What Does Damien Hirst Have to Do With This Giant McDonald’s Ball Pit in Milan?

An installation called "POOL. Ti sblocco un ricordo" was on view during Milan Design Week, organized by Nicolas Ballario and presented as part of the Tortona Rocks offsite exhibitions. The centerpiece is a giant swimming pool-shaped pit filled with hundreds of thousands of colorful balls, celebrating McDonald's 40th anniversary in Italy. The installation claims to be "informed by" Damien Hirst's "Spot Paintings" and also features a work from Vedovamazzei's "Early Works" series, which imagines how famous artists might have drawn as children. Other elements include vitrines of Happy Meal toys, a Ronald McDonald replica, and nostalgic McDonald's memorabilia.

parties 2026 bronx museum gala art

Over 500 guests gathered on a Tribeca rooftop for the 2026 Bronx Museum Gala, a fundraising event held in advance of the museum's South Wing renovation, slated to open in 2027. The evening honored artist Awol Erizku, designer Colm Dillane (KidSuper), and patron Lois Plehn, with newly-installed museum director Shamim M. Momin and co-chairs Danielle Falls and Annie B. Taylor wearing custom KidSuper suits. The gala featured a live auction led by Phillips auctioneer Sarah Krueger, including works by Ann Craven and Joyce McDonald, and an afterparty with DJ sets by Erizku and DJ Düe Champ.

Summer Exhibitions Coming to West Texas & the Panhandle

Art galleries and institutions across West Texas and the Panhandle have announced their summer exhibition schedules. Highlights include the El Paso Museum of Art's "From the Collection: Portraiture, 1903-2021," featuring works by César Martínez, Edward Curtis, and Andy Warhol; Ballroom Marfa's solo show "Raven Halfmoon: Flags of Our Mothers" with colossal stoneware sculptures; and The Grace Museum in Abilene's "Memory Painters: The Art of Memories," showcasing Texas intuitive painters. Other venues include the Rubin Center for the Visual Arts, the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts in Lubbock, and the Museum of the Southwest in Midland, with exhibitions spanning portraiture, student art, memory painting, and immersive installations.

DOGE Cuts to National Endowment for the Humanities Were Unconstitutional, Court Rules

A federal judge ruled that the cancellation of over 1,400 grants by the National Endowment for the Humanities, carried out by Elon Musk's Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE), was unconstitutional. Judge Colleen McMahon of the Federal District Court in Manhattan ordered DOGE to rescind the cancellations, finding that the cuts violated the First Amendment and the equal protection component of the Fifth Amendment. The lawsuits were filed after the NEH chairman was dismissed and the agency was redirected under President Donald Trump's "America First" cultural campaign, with acting chair Michael McDonald cutting most grants awarded by the previous administration. The cuts, totaling more than $100 million, disrupted research, publications, and humanities programming, and were reportedly flagged using ChatGPT to target grants related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Six environmental artists win this year’s Rewilding Art Prize

Six Canadian artists have been awarded the 2026 Rewilding Arts Prize, established in 2023 by the David Suzuki Foundation and Rewilding Magazine. The winners include Nicole McDonald-Fournier, whose project EmballeToi! repurposes old winter coats as plant-growing pots, and the Montreal/Toronto duo Masumi Rodriguez and Elena Kirby, who run community papermaking workshops using invasive plant species. The prize awards $2,000 to each artist and plans to feature their work in a future exhibition, following the inaugural winners' show at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa.

New exhibition brings rare Charles Russell artwork to Fort Worth

The Sid Richardson Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, will open a new exhibition titled "Russell’s Retreat: Summers at Glacier National Park" on May 2, 2026. The show focuses on Charles M. Russell’s life and work at his summer home, Bull Head Lodge, and features objects borrowed from museums and private collections, many displayed in Fort Worth for the first time. Highlights include the landscape painting "Storm Over Lake McDonald" (1906), birchbark paintings, and a replica of gnome figures Russell made from moss and twigs.

Art House Productions Unveils "In The Wind" Public Art Installation

Art House Productions has unveiled "In The Wind," a large-scale public art installation in Lincoln Park, Jersey City, featuring artist-designed flags with original works by Hudson County artists. Curated by Tina Maneca, the exhibition celebrates the organization's 25th anniversary and includes over 80 artists who live, work, or maintain studios in Hudson County. The flags are installed around Edgewood Lake, moving with the wind to create a dynamic, ever-changing exhibition. All flags are priced at $500 and available for purchase. The installation runs from June through November 2026, with an opening reception on June 5, 2026, during ACCESS JC Fridays.

5 exhibits to see at Salem’s galleries, museums in May

Salem's galleries and museums are hosting five notable exhibitions in May, including 'Jew&' at the Salem Art Association for Jewish American Heritage Month, featuring 25 local Jewish artists; 'Courage and Compassion' at the Willamette Heritage Center, exploring Japanese-American internment through local stories; the Annual Invitational Photography Show at Elsinore Framing & Fine Art Gallery; 'Confluence – Where forms converge' at the Stefani Art Gallery, pairing geometric abstraction with woodcarving; and the third annual Keizer Riverwalk Art Fair organized by the Keizer Art Association.

The Arts Center At Duck Creek Presents ‘Residual Light’ Group Exhibit & ‘What The Garden Remembers,’ A Solo Exhibition By Avani Patel

The Arts Center at Duck Creek in Springs presents two concurrent exhibitions opening May 9 through June 14. 'Residual Light' is a group show curated by Galina Kurlat and Andrea Cote, featuring eight female artists working with alternative photographic processes and camera-less techniques. 'What the Garden Remembers' is a solo exhibition by Avani Patel, displaying paintings and drawings that explore memory, ecology, and nature. Both exhibitions include opening receptions, artist talks, and a cyanotype demonstration.

Student artists shine in RAM exhibition

Polis presents Governor’s Legacy Award at Loveland art show

Colorado Governor Jared Polis presented the one-time 250/150/35 Governor’s Legacy Award to Longmont sculptor Parker McDonald at the Loveland Museum during the annual Governor’s Art Show. McDonald’s mixed-media sculpture “Compadres,” depicting a bison with a small bird on its back, was selected for telling a distinctly Colorado story. The award commemorates three milestones: the nation’s 250th anniversary, Colorado’s 150th anniversary, and the show’s 35th year. The juried exhibition features over 60 Colorado artists and is jointly sponsored by the Loveland and Thompson Valley Rotary clubs.