, with juror Glen Henry, an Indigenous artist and Director of Exhibitions at Minnesota State University Moorhead, selecting the awardees. Categories included adult and student divisions, with top prizes going to Elizabeth Kitchell-Rockstad for mixed media and Alyssa Foster for drawing, among others. Selected works will travel to area libraries and five student pieces will be displayed in Senator Mark Johnson's office.

Made in NY artists draw on personal experiences at Schweinfurth Art Center

The Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, New York, is hosting a group exhibition titled 'Made in NY,' featuring works by artists from across the state who draw on personal experiences, including themes of identity, family history, and regional landscapes. The show includes a range of media such as painting, sculpture, and mixed media, highlighting the diverse creative voices emerging from New York State.

‘Immersive Elements’ interactive exhibition showcasing student-artist collaboration

SUNY Oswego's ARTSwego program presents "Immersive Elements," an interactive exhibition created by NOIRFLUX's Electric Heliotrope Theater in collaboration with students. Running April 23 through May 4 at the Marano Campus Center, the project features sculpture, drawing, audio, video, and interaction design, developed by artist Lorne Covington and students from Cara Thompson's art classes. The exhibition explores the four elements—water, air, fire, and earth—through projected visuals and interactive pieces.

Erbil hosts four-day art gallery by Iranian Kurdish artist

Iranian Kurdish artist Nasr Daneshvar opened a four-day visual arts exhibition titled “Color, Women, Society” in Erbil, Iraq, on Sunday. The show features 22 paintings created over two years, exploring themes of women's strength and societal oppression, with elements of Kurdish culture and traditional attire. Daneshvar, born in Oshnavieh in 1981 and a graduate of Tabriz University's College of Fine Arts, organized the event in coordination with Erbil’s general directorate of culture and arts.

Mike Fredrickson’s New Album and Paintings

Mike Fredrickson, a Riverwest-based painter and musician, has released a new album titled *Sunken Treasure* and is showcasing his paintings at two Milwaukee venues. The album, recorded in Chicago with collaborators including drummer Dave Braun and guitarist Scott Ligon, features 13 songs blending catchy grooves with introspective lyrics. His vibrant cityscape and portrait paintings are on display at The Daily Bird and Beans and Barley through mid-May.

Taiyo to Ame no Melody (Melody of Sun and Rain) at PALAS

Taiyo to Ame no Melody (Melody of Sun and Rain) at PALAS

The group exhibition *Taiyo to Ame no Melody (Melody of Sun and Rain)* opened at PALAS in Sydney, featuring new and recent works by artists Maureen Gallace, Trevor Shimizu, and Kazuyuki Takezaki. Curated by the Tokyo-based gallery Misako & Rosen, the show presents a contemplative dialogue between the three artists' distinct approaches to landscape and domestic scenes, running from February 7 through March 28, 2026.

Folklore and Nature Converge in Cat Johnston’s Expressive, Eccentric Puppets

London-based artist Cat Johnston creates expressive puppets and sculptures that blend folklore, nature, and childhood memories into eccentric characters like a fashionable bat, a melancholy sun, and gods representing sunburn, hay fever, and insomnia. Her work, which draws on historical costumes and emotive, cartoonish faces, inhabits dreamlike realms where the familiar meets the strange.

Fulton students promote peace with art exhibit

Fulton Public Schools students displayed over 80 artworks in the "Building Peace: From Within to the World" exhibit at the Mildred M. Cox Gallery in William Woods University's Kemper Art Center. The show, open Monday through Friday, was organized in partnership with the William Woods Rotaract Club, the Fulton Rotary Club, and Fulton Public Schools, with funding from a Rotary peace project grant. Art teachers Pamela Doss and Rebecca Diekamp coordinated student submissions from kindergarten through 12th grade, with works exploring themes of inner peace, community kindness, and symbolic acts of making a difference.

Open Air/Open Space Art Exhibition at the Wayrick Wildlife Art Gallery

The Wayrick Wildlife Art Gallery at the Schermann Hoffman's Nature Center in Somerset County, New Jersey, is hosting the "Open Air/Open Space" juried art exhibition from February 6 through March 25. The show features works by professional and novice New Jersey Plein Air artists, celebrating the county's Open Space Preservation Program and its public park system.

‘MANA’ Exhibit to showcase the richness of Masungi through art - Pressenza

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) invites the public to 'MANA', a contemporary art exhibition organized by the Silaw Artist Collective at the NCCA Gallery in Manila from May 7 to 30, 2026. Curated by Eghai Roxas, the show features works by 15 artists including Melvin Culaba, Henri Cainglet, and Derick Macutay, exploring the tension between commodification and environmental conservation, with a focus on the Masungi Georeserve landscape.

