Art News Archive

April 2024

Columbia (MO) painter Byron Smith selected for program focused on Arrow Rock’s Black history

Contested Native Artworks Resurface at (Expo Chicago) Art Fair, Drawing Scrutiny

Faith Ringgold, Pivotal Artist, Impassioned Activist, and Inventor in Many Mediums, Is Dead at 93

$250K grant says ‘YES’ to unique rural arts space in Granite Falls, Minnesota

Can artists influence the US election? A new campaign…including Shepard Fairey and Carrie Mae Weems…urges voters to choose democracy over fascism

New photo exhibit looks at water issues across the globe (Winona, MN)

Judge blocks removal of Mary Miss’ public art work at Des Moines Art Center

Inaugural artist in Envision’s (Art Gallery) residency program features Braille exclusively in his works (Wichita, KS)

Artist behind Greenwood Park installation sues Des Moines Art Center to prevent demolition

Voters reject Jackson County stadium measure for Kansas City Chiefs, Royals. Crossroads Arts District remains intact for now

In sports-crazed Kansas City, proposed stadium tax exposes deep divisions
Vote NO on Question 1

400 artists apply for new Rock Island murals (IL) through Quad City Arts

Fargo (ND) artist collective seeking new home as lease runs out

Richard Serra, Who Recast Sculpture on a Massive Scale, Dies at 85

“Displacement of businesses, destroying the arts culture”
Downtown survey shows strong opinions towards Kansas City stadium sales tax

Kansas City (MO) seeks artist for new City Hall art project

The Great Steubenville (OH) Eggsibition gives local artists a 360° canvas

Items found in Huron River showcased at transforming Ann Arbor (MI) art exhibition

March 2024

Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective. A fundraiser for American Indian College Fund (Bismarck, ND)

Exhibits featuring ceramics, fabric paintings coming to Wayne Center for the Arts (Wooster, OH)

Sidewalk Detroit (MI) is planting a ‘remediation forest’ to mitigate air pollution from Stellantis plant

Legacy in Pink: First Black-owned gay bar in San Francisco reborn as art at the Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, MN)

How a local hospital is using art to improve wellness (Bedford, OH)

Rockford Area Arts Council (IL) gives artists chance to talk local ideas, issues

Veteran opens ‘Old Glory’: New art gallery in Gaylord (MI) dedicated to military talents

Women’s art on display in Creative Space Avon gallery show (Avon, OH)

Massive preservation project underway to save one of the oldest public art pieces in Chicago area

Akwi Nji named Cedar Rapids Public Library’s Artist in Residence (IA)

Masked thief targets Columbus (OH) artist studios in overnight crime spree

Missouri lawmakers introduce bill to restrict where Drag Queen & Kings can perform

Cincinnati (OH) voted best in the nation for street art collection

North Dakota parks department and arts council seek applications for ‘Artist in Residency’ program

What Are Barn Quilts And How To Use Them In A Modern Way
^{The first organized barn quilt endeavor was created by Ohio resident Donna Sue Groves in the early 2000s}

Artists outraged by removal of groundbreaking work along Des Moines (IA) pond

UH cancels event as anti-abortion groups protest ‘satanic’ statue on campus (Houston, TX)

The Open Fund Is Now Accepting 2024 Applications, Milwaukee, WI

Read the story and apply – visit www.midwestagenda.com

Why did sponsors punish Ohioana Book Festival? I called J.D. Vance a cheap punk, Mike DeWine a spineless jellyfish…

Two news stories speak to limitations and aggressions towards educators, cultural workers

Allegations of toxic work environment shake Minneapolis Institute of Art
Indiana bill ignites debates about tenure, free speech at public universities

#midwestagendaartnews #art #artist #artworker #museum #univeristy #culturalworkers

Investigators Say Chicago’s Art Institute Is Holding onto ‘Looted Art’

February 2024

KC Hispanic News dedicates entire issue to Lisa Lopez-Galvan
_{Gun violence is a national health crisis affecting all communities}

St. Louis art project Counterpublic counts 190,000 visitors, $15 million impact

Detroit Artist Elonte Davis Hosts Art Exhibit at Eastside Liquor Store, Promoting Art in the Community

Local gallery to host art show fundraiser for Grand Rapids Public Schools (MI)

41st Annual (Kansas City Artists Coalition) KCAC Art Auction is Saturday, February 24

‘Hammers and Heels,’ local artist takes home grand prize at Salina Art Center Annual Gala (KS)

Three Indigenous art exhibitions signal a shift in the Twin Cities (MN)

Kansas City shooting: What are the gun laws in the state of Missouri
^{Missouri’s gun laws are considered some of the laxest in the country}

Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design experiencing collateral damage after IU canceled Palestinian artist Samia Halaby’s exhibit (Bloomington, IN)

Cincinnati’s Taft Museum Shares First Generation Of Modern African Art To Reach America

Lack of Funding Forces Front Triennial to Fold (Northeast OH)

South Dakota billboard project celebrates community arts councils and artists

‘Warning! Dangerous Art!’: IU faculty plan teach-in after Palestinian artist Samia Halaby’s cancellation (Bloomington, IN)

Milwaukee Art Museum Presents Award-Winning Artworks by Wisconsin Teens in 2024 Scholastic Art Awards: Wisconsin Exhibition

Iowa Art Experience Is Something Straight Out Of Willy Wonka

Textile exhibit showcasing Hmong history at The Paine (Oshkosh, WI)

New arts organization for Black artists, creatives is launched in Rochester (MN)

Black History Month exhibit opens at Butler Institute American Art (Youngstown, OH)

Hatch Art (Hamtramck, MI) Presents Off the Skin, Artworks by 15 Tattoo Artists

St. Louis (MO) Will Get 28 New Murals From Local Artists This Summer

Local artist enters Fargo (ND) City Commission race focused on diversity and city finances

Smoke damage displaces artists, ruins artwork at at Escanaba art gallery (MI)

Owner has big ambitions for art gallery to open in Downtown Madison (WI)

Feed Sacks: An American Fairy Tale at International Quilt Museum (Lincoln, NE)

Best of the Best 2024; award-winning suburban artists featured in new gallery exhibit (Wheaton, IL)

Leading Museums Remove Native Displays Amid New Federal Rules
^{Field Museum in Chicago covered some display cases as new rules take effect}

Abstract painter Nora Chapa Mendoza, 92, receives $100K Kresge Eminent Artist award (Detroit, MI)

January 2024

Tetsuya Yamada draws on skateboarding, punk rock, Japanese tea ceremony for Walker Art Center show (Minneapolis, MN)

Lubeznik Center for the Arts Explores the Importance of Symbol in New Exhibit (Michigan City,IN)

New art exhibition highlights 29 Indigenous painters (Minneapolis, MN)

Sixty-plus ice sculptures to be on display at Kenosha’s Snow Daze Festival Jan. 27 (WI)

Miss/They Camaraderie 2024 Premieres at Charlotte Street Foundation (Kansas City, MO)

Des Moines Art Center to destroy watershed land art work by Mary Miss

Detroit City Council rejects payment to international artists for downtown murals

The original story posted here in October 2023

Detroit artists push for transparency and fair pay after mystery murals crop up downtown

3 major exhibitions planned this year at Dayton Art Institute (OH)

Art, care and ecology are intertwined in ‘Actions for the Earth’ (Evanston, IL)

Black queer artist finds ‘loud joy’ expressing neurodivergence through art (Bloomington, MN)

Indiana University Cancels Palestinian Artist Samia Halaby’s Exhibition

For the Lakota, Creativity Thrives Where There’s No Word for Art (South Dakota)

Applications now open for rustic art residencies in U.P.’s Porcupine Mountains (Michigan)

Road salt is polluting our freshwater. This artist used it in her work to make a point. (St. Paul, MN)

Dive into Kansas City’s art scene this winter with 7 dynamic and diverse exhibits

2 new exhibits coming to Artlink featuring Midwest artists (Fort Wayne IN)

Artists discuss joining lawsuit alleging massive copyright violations
^{Midjourney Name List HERE}

In 2023, Minnesota artists used art in all its forms to understand and challenge what was happening in the world

70 David Zinn Doodled Creatures In Unexpected Places (Ann Arbor, MI)

New moCa exhibit (Cleveland, OH) combines art and activism to change the conversation about Lake Erie

Local Artists Weigh in on AI Art (Sturgeon Bay, WI)

Iowa artist pushed through childhood pain to put rappers’ faces on spray paint cans

Pope.L, Provocative Performance Artist, Dies at 68

Museum of Wisconsin Art open call for political comics exhibition timed for the Republican National Convention

Lincoln Museum (Springfield) offers perspectives on life in Illinois from residents past and present

New home for artists without housing opens in Detroit (MI)

Minnesota Museum of American Art exhibitions exploring immigration, disability, and the experiences of people of color

Public Art Lincoln working to turn Lincoln (NE) into ‘world class art city’

Curated Storefront offers winter-themed artistic sights in downtown Akron (OH) after dark

December 2023

Keith Haring left his mark on Iowa City (IA). Thirty-five years later, it will go on public display for the first time

Fort Wayne (IN) Public Art Commission seeks practicing artist for open seat

Richard Hunt, (Chicago, IL) Sculptor Who Transformed Public Spaces, Dies at 88

Governor’s Biennial Art Exhibition celebrates South Dakota’s creative spirit

Belmont University (Nashville, TN) gets $32 million grant supporting Christianity in the arts from Indianapolis, IN-based private philanthropic foundation Lilly Endowment Inc

Steamboat Willie, earliest version of Mickey Mouse, to become public domain in 2024

City giving $300,000 to The Kansas African American Museum (Wichita, KS)

For Years, Prison Life Was Isolated From Tech. Now Tech Is Beginning to Define It.

