Colossal Members Have Funded 100 Projects in K-12 Classrooms through DonorsChoose Colossal Members have hit an amazing milestone! We've now donated to 100 classrooms in Chicago and beyond, via DonorsChoose.

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A cast of characters—including a businessman, a picnicking family, a young couple, a cyclist, an old man and his dog, and a guitarist—spend a seemingly average day at the park, until a powerful gust of wind blows everyone's day out of proportion.

www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/04/jour...

a ceramic sculpture by Abi Castillo of a head with gray hair and a masked shaped like a butterfly around her eyes, with a smaller butterfly and caterpillar details

a ceramic sculpture by Abi Castillo of a head with green hair surrounded by yellow flowers

Abi Castillo continues to create iterative self-portraits through her evolving ensemble of ceramic personas that consider transformation and the beauty of the natural world.

www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/04/abi-...

A photo taken during the Artemis II mission around the Moon huge in the foreground, with the Earth setting beyond

The first images from Artemis II's historic mission are here 📸 🌍 🌗

www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/04/arte...

a porcelain cowboy boot with blue writing

a porcelain basketball with blue flowers

Delft-style objects via Brock DeBoer

www.thisiscolossal.com/2023/08/broc...

a photo of a float on a river releasing pink smoke

Photograph of two floating artworks sailing through a river inspired by Hieronymus Bosch.

Photograph of metallic floating artworks sailing through a river inspired by Hieronymus Bosch.

It's back! The Bosch Parade returns this June with a fleet of nearly two dozen artworks that will float down the Dommel. Learn more on Colossal.

www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/04/bosc...

an abstract wall-installed artwork by Moffatt Takadiwa made from computer keyboard keys, combs, toothbrush heads, and metal pieces

a detail of an abstract wall-installed artwork by Moffatt Takadiwa made from computer keyboard keys, combs, toothbrush heads, and metal pieces

Moffat Takadiwa scrounges landfills in Harare, Zimbabwe, to find scraps and refuse for his dynamic sculptures that confront Africa’s "colonial hangover." Read more about his process and thinking today on Colossal.

www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/04/moff...

12,000 Years Ago, Native Americans Were Playing Games of Chance with Handmade Dice New research suggests that games of chance developed much earlier—to the tune of 6,000 years—than originally thought.

New research reveals that games of chance developed much, much earlier than originally thought—halfway around the world.

a collection of small, abstract, spindly wooden sculptures

a hand holds up a small, abstract, spindly wooden sculpture

Aleph Geddis’ spindly, playful, vaguely alien wooden sculptures evoke an enigmatic tension between identity and glyph.

www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/04/alep...

7 Artists We're Excited to See at EXPO CHICAGO 2026 EXPO CHICAGO returns to Navy Pier from April 9 to 12, 2026, with hundreds of gallery presentations and programming.

Attn: Chicagoans! Here's our annual guide to help you navigate the biggest art event of the year.

A mandala-like composition of flower petals and leaves

A mandala-like composition of flower petals and leaves

A mandala-like composition of flower petals and leaves

Hillary Waters Fayle creates "portraits of place" from foraged seeds, foliage, and petals 🌿 🌸

www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/04/hill...

a painting of a deer with the world in its antlers and text advertising an open call for artists

a figurative sculpture of a woman holding a sphere in her hands

two white hands holding a small earth

What does your art reveal about Earth? Its beauty, resilience, or what’s at risk? The 6th edition of Earth 2026 invites artists worldwide to explore and express the power, beauty, and resilience of our wounded planet. Deadline is April 11. Learn more and submit! www.exhibizone.com/earth (sponsored)

What Color Is It? A Website that Translates the Current Time into Color Created by Berlin-based artist and designer James E. Murphy, What Color Is It is a website that translates the current time (based on a 24-hour clock) into a corresponding hex color value. The color o...

A gem from the Colossal archive:

a wood-carved sculpture of a dog by Misato Sano

Misato Sano, "OKEY DOKEY" (2025)

www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/04/misa...

An Abstract Expressionist mixed-media painting by Liza Lou with thousands of colorful beads representing brushstrokes

An Abstract Expressionist mixed-media painting by Liza Lou with thousands of colorful beads representing brushstrokes

For artist Liza Lou, the calculation of brushstrokes, color, and gesture opens the door to another media type altogether: beads.

www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/04/liza...

in the forest, two figures wear matching red garments reminiscent of dog stinkhorn mushrooms.

