A team of historians, architects, and programmers is digitally reconstructing the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Pharos Project, led by archaeologist Isabelle Hairy, is scanning thousands of submerged granite blocks and artifacts from the seabed to create a comprehensive 3D model of the structure, which was destroyed by an earthquake in 1303.
Nifty Gateway, one of the earliest and most prominent NFT marketplaces, announced it will shut down on February 23, 2026, citing sharply declining activity. The platform, founded in 2018 by twins Duncan and Griffin Cock Foster and acquired by Gemini in 2019, has entered withdrawal-only mode, advising users to move their assets before the deadline. At its peak in 2021, Nifty Gateway reported $300 million in gross merchandise value, boosted by a Sotheby's partnership for a $17 million NFT drop by the artist Pak. The closure follows the collapse of the NFT boom, with trading volumes plummeting and other platforms like Async Art, KnownOrigin, and MakersPlace already shuttered.
Telfair Museums in Savannah, Georgia, laid off approximately 15 percent of its staff on January 9, 2025. The layoffs were announced abruptly during an afternoon Zoom call without prior warning, according to former employees, though the museum offered severance packages. Museum representatives attributed the cuts to reduced funding and stated the decision was approved by the board’s executive committee.
Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities recovered underwater ruins from a sunken city off the coast of Alexandria on August 21. Divers and cranes retrieved ancient statues, including royal figures and sphinxes from the pre-Roman era, such as a partially preserved sphinx with the cartouche of Ramses II. The site in Abu Qir bay also revealed limestone buildings, residential and commercial structures, a 125-meter dock over 2,000 years old, a merchant ship, stone anchors, and a harbor crane from the Ptolemaic and Roman eras. Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy noted that only specific material meeting strict criteria is brought up, with the rest remaining underwater heritage.
A team from the French National Center for Scientific Research has lifted 22 massive stone blocks from the Lighthouse of Alexandria from the seafloor, 30 years after the remains were first discovered in Egypt. The blocks include monumental door lintels, jambs weighing 70 to 80 tons, a threshold, large base slabs, and parts of a previously unknown pylon with an Egyptian-style door from the Hellenistic period. Each block will be scanned and studied to add to a digital collection of over 100 blocks already digitized, aiming to construct a virtual model of the lighthouse. The excavation was supervised by archaeologist Isabelle Hairy and conducted under the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, with support from La Fondation Dassault Systèmes and French documentary company GEDEON Programmes, which filmed the work for a 90-minute documentary.
During Berlin Art Week, a group of artists from the Alliance of Endangered Studio Spaces (AbBA) staged a protest at Alexanderplatz on September 16, calling on the Berlin Senate to repurpose abandoned properties for artistic and cultural use. The demonstration highlighted that five studio cooperatives housing about 150 artists were shut down by private owners in 2014 and 2015, with many more studios threatened by foreclosure due to rising rents and gentrification.
Artist and educator Diego Romero is opening a new gallery called Rayo del Alma in Santa Fe, located at 130 W Palace Avenue. The space, which has been in planning for decades, will feature works by local artists including Maggie Hanley, Donica Dominguez, Oriana Lee, and Marie Maez, alongside Romero's own multimedia photography. The gallery also offers vintage Western wear, jewelry, prints, and stickers, aiming to reflect the collaborative and artisanal spirit of New Mexico. Romero, a Las Vegas, New Mexico native with a background in multimedia and digital media, draws inspiration from his grandfather, who taught him photography with a 35mm Mamiya camera. His practice focuses on nighttime sky shots printed through an aluminum process, capturing the movement of the cosmos in still images.
The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho in Idaho Falls is opening a new exhibition titled 'Sacred Spaces: Visions of the West from the Prosaic to the Sublime' on Friday, with a public preview on Thursday night. The show features six artists, including Bryan Mark Taylor, Allie Zeyer, and David Dibble, all of whom have ties to agriculture. The works depict farm life scenes such as barns, fields, animals, and tractors, with an audio tour offering artist commentary. The Museum of Idaho is also contributing historic farm photos to complement the exhibit.
Pelham Art Center will host 'Relics: Ancient to Modern,' a teen-curated exhibition organized by its Teen Artist Council, from May 7 through May 31. The show opens with a public artist talk on May 7 and a reception on May 9, featuring works by over 50 artists from the United States and abroad, including Pakistan. The council, composed of high school students, developed the theme, issued an open call, and curated the final selection under the guidance of Gallery and Teen Programming Coordinator Fiona Agababian.
