Art News

An inside look at events and happenings in the contemporary art world.

Ayana Ross, SWBAT, oil on canvas, 60 x 48"

The Bennett Prize Exhibition
The prestigious Bennett Prize awards $50,000 to a woman artist working in the figurative realist style so they can create new work for a solo exhibition that will travel the country. May 28 to September 5, the exhibition of artwork by the 10 finalists named last fall for the second Bennett Prize will open at the Muskegon Museum of Art in Michigan. On display in Rising Voices 2: The Bennett Prize will be artwork from Sophia-Yemisi Adeyemo-Ross, Tanmaya Bingham, Chloe Chiasson, June Glasson, Holly Keogh, Lavely Miller, Rebecca Orcutt, Ayana Ross, Su Su and Amy Werntz.

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A floral installation from a previous Art Alive at the San Diego Museum of Art.Art Alive
A weekend of bright, festive floral art celebrates the start of summer at the San Diego Museum of Art in California. Art Alive, running June 17 to 20, “blooms again in a kaleidoscope of color for this 40th anniversary year.” The exhibition features galleries filled with floral installations inspired by the San Diego Museum of Art’s permanent collection. Nearly 100 pieces will be set up throughout the museum grounds. Virtual activities like a 360-degree tour of the exhibition, a virtual silent auction and at-home workshops will be available as well.

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A headshot of Abigail DeVille surrounded by mannequin arms and legs, among other objects, used to create Light of Freedom. Photo by Melissa Blackall. Courtesy the artist.Light of Freedom
Incorporating found materials often from neighborhoods surrounding her exhibitions, visionary artist Abigail DeVille’s large-scale sculptures and installations tackle important themes around history and racial and social injustice, among others. Her recently commissioned Light of Freedom, a 13-foot-tall reference to the Statue of Liberty’s torch encased in scaffolding and filled with found objects, is currently installed outdoors at the contemporary art space The Momentary in Bentonville, Arkansas. It will remain on view through July 25 at the Momentary, then moves on to the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., from October 15 to April 17, 2022.

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Sam Durant, Untitled (drone), 2016-2021 (rendering). A High Line Plinth commission. Courtesy of the High Line.

NYC drone installation

A 25-foot high fiberglass sculpture of an abstract drone by artist Sam Durant is set to be installed in May on the High Line Plinth, one of the only sites in New York City dedicated solely to new, monumental, contemporary art commissions. The sculpture—a simplified version of a drone that omits features like landing gear, cameras and weapons—follows Simone Leigh’s Brick House sculpture that has been displayed since 2019. Durant’s Untitled (drone) will be displayed until August 22. –