By Elin Spring and Suzanne Révy
Our BEST PHOTO PICKS for May 2026 features noteworthy exhibitions and associated events around metro Boston and New England. Organized by geographic region for your planning convenience, we invite you to check back throughout the month for additions and updates.
BOSTON PROPER
“Tent Camera Image: View of 1221 Avenue of the Americas Building Looking West from 1 Rockefeller Plaza, 33rd Floor Terrace, New York City, 2024” by Abelardo Morell, courtesy of the artist and Krakow Witkin Gallery, Boston.
Krakow Witkin Gallery – Abelardo Morell’s solo exhibition Ideas of Order features a range of captivating work from the last six years. Viewers are offered a rare throughline of Morell’s innovative practice, one that “shows things from an angle so that the subject can remain mysterious but in the clearest and most beautiful way possible.” On view through May 9th, 2026.
To read our review: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/abelardo-morell-ideas-of-order-solo-photo-exhibit-at-krakow-witkin-gallery-in-boston-ma/
For more information go to: https://www.krakowwitkingallery.com/exhibition/abelardo-morell/
“Rhea S., Piccadilly Theater, Beirut. Lebanon, 2021” from Where Do I Go? by Rania Matar, courtesy of the artist, Robert Klein Gallery, Boston and Leica Gallery Boston.
Leica Gallery Boston – As war in the Middle East rages, Lebanese-American photographer Rania Matar’s solo exhibit Where Do I Go? rings timely and profound, nuanced and declarative. Her arresting, collaborative environmental portraits of young Lebanese women (facing circumstances similar to Matar’s during the Lebanese Civil War 50 years ago) embody remarkable grace and strength as they struggle to find a way forward. On view through May 31st, 2026.
NOTE: There will be a talk with the artist on Wednesday, May 20th from 5:00 – 7:00pm. Free registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/artist-talk-with-rania-matar-tickets-1983636668674?aff=oddtdtcreator
To read our review, go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/rania-matar-where-do-i-go-photo-exhibit-at-leica-gallery-boston-and-book-from-kaph/
For more information, go to: https://leicagalleryboston.com/exhibitions/
“Untitled” 1965, from the Women Are Beautiful series, © Garry Winogrand.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston – “Faces in the Crowd: Street Photography” presents a five-decade global slice of street photography that brings us up to the present. This gem-like show features the images of twenty-five photographers drawn from the museum’s collection. Their viewpoints illuminate individual and collective responses to socio-political changes, but also the ways in which people’s attitudes and gestures remain familiar over time. On view in the Herb Ritts Gallery through July 26th, 2026.
To read our review: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/faces-in-the-crowd-street-photography-at-museum-of-fine-arts-boston/
For more information, go to: https://www.mfa.org/exhibition/faces-in-the-crowd-street-photography
“Operação A3-2/Operation A3-2 (detail)”, by Rosângela Rennó, 2014. Three inkjet prints, silk paper, Plexiglas, bolts and old lenses. Courtesy of the Artist. © Rosângela Rennó.
Also on view at MFA, Boston – Fazendo a América (Making America), a solo show featuring the work of Brazilian artist Rosângela Rennó (b. 1962). Using images from private and public archives as well as anonymous photographs, she creates immersive installations that reframe history and memory, provoking questions about how photography affects narratives of Latin American political unrest and military dictatorships. The exhibit also includes Rennó’s MFA-commissioned portraits of Brazilian immigrants to the U.S., illuminating the role photographs play in preserving and connecting histories that may be forgotten or overlooked. On view through August 2nd, 2026.
To read our review: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/fazendo-a-america-making-america-rosangela-renno-at-the-museum-of-fine-arts-boston/
For more information, go to: https://www.mfa.org/exhibition/fazendo-a-america
From the series Standing Still in a Constant State of Departure by Landry Major and Cash Kasper, courtesy of the artists.
Griffin Museum Gallery in Lafayette City Center (LCC) – Curated by Michael Kirchoff, Editor in Chief of Analog Forever Magazine, The Pause Between Seeing and Knowing features analog photographic work by Twinkle Banerjee, Harley Cowan, Jacek Gąsiorowski, Osheen Harruthoonyan, and Landry Major with Cash Kasper (photo above). Each artist combines vision and craft in ways that express intentionality and contemplation, relishing process and inviting viewers to slow down and join in. On view through June 30th, 2026.
For more information, go to: https://griffinmuseum.org/show/the-pause-between-seeing-and-knowing-an-analog-forever-magazine-exhibition-2/
“Fens” by Clint Baclawski, 2024 from the exhibition Painting with Light, courtesy of the artist and the Gallery @ J&T, Jamaica Plain.