.Clifton Cultural Arts Center (CCAC) (Cincinnati, OH) invites artists for 2024 season

gener8tor Art Announces 2023 Artist (Milwaukee, WI)

Major foundation commits $500 million to diversify monuments across US
^{Monument Project, $500 million funding initiative by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that aims to change the narrative told by America’s national monuments.}

Growmark selling its art collection to private buyers (Bloomington, IL)
^{Ag firm did “a great thing patronizing and exhibiting Illinois and regional artists for more than 40 years.”}

‘Vested Interest’: South Bend (IN) artists’ collective gets new hometown owners

Woven portraits of women who champion water come to Madison (WI)

On World AIDS Day, December 1 is a Day Without Art

November 2023

Robbin Gallery Hosts ‘Extremely Minnesota’ Art Show (Robbinsdale, MN)

Fontana eighth-grader wins national Rube Goldberg art contest (Fontana-On-Geneva Lake, WI)

Women’s suffrage memorial in Kansas Statehouse is one step closer — but could face a delay

Crazy quilts treasures of folk art in McLean County (Bloomington, IL)

Minneapolis-based (MN) record club invites patrons to sample sound, visual arts

ARToledo (OH) Celebrates Emerging Artists in Juried Exhibition

Three sculptors share inspiration at Wichita Art Museum (KS) artists talks

Iowa City (IA) seeking artists for public art installation commemorating Indigenous history

Protestors demand answers, call out ‘systemic racism’ after Newfields CEO’s abrupt departure (Indianapolis, IN)

Two Years in the Making, Peregrine Honig’s New Paintings Are About Women Waiting

Three-year art process in Muscatine (IA) reaches ‘Zenith’

Russian activism group Pussy Riot films pro-abortion demonstration at Indiana Statehouse
^{Pussy Riot’s strategy has long been to accompany protest action with art}

City puts pause on Salina (KS) mural, restaurant owner says, ‘I believe we’ll work through this’

Classes on celebrities like Taylor Swift and Rick Ross are engaging a new generation of law students
^{A South Dakota law professor wanted his legal writing course to draw on music and art to help his students reconsider legal language and craft persuasive arguments.}

Art on the Prairie festival to kick off with mural celebration (Perry, IA)

Provocative interracial show in Cleveland (OH) highlights under-recognized Black artist Lawrence Baker

An Exhibition About Home Offices Asks “Shouldn’t You Be Working?”
^{The show at Michigan State University draws a line between the historic undervaluing of domestic labor and modern remote work surveillance.}

Dairy Barn Arts Center (Athens, OH) accepting entries for OH+5 exhibition

‘Unapologetically Indigenous’ mural preserved for future generations (Minneapolis, MN)

Emporia Arts Council (KS) hosting veterans glass workshop and art exhibition opening reception Friday

Art teachers team up for weaving, photography show during Canton (OH) First Friday food drive

South Dakota Art Museum docents named volunteers of the month

Queer legislators introduce bill to create national LGBTQ+ history museum
^{Out gay legislator Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) reintroduces bills for research, formally create the museum}

At Wrightwood 659 Gallery (Chicago, IL), Artists Explore What It Means To Live In Digital World

BREAKING: Kansas City Art Institute President Ruki Neuhold-Ravikumar Steps Down: Interim Leadership from Within

Artists Call for Boycott After Artforum Fires Its Top Editor
^{Several artists have said they will stop working with the magazine after its response to an open letter that called for Palestinian liberation and a cease-fire.}

October 2023

Artists Call for Boycott After Artforum Fires Its Top Editor
^{Several artists have said they will stop working with the magazine after its response to an open letter that called for Palestinian liberation and a cease-fire.}

Laetitita Hohenberg “Homecoming” Exhibition Opens (Kansas City, MO)

FUSEDChicago artists offer new encaustic exhibit at Blue Moon Gallery (Grayslake, IL)

Detroit artists push for transparency and fair pay after mystery murals crop up downtown

Unique art gallery welcomes Cincinnati to explore art and antiquities from Sub-Saharan Africa

Study: Arts, culture are economic drivers in Indiana, US

Why Collectors are Increasingly Gifting Significant Artworks to University Museums
^{Purdue University in Indiana received seventy-four bronze Edgar Degas sculptures donated by Chicago businessman Avrum Gray}

Columbus art auction benefits those living with HIV, AIDS

Sandzén paintings owned by Salina (KS) library sold at auction, and patrons aren’t happy

Herky on Parade opens applications for 20th anniversary celebration (Iowa City, IA)

Nebraska’s Brandon Teena mural honors transgender history, community

‘The Laramie Project’ stages special reading in Wyoming on the 25th anniversary of Shepard murder

^{Theatre director Moises Kaufman is also alarmed that the Lansing Board of Education in Kansas voted to remove the script of “The Laramie Project” from the school curriculum.}

Mexican art to be showcased through Nov. 4 at Pump House in La Crosse (WI)

Lincoln artist picked to create bust of Malcolm X for Nebraska Hall of Fame

Ohio Supreme Court blocks Bellefontaine vote restricting drag shows, rules Secretary of State Frank LaRose ‘abused’ his discretion

Artwork believed stolen during Holocaust returned after 17-year fight with Ohio college

Area artists take part in nationwide art event Terrain Biennial (Chicagoland, NW MI)

Kokomo (IN) curator opens African art exhibit with the help of state funding

Edina (MN) to work on implementing Arts Grant Program

A Hedge Fund Titan Is Suing Over Four Monet Paintings Worth $45 Million That Were Lost In a Michigan House Fire

Library receives grant from Nebraska Arts Council

Cleveland Museum of Art explores gritty side of Impressionism in ‘Degas and the Laundress’

Grant’s Farm looking for artists to design permanent mural (St Louis, MO)

Indiana Artists Club exhibition on display at Fort Wayne Museum of Art

Oshkosh (WI) to revitalize downtown

Fall into art: Northeast Iowa artists open studios for annual scenic tour

18th & Vine Art Festival Highlights Black Art Futurism In Kansas City (MO)

A Minnesota organization is archiving plywood art created after the murder of George Floyd

September 2023

Logan County (OH) residents to vote on drag queen ban in November

Another ArtPrize entry vandalized, artist plans to use damage to his advantage (Grand Rapids, MI)

Michigan school board demands removal of LGBTQ mural in middle school health clinic

‘Breathtaking’: Second mural goes up at Springfield-Sangamon County Transportation Hub

Bob Ross work from first episode of ‘The Joy of Painting’ hits market for $9.8M (Minneapolis, MN)

Fernando Botero, Artist of Whimsical Rotundity, Is Dead at 91

Demonstration & Receiption with Shane Balkowitsch (Ellendale, ND) A fundraiser for the American Indian College Fund

Valparaiso University (IN) relocated artwork at center of controversial proposed sale

Meeting the artist behind a viral Independence Avenue Bridge painting (Kansas City, MO)

US public art project seeks to combat rising antisemitism

New exhibit at Michigan State University Broad Art Museum merges sports, art and social justice

Gabe Yeager and his role in revitalizing downtown Milwaukee (WI) through public art

National Motorcycle Museum Closing, Mecum Auction Features Over 300 Motorcycles Plus Road Art (Anamosa, IA)

Kansas City, KS’ United Colors (formerly Curiouser KC) premieres first exhibition under new identity with Colony: Marika Arellano Christofides

Sioux Falls (SD) officials stand by move to close taxidermy exhibit

Walldogs take over Iowa county to create murals

Investigators Seize ‘Marcus Aurelius’ Statue From Cleveland Museum (OH)

For Minnesota State Fair crop art fans, seeding is believing 

Ohio artist hosting pumpkin festival with thousands of blown-glass pumpkins next month

Three St. Louis artists chosen for biennial honors at Contemporary Art Museum

Salina Art Center exhibition features work from 50 Kansas artists — and it’s all for sale

August 2023

Salina Art Center exhibition features work from 50 Kansas artists — and it’s all for sale

United Colors (Kansas City, KS) presents Post-Photo: Beyond The Camera Lens

^{The art space, formerly known as Curiouser KC, will maintain an exhibition schedule similar to a kunsthalle, allowing for longer shows and more significant opportunities to engage the public.}

Artspace 304 invites artists to apply for its Southern Illinois Mural Project

Museum unveils anti-lynching art exhibit (Indianapolis, IN)

