10 Practical Reasons We Need to Defend the National Endowment for the Arts

10 practical reasons need fund defend national endowment arts 1789539

President Donald Trump's administration has renewed efforts to defund the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), proposing for the fourth consecutive year a budget that would zero out the agency. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that has staffed the current administration, continues to promote its 1997 report 'Ten Good Reasons to Eliminate Funding for the National Endowment for the Arts' as a key reference in debates. This article, originally published in 2020 and republished in response to these developments, systematically rebuts each of the Heritage Foundation's arguments against the NEA, beginning with the claim that private support alone is sufficient.

One Weekend, 100 Artists: A guide to navigating Dublin Gallery Weekend

Dublin Gallery Weekend will take place from November 6th to November 9th, 2025, transforming the city into a "city-wide canvas" with over 40 galleries, cultural centres, and artist studios participating. Organized by the Contemporary Art Gallery Association (CAGA), the event features more than 60 free activities including gallery brunches, curated art trails, and late-night socials. Highlights include the National Gallery's Picasso: From the Studio exhibition, the Irish Museum of Modern Art's Reverse Migration, a Poetic Journey by Cecilia Vicuña, the Douglas Hyde Gallery's installation by Atsushi Kaga, and Kerlin Gallery's exhibition of Isabel Nolan's paintings.

From Monet’s gardens to Kahlo’s bedroom — the best artists’ studios to visit

The article surveys several preserved or reconstructed artists' studios that are open to the public, including Francis Bacon's chaotic London workspace relocated to Dublin's Hugh Lane Gallery, Barbara Hepworth's serene Trewyn Studio in St Ives, Claude Monet's house and gardens at Giverny, and Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul. It also previews the National Gallery of Ireland's upcoming exhibition "Picasso: From the Studio" (October 2025–February 2026), which examines the key locations that shaped Picasso's life and art.

Whiteley showcase reveals struggles with addiction and pursuit of beauty

A touring exhibition from the Brett Whiteley studio in New South Wales, titled *Inside The Studio*, has arrived at the Shepparton Art Museum in Victoria—its final stop and only Victorian venue. The show features drawings, ceramics, sketchbooks, photographs, Whiteley's iconic Sydney Harbour painting, and his 1976 Archibald Prize-winning self-portrait. Wendy Whiteley, the artist's former wife and an artist herself, shares memories of their turbulent marriage, including his struggles with addiction and his intense dedication to his craft. She has also repurchased several of her favorite sketches of her in the bathtub, which had been auctioned off over the years.

Art Around Town

A comprehensive listing of current and upcoming visual art exhibitions, events, and installations in Athens, Georgia, is provided. The guide includes shows at venues ranging from the Georgia Museum of Art and the Lamar Dodd School of Art galleries to local breweries, coffee shops, and community centers. Featured exhibitions highlight work by students, local members, and established artists like Beverly Buchanan and Julie Green, alongside new murals and public art projects.

“Joseph Barrett: Views from his Lahaska Studio” to open at Silverman Gallery

The Silverman Gallery of Bucks County Impressionist Art in Holicong, Pennsylvania, will open a new exhibition titled “Joseph Barrett: Views from his Lahaska Studio” on May 16-17, 2025, with opening receptions featuring live jazz and refreshments. The show runs through June 20 and includes previously unseen works such as “View from My Window,” “Neshaminy,” and “County Theater in Snow,” alongside Barrett’s painting “Estate of Joseph Stanley,” recently returned from a two-year display at the U.S. Embassy in Kigali, Rwanda, as part of the State Department’s Art in Embassies program.

Black.2; Family Values; Studio Exhibition

Amelia Winata reviews three concurrent group exhibitions in Melbourne galleries: 'Black.2' at Void_Melbourne (15 Nov–20 Dec 2025), 'Family Values' at Futures (6 Dec–20 Dec 2025), and 'Studio Exhibition' at Haydens (6 Dec 2025). The article opens with a metaphor comparing the gallery-goer's experience to the rescue ship Carpathia navigating icebergs, reflecting the glut of end-of-year group shows in Melbourne's commercial spaces. Winata visits each space, describing the deco-chic building housing Void_, the formalist black-themed works by artists like Nick Devlin, Elvis Richardson, Sarah Goffman, and Suzie Idiens, and the broader context of Melbourne's gallery scene.

