Welcome to our Summer 2026 issue, With hundreds of story options to choose from each issue, the reality that we can’t cover everything is always personally disappointing; we look at every email sent to us and try to share as much of the information as possible through our magazine, Artscope Online at artscopemagazine.com as well as on our social media pages on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky while perusing the same looking for story ideas. Nothing helps us more in that ...

Artist and gallery director Grace Hopkins was raised in a world of painters by her father, artist and Guggenheim Fellow Budd Hopkins, and her mother, arts writer, renowned critic and museum curator, April Kingsley. Hopkins uses the tools of photography to create images that are relevant, provocative and have the impact of paintings. “I zoom into the marks on the world to find those elements that elevate the greatest paintings: surface, texture, shadow, light, and color,” she said. Artscope Magazine ...

As Independence Day approaches, “America 250” seems to be everywhere, from event flyers in local coffee shops to patriotic displays lining grocery store aisles. Beyond the celebrations and marketing campaigns, museums and cultural institutions across the country are commemorating the nation's 250th anniversary through thought-provoking exhibitions. Among the most compelling is “Framing American Democracy” currently on view at the Wadsworth Atheneum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut. Rather than a single exhibition, “Framing American Democracy” unfolds as a series of interconnected ...

I began my day on June 14 by drinking a strong cup of coffee and watching a 1973 live performance of Steely Dan’s “My Old School.” That performance, featuring bright orange stage lights, sequin bandeaus and psychedelic ponchos, made me ask the question: Where did all the color go in the last 53-or-so years? Fortunately, that same day, my question was answered at the Art Complex Museum in Duxbury, Massachusetts. The answer came in the form of a single, solitary, ...

This is a story about resilience, courage, talent and a Black man born in the segregated Deep South whose tenacious spirit succeeded in an arena not of music or sports, but the visual arts. Truly an exceptional journey. And an exceptional man. Richard Haynes, a 77-year-old artist who stands out in a myriad of artistic expressions — photography, drawing, painting — is the epitome of grateful. Spiritual. And humble. A model of how it can be done. But per real ...

Can you capture the future in a photograph? The answer, of course, is no. You can, however, detail individuals on the edge of it. This is seen most strikingly in war photography where people living on a pinhead simultaneously grapple with an untenable reality, a chaotic past and an encroaching future more acutely than us who wander through galleries or scroll our phones. Lebanese-born American/Palestinian photographer Rania Matar, in her new exhibition “Where Do I Go?,” attempts to get as ...

The 2026 Danforth Museum Annual Juried Exhibition includes strong black-and-white photography, a medium which delivers us from any one particular timeframe into a unique present-day view. Susan Alport’s enigmatic black-and-white photographs often incorporate references to literature, and “IT’S ABOUT TIME” is no exception. This photograph of an assemblage of other, black-and-white photos includes a portrait of early-20th-century poet Hilda Doolittle, known professionally by her initials, H.D. The poet is shown sporting a 1920s bob, and is layered with a 1950s ...

“Where Words Can Not Go” at Three Stones Gallery in Concord, Massachusetts features two gallery-represented artists and guest Jill Goldman-Callahan. The focus on abstract works is to “ignite a deeply personal connection with the viewer through the power of pure form and color.” There are words though, in the carefully chosen titles each artist assigned to their oeuvre, verbal nudges leading the viewer to the artist’s path and intent. Timothy Dunnbier’s large format acrylic and watercolor abstract paintings greet the ...

The first thing to know about Rona Lee Cohen’s art is that it begins with quiet intensity and an intimate relationship with each new piece she is contemplating. Her oil paintings on paper are largely abstract combined with a colorful vibrancy often inspired by still life. She strives to capture both color and form in a unique way that has a personal rhythm for her versus painting literal interpretations. She put it this way: “Painting is my unruly companion. We ...