Queer Erotic Art Show at Affirmations Showcases Senior Talent (Ferndale, MI)

Judge snuffs man’s quest to have AI-created art protected by copyright
“human authorship is a bedrock requirement of copyright”

American Imperialism plays a big role in her art (St Louis, MO)

City issues call for artists to create a Vel Phillips Plaza installation (Milwaukee, WI)

City issues call for artists to create a Vel Phillips Plaza installation (Milwaukee, WI)

Thursday Painters celebrate 75 years of art, camaraderie with new exhibition (Cedar Falls, IA)

A new installation at the Kemper Museum explores the history of Kansas City’s (MO) lesbian utopia

98-year-old Kansas newswoman died in the line of duty after police raid (Marion, KS)
^{Joan Meyer, a newspaperwoman since 1953, died in the line of duty on Saturday.}

Grand opening for The Forge scheduled Tuesday (Grand Rapids, MN)

“Ladies, Bros & Clothes” by Klaire Lockheart is coming to the Dahl Arts Center (Rapid City, SD)

The Farley Center is hosting an art show — and it’s all compostable (Verona, WI)

Wood carvers compete at annual chainsaw sculpture championship (Eau Claire, WI)

Art & Social Justice exhibit open through Aug. 26 at Colfax Gallery in South Bend (IN)

Artist Carmen Winant on Building a New Visual Language Around Abortion
“Exhibition”The last safe abortion” at Minneapolis Institute of Art (MN)

‘Dungeons & Dragons’ franchise tells artists no AI images

Edward Balda has been teaching Topekans (KS) how to appreciate art for more than 50 years

58th annual Starving Artist Fair to feature more artists than ever (Racine, WI)

Bloomington (IN) artist receives a 2023 Award for Midwest Artists with Disabilities

Chalk art masterpieces to take over Lake Michigan town this weekend

July 2023

Mosaic Pothole Project makes art out of the city’s pothole problem (St Louis, MO)

Fiber Arts Festival (Fargo, ND) to celebrate crafts’ feminist roots and encourages local sourcing

Artists sought for street murals in Muskegon’s Lakeside Business District (MI)

New downtown Whiting (IN) mural chronicles lakefront town’s history and culture

Art in the Parks returns to Ohio state parks

A deep collection of Native American abstract art at St. Louis Art Museum

Brooklyn Center City Council (MN) reveals permanent memorial for Daunte Wright

Don’t let the doors close on that small arts group in your neighborhood

New grants to help Lakota artists engage with culture

From the Queer Archives: Uncovering the impact and legacy of LGBTQ zines and Queer Zine Archive Project, Milwaukee, WI

The case of the curious, cube-shaped globe art installation popping up throughout a Lakewood (OH) neighborhood

MSU (Missouri State University) art exhibition on female figures rated a ‘must-see’ by national college art group

Editorial cartoonists’ firings point to steady decline of opinion pages in newspapers

Expo Chicago acquired by international art show producer Frieze

Joplin Public Library (MO) now displaying “Reflections of Hunger” art exhibit

Massive art project coming to the Sioux City Art Center (IA)

Controversial Springfield (OH) City Hall sculpture to be removed, future uncertain

With Art Colleges Closing, a Chicago Museum Has an Alternative

Paper-tearing soothes this Wisconsin man with autism. It has also made him an artist

Illinois State Museum returns nearly 40 sacred wooden artifacts to Kenya

Columbus (OH) exhibit shows artists’ diverse depictions of ‘what public libraries mean’

Public art project challenges convictions in 1988 explosion that killed 6 Kansas City firefighters

This is the end, beautiful friend. Visit the Art News Archive for more

June 2023

Wider than websites? LGBTQ+ advocates fear broader discrimination after Supreme Court ruling
^{This decision could be a sword that cuts both ways}

Native American artists in South Dakota travel new paths to prosperity

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin launches initiative to display local art in health centers

Ottawa County (MI) purchases eight new pieces by local artists

Kansas AG Kobach contends that trans Kansans’ birth certificates, licenses must revert to sex at birth

AI Will Profit From Artists, But New ‘Learnright’ Laws Could Help

(Omaha, NE) More than a painting: Artist paints Pride flag in driveway to replace stolen flag

Activist Jordan Weber will be Sidewalk Festival’s artist in residence (Detroit, MI)

Iowa ACLU urges cities to rescind drag ordinances
Cities unfairly targeting LGBTQ performances, ACLU says

Tribal artists, leaders want update to law to protect Native arts, crafts

Kansas county fair cancels show because singer is nonbinary? This is a pattern now

^{Sedgwick County government provides about $30,000 in taxpayer support to the fair every year}

10 notable Juneteenth celebrations across the US, including
_{Macknificent Freedom Fest (Fort Wayne, IN), Omaha Freedom Festival (NE)}

Queer Experience 2023 at InterUrban/ArtHouse (Overland Park, KS)

22 new sculptures beautify Quad Cities (IL & IA)

Illinois becomes first state to pass law curtailing book bans
^{A record 2,571 unique titles were targeted for censorship… the vast majority were written by or about members of the LGBTQIA+ community and people of color.}

Detroit’s (MI) first permanent studio-gallery for artists with disabilities starts crowdfunding campaign

North Dakota Museum of Art sculpture, missing seven months, found by dumpster

Art commission seeks local artists to design public art installment (Toledo, OH)

(Sioux Falls, SD) Street art brings awareness to water quality

Charlotte Street (Kansas City, MO) Seeks 2023 Curatorial Fellow
Priority Deadline is June 15, 2023

$75,000 Joyce Foundation grant for ‘Queer Futures’ project at Spaces (Cleveland, OH) underscores gallery’s view of art as activism

Paul Tyler, an ’emotional heart’ of Kansas City’s arts community, dies at 68

Public art project ‘The Grove’ opens June 4 in downtown Clinton (IA)

An invitation to experience gentle wisdom at (Topeka) Kansas museum

The Grand (New Ulm, MN) introduces Pride Month Queer Exhibition

Mural brings small town together, helps new resident feel at home in Lemmon, SD

Artists’ Night keeps up the push for equity in Madison’s (WI) art world

May 2023

Indiana to receive more than $1.3 million in federal funds for the arts

Artist shocked as a Rochester Lowertown (MN) mural comes down without notice

ArtWalk returns to downtown Elkhart (IN)

Teens address racial health disparities through art in Minneapolis Institute of Art (MN) exhibit

Work of iconic artist Keith Haring makes splash at Akron Art Museum (OH)

Wichita Art Museum (KS) creates gallery space to feature local artists

Lucas, Kan. nominated for ‘Best Small Town Art Scene in America

East Lansing Arts Festival (MI) expected to have 150 artists, thousands of visitors

Webster City (IA) joins network that shares art

‘Sheboygan in the house!’: Local artist gets kudos and a social media plug from Lizzo (Milwaukee, WI)

Noyes (Cultural Arts Center, Evanston, IL) exhibit is sew political: Maggie Weiss’ quilts stitched with powerful messages

Toledo Museum (OH) opens new space for regional artists in renovated Savage Community Gallery

Artists’ works respond to roadside attractions that lean on stereotypes and misappropriate cultures (Lawrence, KS)

Bettendorf natives’ design chosen to promote abortion access in Iowa

Historic Mural Soon Coming to Downtown Fort Scott (KS): Artist Proposals Needed by May 29

Art 64 returns to Tosa with $20,000 prize (Wauwatosa, WI)

Behind the (animal) mask: Liz Sexton elevates papier-mâché to high art at Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona

City of Detroit (MI) to reopen artist submissions for the City Walls campaign this month

Artist collective finds its own space in former Red River Women’s Clinic in downtown Fargo (ND)

Calling all artists to help brighten up Art Alley this summer (Rapid City, SD)

Bill Brady, Forward-Thinking Art Dealer with a Keen Eye, Dies at 55

April 2023

Glass works by artist Dale Chihuly sprout at Missouri Botanical Garden (St Louis)

(St. Paul, MN) Beyond the singular experience, La.dy.like asks what it means to be unapologetically femme

‘Sister Trillium’ group to recycle art supplies in Yellow Springs, OH

Kansas City, MO’s National World War I Memorial lit with art display for NFL Draft

Open Call for Artists at stop-gap projects in Columbia, MO

Artists are transforming pieces of decommissioned weapons from Twin Cities (MN) gun buyback events to talk about gun violence

New Contemporary Arts Center (Cincinatti, OH) Exhibit Explores what Society Deems as Important Monuments and Heroes

Kwik Stop donating to Museum of Nebraska Art to support expansion project

Ruth Foundation for the Arts gives $240,000 to Wisconsin groups to fund local artists

A.I. Imagery Is Not Photography, It Never Will Be
^{by Shane Balkowitsch, American Photographer, Bismarck, ND}

^{#midwestagendaartnews #midwestart #art #artist #photography #analog #digital #ai #shanebalknowitsch #sonyworldphotogrpahyawards #digidirect}