The Ojai Valley Museum has opened its annual 'Ojai Mystique' exhibition, featuring 19 invited artists from California and beyond. Each artist created two paintings inspired by the Ojai Valley—a large masterwork and a smaller companion piece—resulting in 38 works that explore the region's landscape, atmosphere, and light. The exhibition runs through August 9 and includes a series of Sunday Town Talks with artists and a master framer.
The Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta hosted its 39th Annual Spring Into Art Gala on April 13, drawing hundreds of attendees. Over 150 regional artists submitted more than 300 original works for the region's most prominent art exhibition, which remains on display through June 10. Cash prizes totaling $6,000 were awarded across four categories, with Joe Morgan winning Best of Show for his painting "Lobster Lottery." The exhibition was curated by Madison Caldwell, and admission to the galleries is free.
A major exhibition of rarely seen works by Scottish painter John Bellany has opened at the John Gray Centre in Haddington, East Lothian. Curated by his widow Helen Bellany and Alexander Moffat RSA, the show features early and lesser-known pieces, many never publicly displayed before. It runs until September 19 as part of the Royal Scottish Academy's RSA200: Celebrating Together project, marking the RSA's 200th anniversary. Loans come from the Bellany estate, Alexander Moffat's private collection, East Lothian Council Museums Service, and the Royal Scottish Academy.
Old School Studios, a new meanwhile arts space, opens this May as part of Artists Open Houses 2026 in Brighton. Developed by Artcore Brighton, the project transforms the former Brighton Waldorf school into working studios and an exhibition site, featuring over 50 artists working across sculpture, painting, photography, printmaking, textiles, ceramics, jewellery, and moving image. Co-founded with Mutoid Waste Company and Glastonbury Art Director Alex Wright (aka Wreckage), the space includes pop-up performances, workshops, and food from Lost Pier and La Cantina.
The Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta, Georgia, has announced the winners of its 39th Annual Spring Into Art Gala. The event recognizes local and regional artists across multiple categories, including painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media, with awards presented during a formal ceremony at the center.
The Arts Council of Wales has announced a 19-strong team of early-career artists, curators, and students who will travel to Venice this summer to support Wales' presence at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, running from May 9 to November 22, 2026. As part of the Invigilator+ programme, participants will spend at least one month in Venice acting as ambassadors for the Wales in Venice exhibition, an official collateral event. The exhibition, titled Sownd, is led by artists Manon Awst and Dylan Huw, jointly organized by Oriel Myrddin in Carmarthen and Oriel Davies in Newtown, with Steffan Jones-Hughes as Curator and Catherine Spring as Exhibition Project Director. The invigilators include Lily Tonkin Wells, Robert Oros, Ophelia dos Santos, Grace Springer, Cerian Wilshire Davies, Megan Evans, Howl Hubbard, Temeka Davies, Llyr Evans, Chloe Goodwin, Abby Pouslon, and Niamh O'Dobhain, while student team members come from Cardiff Metropolitan University, University of Wales Trinity St David, Wrexham University, and Aberystwyth University.
The Sertoma Arts Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, is hosting a series of exhibitions throughout 2025 and 2026, featuring a wide array of local and regional artists. The current exhibition is the 47th annual Sertoma Parks Artists Association (SPAA) show, featuring over 30 artists, running from February to April 2026. Upcoming shows include a May-June 2026 exhibition highlighting artists like Adam Cooley and Natacha Sochat, and the center regularly presents themed exhibits such as its annual Student, Instructor, and Patron exhibition.
The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County has launched "Kinetic Energy: A Celebration of Sport in Palm Beach County," a multi-media exhibition timed to coincide with the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026. Featuring 14 local artists, the show explores the intersection of athletics and artistry through diverse mediums including upcycled sculpture by Mike Silverman, realistic portraiture by Anna Villa, and a painting of soccer star Lionel Messi by Kyle Lucks.
LeMoyne Arts in Tallahassee has unveiled "The Nature of Kinship and Its Artful Connections," a major group exhibition running from April 9 to May 9, 2026. The show features the work of four acclaimed painters—Mifflin Hollyday, Lilian Garcia Roig, Alexa Kleinbard, and Mark Messersmith—whose works explore the symphonic and interconnected relationships within the natural world. A unique aspect of the exhibition is its community-driven origin, organized by a group of nearly 30 local art supporters to celebrate the return of Hollyday’s work to the public eye.
