Photographer Dr. Elliot McGucken captured images of a rare superbloom event in Death Valley National Park. The event, triggered by record rainfall, produced a vibrant display of wildflowers like Phacelia, Desert Gold, and Mojave Stars across the park's dunes and mountains, which McGucken documented after traveling from Yellowstone to ensure he didn't miss the spectacle.
Photographer Chris Perani creates hyper-detailed images of insect wings using an extreme macro photography technique. His series, Wings, captures the intricate, often invisible details of bee, wasp, damselfly, beetle, and butterfly wings by taking up to 2,000 photos of a single specimen and digitally stacking them for unprecedented clarity.
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.
gallery αM in Tokyo is presenting the fifth edition of its αM Project 2025–2026 series, titled “Stop, Look Back, Face Forward. vol.5 Takehiro Iikawa: Decorator Crab－No Two Alike,” running from April 11 to June 13, 2026. The exhibition features works by artist Takehiro Iikawa, including pieces such as “Decorator Crab – Arrangement, Adjustment, Circulation” (2026) and “Decorator Crab – New Audience” (2026), with guest curator Aki Otsuki, a curator from the Ashiya City Museum of Art and History.
Adam Patrick Grant’s artistic practice is rooted in a meticulous and devotional process of observation, transitioning from a background in film to a dedicated focus on oil painting over the last three years. Working from his London studio, Grant utilizes an extensive archive of personal sketches, photographs, and found imagery—such as anonymous postcards and family photos from markets—to capture fleeting moments of intimacy and the unspectacular everyday. His work is characterized by a rhythmic dialogue between the act of walking, the gathering of visual fragments, and the translation of these memories into tender, precise compositions.
Smithsonian Magazine has announced the winners of its 23rd annual photography contest, selecting top honors from over 17,000 submissions spanning 108 countries. The Grand Prize was awarded to Jacqueline Burke, a veterinarian and photographer, for her image "The Punk Rockers," which captures three egret chicks with mohawk-like plumage at a New Jersey rookery. Other category winners highlighted diverse subjects, including an abstract portrait by Irina Denisova and a spiritual scene of a devotee in Varanasi by Arun Kumar Nalimela.
The 23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest has announced its 60 finalists, selected from over 17,000 submissions. The images span six categories: American Experience, Artistic, Drone/Aerial, People, Travel, and Wildlife. The magazine is now inviting the public to vote for a Readers' Choice award winner, with polls open through March 30.
Colombian artist and musician Juancho Cano presents his exhibition “FRAGMENTARIO: Visions in Pieces” at Athentic Brewing Co. in Athens, Georgia. The show features two sets of paintings: one created in Colombia and the other after his move to the United States three years ago. The works draw heavily on the heritage and culture of Pasto, Colombia, including imagery from the annual Carnaval de Negros y Blancos, such as the Andean devil figure. Cano also plans a multimedia event on June 7 incorporating music, stage art, and video, with contributions from his band BAMBARABANDA and colleagues.
Sanlorenzo Arts has inaugurated Casa Sanlorenzo, a new cultural space in Venice adjacent to the Basilica Santa Maria della Salute, opening on June 3 during the first edition of Venice Climate Week and the Venice Architecture Biennale. Designed by Piero Lissoni's architectural firm, the space blends history and contemporary design, featuring a restored building with adaptive lighting, a monumental glass staircase, and a new bridge connecting to the surroundings. It is not a traditional museum but a dynamic platform for art, design, and sustainability, hosting initiatives that reflect on contemporary society.
The 30th annual High Energy exhibition at the Art Gallery of St. Albert (AGSA) features over 120 artworks from students at three local high schools: École Secondaire St. Albert Catholic High School, Paul Kane High School, and Bellerose Composite High School. The 2025 theme, 'Look Up and Marvel,' encourages exploration of wonder and perspective. Curator Emily Baker notes a rise in car and truck imagery due to changing student demographics, alongside recurring subjects like music celebrities, fantasy landscapes, and pop culture. Bellerose marks Black History Month with pieces honoring figures such as Zendaya, Nina Simone, and Tupac Shakur. The exhibition opens May 8 with a reception where six Christopher Kazaleous Awards will be presented.
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.