Tour (Chicago’s EXPO) the Midwest’s largest art fair with a curator keen on emerging artists

Artists sought for Great Rivers Biennial (St Louis MO)

^{#midwestagendaartnews #midwestart #art #artist #missouri #stlouis #exhibition #greatriversbiennial #contemporaryartmuseum #emergingartist #midcareerartist #stlouismetro}

Starving Artist Fair accepting applications (Racine, WI)

^{#midwestagendaartnews #midwestart #art #artist #artfair #wisconsin #racine #starvingartistartfair #racineartguild #artisabusiness}

Writers Decry Wisconsin Center District CEO’s Imminent Cultural Erasure

The material is the message: Michigan artist creates with plastic trash

Meet the newest addition to Sioux Falls’ (SD) art scene
_{Sioux Falls artists Melanie and Les Cotton are opening a hybrid art gallery and retailer downtown}

Chillicothe Art League (OH) hosts 24th annual Spring Open Exhibition

ARTcap back to offer microloans to Kansas City-area artists

‘Visible from an airplane:’ Floating sculpture to be installed Downtown (Columbus, OH)

New interactive public art in downtown Cedar Rapids honors Orchestra Iowa musicians

New Ypsilanti (MI) café aims to showcase work of underrepresented artists

Applications for artist emergency relief fund opens April 4 in South Dakota

March 2023
Longtime mural at financial exchange building moving to University of Chicago

Former UW-La Crosse (WI) professor leaves behind $3.2 million for the arts

St Louis, MO Artist Brings Coral Farming to Midwest

Quad City Arts (IL & IA) grants $85,000 to local groups, artists

Fire Hydrant Art Project Seeks Artists In, Around Wheaton (IL)

Bloomington artist’s AI exhibit featured at THE LUME Indianapolis at Newfields (IN)

Principal fired over parent complaints on “pornographic” lesson showing Michelangelo’s “David”

Building off history: UMN (Minneapolis MN) symposium showcases queer culture through bandana art

Some of the (Chicago, IL) Art Institute’s prominent antiquities from Nepal likely looted, investigation says

Art on the River proposals being accepted in Dubuque (IA)

An Affordable, Nurturing Haven for Artists in (Kansas City, MO) West Bottoms

Downtown Port Washington (WI) selected for mosaic mural created by artists from across North America

“Arts Across the Prairie” program invites artists’ ideas for large-scale public art for a site between Fordville and Dahlen (ND)

‘Most exciting thing in classical music’ is happening in Omaha, and it involves Jun Kaneko artwork

Local artists have opportunity to be part of riverfront project (Fergus Falls, MN)

In the face of declining enrollment, Valparaiso University in Indiana wants to raise money to renovate two dormitories by selling treasures from its art museum.

(Massillon Museum, OH)) Gallery hosts ‘Accessible Expressions Ohio’ exhibition

Johnson County (KS) man spreads awareness for disabilities through billboard art

Detroit Lakes (MN) receives $90,000 art grant to further creativity

Franklinton (Columbus, OH) artists upset about rent increase

‘Art is being censored’ Parts of exhibit at Idaho college removed for abortion messaging

“This Is A Censored Exhibition”: Art Gallery About Ohio Train Derailment

Don’t Delete Art group launches manifesto targeting social media censorship

True/False interactive exhibit takes art into streets (Columbia, MO)

State (of Kansas) draws funding for mural projects

‘Citizen’ and ‘Lapse’ exhibits open at Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City (IND)

February 2023

Weisman Art Museum pop-up exhibit will feature Black Twin Cities artists (MN)

Groundbreaking local artist to Ottawa Impact officials: ‘I’m more than just gay’ (Ottawa County, MI)

Work underway for Art Chapel in Near South neighborhood (Lincoln, NE)

Emerging Wisconsin artists featured in ‘Ten at Ten’ exhibit at Museum of Wisconsin Art

Work underway for Art Chapel in Near South neighborhood (Lincoln, NE)

Emerging Wisconsin artists featured in ‘Ten at Ten’ exhibit at Museum of Wisconsin Art

Minnesota nonprofit expands $500/month guaranteed minimum income program for artists

Philly Art Museum to send Eakins painting to Kansas City’s Nelson-Atkins Museum for Super Bowl wager

Cleveland (OH) Artist miffed, claims massive public sculpture, time capsule removed without notification

More than two centuries of bicycle history are on display at the Bicycle Museum of America in New Bremen, Ohio

(Chicago, IL) Art Institute exhibit hoping to rescue Salvador Dali’s artistic reputation

Aurora’s (IL) Schingoethe Center opens new exhibit focused on the theme of home

Durham exhibit features photos of Nebraska’s largest, historic African American settlement

‘Hypervisible or invisible’: Milwaukee (WI) artist explores trap of Black visibility

Youth organizers in Detroit (MI) give public a look at “Your Brain on School” in new art exhibit

In St Paul (MN) Macalester (College) closes, then reopens, art gallery after pushback from Muslim students

Philadelphia and Kansas City Museums Face Off in Super Bowl Wager

First art piece planned for Lewis & Clark Landing (Omaha, NE) is tribute to Omaha chief

New arts space planned for Gary (IN) State Bank tower

Self-dealing, conflicts of interest alleged in UMB Bank’s handling of Thomas Hart Benton estate (Jackson Co, MO)

Meijer Brings Midwest Artists’ Works to Life in New Black History Month Collection Benefiting Urban Leagues

Artists sought to help with Kansas suffrage memorial

Oakton College (Des Plaines, IL) art exhibit depicts social, political situations

STEM who? The humanities mount a comeback

6th Floor Project, McCook NE gallery, challenging the assumption that unique art spaces and talented artists don’t exist in rural places

January 2023

(St Paul, MN) Dusk-to-dawn arts festival Northern Spark has ended after 15 years

North Dakota Museum of Art announces gift of $1 million and significant artworks

City of Bloomington IN updating public art rules after court order

A new exhibit at the University of Nebraska at Kearney’s Walker Art Gallery is dedicated to Nebraska’s most precious resource

A photographer visited more than 100 newspapers in rural Kansas
^{Jeremiah Ariaz was looking for signs of democracy}

North Dakota Museum of Art fundraising to replace stolen sculpture

An Ohio-based drag queen mac and cheese food truck? Yes. And get ready for some cheese puns.

Intergenerational art class at MSU (Springfield, MO) seeks to bridge age gap, partner academia and community

New art exhibit at Omaha’s Lauritzen Gardens (NE) focuses on water pollution

‘Art Against the Odds’ shows works made by prisoners in Wisconsin

Michigan art display made from trash highlights dangers of single-use plastics

Art professor sues (Minnesota university) after firing over Prophet Muhammad images

Mitchell Museum (Evanston, IL) gives missing, murdered Indigenous people a voice in new exhibit

16K LEGO bricks make up MLK mosaic hanging at Ann Arbor (MI) District Library

In Lincoln, NE, Big B.A.D. Birdhouse Project submission deadline extended

Exhibition shows ‘Art of Conservation’ in Indiana

Grand Opening of Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum (Atchison, KS) Set for April 14

UNI (University Northern Iowa) art gallery presents photography exhibit on spiritualism

Proposed bill would censor books and art portraying sex or nudity (in North Dakota)

Allegations that prominent Madison (WI) artist masqueraded as Native American spark outrage

Mid-America Arts Alliance opens applications for Artistic Innovations grants up to $15k

Minnesota university dismisses instructor for art class depictions of Prophet Muhammad

December 2022

Trio of North Dakota snow sculpting artists chisel their way to national spotlight

Evanston Made’s (IL) Buy Now Brunch this Saturday

New St. Paul (MN) gallery for Asian American artists spotlights Burmese art

Mural Will Be Moved to Butler (OH) as Court Ends Ownership Dispute

‘Clothing for the Spirit’: Paul Chan takes a breather at the Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, MN)

Longtime artistic director of Kansas City’s Coterie Theatre dies following abuse allegations

Weston (IL) nature preserve the focus of local artist’s latest project

Application deadline for (Cape Girardeau, MO) Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition extended to January 1

(Twin Cities, MN) Art Shanty Projects Bring Interactive Installations to Lake Harriet

$500K in grants given to arts and culture organizations across SE Michigan
^{Grants to support local initiatives, programs}

(Harrisburg, IL) Illinois museum calls for entries to Black History Month Exhibition
^{The Ella Elizabeth Hise Museum of Regional Art is calling for submissions in preparation for their Black History Month Exhibition}

Hidden portrait discovered behind Cézanne painting at Cincinnati Art Museum

Indianapolis, IN-based Lilly Endowment gives $39M to museums for religion-themed projects

In (East St Louis, IL) a city plagued by gun violence, this man turns ammunition into art

Appleton (WI) art exhibit explores Indigenous identity, blood quantum

Newark golf course on American Indian earthworks can be seized by Ohio, court rules|

Michigan contemporary art museum will close permanently due to funding shortages exacerbated by the pandemic
^{The Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids, which opened 45 years ago, will shutter for good in February 2023}

SE MN Arts Council accepting grant applications

AI-generated images take social media by storm… Indiana University graduate student Leito Navarrete is concerned about the future of his industry.

