The Union of Maine Visual Artists (UMVA) is hosting an ekphrastic poetry performance on Saturday, May 23 at 4:00 pm at the Oak Street Lofts Gallery, as part of its "Celebrating Hope" exhibition. Poets Annaliese Jakimides, Gregg Harper, Lily Brown, and Maureen Thorson will respond to artworks inspired by Emily Dickinson's poem "Hope is a strange invention." The exhibition features 20 artists and runs on weekends through May 29.
This article profiles six Nigerian Gen Z painting artists who are gaining international recognition for their vibrant, culturally reflective works. The featured artists include Anthony Azekwoh, known for blending classical and digital styles; Olaolu Slawn, a former skateboarder turned graffiti-style artist with collaborations like Rolex and Formula 1; Chigozie Obi, whose multidimensional art explores activism and mental health; Ayanfe Olarinde, a self-taught multidisciplinary artist; Adeoluwa Oluwajoba, a mixed-media artist and curator; and Meju Lawrence, known for colorful, animated pieces displayed in notable galleries.
The Sehwa Museum of Art in Seoul, operated by the Taekwang Group Sehwa Arts and Culture Foundation, has launched a series of artist-led participatory programs tied to its current exhibitions. On May 17, artist Yesol Kim will lead "Perhaps Scribbling on the World Crookedly," where participants draw and view their work through a kaleidoscope. On May 23, artist Jeong Manyoung will host "Sound Exploration: Finding My Own Sound Space," involving outdoor sound recording. Every Tuesday and Sunday at 3 p.m., visitors can enjoy a performance while holding cotton candy, linked to Lee Wonwoo's work "Gentle Prince." Additional ongoing activities include a handmade zine-making station and a social media review giveaway offering an "Artist Puzzle" from the museum shop.
81C in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, is presenting "Krankie II: Middle of the Food Chain," an immersive contemporary art exhibition by collaborative duo Emily Braswell (strawberriemilk) and Jenna Rees (warmmilkwithsugar). Opening on May 15, 2026, the show features painting, video, sculpture, and installation that construct a cinematic, psychologically charged world centered on a fictional 1980s movie star, offering absurdist commentary on fame in the pre-internet era versus today. The exhibition is a dual-location activation, also including a component at the XIIID Research and Strategy Innovation Center at the University of the Virgin Islands, with a free opening reception featuring DJ Carbar.
The UOB Painting of the Year competition, now in its 45th edition, is expanding beyond its traditional awards format to launch its first-ever arts festival in Singapore. Running from late August to early September, the festival will feature exhibitions, workshops, and artist talks, showcasing semi-finalists from the Emerging Artist category alongside veteran winners. The competition, established in 1982, has grown into one of Southeast Asia's most recognized art awards, with editions in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, and has launched over 1,000 artists' careers. This year also introduces stricter criteria for the Established Artist category, requiring a stronger professional track record.
An exhibition titled "The Contemporary Lore: Sojourn of Styles and Generations Unfurled" has opened in New Delhi, featuring works by 23 artists across different career stages and artistic styles. Curated by Kiran K. Mohan with a critical essay by art historian Johny ML, the show includes paintings, sculptures, and mixed media by artists such as Anil Gaekwad, Ashok Bhowmick, Harshwardhan Devtale, and others. The display is deliberately non-chronological, aiming to foster dialogue between seasoned practitioners and emerging voices.
A new exhibition titled "From Hermès to Home" at the Waco Welcome Center showcases the work of internationally acclaimed artist Kermit Oliver alongside local artists Cade Kegerreis and Vincent Thomas, who were mentored by Oliver. Oliver is the only American artist to have designed scarves for Hermès, and the show features his iconic scarf designs alongside paintings and self-portraits by all three artists, marking the first time their work has been exhibited together. The exhibition coincides with a limited-edition re-release of Oliver's scarf design "Faune et Flore du Texas" and the upcoming publication of a book about him by Texas A&M University Press.