Slawn Releases ‘Not An Artist’ Album After Live Studio Exhibition at Saatchi Yates

London-based artist Slawn has released a collaborative album titled 'Not An Artist' following a month-long residency at Saatchi Yates gallery. From January to February, the gallery was transformed into a live studio environment where Slawn created paintings and recorded music simultaneously. The project featured a wide array of musical collaborators, including Unknown T and Blackhaine, and was executive produced by Arthur Bean.

Slawn’s Studio Opens It's Doors To A Living Exhibition at Saatchi Yates

Slawn’s studio opens its doors to a living exhibition at Saatchi Yates, transforming the gallery space into an immersive environment where the artist’s creative process becomes part of the display. The exhibition invites visitors to witness Slawn at work, blurring the line between studio and gallery, and offering a rare behind-the-scenes look at his practice.

Slawn Transforms Saatchi Yates Gallery Into A Working Studio

London-based artist Slawn has transformed Saatchi Yates gallery into a live working studio for his latest exhibition, titled *Slawn’s Studio*, running from 22 January to 22 February. The gallery functions as his day-to-day workspace, where paintings are produced and reworked, music is composed and recorded, and collaborators drift in and out, creating an atmosphere of spontaneity and shared energy. Most works were made during a residency in the space, and the exhibition evolves over the month. The project has attracted leading collectors and figures from music, sport, and public life.

Late Night Art Returns to DUMBO This Fall

DUMBO's First Thursday Gallery Walk returns on October 2, offering free late-night access to galleries and cultural spaces across the neighborhood. The event features live music, artist talks, exhibitions, and a free Insider's Tour from 6:30 to 7:30 PM, with stops at Platform Project Space, Lucky Risograph, A.I.R. Gallery, and Loop of the Loom. Participating venues include A.I.R. Gallery, AMR Art DUMBO, Center for Cuban Studies, Smack Mellon, and many others, showcasing works by artists such as Abbey Williams, Elizabeth Bick, Samuel E. Vázquez, and Chang Yuchen.

Artists share their pin-ups in a London exhibition

London's Incubator gallery has opened 'Notes from the Studio', a group exhibition featuring 45 visual artists, writers, musicians, and fashion designers. Each participant contributed one item currently taped or pinned to their studio wall, ranging from personal objects and notes to postcards, sketches, and reference images. Contributors include Tracey Emin, Michael Stipe, Sam Taylor-Johnson, Harland Miller, and Ben Okri. The gallery preserved the original tape or tack used to attach each item and installed the pieces within drawn charcoal 'frames'.

New Alden B. Dow Home and Studio exhibition to highlight acclaimed graphic designer Tim Lewis

The Alden B. Dow Home and Studio in Midland, Michigan, will host a new exhibition titled “A New Vision: The Graphic Art of Tim Lewis” from September 4 to December 31, 2025. The show celebrates the life and career of Tim Lewis, a Midland native and acclaimed graphic designer and illustrator who worked from the 1960s through the 1990s, creating commercial illustrations for major U.S. magazines, album covers for artists like Peter, Paul and Mary, Gordon Lightfoot, and Chuck Berry, and posters for Barbra Streisand’s TV specials. The exhibition includes original artwork and prints, many available for purchase, and opens with a public reception on September 4.