Newbo City Market (Cedar Rapids, IA) is looking for an artist to join incubator, will get free rent for a year

Artists invited to submit proposals for (Grand Rapids, MI) Ford International Airport aerial art

Minnesota photographer makes waves with abstract images of Lake Superior

How a local artist-run gallery (Columbia, MO) makes every square foot count

In ‘Recovery’ Gurnett’s exhibit at BFF Gallery (Omaha, NE) reveals personal journey of addiction

Decatur’s (IL) Gallery 510 receives a grant from Illinois Humanities

Application opens for (Detroit, MI) Kresge Artist Fellowships, Gilda Awards; $550,00 to be shared by 30

Day Without Art on World AIDS Day

November 2022

Detroit (MI) Turns to Tech to Enhance Its Vibrant Art Scene

Local Ohio Artist Honors Nipsey Hussle By Creating A Wax Figure Of The Rapper

Immersive exhibitions of classic art prove divisive — and lucrative
_{For the past two years, immersive art…shorthand for large-scale, digital exhibitions has spread across the country, taking over warehouses and convention centers in Detroit, Nashville, Cleveland and San Antonio.}

Judy Garland Museum ends icon’s centennial year with ‘amazing’ Minnesota land acquisition

The nICEst in North America: 4 Things You Don’t Know About Wisconsin’s Famous Ice Castles

New artwork encourages drivers to avoid distractions
^{South Dakota’s Department of Public Safety has commissioned a piece of art (by Sioux Falls artist Nichole Cross}) ^{hoping it will encourage motorists to put down their cell phones while they drive.}

Davenport (IA) will move Georges Seurat-inspired statues to more visible location

(University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) Project to reconnect Native American tribes with historic hide painting, artistic tradition

Richmond (IN) native, Ned Rorem, major American composer (of art songs) and diarist, has died at age 99
_{…his Paris Diary, which included an explicit chronicle of gay life long before such a thing became routine.}

Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP) Kicks Off 2022 Art Auction with a Star-Studded Showcase in Ann Arbor (MI)

Carroll County art teacher named Indiana Outstanding Art Educator

Nearly 300 books banned in Missouri since August, PEN America says
_{76 are about art history touching on “just about” every major painter from the last 400 years.}

Public art remains a powerful force for the Madison (WI) community

Plains Art Museum (Fargo, ND) to hold its Seventh Annual Indigenous Art Fair

(For one Chicago, IL artist), How art is amplifying the Iran protesters’ demands for “woman, life, freedom!”

Largest mural in Ohio honoring Cincinnati’s music legends completed
^{The 18,000-square-foot mural pays tribute to the music legends who originated in Cincinnati, including Mamie Smith, Bootsy Collins, Doris Day and H-Bomb Ferguson}

Meet 3 artists displaying work at Springfield’s (MO) Transgender Day of Remembrance event

Young artists recognized by Illinois American Water

$32,000 Sculpture Stolen from Downtown Sioux Falls (South Dakota) SculptureWalk

New museum shines spotlight on rediscovered (Lindsborg) Kansas artist Clara Hatton

Two paintings destroyed in Michigan mansion fire were worth $31 million, filing shows

Rural Bloomington (IL) ox driver moving earth for art, social change

City launches search for artist to create logo celebrating Akron’s (OH) 200th anniversary in 2025

Iconic WWII ‘kiss’ sculpture planned at new Memorial Park arts plaza in Omaha (NE)
^{In some places, the sculpture has been met with controversy. Some art critics have derided it as “kitsch,” and several feminist groups have alleged that it depicts a sexual assault.}

Rush City (MN) council orders salon to remove mural celebrating diversity

October 2022

VidWest community media center (Columbia, MO) works to respond to growing digital interest

Columbus Museum of Art Workers Vote to Form Union

Grand Rapids (MI) ArtPrize calls it quits after 13 years

Kansas State Art Funding Distorted as ‘Drag Shows for Children’ in Governor’s Race
_{Evidence proves “Republican efforts to link the funding to all-ages drag shows don’t hold up to scrutiny.”
It does prove Wichita is a great place for art}

The Luminary in St. Louis (MO) presents the “nwl” exhibition to spark conversations about white privilege and fragility

Fargo-born art critic (Peter Schjeldahl) influenced the art world and made controversial impact on his hometown

SAPEC exhibits sexual assault survivor art installation in Kansas Union Gallery, University of Kansas, Lawrence
^{Exhibit runs through October 28}

Open Call: Artists sought for 300-foot mural at Iowa City Airport

Artist Jessica Wojtasek paints love letters to Columbus (OH) in ‘Between the Lines’ exhibit

How Madison (WI) Transformed Its Defunct Dropboxes into Purposeful Public Art
_{After a controversial state Supreme Court decision, Madison rehires original artist to redesign its 14 ballot boxes with information on how to vote.}

A high school artist was chosen to paint a mural. Then came the outrage
^{Some parents in Grant, Michigan, wanted the painting removed}

In Cedar Falls (IA), artist Shauna Zeck uses time-honored Native American techniques to create contemporary jewelry

Union Silos Public Art project launches in Downtown Minot
_{North Dakota’s largest mural project}

Eerie photos of life in the midwest
^{Magnum photographer Alessandra Sanguinetti’s series ‘Some Say Ice’ travels to Black River Falls, Wisconsin for a meditation on mortality}

Ashtabula artist paints Northeast Ohio landmarks with coffee, grounding her work in a sense of time and place

Mona Cliff evokes the subtle beauty of Kansas hills and sunsets with millions of tiny beads

‘Midwest Comforts’ celebrates food, conveniences and classic TV commercials at Grout Museum District, Waterloo (IA)

Lincoln (NE) officials don’t think Pershing mural should be in a park; supporters hope to change minds

Kinsey Institute (Bloomington, IN) spotlights androgynous portraits by Bettina Rheims from ’80s and ’90s

She took a photo of (Minnesota’s own) Prince that Andy Warhol used. It’s about to change the course of copyright

Art & culture intertwine in unique installation throughout Wisconsin’s rural Sauk County

New “art supply thrift store” to open in Springfield (MO)
^{Arrow Creative Reuse is a nonprofit that plans to sell donated arts and crafts materials}

Northeast Indiana music, art projects seek funding through Amplify Art

Matter Design and Sanford Biggers explore liminal realms in Detroit

‘Handmaid’s Tale,’ ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’: Kansas City (MO) area schools now ban these books and more
“_{The law does provide some exceptions, such as for works of art or science textbooks”…for now}

Sheldon Museum of Art (Lincoln, NE) ‘Red Sea’ inspires court facelift

Milwaukee (WI) Starving Artists Show benefiting university students ending after over 50 years

September 2022

Ohio artists’ works reflect on suicide, mental health as part of inaugural fundraiser

In Minneapolis (MN), University artists weigh in on AI-generated art

Danielle Eve, Dead at 61, Captured Spirit and Joy of Michigan LGBTQ+ Nightlife Through Her Photography

Call for Entries to Juried Exhibition at Mosaic Medical Center in Maryville, MO

Mural at historic Wichita (KS) building set to be demolished, but artist wants to save it

In Shoreview (MN), New Art Museum Finds Fascination in Glass
_{The Cafesjian Art Trust Museum to open October 13}

91st Plaza Art Fair kicks off Friday in Kansas City (MO)

Here’s a site plan when attending

City, private sector investments spur public art ‘boom’ in Cedar Rapids (IA)
^{“Public art is the voice of the people”}

How Holland (MI) Painter Rae Klein Leveraged Her Instagram Following to Launch Her Art Career

Hugh Merrill, an acclaimed artist, educator, writer, community activist, and Kansas City Art Institute professor, dies

Street art festival aims to establish Detroit as a destination for augmented reality murals

Maurizio Cattelan Is on a Mission to Turn Reclusive Wisconsin Artist Eugene Von Bruenchenhein Into a Household Name

Here’s how the Columbus (OH) Makes Art Passport will reintroduce you to the arts

Omaha native and human rights activist Malcolm X chosen as newest member of Nebraska Hall of Fame. Bust to be commissioned

74th Greenwich Village Art Fair Sept. 17 + 18 at Rockford Art Museum, Rockford (IL)

Kansas artist Stan Herd returns to Brazil to fulfill grand vision of a massive earthworks project to create the world’s largest food garden

In Minneapolis (MN), Water Works artist Inkpa Mani resigned amid charges of cultural appropriation

47th Annual ‘Birds in Art’ opens at Woodson Art Museum, Wausau (WI)

Artists evoke environmental concerns in (St. Louis, MO) fall visual arts exhibitions

An Iowa Museum Renowned for Its Pollock Emerges From a Flood With a More Inclusive Mission

Power Plant Grants fund $60,000 for 10 innovative Indianapolis (IN) art projects, spaces

Featuring over 70 artists, Adorned’ to open at Nerman MoCA, Overland Park, KS

Visualizing climate change at the Rochester Art Center (MN)

