Art & Design
Museums, galleries, architecture, design, and visual culture.
Museum of the Southwest announces July events, new exhibits, Planetarium shows
Museum of the Southwest in Midland has laid out its July schedule, including expanded Blakemore Planetarium shows, weekly Family Fridays, a July 16 exhibit opening, Saturday mansion tours and a July 31 Sci-Friday screening.
Air and Space Museum unveils 5 new galleries as renovation nears end
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum is opening five newly opened or refreshed galleries on June 30 as its long National Mall renovation nears completion. The project began in 2018 and is expected to finish in the fall.
Plymouth's the Box wins 2026 Art Fund Museum of the Year award
The Box in Plymouth has won the 2026 Art Fund Museum of the Year award, taking the £120,000 prize at a ceremony aboard the Cutty Sark in London. Judges praised its inclusive, community-focused work and said it has had major cultural and economic impact since opening in 2020.
In heatwave, some French museums and monuments become cool havens while others are forced to close
France’s June 2026 heatwave is forcing museums and monuments to choose between becoming cooling refuges for visitors and closing or shortening hours to protect staff, collections and buildings.
Obama Presidential Center opens on Chicago’s South Side as design details draw fresh attention
The Obama Presidential Center opened to the public in Chicago on June 19, bringing Barack and Michelle Obama to greet first visitors. Fresh reporting says a structural engineer described Obama’s vision for a bold tower design that helped shape the center’s most polarizing feature.
Obama Presidential Center opens on Chicago's South Side amid displacement concerns
The Obama Presidential Center opened to the public in Chicago on Juneteenth after a June 18 dedication ceremony. The $850 million South Side campus is being celebrated as a civic landmark, while some residents and advocates warn it could accelerate gentrification and displacement.
Obama Presidential Center opens in Chicago with celebrity ceremony and democracy theme
The Obama Presidential Center opened in Chicago on June 18 with a high-profile ceremony centered on democracy, civic duty and community, drawing former presidents, major entertainers and an implied contrast with Donald Trump.
Obama Presidential Center opens in Chicago
The Obama Presidential Center opened to the public in Chicago on June 19, 2026, after a June 18 dedication ceremony led by Barack and Michelle Obama. The 19-acre South Side campus includes a museum, forum building, Home Court and a Chicago Public Library branch, and the Obama Foundation says the grand opening weekend runs through June 21.
Supreme Court sides with Texas marijuana user in ruling narrowing federal gun ban
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled for Ali Danial Hemani, a Texas marijuana user challenging the federal ban on gun possession by unlawful drug users, narrowing how 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(3) can be applied.
Springsteen, Bono and Stevie Wonder help the Obamas open their presidential museum
The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago is holding its official dedication on June 18 with performances and appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Bono and other guests. The museum opens to the public June 19, with a sold-out Grand Opening Weekend.
Obama Presidential Center opens in Chicago with dedication ceremony
The Obama Presidential Center held its dedication ceremony in Chicago and is set to open to the public on Juneteenth. The campus includes a museum, library branch, parkland, athletic spaces and restaurants, while prompting heightened security and traffic restrictions in nearby South Side neighborhoods.
Menil Collection to reopen historic Fresco Building in late 2027
The Menil Collection says its former Byzantine Fresco Chapel, now the Fresco Building, will reopen in late 2027 with a site-specific installation by Teresita Fernández. The project is being timed to the museum’s 40th anniversary and sits alongside other campus upgrades, including the Menil House restoration and bookstore renovation.
What happens after the DePaul Art Museum closes
DePaul Art Museum will close to the public on June 22, but DePaul says the permanent collection will remain at the Lincoln Park campus and continue to support teaching, educational visits and loans to other institutions.
Obamas unveil new joint portrait ahead of presidential center opening
Barack and Michelle Obama have unveiled a new joint portrait by Njideka Akunyili Crosby for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. The work will be displayed in the Hope and Change Lobby ahead of the center’s June 19 public opening.
Rio residents repaint square after deadly police raid
Residents and artists in Rio de Janeiro’s Vila Cruzeiro repainted Saint Luke’s Square in World Cup colors months after the city’s deadliest police raid, turning a trauma site into a symbol of community reclamation while prosecutors continue investigating the operation.
Multimedia arts project wins Sycamore Gap tree commission after public vote
Helix Arts and George King Architects have won the National Trust’s Sycamore Gap commission with The People’s Tree, selected through a public vote and judging panel review.
Fraudster trying to sell fake ancient statues to Sotheby’s foiled over bogus invoices
A man has been sentenced after trying to pass off alleged ancient statues through Sotheby’s using forged provenance paperwork that was exposed in court as modern printing.
Glenn Brown opens two-site Bath exhibition with Grottoesque at No.1 Royal Crescent
Glenn Brown’s two-site Bath exhibition opens today, led by Grottoesque at No.1 Royal Crescent. The show runs through September 6 and includes new large-scale works, a room transformed into a grotto, and a concurrent Holburne Museum presentation.
Met Museum opens new Costume Institute galleries with 'Costume Art' exhibition
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has opened its new Costume Institute galleries, debuting an exhibition that presents fashion as art.
The Met Costume Institute unveils its new Condé M. Nast Galleries
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has opened its new Condé M. Nast Galleries, a major expanded space for the Costume Institute's fashion exhibitions.
Spanish politicians clash over request to move Picasso's Guernica
Spain’s culture minister has rejected a Basque request to loan Picasso’s Guernica to Bilbao, setting off a national political row.
National Gallery names Kengo Kuma-led team for Project Domani
The National Gallery has chosen Kengo Kuma and Associates, with BDP and MICA, to design its Project Domani expansion.