Required Reading

This week: the Obama Center opens in Chicago, painting with Urdu script, glamour as protest, the woman who popularized astrology, an artist’s ode to pigeons, and more.

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Common Edge

The Obama Presidential Center: “It’s a Canvas. People Are Leaving Their Imprint on It”

A conversation with Chicago Sun-Times architecture critic Lee Bey.

Martin Pedersen·Jun 17, 2026

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Artforum

Barack and Michelle Obama Unveil First Dual Portrait Painted By Artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby

In the lead up to the formal opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, former US president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama revealed their first dual portrait on June 15. The portrait was created by Nigerian-born artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby, who currently resides in Los Angeles. Titled The Obamas: Springing Forth, […]

Mika Lee·Jun 18, 2026

Hyperallergic

10 Art Shows to See in DC This Summer

As the nation marks 250 years, exhibitions explore artists’ interpretations of the American flag, Joan Miró’s printmaking, collage as critique, Black design, Pueblo pottery, and more.

Emma Cieslik·Jun 17, 2026

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Artforum

Houston Museum Displays Vandalized Painting Unrestored

The Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC) revealed last week that a painting depicting a Black man draped in an American flag had been intentionally damaged last month. The piece, titled “Man in the Garden,” was on view as part of a solo exhibition of work by artist Clarence Heyward titled “Eden,” which explored […]

Theo Belci·Jun 17, 2026

Hyperallergic

10 Art Events for Juneteenth Joy in NYC

David Hammons-inspired freedom flag workshops, a community art mosaic, late hours at the Bronx Museum, and more activities to mark the contemplative holiday.

Isa Farfan·Jun 18, 2026

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Ceramics Now

Subconscious Surfaced at Moderne Gallery, Philadelphia

Subconscious Surfaced is on view at Moderne Gallery, Philadelphia May 1 – August 29, 2026 Moderne Gallery presents Subconscious Surfaced, a group exhibition featuring works from the 1960s through the early 2000s. The exhibition explores a shared thread of surreal, otherworldly sculptural form across a range of expressions, techniques, and contexts. A number of works […]

Ceramics Now·Jun 17, 2026