Ohio artist maps ‘heartbeats’ of native seeds

Omaha (NE) student’s research project highlights spinal cord injuries, disabilities through art

In St Louis (MO) cannabis fuels creativity at Paint Louis

Haskell Indian Art Market in Lawrence (KS) to make comeback this year; two-day event is this weekend

Bruce Burstert, Lexington (MO) Artist, Designer, Historian, and Friend to Artists, Dies

‘The Parking Spaces’ provides interactive audio art experience in downtown Iowa City (IA)

August 2022

Columbus Museum of Art (OH) workers seek to unionize

After eight tries and a lifetime of work, Minneapolis’ Ta-coumba Aiken’s Guggenheim Fellowship Was a Long Time Coming

Bones of contention: St. Louis (MO) museums reconsider displaying human remains

^{Ethics among the concerns of presenting historical artifacts}

Artadia and 21c Museum Hotels Announce the 2022 21c Kansas City Awardee Kathy Liao

Alternative art experience celebrates Black artists in Iowa
^{Artist Akwi Nji will host the exhibit at Threshold Gallery, located inside her Cedar Rapids home}

Fall Arts Preview: Cincinnati’s (OH) FotoFocus Biennial Returns in October

‘Pay attention’: Indianapolis (IN) neighborhood using art to curb reckless driving

Kenosha (WI) artist Janine Brown paints an entire mural in span of one evening at Milwaukee’s 310W Building

New exhibit at Haggerty Museum of Art in Milwaukee (WI) will allow public to see original J.R.R. Tolkien manuscripts

8 murals to be added to downtown Springfield (MO) during MIDXMIDWST festival next month

In Michigan, Ann Arbor Art Center seeks artists for 100th All Media Exhibition

North Dakota exhibit documents history with contemporary Native American portraits

Ohio Arts Council sculpts plan to grow interest. It has money, but many Valley Art Groups do not apply

New metal sculptures sprout up in Iowa City (IA) parks for their second Sculptors Showcase

Art Reach of Mid Michigan Hosting 11th Annual Art Walk Central

Twin Cities’ (MN) photographer sees the Hmong diaspora in Western landscapes

North Dakota Department of Commerce announces applications for the Artists on Main Street Program opens August 15th

Des Moines (IA) installs ‘art corridors’ along five bike trails, showcasing local artists

Artists at Large of Central Kansas featured with exhibit at Deines Cultural Center in Russell (KS)

Yanktonai Sioux artist Oscar Howe didn’t conform to ‘Indian art’

Before succumbing to cancer, Battle Creek (MI) native created an art therapy foundation

A second sculpture installed on Hannibal (MO) riverfront as part of city’s Sculpture on the Move Program

Toxic mine pollution has turned Ohio rivers orange. Now it’s being made into paint
^{Two professors at Ohio University have come up with a way to fund the clean-up of polluted rivers by extracting the iron oxide — a substance used to make pigments — and turning it into artist-grade paint.}

OPEN CALL! Newfields (IN) Seeks Indiana-based Digital Artists for THE LUME Indianapolis Featurettes

La Belle Époque Paris Comes To Milwaukee Art Museum (WI) Through Jules Chéret Posters

Fate of recluse Henry Darger’s famed works at center of federal court fight, half a century after their discovery in Lincoln Park (IL)

July 2022

Safety, but make it art: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IN) art show spotlights racing and creativity

In Nick Cave’s First Retrospective at Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Artist Dares Us to Dream

Professional woodcarver Dennis Butler creates chainsaw art at the North Dakota State Fair

The Loop Street Art Project brings originality, beauty to Columbia’s (MO) Business Loop

Artist plays with constructed realities in ‘POSTURING’ exhibition at Minneapolis Institute of Art (MN)
_{Joshua McGarvey uses a copy of a copy of the (in)famous “Doryphoros” in the show.}

Exhibit at the Lawrence Arts Center (KS) takes a deeper look into the generative processes of artists as parents

Midwest Fire Fest is this weekend in Cambridge (WI). A celebration of all things fire, heat, and smoke including clay, metal arts, welding, forging, hot glass, food, and performance

Take a self-guided tour of Columbus (OH) sculptures, murals and more using new Art Walks app

Destroyed by ’08 flood, Iowa City’s Stanley Museum of Art will reopen on the University of Iowa campus next month

Museums Need to Be Braver. Christina Olsen, director of the University of Michigan Museum of Art, offers five ways campus museums model a more courageous future

Illinois State Fair cancels professional art exhibit after 74 years
^{A trimmer version with fewer artists and works called No Place to Show debuts Friday at the Springfield Art Association}

Art is life for this southside Indianapolis (IN) community. Big Car Collaborative supports local artists with affordable homes

On three-year solo trip to 41 countries, artist Claudia Allene’s global photography on display through July at Crossing Arts in Brainerd (MN)

Nebraska native traveling from Omaha to Poland, restoring dignity to Ukrainian refugees through art

Teacher in Brooklyn Park (MN) creates “art exchange” boxes, providing free art supplies to the community

Stephanie Koch Appointed Interim Executive Director of The Luminary in S Louis (MO) as Founder James McAnally Departs to Lead Counterpublic

Raphael tapestries exhibition at Columbus (OH) Museum of Art illustrates the ‘dawn of image reproduction’

Kristian Blackmon debuts Seen: A Love Letter to Black Queer & Trans Folx at UrbsArts Gallery in St. Louis (MO)

‘We Are MKE’: Fanana Banana’s July art exhibit supports local Milwaukee (WI) artists

Public Art Equity Census in Indianapolis (IN) catalogs 3,000 pieces, IDs disparities

Kansas City Art Institute (MO) expels student for retweeting sexual art

Student-curated African art exhibit featured at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin

Cecilia Cornejo Sotelo’s ‘Wandering House’ comes to Rochester Arts Center (MN)

FRONT Triennial opens July 14-16 in Cleveland (OH) with regionwide art exhibits promoting a healing vision amid culture wars

MMoCA, Madison (WI) still has no signage warning visitors not to touch or interact with Lilada Gee’s unfinished and defaced work. “…consent and respect for the other person’s artistic production” a central issue

June 2022

Milwaukee’s New Ruth Foundation Opens Its Vast $440 Million Fortune to Fund Dozens of U.S. Art Nonprofits

“Is Black art safe at MMoCA?”
Lilada Gee’s exhibit defaced, and officials at the Madison (WI) museum aren’t talking

Brandon Navin, founder of Lansing (MI) art collective Artist’s Umbrella, dies.
‘Loved really really big.’ Was mentor to young artists

‘You’re a good man, Charlie Brown!’ Exhibits at Cartoon Library & Museum in Columbus (OH) and Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa (CA) honor ‘Peanuts’ creator Schulz on 100th anniversary of birth

In Madison (WI) Rae Senarighi aka Transpainter: Portraits of transgender and non-binary power

In Salina (KS), Sunflower artists raise at least $3,500 for Ukrainian refugee relief

Commissioned by Chroma Zone Mural and Art Festival, Few and Far, all-female skater-muralists, invite public to ‘Garden Buddies’ in St. Paul (MN) Saturday

With Roe overturned, Illinois — a Midwest refuge for abortion care — prepares for influx of patients from other states

The Artists Guide to Supporting Abortion Rights

Stevens Point (WI) city vehicles are next in line to become an art installation

There’s a Uvalde memorial at Lincoln (NE) Tower Square, but nobody knows where it came from

This Missouri-trained artist carves out room for Black culture in graphic design

Photos from West Michigan Chalk Art Festival 2022 in Grand Rapids

Pop culture alert! An exhibit in Lincoln (NE) shows off art from cartoons and movies of your childhood

Exploring Blackness in rural Minnesota subject of Yunior Rebollar’s work

Kansas City’s Parade of Hearts wraps up with auction, gala

Harvard University museum returns Standing Bear’s tomahawk to Ponca Tribe of Nebraska

OPEN CALL: Kansas City-area Visual Artists: The Second Annual 21c Museum Hotel Artadia Award

How much art should be required to graduate high school in Kansas?