The name Alex Katz immediately conjures up images of sharply silhouetted faces, figures and landscapes painted on gigantic canvases — bold compositions of fresh, bright colors that feel clean and crisp on 10- or 12-foot canvases. So, it is a surprise to discover an entirely different side of Katz in the drawing exhibition “Alex Katz | Out of Sight” at Colby College Museum of Art. Skillfully organized by Colby Museum Curator Kiko Aebi, the exhibition is a thoroughly engaging collection ...

“The Land Tells Our Stories” is an ambitious group of three large scale, site-specific works which unfurl across Massachusetts this summer. The project has been commissioned by the Trustees of Reservations at four of its properties, some well-known and some off the beaten path: the Crane Estate and Beach in Ipswich, Moose Hill Farm in Sharon, Rock House Reservation in West Brookfield and Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, Massachusetts. The Crane Estate, a palatial North Shore summer home built in the ...

When you see a Jackie Reeves painting you know it. She has been honing her unique style over two decades, gaining mastery and confidence. You can partake in a selection of Reeve’s art, “Larger Than Life – Drawings In Time,” curated by fellow artist Bert Yarborough in a solo exhibition of 14 large scale pieces at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM). The pieces are physically dynamic and provocative intellectually and emotionally. Reeves uses her own body as a ...

One of the pleasures of summer is the opportunity for frequent daytrips and weekend getaways — and for art lovers that often means exploring galleries, museums and shows that are off our beaten paths. It was in that context that I discovered the Center for Maine Contemporary Art (CMCA). The building alone was worth the trip. The structure is fresh and modern while also fitting well within the vernacular of the adjacent working waterfront. Internationally known architect Toshiko Mori designed ...

Summer is a busy time for the Wickford Art Association (WAA), based in North Kingston, Rhode Island near the Narragansett Bay. Between hosting the 63rd Wickford Art Festival on July 11 and 12 at nearby Wilson Park and two exhibitions at its home gallery, as well as several arts-related programs to participate in, WAA offers plenty of art activities for year-long residents and summer visitors alike. Shari Weschler, the Wickford Art Association’s gallery and education coordinator, previously enlivened her own ...

Between the relentless sunlight of a Western Massachusetts’ summer day and the inevitable pouring of the unexpected outlash of Mother Nature, are days filled with hiking, kayaking, swimming and an endless bounty of art institutions and galleries to visit. There could easily be three or four incarnations of this article, and there would still be more art venues on the roster. And being situated so close to Vermont and New York, Western Massachusetts is a perfect jumping off spot for ...

FACES, PLACES & SPACES: The Somerville Museum (who knew Somerville had a museum?) hosts a “community curator” exhibition each year. This year, through August 23, The #ARTSTAYSHERE Coalition — of which I am a founding volunteer — is the community curator. Our exhibition, “Faces, Places & Spaces,” is not a traditional visual art exhibition with paintings, photographs or sculptures. Instead, it’s a visual representation of our movement: preventing artist displacement and creating more inventory of affordable workspaces across Massachusetts. The ...

For many years, I have worked as an educational guide at Art Basel, leading groups through the fair and helping visitors navigate its vast ecosystem of galleries, institutions, artists and special projects. Although I was unable to attend this year's edition in person, I followed the fair closely through conversations with colleagues on the ground, ongoing exchanges with galleries and artists, and the steady stream of press materials and social media coverage that accompanied the week. As Art Basel 2026 ...

“Summer Colors,” an exhibition spotlighting the works of photographers Michael Day, Sylvia Hampton, and Caterine Milinaire and multimedia artist Vesna Longton, runs from July 4 through 31 at DeBlois Gallery, 134 Aquidneck, Middletown, Rhode Island. The show “celebrates the vibrant colors and festivals that summer evokes, as the artists seek out beauty and energy in their work.” Wildlifephotographer Day celebrates creatures from Alaska, Antarctica, Argentina, Florida, Illinois, Japan and Rhode Island. Hampton finds endless inspiration in the world around her, ...