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles has announced its 18 inaugural exhibitions ahead of its September 22, 2026 opening. The $1 billion, 100,000-square-foot museum in Exposition Park will feature 32 galleries curated personally by George Lucas, including a dedicated Cinema space showcasing the Lucas Archives with original concept art, costumes, and props from Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Unlike traditional museums, the exhibitions are organized by emotion and storytelling themes such as Adventure, Childhood, Fantasy, and Romance, rather than by time period or artist.
The African American Museum in Dallas reopens on May 1 after temporary renovations, featuring the exhibition "People Who Make the World Go ‘Round: The Legacy of Sepia Magazine." The show highlights influential Black icons such as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Maya Angelou, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Thurgood Marshall through photographs from the museum's archive of over 40,000 images. Sepia magazine, founded in Fort Worth in 1946, chronicled Black life and culture for nearly four decades, offering a Southern perspective that rivaled national publications like Ebony and Jet.
Alleanza culturale tra Roma e New York. Le due città siglano il primo accordo tra grandi centri storici
Rome and New York have signed the first cultural cooperation agreement between their historic centers, Municipio I Roma Centro and Manhattan. The protocol was formalized during the Forum Cultura Roma Centro at the Temple of Vibia Sabina and Hadrian, aiming to establish an international network based on collaboration between cultural institutions and governance models. It includes exchanges, youth programs, artistic initiatives, and public art projects involving museums, archives, libraries, universities, and educational entities.
Crickhowell Open Studios returns from 23 to 25 May 2026, inviting visitors to explore 26 venues across Crickhowell and Abergavenny. The free-entry trail includes artists' studios, galleries, and creative spaces showcasing paintings, printmaking, textiles, sculpture, jewellery, ceramics, and glass. Organized by the Crickhowell Resource and Information Centre (CRiC), which celebrates twenty years of community support, the event features the Open Art Competition Exhibition at Oriel CRiC Gallery, a residency by portrait artist Oriane Pierrepont, and participation from artists such as Nadia Epping, Lucy Corbett, and Lee Wright. Venues range from St Edmund’s Church to Antur Brew Co. and The Welsh Academy of Art.
Medium Art Center in Ukiah, California, celebrates its five-year anniversary. Founded during the pandemic by a small team of local artists and community members including Chris Pugh and Lillian Rubie, the center began as an online exhibition series called "Dear America" before securing a vacant storefront at the Pear Tree Center in 2021. Run entirely by volunteers for its first three years, the center has hosted in-person exhibits, traditional Chinese brush painting workshops with artist William Shi, and outreach programs to support local artists. Recently, it received a grant from the RISE program administered through Redwood Coast Regional Center to support people with disabilities or neurodivergence.
Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa, will open a new exhibition titled "A Golden Age for Whom?" from June 6 to September 20. The show juxtaposes contemporary artworks with historical Northern European pieces, prompting visitors to reconsider how context shapes interpretation of art across eras.
The National Museum of Korea is hosting “Islamic Art, A Journey of Radiant Light” until October 11th, featuring artifacts from the Islamic Art Museum in Doha, Qatar. The exhibition showcases calligraphy, paintings, and crafts from the 7th to 19th centuries, with highlights including two illustrations from the *Tahmasp Shahnameh*, a Persian miniature manuscript from the Safavid era that took over a decade to complete.
Paul Noth has been named the inaugural Cartoonist Laureate by the Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA) in West Bend, making him Wisconsin's first holder of the title. The appointment, announced ahead of the October 13 publication of his debut cartoon collection *I Am Going to Eat You … and Other Awkward Truths*, comes with a three-year term, a cash award, a solo exhibition at MOWA, and recognition at the Wisconsin State Capitol. Noth, a *New Yorker* cartoonist with over 400 published cartoons, will serve as an ambassador for cartoon art, teaching workshops and promoting comics literacy.