Juneteenth celebrations expand in Duluth’s (MN) Northland
^{Duluth, Superior and Grand Rapids will all host events on the weekend of what’s now a official federal holiday}

Remains of St. Louis, Missouri church reborn as open-air art center

In Davenport (IA), thousands of threads flow in Anne Lindberg exhibit at Figge Art Museum

Madison (WI) Arts Commission awards $450,000 in grants to support creative workforce
_{The Artists At Work grant program will fund 22 positions at local organizations}

With $12 M. Donation, Michigan’s Muskegon Museum Will Look to Build Wing Dedicated to Women Artists

Future Fossils: Fergus Falls (MN) Land Art Featured in Upper Midwest Land Art Biennial

From insane asylum to art center, Ohio U Ridges complex showcases Athens’ past and present

In Salina, KS “Epic Arts Party” is Here. 46th Annual Smoky Hill River Festival

John Wesley Hardrick’s lost mural and legacy in an Indianapolis Freetown

Exhibit featuring 3D Termesphere objects opens at Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre, SD

Protest or Drunken Behavior? Outdoor sculpture destroyed in Adrian, Michigan

In Grand Marais, Minnesota, 75 Years of the Grand Marais Art Colony

Racine (WI) artist Maureen Fritchen goes dumpster diving to tell stories about consumerism

Art and fashion unite as the 22nd annual West 18th Street Fashion Show returns to the Kansas City metro with featured Dubai designer Zaid Farouki

Impressive king-sized bird sculptures in Newark (OH) a feather in artistic duo’s caps

57th Street Art Fair Coming Saturday, Sunday During A Busy Hyde Park (Chicago) Weekend

Mining Art And Adventure In Mineral Point, Wisconsin, A Town That Time Forgot

4Ground Midwest Land Art Biennial showcases sustainable art for the land in Upper Midwest

8 Summer Art Fairs & Festivals in the Twin Cities (MN)

Indigenous nations in Wisconsin are represented in a new exhibit at Chicago’s Field Museum

Bloomington (IN) Handmade Market to feature regional artists June 4

Sculpture honoring the late Beatrice ‘Mike’ Seacrest installed at Lincoln (NE) Sunken Gardens

Lucas (KS) oral history project preserves stories of grassroots artists

New Columbus (OH) gallery features exhibit exploring six artists’ concepts of ‘home’

May 2022

Winnie the Pooh Bloodied, Cuffed at Cincinnati Art Museum Exhibit Sparks Police Outrage
Artwork Statement // Artist Labels

Salina (KS) continues to be known as art destination with SculptureTour 2022 underway

 Kansas City’s Art in the Loop Foundation (AILF) Call for Performance Artis

Sturgeon Bay (WI) Fine Art Fair Kicks Off Summer

Work of groundbreaking artist featured in Cedar Rapids (IA)

Great Lakes beauty, Flint Water Crisis shown in University of Michigan art exhibit

Des Moines (IA), Liz Lidgett Gallery and Design’s Approachable Ethos

Kansas City Artists Coalition (KCAC) Call for Artists: Midtown KC Now Store Front Windows

Ludington Area Center for the Arts (MI) announces ‘Unbearable Lightness’ exhibit

Mark Arts (Wichita, KS) outdoor installation transforms twigs into artistic structures

‘Eyes of Freedom’ exhibit shown for first time at Ohio’s National Veterans Memorial and Museum

Chicago’s 57th Street Art Fair Is Back Outside For 75th Anniversary: ‘It’s A Really Big Deal’

Fort Atkinson (WI) student turns love of barn quilt art into business venture

Artists take on long-overdue topic of parenthood in new exhibition at Lawrence Arts Center (KS)

University of Iowa art museum returning artifacts pillaged from today’s Nigeria in 1897

Milwaukee, WI image-based artist Billie Carter-Rankin: You are Where you’re Supposed to Be

Animals of Minnesota’s Driftless Area are the stars of Winona art exhibit

Mythologising the Midwest: Erinn Springer’s Loving Portrait of Wisconsin

‘Recycle, Repurpose, Re-imagine’ continues at the Midwest Museum of American Art in Elkhart, IN

Ahead of his First Retrospective at MCA Chicago, Nick Cave Reflects on 30 Years of Making
Art as a Vehicle for Change

Michigan downtowns explode with art, a magnet to visitors

In Kansas City, Design firm Populous partners with esports company on digital art NFT collection

‘Mural hunters’ will track, map Detroit’s outdoor artworks in app, online registry

Cincinnati Art Museum Recreates 1930s Art Deco Bedroom in New Exhibit

Peoria (IL) moving toward a more diverse and inclusive arts scene,
but everyone needs to be on board

North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA) announces RFP for Placemaking in rural North Dakota

Midwest Agenda celebrates first year!
_{The only directory of its kind for art & artists in the Midwest}

Commentary: An Ohio museum is holding the biggest sale of museum art yet. It’s unconscionable

Omaha Botanical Garden Combines Science and Art for Plant Education

Western Nebraska county seeks artists for mural project

Fort Hays State University (Hays, KS) receives donation of extensive art collection

Bloomington (IND) Waldron Arts Center ‘Awakening’ Art Exhibition Opening Friday, May 6

Grant applications open for Kansas rural murals and public art program

An artist’s take on modified corn, and Wisconsin’s American Studio Glass movement

Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund (NTDF) of Kansas City, MO awards $1.2 million in grants to promote cultural events

Battle Creek (MI) native adds splash of neon to Michigan Avenue

Wilbur Niewald, ‘Patriarch of the Kansas City Art World, Dies at 97

Local mosaic artists (Lincoln, NE) help raise funds to save Pershing mural

April 2022

New art exhibition in Southfield (MI) highlights Black excellence

Using Podcasts to Broaden the Reach of Smaller Museums

Ohio Museum Deaccessions Artworks That Could Raise Over $60 Million at Auction

Sheboygan (WI) art teacher and art preserve have been honored with Wisconsin Visual Art Achievement Awards

Northern Indiana Pastel Society exhibits at Kroc Center

Site Two Gallery Collab Opens Sunday, April 23, in Kansas City’s Loose Park

Acclaimed chalk artist creates inspirational sidewalk art in Sioux City, IA

Much Ado About Small Things: The Return of Barely Fair, Chicago’s Tiniest International Art Fair

ArtPath will fill 3 miles of the Lansing River Trail (MI) with new artwork

Beyond recycled art projects: Why you should teach about climate change this Earth Day

University of Iowa to celebrate legacy of artist Ana Mendieta on Thursday

Colorful array of murals bring beauty to Michigan’s downtowns

Minnesota artist uses one-time use plastic to create environmental statement artwork

NFT Artist Interview with South Dakota’s Glass Crown

Exhibition presents striking portraits of Black Nebraskans

A national retrospective takes a fresh look at the art of Aledo native Doris Lee. See the exhibit now at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, IA

Two famous Kansas City families battle over art, money, a ‘cult’ and their legacies

Northeast Ohio Instagram page encourages artists to exchange work

Chicago EXPO, the Midwest’s largest art fair, in 60 seconds

Feeling gourd: Stoughton (WI) folk artist makes rinds his canvases

Selective Focus: Emily Koch, Surrealist Painter from Duluth, MN

Graffiti artists seek “permission walls” for legal spaces in Kansas City’s Northeast to showcase their work

Dubuque (IA) iconographer dedicates herself to ancient art

Meet the Indianapolis (IN) artist who created these Biggie, Tupac pieces

Kansas City’s Mattie Rhodes Cultural Center Grand Opening April 1

Tiny Minnesota Town Art School Renowned For Teaching Scandinavian Folk Art

Chicago Public Libraries Artist-in-Residence Will Make Legler Regional Library A Hub For Community Art Programs

March 2022
Cleveland’s Front International Triennial Has Revealed the Artist List for Its Healing-Focused 2022 Edition

Museum of Nebraska Art auction features more than 120 pieces to choose from April 2-7

Door County, WI Dome House Inaugural Artist-in-Residence Reflects on Experience
Call for Artists in the Midwest states

Watercolor USA 2022 selected by The Ekru Project’s Kevin Umana

University of Michigan hosts 26th annual exhibition of art by Michigan prisoners

North Dakota State Parks seek applicants for Artist in Residency Program

Minnesota Owl Center’s auction of Ukrainian children’s art raises more than $100,000

Marvel superhero artwork by Alex Ross coming to Sheboygan Museum (WI)

Got Latinx art? DePaul (Chicago) and Lubeznik in Michigan City (IN) make up for ‘abysmal’ lack.

‘Where’d you get these checks?’ Black Kansas City (MO) artist interrogated over big bank deposit

Kansas City (MO) pop-up gallery provides real world experience for UMKC art students

Minneapolis (MN) artist spreads the sacred light to synagogues around the world

Elmhurst Art Museum (IL) displaying exhibit about George Fred Keck’s House of Tomorrow

Des Moines (IA) artist Larassa Kabel opens an exhibit inside a bathroom

Creating art in rural Bertrand, Nebraska

Toledo (OH) Fine Art Fair comes to Glass City Center

Madison (WI) becomes an epicenter of prints this month

Columbus, OH, Wexner Center for the Arts workers want to unionize

Jim Denomie, Ojibwe artist who painted the ‘raw realities of America’, has died, aged 66

Charles “Chuck” Csuri, ‘Father of Computer Art,’ Dies at 99
Was longtime professor of art education and computer science at Ohio State University in Columbus

COVID memorial to be dedicated at (St Louis, MO) Laumeier Sculpture Park

Springfield (MO) Art Museum Receives $5 Million Lead Gift to Capital Campaign Project

Midland-area (MI) organizations call for artists to create public art projects

Midwest colors and patterns featured in Decatur’s (IL) latest exhibit

Wisconsin Regional Art Exhibit coming to Chippewa Falls for the first time

Greater Columbus (OH) Arts Council Preserving Plywood Murals After 2020 Racial Justice Protests