Art Talk Sunday Featuring Exhibition ’10th Street Studio’

The Humboldt Arts Council presents an Art Talk Sunday event at the Morris Graves Museum of Art on January 4th, featuring the four artists from the exhibition '10th Street Studio': Carol Andersen, Laura Corsiglia, Peggy Rivers, and Van Shields. The exhibition showcases works by these like-minded artists who recently began sharing a studio space dedicated to creativity and mutual support. Andersen, Corsiglia, and Rivers have over 110 years of combined art-making experience, with works in significant public and private collections, while Shields joins as an emerging artist. The talk will include discussions on their practices, with Andersen focusing on wildlife as metaphor, Corsiglia drawing from nature and her time in Paris, Rivers exploring color theory through series, and Shields reflecting on his post-retirement artistic awakening.

Padraig McCaul brings his Christmas art exhibition to Mullingar

Artist Padraig McCaul will hold a 'Christmas Studio Exhibition' at the Mullingar Park Hotel in Mullingar, Ireland, on December 6 and 7. The show features new original oil paintings, limited edition prints, art cards, and wax print hurricane lanterns, offering Christmas gift ideas. This is McCaul's final exhibition of 2025, following a successful show at Art Source in the RDS, Dublin, and solo exhibitions at The Doorway Gallery, Dublin, and Lahinch Art Gallery. McCaul, an award-winning artist based in Mullingar with studios there and in Achill, has exhibited internationally in London, New York, and Australia.

Graduating art students explore change within and around through the senior studio

Six senior art students at the University of Idaho presented their Bachelor of Fine Arts capstone works at the Ridenbaugh Gallery in an exhibition titled "Senior Studio," running from November 18 to December 12. The students—Kieran Heywood, Adelia Hopper, Sofia Nuss, Tyler Ready, and Austin Eike—each explored personal and societal themes through various media, including watercolor, felt, ceramics, and 3D printing. Heywood's work addressed grief and loss of a parent, Hopper's felt creatures examined gender non-conformity, Nuss painted nostalgic childhood memories, Ready critiqued militarism and fascism, and Eike focused on pharmaceutical addiction. Associate professor Aaron Johnson mentored the students to ensure their portfolios met professional gallery standards.

“Year of the Snake is the year of us doing our work”: Leith arts collective open up ahead of exhibition this month

Hot Snakes Studio, a six-member arts collective based in Leith's Custom House in Edinburgh, is preparing for its second exhibition, titled "Year of the Snake," opening later this month. The group, composed of working creators including Phil Morrell (Surface Ritual), Robbie McKay (Whisky Kuts), Matt Sloe (Sinclair), Ross MacRae, Rhory Gardiner (Hungry Window), and Tom Hatch (Journeyman Signs), will showcase personal work that explores themes such as folklore, African traditions, and environmental issues. The show is entirely self-funded and grassroots, with support from local businesses like Pizza Geeks.

The City is Our Studio: Urban Sketchers Doha bring the outdoors in

The inaugural exhibition "The City is Our Studio" by the Urban Sketchers Doha community opened at Lusail's Art Factory in Qatar. The show features works created en plein air by the group's members, who practice on-location drawing and painting to capture the essence of Doha's landscapes and everyday life.

Fine additions: Parkersburg Art Center adding two new exhibitions

The Parkersburg Art Center in Parkersburg, West Virginia, will host an opening reception on January 16, 2025, for two new exhibitions: "Rinse and Repeat: An Exhibit by ArtBeat Studio" and "Rabbit Medicine and Other World-Building" featuring work by Savannah Schroll Guz. The exhibitions run through February 21. "Rinse and Repeat" marks the return of a show that originally opened in March 2020 and closed after just one day, featuring artists from the Wood County Society’s ArtBeat Studio, a collaborative community arts center that supports artists with developmental differences. "Rabbit Medicine and Other World-Building" showcases Guz’s work, which draws on folklore, memory, and imagination, and has been exhibited across the East Coast and Midwest.

Pete Hogan Announces 2025 Open Studio Exhibition on Dublin Bay This Thursday

Irish maritime artist Pete Hogan will open his Sandymount studio on Dublin Bay to the public on Thursday, 11 December 2025, for an event titled Open Studio ’25. The exhibition, themed “Dublin in the Rare Auld Time,” will feature paintings, drawings, and sculpture, with a launch evening from 6 pm to 10 pm at 153 Strand Road, Dublin 4, followed by viewings by appointment. Hogan, a solo circumnavigator in the 1990s and a regular contributor to Afloat.ie, combines his sailing experience with visual art.