L'édition 2026 du Salon du Dessin
The 2026 edition of the Salon du Dessin, a specialized drawing fair, is underway at the Palais Brongniart in Paris. The fair features a new 'young collectors' pathway designed to appeal to those not spending hundreds of thousands, alongside the traditional stand for anonymous works. Major pieces, like two allegorical drawings by Grégoire Huret, sold immediately at the opening, and the event maintains its characteristic scholarly yet warm atmosphere with notable new exhibitors.
The Goss Opera House in Watertown has launched Art Alley, a new gallery space located in the hallway between the Goss and Mavericks. The grand opening took place on May 2 in partnership with the Downtown Collective's “ART of Downtown” event. The inaugural exhibit features local photographer Patrick “PJ” Anderson and his #JunkOnPavement series, titled “Taking Out the Trash: #JunkOnPavement,” which captures overlooked objects found in everyday spaces. The gallery will host rotating artwork by local and regional artists, with QR codes linking visitors directly to artists' online profiles.
Urban Sketchers Milano, a local chapter of the international Urban Sketchers community, recently held an event at Casa Galimberti, a notable Liberty-style building in Milan. The group, founded in 2007 by journalist and illustrator Gabriel Campanario in Seattle, brings together illustrators who draw urban scenes directly from life, on location. The Milan chapter, active since March 2008, is currently managed by Valentín Di Salvo, Stefano Ziffarelli, and Daniela Paglia, and organizes events such as a recent gathering at the garden of Via San Martino, which drew over 90 artists.
Vedere il mondo con gli occhi dei ventenni. Alle Gallerie d’Italia di Torino le foto degli studenti IED raccontano le urgenze del nostro tempo
The Gallerie d’Italia in Turin is hosting "The Searchlights," a public portfolio review and exhibition featuring the work of 18 photography students from the Istituto Europeo di Design (IED). Part of the EXPOSED Torino Photo Festival, the event showcases photographic projects that tackle urgent contemporary issues including the climate crisis, mental health, and digital memory. Each student presents their work in custom-designed boxes on communal tables, facilitating direct dialogue between the young artists and the public.
Da prigione a spazio per la cultura: nuova vita per le ex carceri austriache di Busto Arsizio
The city of Busto Arsizio has officially inaugurated the transformation of its mid-19th-century Austrian prison into a vibrant cultural hub. Following a €2.35 million restoration project largely funded by the EU’s PNRR (NextGenerationEU), the historic structure on Via Borroni now serves as an extension of the "G.B. Roggia" Civic Library. The facility features three levels of study rooms, multi-purpose exhibition spaces, and a literary café, all while preserving original architectural elements like cell doors and prisoner graffiti.
The Escalante Canyons Art Festival returns September 18–27, 2026, in Southern Utah, inviting artists and visitors to engage with the landscape through plein air painting, studio submissions, and special categories like nocturne and miniature works. The festival offers over $10,000 in prizes, including a Best of Show purchase award of $1,500, and features a dedicated junior division with no entry fee. Highlights include the Escalante 150th Anniversary Paint-Out, workshops, live music, judges’ talks, historic walking tours, and a play by local playwright Raymond Shurtz, all set near the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument.
Three artists—Maria José Meneses, Clara Rêgo, and Mary St. George—are opening their studio at Casa do Celeiro in Colares, Sintra, for a one-day "Open Studio" event on Saturday, May 30, from 12pm to 6pm. The event offers the public a rare behind-the-scenes look at a working art studio, featuring contemporary paintings, mixed media, sculptural ceramics, and artists' books in a 17th-century building that was once a barn and stable.
The Heilongjiang Provincial Artists Association held its 2026 annual work meeting and the 7th 9th Presidium (Expanded) Meeting on April 29, 2026, via a hybrid online-offline format. Over 100 participants attended, including presidium members, council members, heads of municipal and industry artists associations, and committee members. The meeting conveyed directives from the China Artists Association's study and implementation of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, as well as the provincial文联's work arrangements. It summarized 2025 work and outlined key tasks for 2026, emphasizing ideological guidance through Xi Jinping's cultural thought, people-centered creative direction focusing on local themes like black soil culture and borderland heritage, and strengthening of traditional art forms such as Heilongjiang printmaking and watercolor. The meeting also approved new council member additions, first-batch 2026 membership applications, and committee adjustments.