Parade of Hearts, Kansas City’s public art and philanthropic project, to debut 150+ hearts

February 2022
Iron industry mural by David Tice Workman at Hibbing (MN) High School to be restored

Minneapolis (MN) artist outsmarts her candy-snitching dogs to create sweet replica of the State Fair midway

Contemporary Arts Center Cincinnati (OH) Shatters Myths Of The Midwest, Historically And Today

US revises law governing repatriation of Indigenous remains and burial objects

Quilter Marla Jackson preserves African American history in Lawrence (KS) through art and education

MoCA Cleveland (OH) emerges from two years of soul-searching with somber shows focusing on equity, race, and gender

Two exhibitions at Flaten Art Museum, St Olaf College (Northfield, MN), provide education on the ethical questions of WWII propaganda posters

A Q&A with Ripon College art professor Rafael Salas on being appointed to the Wisconsin Arts Board

Former carpenter carves out a new career in Brown County, Indiana, the Midwest’s artists colony

Indianapolis artist’s papel picado pushes boundaries of fine art at Indiana State Museum

Kansas City (MO) 2022 Art in the Loop Call for Artists: Sustainable

Charlotte Street Foundation Announces 2022 Visual Artist and Generative Performing Artist Fellows

LISTEN: Autism and art: Grant will fund creativity projects for students on the autism spectrum in Milwaukee, WI

Investing in Public Art – Quad Cities (IA, IL) Area Bank Commissions Two Large Murals

In a digital world, teaching photography with old-fashioned film in Madison (WI)

$12M Gift Transforms Asian Art Collection at U-M Museum, and More

Search underway for stolen sculpture from St. Joseph’s Missouri Theatre

At Cincinnati Children’s Hospital (OH), new Critical Care Pavilion treats art as medicine

Badlands Art Association (Dickinson, ND) looking for gallery space to share art, connect the community

Lansing (MI) plans for The Ovation, a live music and arts venue downtown that includes 40 artist lofts

Salina Arts & Humanities Announces 2022 Horizons Grants Recipients

In search of grassroots art? Try Lucas, Kansas

January 2022
Curiouser KC (KS) opens second gallery space

City of West Lafayette (IN) seeks new public art initiative proposals

Margaret Hartwell Art Museum (Poplar Bluff, MO) honors Black History Month, puts out call for art and photos

2022 Whitney Biennial “Quiet as It’s Kept” includes Midwest artists

Charlotte Street Foundation to receive $50,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts as part of the American Rescue Plan

Envision (Wichita, KS) Opens First-Of-Its-Kind National Gallery Exhibiting Art for and by Artists and Audiences Who are Blind or Visually Impaired

Students from Burke, Chamberlain, Pierre and Selby (SD) among winners of Governor’s Student Art Competition

Kansas City (MO) Rubik’s Cube artist puts new spin on KC Chief’s Patrick Mahomes

Who made Evanston Made? (Evanston, IL)

Cindy Milner, Milwaukee (WI) artist and therapist, shares love of art

Springfield Art Museum (MO) receives $25,000 from National Endowment for the Art

Contemporary Arts Center (Cincinnati, OH) reopens after closing due to COVID surge

Curators learn about influential North Dakota woman as painting returns from repair

Art Institute employees win vote to form Chicago’s first major museum union

Wausau, WI Center for Visual Arts opens 32nd annual ‘Midwest Seasons’ exhibition

Crooked Tree Arts Center (Petoskey, MI) to open new exhibits

Minnesota Marine Art Museum (MMAM) photography exhibition looks back on last year

Masonic Temple fire: Tallest building in Zanesville, Ohio, home to several art studios, goes up in flames

Ice carvers return to Carmel (IN) for Festival of Ice this weekend

Herrin (IL) artist captures weathering of time across Southern Illinois landscapes

Eight Detroit (MI) artists to watch in 2022

Two artists honored in January by Muncie (IN) Artists Guild

(Hudson, WI) Phipps Center will host community forum to compliment upcoming exhibit

December 2021
Four local artists awarded fellowships from Indiana Arts Commission

“The Regional” Review: The Midwest on the Move

Local business highlights Chicago art scene through custom framing

Cincinnati Art Museum shutting down in January to give staff a break

Jim Leedy, Crossroads Arts District visionary and longtime Kansas City Art Institute professor, dies at 91

Meet the Ohio art therapist who is using superheroes to help LGBTQ+ youth

Jane Burns dies, co-founded Midwest Museum of American Art in Elkhart, Indiana

Black Art Library in Detroit (MI) spreads the word about Black artists one book at a time

Kansas City, KS Curiouser & Curiouser welcomes Madeline Brice to curatorial team

Muscatine Art Center receives $4,200 grant from Iowa Dept. of Cultural Affairs for exhibit on Japanese Culture

A New Survey of Contemporary Midwestern Artists Doesn’t Try to Pinpoint What Makes the Region Special—But It Does So All the Same

‘Watercolor Wisconsin’ open at Racine’s Wustum Museum

Chicago’s Art Scene Scrambles Senses of Scale with Homegrown Aims

Kansas City Art Institute (MO) Appoints Ruki Neuhold-Ravikumar to be the next Nerman Family President 

Knights Arts Challenge awards nearly $400,000 to support arts programs in Akron (OH)

Arts play a big role in vision for Springfield’s (Mo) future

“Reveal” art show features Cleveland (OH) LGBTQ artists

After 22 years, Director of the Grinnell College Museum of Art (IA), Lesley Wright will retire

University Wisconsin-Stout art exhibit highlights land and water issues

Renoir comes to The Swope; show highlights Impressionism’s influence on Indiana artists

Lansing (MI) Art Gallery moving to above-ground space in Knapp’s Building

MSU art instructor first artist for new program at Taube (SD)

Museum of Wisconsin Art (WI) presents Suzanne Rose – Blind Spot

He loved anime, despite its racism. Now Black Kansas City creator tackles that world

November 2021

Clinton’s River Arts Center, Midwest Writing Center (IA) team up for reading event

Native American Art Show Showcased, Celebrated at Great Plains Art Museum (NE)

Friendship and Farm LIfe: 2 Portage (WI) Artists Look Back

Southfield (MI) Begins Installation of “Tapestry” Mosaic Panels

Olathe (KS) Artist with Cognitive Impairment Gets Artwork Recognized by Kansas City Chiefs Legend

Dave Hickey, critic, author of “Air Guitar: Essays on Art & Democracy” his influential work of art criticism, has died at 82. Obituary here

Kansas City artist directs the visuals in new animated series on Hulu

University of Wisconsin’s Chazen Museum of Art Explores Printmaker Who Brought Audubon’s Vision to Life

“Anthro-obscene” Exhibition Explores Climate Change Data, Human Impact at Northwestern’s Dittmar Gallery, Evanston (IL)

Indiana Art Teacher Earns Top Distinction from State Group

Runner Turned Artist, Caroline Kent, Returns to Illinois State Galleries for Exhibit

AIDS Service Foundation of Kansas City Unveils New Mural

Five Iowa Regional Arts and Cultural Projects Receive American Rescue Plan Grants

Black Youth Owned Shoe Store in Kansas City Robbed of All Inventory
To help rebuild the shop, GoFundMe established here

Quad Cities (IA) Arts Organizations Earn $1.5m in Grants

Blues Wall Art Installation Arrives in McCook (NE)

Dispute Over Repairs in Downtown Cleveland Highlights Need to Maintain Public Art

New Exhibition at Hutchinson (MN) Center for the Arts

Creation of PEAK Art Program Wants to Benefit Kansas Public Schools

New Sculptures Dressing Up Jackson County, Michigan Trail

Columbia (MO) Gallery Adopts New Name, Furthers Creative Direction

South Dakota Artist Exhibits Work Created During Pandemic at Northern State Uni

$25M renovation, expansion planned for Kearney’s Museum of Nebraska Art

Green Bay (WI) Woman Starts ‘Little Free Art Gallery

October 2021
Fort Wayne (IND) Public Art Commission Reveals Concept for Downtown Monument Honoring MLK

Detroit (MI) Mayor Announces ACE Honors Medal Recipients, New City Historian and Vendor Registration Fair for Artists

New Murals Around Stevens Point (WI) Amplify Voices, Celebrates Women

Toledo’s Glass City River Wall Gains National Attention

Fishers (IND) Arts & Culture Commission Launches Partnership Program

Detroit Metro JCC’s Janice Charach Gallery Re-Opens with Ceramics Show

Public Art Tribute to Bob Dylan Outside Minnesota High School

Major Gift for Saint Louis Art Museum

UW–Madison’s Halverson reveals ‘How the Arts Can Save Education’ with New Book

After $22M Renovation Project, The Kansas City Museum Will Reopen October 22

Supermarket Chain Meijer seeks local artists for culturally-inspired product collection

Detroit Mayor Marks 100th Mural in City Walls Program

Artist Julie Green Dies, Memorialized Last Suppers of Death Row Inmates
The Oregon-based artist was a University of Kansas, Lawrence, alum