Spring/summer 2026 program

The Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington has unveiled its spring/summer 2026 exhibition schedule, featuring a diverse lineup of solo and group presentations. Highlights include a major exhibition by Diné artist Eric-Paul Riege exploring Indigenous cosmology and institutional knowledge, a showcase of Helen Frankenthaler’s experimental printmaking alongside works by Analia Saban, and the annual University of Washington MFA and MDes thesis exhibition. The season also features "Day-to-Day: Rhythm, Routine, Resistance," a collection-based show examining the intersection of personal life and structural social forces.

Women animation pioneers featured this summer in new Muskegon Museum exhibition

The Muskegon Museum of Art is set to premiere a landmark exhibition titled “HerStory of Animation: Mary Blair & Beyond,” running from June 6, 2025, through September 27, 2026. Curated by animation historian Mindy Johnson, the show features production artwork, rare films, and studio artifacts from over a century of female contributions to the field. Highlights include works by early pioneers like Helena Smith Dayton and Bessie Mae Kelley, alongside modern icons such as Mary Blair and Oscar-winner Brenda Chapman.

Catalyst: Art as Activism

Summerhall Arts in Edinburgh has launched "Catalyst: Art as Activism," a major exhibition featuring four solo shows by artists Eilidh Appletree, Taraneh Dana, Kasia Oleskiewicz, and Molly Wickett. The project utilizes sculpture and installation to confront urgent global issues including the climate crisis, capitalist extraction, disability rights, and the realities of migration. A central component, Eilidh Appletree’s "Net Worthy," uses materials like mycelium, soya wax, and sand to create a submerged seascape that warns of biodiversity loss and the ecological consequences of industrial food production.

This underrated, tiny west London museum is celebrating its 100th birthday with a blockbuster year of exhibitions in 2026

Leighton House, a small museum in west London, is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2026 with a major year-long program of exhibitions and events. The centenary program includes a trio of winter exhibitions exploring the building's history and lost collections, a spring/summer exhibition dedicated to its iconic Arab Hall, and a concluding exhibition on the artist's studio featuring works by major artists.

Electric Dreams now on show in Nicosia

The group exhibition "Electric Dreams" is now on view at isnotgallery in Nicosia, Cyprus, running until January 6. The show expands on the earlier summer exhibition "In Paradise I Have Marked an Island" held at the Almyra Boutique Hotel, bringing many of the same works into a new curatorial framework in the capital. Sixteen Cypriot and international artists participate, including Elysia Athanatou, Savvas Christodoulidis, Alekos Fasianos, and Fikos, among others.

Artist and curator Jean-Marc Bustamante to launch foundation in Arles culture hub

French artist and curator Jean-Marc Bustamante will open the Fondation Bustamante in Arles, France, in summer 2026. Housed in a 12th-century church, the foundation will display his works and archive while hosting contemporary exhibitions, masterclasses, and supporting young curators, critics, and historians. The architect Charles Zana will design the three-floor space. Bustamante, who previously directed the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts (ENSBA) in Paris, aims to position the foundation among Arles's existing cultural institutions such as LUMA Arles and the Fondation Van Gogh.

Acne Studios and Artist Jonathan Lyndon Chase Expand on their Partnership

Philadelphia-based artist Jonathan Lyndon Chase has expanded his collaboration with fashion brand Acne Studios, beginning with set design for the Spring/Summer 2025 womenswear show during Paris Fashion Week. The partnership has evolved into a capsule collection and exhibition timed to Frieze New York 2025, featuring Chase's expressive illustrations on clothing and homeware, alongside an exhibition at Acne Studios Greene Street from 7 to 11 May 2025.

Exhibits feature local artists, including youth

The Public Works Art Center in downtown Summerville is currently hosting four concurrent exhibitions featuring local artists, including Tom Stanley, Paul Matheny, Karyn Healey, and the late Gene Merritt, as well as a showcase for student artists. The shows, which run through May 16, present a range of works from paintings reflecting Southern culture to documentary photography of the town and youth art.