Soho Photo Gallery in New York is presenting "Cuzco Time Capsule," an exhibition of 18 black-and-white photographs by Michael Page Miller, taken in 1972 during his travels in highland Peru. The images capture laborers, craftsmen, market vendors, and Quechua people in and around Cuzco, shot with a 35mm Nikkormat and Tri-X film. The show runs from May 20 to June 14, 2026, with each print priced at $600.
The Armstrong Spallumcheen Museum & Art Gallery in British Columbia is opening a dual exhibition on May 28, 2026, featuring the Shuswap Plein Air Troupe and artist Nancy Vince. The Main Gallery presents "Together: From There to Here," a group show by Diane Akey, Maureen Howard, and Patricia L. Smith, who paint together as the Plein Air Troupe, capturing landscapes with varied textures and emotional depth. In the Freeze Gallery, "A Touch of Whimsy" showcases Vince's high-definition metal prints filled with vibrant, playful imagery of flowers, cottages, and lakeside scenes. The exhibition runs through June 27, with a reception on opening night.
Hannah Powell, a University of Pittsburgh alumna, has been appointed as the first official coordinator of the University Art Gallery (UAG) at Pitt. After earning a degree in anthropology and a minor in museum studies from Pitt in 2016, she pursued a master's in museum studies from the University of Glasgow, then worked at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and later at Pittsburgh institutions like the Heinz History Center and Carnegie Science Center. Since starting her role at the UAG in 2024, Powell coordinates exhibitions, plans educational programming, and improves accessibility to a collection of over 3,000 pieces, working alongside one other full-time employee.
Artists’ Gallery in Lambertville is hosting "Anticipation," a joint exhibition featuring the narrative paintings of Laura Rutherford Renner and Alla Podolsky. Running from April 9 through May 3, the show highlights Renner’s use of bold color and shadow to capture snapshots of contemporary life alongside Podolsky’s emotionally charged works that draw on her Ukrainian heritage and personal memories.
Visually impaired artist Charlynne 'Char' Boddie is showcasing her unique creative process ahead of a new exhibition. Despite being legally blind, Boddie utilizes specialized techniques, including tactile markers and high-contrast lighting, to produce vibrant paintings that challenge traditional perceptions of accessibility in the arts.
The Tampa Bay Times is promoting a digital subscription service that offers a replica of its printed newspaper, available on desktop, mobile, and app platforms. The article highlights an exhibition titled "Neverne Covington: Into the Mystic" as part of the Tampa Bay Times Events, though no further details about the exhibition are provided in the text.
The article previews the 2026 AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, scheduled for May in Philadelphia. It highlights key sessions, speakers, and events planned for the gathering of museum professionals, focusing on trends in audience engagement, digital innovation, and institutional resilience.
RAQEL's solo exhibition "Tea Time" is being presented by Japan Osaka Art Gallery TIME in Minoh, Osaka, from May 14 to May 18, 2025. The show features works that explore a gentle world between fantasy and reality, using motifs of tea, sweets, and young girls to evoke charm, fragility, and solitude.
The Mykolaiv Regional Art Museum in Ukraine has adapted to wartime conditions by evacuating part of its collection and packing remaining exhibits with available materials. A research tour offered a behind-the-scenes look at these efforts, as reported by NikVesti. The MyART platform is creating a digital collection of Mykolaiv's cultural heritage, involving the art museum, local history museum, naval museum, central library, observatory, and shipyard museum. The museum, founded in 1914 by Prince Mykola Hedroits, now operates from a building on Velyka Morska Street built in 1904, and staff continue to research its founder's history.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) has reopened after undergoing major upgrades. The glass facade, once a quiet mirror to Woodward Avenue, now actively draws visitors inside, marking a new chapter for the institution.
The Auckland Project has launched a public appeal to identify a mystery miner depicted in a charcoal portrait by the late pitman-turned-painter Tom McGuinness. The drawing, currently on display at the Mining Art Gallery in Bishop Auckland as part of the exhibition "Tom McGuiness: Out of the Darkness," was originally labeled "Cathy's Dad" but was corrected by the artist's daughter, Corinne Aspel, who confirmed it does not show her grandfather. The work has been retitled "Portrait of an Unknown Man," and curators are seeking help from the public to name the sitter.