PlayLab to open Saturday at Southwest Art Gallery and Science Center

PlayLab, a new hands-on learning and play space for children and families, will officially open on Saturday, May 16, at the Southwest Art Gallery and Science Center in Dickinson, North Dakota. Located beneath the gallery's main floor, the interactive space features 12 themed labs—including motion, discovery, building engineering, design, spark, construction, magnet, sensory, logic, space, and eco areas—each equipped with materials to foster creativity, motor skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Admission is $10 per child, and regular hours will be Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon and Sundays from 1 to 3 p.m.

Malibu’s downtown park will become an art gallery this summer

Malibu’s downtown Legacy Park will transform into an open-air art gallery this summer through a series of free monthly Art Walk events. Organized by the Malibu Arts Association and hosted by the City of Malibu Arts Commission, the pop-up market runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on five Sundays (May 17, June 14, July 12, Aug. 9, and Sept. 13), featuring local artists selling original works including oil paintings, watercolors, photography, sculpture, and prints inspired by the seaside city. Some proceeds benefit local high school students.

Studio B Boyertown Welcomes New Gallery Director, Announces New Exhibit

Studio B Boyertown has appointed Bob Hakun as its new gallery director. Hakun, an assemblage artist who creates works from found objects, previously worked as a computer graphic designer and prepress manager after his career designing Halloween masks and costumes moved overseas. He is a 1976 graduate of Kutztown University with a BFA in painting. The gallery is also presenting the exhibition “Form & Fiber: 3-Dimensional Expression in Art,” featuring 3-D and fiber works by Hakun and fifteen other artists, running through June 21.

Gallery 50 welcomes spring with “Here Comes the Sun”

Gallery 50 in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, is hosting an opening reception for its new spring exhibition, “Here Comes the Sun,” on May 8 from 5:30–8 p.m. The show features 11 local artists—Jonathan Frazier, Robyn Jacobs, Sarah Maclay, Pat McCleary, Mary Moores, Judy Pyle, Jayne Shord, Anne St. John, Lindsay Tozier-School, Anita Williams, and curator Marti Yeager—presenting works in oil, acrylic, pastel, photography, watercolor, and enamel on copper. The evening also includes the unveiling of a mural by California-based artist Nigel Sussman, live music from Sons of Pitches, and new fine art and crafts for sale. The exhibition runs through August 1, 2026.

Art exhibits to open Sunday in Port Hadlock

A reception for artists Britt Greenland and Quimper Art will be held Sunday, May 10, 2026, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Bayside Art Gallery in Port Hadlock, Washington. The event celebrates the opening of two exhibits: Greenland's "Shimmering Light," featuring ten new oil paintings of Cascade and Puget Sound landscapes, and Quimper Arts' "Painted From Life," a group show of works in charcoal, pastel, and watercolor created through direct observation. All artwork is for sale, with proceeds benefiting Bayside Housing and Services, a local nonprofit supporting people experiencing homelessness and poverty in Jefferson County.

Little Artists exhibition to give young creators the chance to show their talent

An annual Little Artists exhibition will take place next Sunday, May 10, at The Lighthouse in North Berwick, from 1:30 to 4:30 PM. Young creators will display artworks based on the theme 'favourite things,' including drawings of their favorite toys, foods, places, and more. The exhibition also features eight large wall murals painted monthly, depicting scenes such as a toy shop, a field of animals, and a rabbit village. Tickets are £10 per family group.

Che Onejoon: ‘The AfroAsia collective is now more important to me than my personal art’

Che Onejoon, a South Korean artist, has shifted his focus from documenting North Korea's Cold War-era monument-building in Africa to working directly with West African migrant communities in South Korea. His earlier projects, including the Mansudae Masterclass series and films like *Black Monument* (2017) and *My Utopia* (2018), explored the little-known history of North Korean-built statues and buildings across at least 20 African nations. More recently, he co-founded Space AfroAsia, the Afroasia Eco Museum, and the AfroAsia Artist Collective, and now lives and works in the Bosan-dong "Africa Town" near the Demilitarized Zone, creating multilingual music videos and even a K-pop girl group with a mixed Korean-African lineup.