The new art conglomerate: Pace Gallery, Emmanuel Di Donna and David Schrader join forces

Pace Gallery, Emmanuel Di Donna, and David Schrader have announced a joint venture to launch Pace Di Donna Schrader Galleries (PDS), a new entity focused on secondary market sales. The partnership, revealed on the eve of Art Basel Miami Beach, will operate from a new headquarters on Manhattan's Upper East Side, with equal partnership among the three. PDS will leverage Pace's global network of galleries in cities including Los Angeles, London, Geneva, Berlin, Seoul, and Tokyo. Di Donna, founder of Di Donna Galleries and former Sotheby's vice chairman, brings expertise in Surrealist, Modern, and post-war art; Schrader, a former Sotheby's head of private sales, adds auction-house experience. The venture is set to begin operations in early 2025, with Di Donna's team moving to the new space in summer 2026.

Is the art world’s big summer break a thing of the past?

As the art market continues to experience softer demand for a third summer, galleries in the US and the Americas are rethinking the traditional August break. Dealers like Wendi Norris (San Francisco), Omayra Alvarado-Jensen (Instituto de Visión, Bogotá and Manhattan), Pali Kashi (Europa, New York), and Davida Nemeroff (Night Gallery, Los Angeles) describe varied approaches: some remain open to meet traveling collectors, others close for weeks to regroup, and many launch offsite pop-ups to maintain momentum. There is no industry consensus, with decisions shaped by geography, cultural heritage, and collector migration patterns.

From Mallorca to St. Moritz, Art Fairs Are Meeting Collectors Where They Vacation

A new wave of high-end art fairs is targeting luxury vacation destinations like St. Moritz, Mallorca, and the Hamptons, moving beyond traditional market hubs. These events, such as the inaugural St. Moritz Art Week and Art on the Island in Mallorca, are strategically timed for the summer and winter holiday seasons to directly engage wealthy collectors during their leisure time.

Call for Entries Open for 56th National Juried Artists Exhibition

The St. Tammany Art Association (STAA) has launched its call for entries for the 56th National Juried Artists Exhibition, titled "The Summer Show." Open to artists across the United States, the competition offers $3,500 in total cash prizes, including a $2,000 Best of Show award. The exhibition will run from July 11 to September 12, 2026, at the STAA Art House in Covington, Louisiana, with New Orleans-based ceramicist and educator MaPó Kinnord serving as the guest juror.

Fit for a king: the drapery bedchamber at Germany's ‘Versailles of Swabia’ presents conservators with a special challenge

Friedrich I of Baden-Württemberg upgraded his summer residence, Ludwigsburg Palace in Germany, after allying with Napoleon and becoming king. Four prized rooms, including the unusually complete drapery bedchamber, are set to reopen in 2026 after substantial restoration. The bedchamber features original turquoise silks, now faded blue-green, and over 6,000 tassels, presenting a major conservation challenge. Textile conservator Anu-Susanna Ventelä notes it is likely the only palace in Europe with such an intact drapery room. The project is part of a larger revamp of 35 rooms funded by the State of Baden-Württemberg, with conservators consulting historical inventories to restore furnishings to their original layout.

Despite ballooning costs, Thunder Bay Art Gallery executive director confident new gallery will be completed

The Thunder Bay Art Gallery's new waterfront building, originally budgeted at $38 million in 2023, is now projected to cost approximately $75 million. Executive director Matthew Hills expressed confidence the project will be completed despite the cost doubling, citing $46 million in secured funds and ongoing negotiations with provincial and federal governments. Construction is underway, and the gallery is expected to open by early 2027, replacing its current cramped space on the Confederation College campus.

New look for Guernsey’s Old Quarter

Art for Guernsey’s Street Art exhibition and summer project ‘Diversion’ is transforming Mill Street in Guernsey’s Old Quarter with vibrant murals and public art. Running from 27 June to 30 August, the project features works by 14 international and 16 local artists, plus contributions from children in the Summer Holiday Art Club. Artists are actively creating the displays, which have already generated positive buzz on social media, with passersby sharing photos and praising the initiative.