The Salem Area Chamber of Commerce Gallery of Art is hosting its fifth annual exhibition featuring over 60 works by approximately 55 local student artists. The show includes a diverse range of media, such as watercolor paintings, colored pencil drawings, ceramics, and gouache works, representing talent from six different regional school districts including United Local, Leetonia, and Wellsville.
The Gallerie d'Italia in Naples has opened an exhibition featuring contemporary paintings by American artist Alexi Worth alongside ancient Attic and Magna Graecia ceramics. The show creates a deliberate visual and thematic conversation between the modern works and the classical artifacts.
The Alpharetta Arts Center is hosting a solo exhibition titled “From the Artist’s Studio: Alexi Torres,” running from March 4 through April 18. Organized in partnership with Arts Alpharetta and Alpharetta Arts & Culture, the show features a diverse range of media and genres from the Atlanta-based, Cuban-born artist.
The Alpharetta Arts Center is set to host a solo exhibition titled “From the Artist’s Studio: Alexi Torres,” running from March 4 through April 18. Organized by Arts Alpharetta in partnership with Alpharetta Arts & Culture, the show features the work of the Cuban-born, Atlanta-based artist known for his intricate style that explores the relationship between humanity and the natural world. The exhibition will showcase a diverse range of media and genres, offering a comprehensive look at Torres's contemporary practice.
The Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP) at the University of Michigan has launched its 30th annual Exhibition of Artists in Michigan Prisons at the Duderstadt Center Gallery. The landmark show features 872 artworks created by 613 incarcerated individuals across 26 Michigan correctional facilities, making it the largest and longest-running program of its kind in the United States. The opening event included a celebration program with performances and testimonials from artists who credit the program with providing vital creative direction and personal transformation.
The group exhibition "Subculture" is set to open in George Town, Penang, featuring over 20 local and international artists. Hosted by the artist-run space Cultprint, the show explores subcultures not as acts of rebellion, but as lived experiences and communal identities. The lineup includes notable figures such as Ernest Zacharevic, Kenji Chai, and Alex Face, showcasing a diverse range of mediums including street art, sculpture, and photography.
The heritage house gallery Cultprint is launching a major group exhibition titled 'Subculture' in George Town, Penang, featuring over 20 local and international artists. Running from March 7 to May 3, 2026, the show encompasses a diverse range of mediums including sculpture, photography, and installation, highlighting artists such as Alex Face, Ernest Zacharevic, and Jolene Liam.
Trinity College's Widener Gallery is hosting its first fully student-curated exhibition, 'Reshaping Tradition: Contemporary Explorations in East Asian Art.' The show, open through April 2026, was produced by students from the 'Art History 205: East Asian Art, Now to 1850' course, who selected the artists, refined the theme, chose the works, conducted artist interviews, wrote catalogue essays, and designed the exhibition layout, all under the guidance of gallery director Lisa Lynch and professor Michael J. Hatch.
Loyola Marymount University's Laband Art Gallery has opened "Noni Olabisi: When Lightning Strikes," the first institutional exhibition dedicated to the work of artist and muralist Noni Olabisi (1954-2022). The show, running from January 29 to April 4, 2026, features over 40 works from 1984 to 2022, highlighting her bold public murals in South Los Angeles and her commitment to portraying Black identity, history, and contemporary struggles.
Alexander Goudie's painting *The First Drink*, a key illustration from his celebrated series based on Robert Burns' poem *Tam o' Shanter*, will be auctioned at McTear’s Scottish Contemporary Art Auction in Glasgow on February 26. The oil painting, estimated at £10,000–£20,000, depicts the poem's protagonist resting beside his horse Meg and is being sold by an anonymous vendor who has owned it since it was commissioned in the late 1990s.
Giant Runt, an artist-run gallery in Fort Worth, Texas, has announced an open call for a 2026 juried group exhibition. One selected artist will receive a $500 prize and a solo exhibition at the gallery in 2027. The call is open to artists of all media and locations, with the only requirement that artworks fit through a standard seven-by-three-foot door. Co-owners Cosmo Jones and Max Marshall will jury the show, which is scheduled to run from February 23 to April 11, 2026. Applications are due January 31, 2025.
A fire at South River Art Studios in Atlanta on November 12 destroyed or damaged over 50 works in "En Masse," a group exhibition of 21 regional printmakers that had opened just 11 days earlier in the Gogo Gallery. Curator Chloe Alexander and artists Maurice Evans, Grace Kisa, and Jamaal Barber describe the loss of unique, irreplaceable prints due to soot, smoke, and water damage, with many pieces on paper rendered unsalvageable despite appearing intact.