Cambodian artists highlight Khmer culture at free exhibit in St. Paul

Cambodian artists are celebrating Khmer New Year with the free exhibit “My Soul of Gold” at Xia Gallery & Cafe in St. Paul, Minnesota, running through April 27, 2025. The show features portraits of cyclo drivers and elders by photographer Hao Taing, paintings by Cambodian American artist Sara Gregor, and traditional wedding dresses, all exploring themes of heritage, war, and displacement. Inspired by kintsugi, the exhibit uses art to “fill in the cracks” left by the Khmer Rouge regime and historical erasure. Separately, documentary photographer Drew Arrieta is debuting “Infinite Bonds” at Resource gallery in Minneapolis, blending photography, audio, and personal objects to explore intimate relationships.

Arts Festival – Call For Artists

The Voice of the Valley newspaper has issued a call for artists to participate in an upcoming Arts Festival scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, June 13 and 14, 2026. The festival will feature a juried art exhibit, a saloon art exhibit, a textile exhibition, children and youth exhibits, and free dance and music performances, along with an MV Idol, Jr. performance after the parade.

Corning gallery to feature late artist Martin A. Poole

The West End Gallery in Corning, New York, will host a tribute exhibition for the late artist Martin A. Poole, a Corning native who passed away in late 2025. The show runs from May 15 to June 11, 2025, with an opening reception on May 15 featuring harpist Meredith Kohn Boeck and treats from Old World Cafe. Poole, who studied fine arts and printmaking at SUNY Buffalo, taught at the 717 Cedar Arts Center and other local groups, and his work has been represented by West End Gallery for 47 of its 49 years.

Science Museum Partners With Serendipity Arts For Free Events In London This June

The Science Museum in London has partnered with Serendipity Arts, a not-for-profit foundation supporting artistic practice across South Asia, to present free events this June. The collaboration launches on June 5 with Innovation Lates, an adults-only evening of music, making, and ideas inspired by Indian innovation, as part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival. The festival marks 175 years since the Great Exhibition of 1851 and includes workshops, talks, performances, and a puppet parade directed by Dadi Pudumjee.

Artscape Jamestown To Host Opening Reception May 21

ArtScape Jamestown has finalized its 2026 season, with an opening reception scheduled for May 21 from 5 to 7 p.m., hosted by Chautauqua Art Gallery and Pearl City Clay House. Now in its fourth year, the program will display 59 banners featuring juried works by regional artists throughout downtown Jamestown, transforming the city into an open-air gallery. The original artwork will be exhibited indoors at both venues from May 21 through July 4, with additional summer programs including Sunday Artist Salons, interactive tent activities, and plein air sketching sessions at the Farmers Market.

Local art gallery to host first Salmon Arm exhibition from the Federation of Canadian Artists

Atelier Gallery in Salmon Arm will host "Springing Forth," the first exhibition in the city from the Federation of Canadian Artists' Thompson Nicola Shuswap Chapter. The show runs from May 1 to May 16 and features works by artists from the Shuswap, Kamloops, and Okanagan regions, selected through a peer jury process.

River Art Gallery spotlights psychedelic delight

River Art Gallery at Reedley College opened “Technicolor Mind,” an exhibition featuring over a dozen oil paintings by drawing and painting instructor Tracy Carrera. The show, which opened on January 22, 2026, includes abstract, colorful works arranged alongside toys and figurines that inspired them. The exhibition was organized by students in the college's art gallery class, and the opening night featured a performance by local band Dying Suns, whose song “Technicolor Mind” gave the show its name.

Tulsa Gallery kicks off December with art opening, festive Christmas Market

WV Art Advisory, in partnership with Masterwork Studios, is hosting two community-focused events in downtown Tulsa during the first weekend of December. On Friday, Dec. 5, the gallery opens 'Southern Realism,' a First Friday exhibition featuring Oklahoma artists Harriet Derrevere, Taylor Hoffer, Cody Jensen, and Andrew Nimick, with Jensen debuting two limited-edition photography books. On Sunday, Dec. 7, the space transforms into a Christmas Market with local vendors offering handmade gifts, live caroling, and family activities. The events take place at Masterwork Studios, owned by Tim Clement and operated through his nonprofit Artists for Christ and Community.

New Rocky Mount art venue celebrates with gallery opening

A new art venue, the Tar River Art Gallery, is opening in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, with a free public reception on Sunday, September 14th, from 2:00 to 5:00 PM at the Dunn Center on the campus of N.C. Wesleyan University. The gallery expands the existing Gravely Gallery and will feature works by 40 local artists, including over 150 paintings, sculptures, and other creations, with music by cellist Jeff Hatley and light refreshments.