Detroit’s Cass Café reopens for art exhibit honoring Detroit artists Jim and Lucille Nawara

Detroit's Cass Café, a beloved cultural hub that closed in 2022 after nearly 30 years, is temporarily reopening for a summer art exhibition honoring artists Jim and Lucille Nawara. The show, titled "Retrospective: A Life in Art," opens June 21 at the original location on Cass Avenue, presented by the gallery detroit contemporary. The Nawaras, central figures in Detroit's creative community for over 50 years, will attend the opening; their work spans paintings, prints, and drawings rooted in nature and memory, and has been exhibited at major institutions like the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Juried art exhibition opens at Surrey Art Gallery for a summer showcase of local talent

Surrey Art Gallery is hosting the Arts Council of Surrey's annual summer juried exhibition ARTS 2025 from May 3 to July 27, with free admission. The show features fifty works selected by a jury across five categories: painting; drawing, mixed media, and printmaking on paper; sculpture and fibre art; photography; and digital, performative, and new media art. The jury included photography-based artist Brian Howell, artist and Kwantlen Polytechnic University faculty member Jason Wright, and Surrey Art Gallery Curator of Art and Education Initiatives Alanna Edwards. Visitors can vote for the People's Choice Award, and the exhibition will conclude with a Summer Opening Art Party on July 5.

How the GDR apron became Italian luxury

Wie die DDR-Schürze zum Italo-Luxus wurde

Italian luxury label Miu Miu has released dresses for summer 2026 that resemble 1980s East German kitchen aprons, with prices reaching up to €12,000 for crystal-embroidered versions. The collection debuted on the Paris runway in October, where actress Sandra Hüller opened the show in robust workwear, evoking factory workers from the former GDR. Designer Miuccia Prada, a former member of the Italian Communist Party, drew inspiration from Helga Paris's 1984 photo series "Frauen bei der Arbeit" (Women at Work), which documented female laborers in East Berlin's VEB Treffmodelle textile factory.

Monopol is giving away 1 × 2 tickets for "Arv og miljø" at the Schaubühne Berlin

Monopol verlost 1 × 2 Tickets für "Arv og miljø" in der Schaubühne Berlin

The Schaubühne Berlin is hosting the Norwegian production "Arv og miljø" (Will and Testament) as part of the Festival Internationale Neue Dramatik (FIND). Based on Vigdis Hjorth’s controversial novel, the play follows Bergljot, a woman who confronts her estranged family during an inheritance dispute over summer houses, leading to a harrowing clash over suppressed childhood memories and the nature of truth.

19 early-career artists, curators and students to benefit from professional development opportunity at Wales in Venice

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.

Springs Scene – Art

The Colorado Springs art community has announced its extensive 2026 spring and summer calendar, featuring a diverse range of student exhibitions, juried festivals, and monthly gallery walks. Key highlights include the Young People’s Art Exhibition at The Colorado Springs School, the UCCS Visual Art Majors exhibition titled “Chrysalis” at the Ent Center for the Arts, and the Garden of the Gods Art Festival, which will host over 150 national artists. The schedule also confirms the continuation of the popular First Friday art walks across Old Colorado City and downtown Colorado Springs through the end of the year.

GHOSTMACHINE Gallery Open Call Invites Artists into Curator-Led Exhibition in New York

GHOSTMACHINE Gallery has launched an open call for its upcoming summer exhibition in New York, curated by Dominika Tylcz. Moving away from the traditional large-group show format, the gallery is seeking two to three artists or collectives to participate in a focused, collaborative exhibition running from July 31 to August 29, 2026. The selection process includes a shortlist of ten artists who will receive studio visits, emphasizing a hands-on curatorial approach that requires selected participants to assist with the installation and de-installation of their work.