Seabreeze Gallery, a new cooperative art space on Bowen Island, will hold its grand opening celebration on Friday, May 22 from 4 to 7 pm at 455 Bowen Island Trunk Road in Snug Cove. The gallery is the only one on the island dedicated exclusively to showcasing Bowen Island artists, featuring work from 19 local makers across diverse mediums including paintings, ceramics, fiber arts, jewelry, woodworks, and glass. The gallery operates as a cooperative, with a different artist opening the doors each day to engage visitors directly.
The Hansell Gallery at The Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles is presenting "Brain Drawings: The Art of Harry Smith," an exhibition running from May 7 to May 31, 2026. Curated by Rani Singh, the show features a wide selection of Smith's work, including early experiments in visualizing sound, a rare 1954 four-color silkscreen of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, string figure constructions, materials related to the Anthology of American Folk Music, photographs, and rarely seen films and audio works. An opening reception on May 7 includes a panel and multimedia presentation titled "Mind Maps: Exploring Harry Smith's Hermetic Allusions."
Downtown Traverse City will host the 2026 Art Walk Series on two Friday evenings, May 29 and June 5, from 5-7 p.m. Organized by the Downtown Traverse City Association, the event pairs local artists with downtown merchants, turning shops and restaurants into temporary galleries. Art forms include painting, fiber, and wood, with live demonstrations, extended merchant hours, refreshments, and interactive activities. Additional programming includes hands-on activities at the J. Smith Walkway hosted by Crooked Tree Arts Center, live music at Horizon Books, and opportunities to view the city's permanent public art collection.
The 11th Savannah Local Artist Market (SLAM) returns on Saturday, May 2, 2026, featuring more than 80 artists. The free, grassroots event takes place at Salvation Army Baseball field in Savannah, Georgia, with a rain date of May 9. SLAM Founder Charlie Ellis and local artist William Kwamena Poh discussed the event in an interview with WSAV's Kim Gusby.
The Seoul Museum of Craft Art opens two special exhibitions on Tuesday, both centered on the Korean Empire (1897-1910), a brief period when Korea sought to modernize through craft and industrial innovation. The larger exhibition, “The Hybrid,” marks 140 years of diplomatic relations between Korea and France, gathering 24 objects from European collections—23 from France and one from Germany—some not displayed in Korea in over 120 years. The second, “Folded Time, Unfolded Memory: Andong Palace,” focuses on the royal women who lived on the museum’s grounds, particularly Empress Sunjeonghyo and Princess Kim Deok-su. Museum director Kim Soo-jung described the two shows as “almost like an omnibus,” connected through the Korean Empire period.
The Winkler Arts and Culture High School Art Show is currently on display from May 14 to June 6, featuring works by students from Northlands Parkway Collegiate (NPC) and Garden Valley Collegiate (GVC) in the Pembina Valley. The exhibit includes a wide range of media—paintings, pottery, pencil drawings, and mixed-media projects—with standout pieces like Grade 9 student Dylan Morgan's detailed portrait of Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu. Program coordinator Katie Bueckert emphasizes the show's role in showcasing young talent and giving students their first gallery experience.
Inspiration Space in Bangkok presents "Ganesha," a dual-artist exhibition running from 9 May to 5 July 2026, curated by Kullaya Kassakul. The show features paintings by Piya Charoenmuang, who created thousands of Ganesha works daily during the COVID-19 lockdown (2021–2024), exploring faith, success, and imperfection through mixed media and texture. It also includes a ceramic Ganesha sculpture by Yonkwan Thanyaset (Paint), fired at high temperatures and repaired with Kintsugi, highlighting cracks as beauty. The exhibition unfolds in two phases: Piya's paintings from 9 May, with the full ceramic installation joining from 6 June.
Japanese architect Junya Ishigami has designed the Zaishui Art Museum in Rizhao, Shandong, China, a striking ivory-white structure built on an artificial lake. The museum features a one-kilometer-long immersive walkway that allows water to flow into the interior, blurring the boundary between architecture and nature. Currently, the museum hosts an exhibition on the history and production of chocolate, blending industrial displays with contemporary art.