The Gallery at J&T, Jamaica Plain – “Painting with Light: Contemporary Photography and the Legacy of Looking” features work by Clint Baclawski, Sarah Dinnick, John Ross, the Safarani sisters, and Jason Zucco, curated by Robin Hauck. The artists employ a variety of light as muse and partner in reverent photographs, video and installation. Opening reception on Friday, May 1st at 6pm and on view through June 12, 2026.
For more information: https://jamesonandthompson.com/gallery
“Home is Here, Home is There” 2020, from the Mars on Earth series by Cassandra Klos, courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston.
Panopticon Gallery, Kenmore Square – At a time when the boundaries of exploration are expanding once again, Moonage Daydream features four photographers who ponder both physical and metaphysical aspects of outer space. Cassandra Klos (above), Bill Finger, Molly Lamb and Marky Kauffmann bring their diverse approaches together in a questioning exhibition. On view through July 31st, 2026, there will be an Opening Reception with the artists on Thursday, June 11th from 6:00 – 8;00pm.
For more information, go to: https://www.panopticongallery.com/
SOWA – Boston’s South End Arts District
“Perla, Where Do I Go, Kfarmatta, Lebanon, 2021” from Where Do I Go? by Rania Matar, courtesy of the artist, Robert Klein Gallery, Boston and Leica Gallery Boston.
The Project Space – This new collaborative project space co-created by RKG and SEA-DAR presents its inaugural exhibition, Where Do I Go?, by Rania Matar, featuring an expanded selection of images from her book and concurrent show at Leica Gallery Boston. Located at 580 Harrison Avenue, 4th Floor, Where Do I Go? will be on view from May 9th – September 19th, 2026.
NOTE: There will be a grand opening reception on Saturday, May 9th from 3:00 – 6:00pm.
For more information, go to: https://www.robertkleingallery.com/exhibitions/
“Back and Hands” 1984, from the Self-Portrait series by John Coplans, courtesy of Anderson Yezerski Gallery, Boston.
Anderson Yezerski Gallery – A rare opportunity to see arresting silver gelatin photographs from the Self-Portrait series by John Coplans (1920-2003). By photographing his own aging male body, Coplans empathized and reflected on the feminist movement during the 1980’s. Proclaiming his images “an expression of an existential rather than sexual outlet,” he admitted to being “both actor and spectator, creator and dupe, inquisitor and squealer.” On view through June 20th, 2026, there will be a Reception on First Friday, June 5th from 6:00 – 8:00pm.
For more information, go to: https://andersonyezerski.com/
CAMBRIDGE
Feature Image: Detail featuring Azadeh Akhlaghi in “The Conquest of Tehran, Zahir al-Dowleh’s Residence, Tehran, August 20, 1909” from the series From Iran: A Visual Testimony by Azadeh Akhlaghi, courtesy of the artist and The Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology at Harvard University.
The Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology at Harvard University – In her solo exhibition, From Iran: A Visual Testimony, Azadeh Akhlaghi, Iranian photographer, filmmaker and 2019 Robert Gardner Fellow in Photography, stages grand scenarios that imagine and reconstruct eleven pivotal incidents that highlight the cycle of successful and failed efforts by Iranians to reclaim control of their country between 1908—when the Shah quashed the first National Assembly—and 1979, when the monarchy was overthrown and Islamic rule began. In reconstructing events that were never photographed, Akhlaghi questions “the authority of images and the ways collective memory is shaped through absence as much as through evidence.” On view from May 15, 2026–March 21, 2027.
For more information, go to: https://peabody.harvard.edu/iran-visual-testimony
Courtesy of the Photographic Resource Center.
Photographic Resource Center – New England boasts a large community of excellent photography educators and for the second year in a row the PRC presents “PHOTO/FACULTY 2026” which features a broad selection of prints from this talented cohort of artists in the VanDernoot Gallery at Lesley University. An opening reception is planned for Friday, May 8th from 6 to 8pm, on view from May 2nd through June 14th, 2026.
For more information: https://www.prcboston.org/photo-faculty-2026/
Bridge Gallery – Ready for some fun? In Cover Stories: Where Music Meets Photography, co-curators Greig Cranna and Bob Mulvey have assembled fifty of their favorite album covers, accompanied by their original images by photographers such as Pete Turner, Eric Meola, William Claxton, Roberta Bayley, Elliot Landy and others. On view from May 2nd – June 6th, 2026, there will be an opening reception on Saturday, May 2nd from 5:00 -9:00pm.