First Nations artists launch UMI Arts season with vibrant double exhibition opening

UMI Arts has officially launched its 2026 exhibition season in Far North Queensland with the opening of two concurrent group exhibitions, "The Summer Show 2026" and "You & Me 2026." The showcase features nearly 60 artworks by 18 First Nations artists, spanning various mediums including painting, ceramics, weaving, and sculpture. The collection highlights the deep connection to Country and cultural resilience of both emerging and established Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practitioners.

Call for Artists: Join America, Unfinished?! in Providence, RI

WaterFire Providence has issued an open call for artists to participate in "America, Unfinished?!", a major group exhibition scheduled for the summer of 2026. Hosted at the 15,000-square-foot WaterFire Arts Center, the show seeks large-scale installations, multimedia works, and performances that explore the United States as an evolving and unresolved project. The curatorial framework focuses on themes of labor, migration, identity, and material culture within the context of the American landscape.

Malibu Artist Gay Summer Rick Opens Gallery Show March 22

The Malibu Arts Commission is launching "Heading Home," a solo exhibition of original paintings by local artist Gay Summer Rick at the Malibu City Gallery. The show, which opens with a public reception on March 22, features Rick’s signature atmospheric landscapes that blend impressionism with expressive abstraction. Her work focuses on capturing the luminous light and coastal beauty of the California shoreline using palette knife techniques.

Regional art goes on show

The Nelson Suter Art Society's summer exhibition has opened at the McKee Gallery within the Suter Art Gallery in Nelson, New Zealand. The show, titled "Love it, Buy it, Take it," features small works by the society's 150 members, including paintings, pottery, woodwork, gourds, and glass. Newest member Vanessa Griffin exhibited alongside artists with up to 50 years of membership. The exhibition runs until February 1.

Local Artist David Hughes MBE celebrates 100th Birthday with charity art exhibition

Local artist David Hughes MBE is celebrating his 100th birthday with a charity art exhibition titled *Celebration* at Arts Centre Washington, running from 20 November to 20 December 2025. He has donated a collection of his paintings to STS Charity, the official charity of South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, to raise funds for the Stroke Unit Fund and the Vision Appeal, which supports a new Eye Hospital in Sunderland opening in summer 2026. Hughes, who taught himself to paint after retiring at age 60, credits Sunderland Royal Hospital with saving his life twice—after a stroke in 2024 and a pacemaker procedure in 2010.

Alcea Gallery offers new display of art in Forest Park

Alcea Gallery opened in October at 7512 Madison St. in Forest Park, Illinois, owned by Summer Lambert, a former corporate marketer who turned to freelance marketing and decided to launch her own gallery after years of being rejected from museum and gallery jobs for lacking an art background. The gallery features contemporary paintings, collages, ceramics, and prints by local and national artists, with Lambert displaying work for free and offering a 70% commission on sales. She launched with her personal collection and has since received interest from artists in Forest Park, Oak Park, and as far as Florida, though she notes a deficit of buyers rather than artists.

Red Calliope Gallery on Evers Hosts Art Exhibit

Red Calliope Gallery on Evers, a new art gallery and champagne bar in Plant City, Florida, is hosting an exhibit featuring local artists. The gallery, owned by self-taught artist Rachel and woodcraftsman Mark Dummeldinger, opened in March and recently held a juried competition called Dog Days of Summer, judged by local artist Liza Compass. Winners will be announced on August 2 at a public event with cash prizes, hors d'oeuvres, and entertainment.

Be Seen, Be Recognised. 9 Open Calls For Artists to Apply to this Summer.

The article presents nine open calls for visual artists to apply to during summer 2025, including the Form Photo Award and the Arte Laguna Prize. The Form Photo Award, organized by Form institution, offers winners free participation in Scope Miami Beach 2025 and publication in Form Magazine, with a €35 submission fee and deadlines through July 30. The Arte Laguna Prize, now in its 20th edition, features an exhibition at the Arsenale Nord in Venice and special prizes including residencies at MoCA Art Residency, BigCi, Artorale, LITIX, and NY20+, with a €97 entry fee and a July 31 deadline.