Riittaa Ikonen and Annie Collinge, “Dog stinkhorns” (2022)

www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/10/ikon...

a street art mural of a peace sign made out of colorful LEGO bricks, with two kids assembling it

A mural by Rogue-one of a young girl with a pirate hat, looking through a spyglass, with her stuffed monkey toy also looking through a spyglass

a mural by Zabou of Gordon Gibbens holding up a camera

For your Friday procrastination: Explore Art UK’s digital database of 6,600+ street art murals.

www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/04/art-...

contemporary furnishings in front of an illustrative, large-format floral-designed wallpaper

a detail of a yellow and pink flower

contemporary furnishings in front of an illustrative, large-format floral-designed wallpaper

Astek's collection of dreamy floral mural designs reinterprets the Art Nouveau movement of the early 20th century, bringing bold blooms indoors.

www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/04/aste...

A black-and-white photo of a small owl in a hole in a tree

A black-and-white photo of two owls

In a new exhibition, Yamamoto Masao brings these elusive creatures much nearer to us than we ever experience in the wild.

www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/04/yama...

The Japanese Mini Truck Garden Contest is a Whole New Genre in Landscaping The Kei Truck, or kei-tora for short, is a tiny but practical vehicle that originated in Japan. Although these days it’s widely used throughout Asia and other parts of the world, in Japan you’ll often...

Some gardening inspo for those of you without a yard 🌿 🌷

a wide painting by Laura Berger of nude women in a pink landscape

Laura Berger, “Women Living Peacefully Under The Mountain” (2026), oil on canvas, 38 x 72 inches

www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/04/laur...

A photographic print of a dam in Switzerland with a street art intervention superimposed on the image, which is photographed on an easel in front of the same landscape

A photographic print of a power plant in the U.K. with a street art intervention superimposed on the image, which is photographed on an easel in front of the same landscape

A photographic print of a dam in Switzerland with a street art intervention superimposed on the image, which is photographed on an easel in front of the same landscape

Joseph Ford asks artists to imagine their work in landscapes via a bit of sleight of hand. They create trompe-l’œil interventions on his photos, which he then documents in front of that same place to give a sense of what the works would feel like in situ.

www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/04/jose...

A knitted blanket with panels that resemble numerous building facades

A ball of yarn and a piece of knitting on needles resembling a yellow and white building facade

An overview of two hands knitting small colorful panels depicting building facades

Knit your own Parisian Haussmann building or colorful Danish townhouses with these designs by Jake Henzler (a.k.a. Boy Knits World) 🧶

www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/04/jake...

A large, horizontal figurative painting of a group of faceless female figures seated near a stream

Anoushka Mirchandani, “All Us Come Cross The Water” (2025), oil, oil pastel, and oil stick on canvas, 84 x 151 inches

www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/03/anou...

A macro photo of slime mold

A macro photo of slime mold

A macro photo of a pink slime mold

Stunning slime molds captured by Barry Webb 📸

www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/03/barr...

April 2026 Opportunities: Open Calls, Residencies, and Grants for Artists Every month, we share opportunities for artists and designers, including open calls, grants, fellowships, and residencies.

Attn: Artists! Designers! Creative people! Get your portfolios together and apply.

A sculpture of an oversized piece of moldy bread made from beads

Kathleen Ryan, “Sunset Strip” (2025)

www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/03/kath...

Art Retreats in the South of France Offer Mirth, Myth, and Mystery Threshold Art Retreats are for artists seeking creative exploration in an extraordinary setting at the Château de La Napoule.

Threshold Art Retreats are designed for artists seeking creative exploration in an extraordinary setting at the Château de La Napoule in the south of France. Participants of all backgrounds are invited to step into a world where art, nature, and personal reflection intersect. Apply!

an open porcelain book that appears weathered with an illustrated scene

an open porcelain book that appears weathered with an illustrated figure on the left and text on the right

Artist Xiaoze Xie is preserving a growing collection of books banned in China in delicate porcelain.

www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/03/xiao...

a green ball of moss by David Morrison

a pink flower with long stems by David Morrison

Lovely hyperrealistic botanicals from David Morrison 🌿 🌷

www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/03/davi...