For more information, go to: https://www.bridge.photos/shows
“Keith” by Hannah Latham, from the exhibition Ripples in Still Water, courtesy of the artist and Gallery 263, Cambridge, MA.
Gallery 263 – Ripples in Still Water features portraits of people suffering or recovering from substance abuse disorder in rural Maine, photographed by Hannah Latham for Studio B. Working collaboratively with each sitter, these portraits, which serve as a microcosm for our national addiction problem, offer a sense of empathy and humanity, and encourage a better understanding of those at risk for the disease. On view through May 10th, 2026.
NOTE: There will be an artist and community talk on Saturday, May 9th from 1:00 to 3:00pm.
For more information: https://gallery263.org/exhibition/ripples-in-still-water/
“NOW” by Danny Lyon, 1963. Offset lithograph on wove paper. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Marjorie Benedict Cohn Twentieth Century Print Acquisition Fund, 2025.210.
Harvard Art Museums (HAM) – Photography has always played a critical role in times of political upheaval, exerting the power to inspire action, or in other instances, to stifle dissent. In Come Let Us Build A New World Together, eleven of Danny Lyon’s photographs and three newly acquired Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee posters documenting the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s are on display in Gallery 1320 at the Harvard Art Museums through October 1, 2026.
For more information, go to: https://harvardartmuseums.org/article/collections-in-motion-what-s-new-on-view-5
THE BURBS
“Brent-Shipyard Machine Lathe Operator, Superior, Wisconsin, 2012” by Carl Corey, courtesy of the artist and Griffin Museum of Photography.
“Helena Metafaria” by Edward Boches, 2022, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
The Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester – Laborers are the backbone of America, and also the subject of the second in a series of exhibitions to commemorate the 250th birthday of the United States. Curated by Carl Corey, Labor Daily: American Working Class features photography by Corey, Chris Aluka Barry, Daniel Overturf, Inna Valin, Julie Dermansky, Terry Evans and Xavier Tavera. Edward Boches’ Labors of Love: Illuminating the Archive is featured in the Founders Gallery. On view through May 24th, 2026.
From the series “I Want the Sun to Shine on You” by Cassidy Thurber, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
From the exhibition “A Thousand Rectangles: On Design and the Expression of Art” by Caleb Cain Marcus, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
Opening later in the month at the Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester – The Caroline Harder Scholarship was awarded by Emily Belz and Jennifer McClure to Cassidy Thurber. Her series “I want the Sun to Shine down on You” engages with the memory of a difficult childhood with an aim to reflect and better understand her adulthood. Also on view, Caleb Cain Marcus of Luminosity Lab will showcase book design in “A Thousand Rectangles: On Design and the Expression of Art” to reveal books function as objects to elevate art and photography. Both shows will be on view from May 19th through July 26th, 2026. A reception is planned for June 27th from 4 to 6pm.
For more information: https://griffinmuseum.org
Installation of images by Aline Smithson in Memory is a Verb, courtesy of the artist and Danforth Museum, Framingham, MA (photo by Suzanne Révy).
“Gdańsk Gate, Poland” by Rachel Loischild, 2025, from the series Quarantine Islands, courtesy of the artist and the Danforth Art Museum, Framingham, MA.
“Untitled” by William Betcher, from the exhibition Memento Mori at the Danforth Art Museum. (Installation photography by Suzanne Révy)
Danforth Art Museum and Art School, Framingham – A lot of photography goodness is gracing the walls at the Danforth in three exhibitions: Memory is a Verb is a collective of ten photographers probing issues of memory, loss and self, with images by Elizabeth Bailey, Annette LeMay Burke, Dena Elisabeth Eber, Sarah Hadley, Diane Hemingway, Susan Lapides, Lori Ordover, Jennifer Pritchard, Rosalie Rosenthal, and Aline Smithson. Quarantine Islands presents Rachel Loischild’s affecting landscapes exploring past policies on immigration and public health. Memento Mori features William Betcher’s haunting meditations on death, memory and history. On view through May 24th, 2026.
To read our review of “Quarantine Islands,” go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/quarantine-islands-by-rachel-loischild-at-danforth-art/
To read our review of “Memento Mori,” go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/memento-mori-photo-exhibit-by-william-betcher-at-danforth-art-framingham-ma/
To read our review of “Memory is a Verb,” go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/memory-is-a-verb-group-photo-show-at-danfoth-art-museum-in-framingham-ma/
NOTE: There will be a Closing Reception and moderated Artist Panel Discussion for Memory is a Verb on Sunday, May 17th from 3:00 – 5:00pm: https://danforth.framingham.edu/event/closing-reception-and-artist-panel/
For more information about all exhibitions, go to: https://danforth.framingham.edu
Courtesy of the Davis Museum, Wellesley College.