PICTURES: A Limerick art studio holds exhibition in aid of NOVAS

Hatters Castle Art Class and Studio held an exhibition at Dooradoyle Library in Limerick, Ireland, to raise funds for NOVAS, a charity supporting homeless and vulnerable people. The event featured artwork created by participants of the art class and studio, with proceeds going to the organization.

Dunedin Fine Art Center introducing new instructors through "Now in the Studio" exhibition

The Dunedin Fine Art Center (DFAC) in Florida is showcasing the work of three new instructors—Anders Fernbach, Ritu Haldar, and Betsy Ore Class—in the exhibition "Now in the Studio" at its upstairs gallery. The show features Fernbach's photo-realistic paintings and graphite pieces, Haldar's applique textile art, and Class's pastel water scenes, highlighting the artistic practice behind their teaching.

Joshua Dildine: Major Works Just Back From Exhibition In The Studio

Joshua Dildine has major works recently returned from an exhibition now on view in his studio, as reported by Artsy. The article highlights the artist's practice and the significance of these pieces being accessible in an intimate studio setting.

Today or Tomorrow at Atelier 8.18: A Home Studio Exhibition

Artists Emiko Mizukami, Julie Sabey, Lena Sin, and Nicole Lau present 'Today or Tomorrow,' a home studio exhibition at Atelier 8.18, the living room of curator Kyla Bourgh. The show explores food's connection to culture, memory, and community through each artist's personal lens—from Sin's joyful table settings inspired by travels to Mizukami's fantasy narratives around Japanese preservation traditions, Sabey's childhood birthday party memories, and Lau's transformation of prepackaged foods into colorful artworks.

Rachel Mentzer Transforms Discarded Cartons into Dusky Collagraphs

Ohio-based artist Rachel Mentzer creates collagraph prints using discarded cartons as printing plates, carving them with images of birds, trees, and energy infrastructure. Her process involves carving the cardboard, sealing it with polyurethane, inking it, and transferring the image via an etching press, often incorporating chine collé for color. Her work was recently shown at the Manhattan Graphics Center, and she will participate in the Suzanne Wilson Artist-in-Residence Program at Glen Arbor Arts Center this summer.

Teen Art Studio Exhibition opens at the Dahl Arts Center

The Dahl Arts Center in Rapid City, South Dakota, has opened its annual Teen Art Studio Exhibition, showcasing the work of local high school students. The exhibition features a diverse range of media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, and digital art, created by participants in the center's after-school and summer programs.

New exhibition celebrates 35 years of Artist Proof Studio

Artist Proof Studio, a community printmaking center in Johannesburg, is marking its 35th anniversary with a major exhibition. The show features works from its extensive archive and by its alumni, highlighting the studio's role as a vital hub for artistic creation and education in South Africa.

Frame Work: Soul Studio exhibition celebrates artists with special needs

The Janice Charach Gallery in Bloomfield Hills is hosting "A Little Bit of Light," an exhibition featuring works by approximately a dozen artists with special needs. The collection, which includes painting, woodworking, and digital arts, was created through Soul Studio, a program under the nonprofit Friendship Circle that provides studio space and career development for neurodivergent creators. Inspired by the teachings of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the show emphasizes personal expression and the visibility of artists who are often marginalized.

Frame Work: Soul Studio exhibition celebrates artists with special needs

Soul Studio, a Michigan-based art studio for adults with developmental disabilities, is hosting an exhibition titled "Frame Work." The show features works created by the studio's artists, celebrating their creativity and providing a professional platform for their art to be seen and sold.

Lakes Region Art Studio Exhibition

The Lakes Region Art Studio is hosting a new exhibition featuring works by local artists from the Gorham area and surrounding communities. The show includes a variety of media such as painting, sculpture, and ceramics, highlighting the creative output of the region.