Davis Museum at Wellesley College, Wellesley – Ilse Bing came to prominence during a seminal time in the development of the history of photography, with the rise of 35mm cameras, which exerted a powerful impact on the photo-essay and introduced groundbreaking surrealist works made through solarization and photograms. The World’s of Ilse Bing, curated by Dr. Carrie Cushman, Director of the Bates College Museum of Art, and Curatorial Fellow Linda Wyatt Gruber (Wellesley ’66), is organized geographically according to the three cities where Bing lived. It brings her work into conversation with her creative influences and with those whom she influenced in the worlds of modern art. On view through May 24th, 2026.
For more information: https://www1.wellesley.edu/davismuseum
Marion Art Center, Marion – As a welcome antidote to these agitated times, the re/vision photography group presents Collective Sightings: Visions of Grace, Harmony & Solitude. Photographs by Angela C. Brown (photo), Bill Clark, David DeMelim, Deb Ehrens and Keith Prue intrigue the eye and soothe the soul. On view through May 22nd, 2026.
For more information about the exhibit, go to: https://www.riphotocenter.org/collective-sightings-re-vision-at-the-marion-art-center/
Courtesy of the Plymouth Center for the Arts.
Plymouth Center for the Arts, Plymouth – Always a varied and dynamic show, the 16th Annual Juried Competition and Exhibition selected by Nancy Green, Lou Jones and Shiv Verma. On view through May 31st, 2026.
For more information: https://www.artsplymouth.org
Manuel Goulart (Portuguese, 1866-1946), Studio Portraits. Dry Plate Glass Negative, 5 x 7 in. NBWM 1993.48.19.36.
New Bedford Whaling Museum, New Bedford – The exhibition, Look Pleasant, Please, debuts a collection of archival photographic portraits reflecting historical and cultural changes in New Bedford as it transformed from a whaling town to a textiles center. Over 300 portraits from 1839 to 1900 feature examples of Daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, carte-de-visites, cabinet cards, gelatin silver prints and albums. On view through September 7th, 2026.
For more information, go to: https://www.whalingmuseum.org/exhibition/look-pleasant-please-early-portrait-photography-in-new-bedford/
CENTRAL AND WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
“Subtero” by Tara Sellios, 2023, from the series Ask Now the Beasts, installation photograph by Suzanne Révy.
Fitchburg Art Museum, Fitchburg – Good news: the museum now offers free admission! And after a three month hiatus this past fall to prepare for a centennial celebration, they have re-opened with the ongoing show Ask Now the Beasts by Tara Sellios, on view through May 24th, 2026.
To read our review: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/ask-now-the-beasts-tara-sellios-at-fitchburg-art-museum-in-ma/
For more information: https://fitchburgartmuseum.org
From the exhibition RACE/HUSTLE by Zora J. Murff, courtesy of the artist and MASS MoCa, North Adams, MA.
MASS MoCA, North Adams – Zora J. Murff presents photographs, collages, video and text in RACE/HUSTLE, probing physical, psychological and institutional forms of societal violence. Curated by Terence Washington through MASS MoCA’s Curatorial Exchange Initiative, Murff examines the deleterious effects of institutional racism that have been visually normalized through history and how they manifest in every day culture. Ongoing.
For more information: https://massmoca.org/event/zora-j-murff-race-hustle/
ROAD TRIP
Rhode Island
Courtesy of the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, Providence, RI.
Courtesy of the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, Providence, RI.
Rhode Island Center for Photographic Art, Providence – The 7th Annual Juried Show was selected by Eric Kunsman. Curator Emily Belz chose Sandi Daniel’s “In the Enchanted Garden” for a solo show from last year’s juried show entries. On view through May 15th, 2026.
For more information: https://www.riphotocenter.org
Connecticut
Bauernfamilie (Farming Family), by August Sander, 1912, printed 1990s by Gerd Sander. Gelatin silver print. Yale University Art Gallery, Société Anonyme Acquisition Fund and Katharine Ordway Fund. © Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur—August Sander Archiv, Cologne/ARS, NY 2025
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven – One of the most influential photographers, August Sander, is given a comprehensive exhibition of over 600 prints from his magnum opus People of the 20th Century. On view through June 28th, 2026.
For more information: https://artgallery.yale.edu/exhibitions/exhibition/august-sanders-people-20th-century
Maine
“Leaning Tower of Pisa” 1980 by Ming Smith, courtesy of the artist and The Gund at Kenyon College.
Portland Museum of Art – Tracing the early stages of her career in the 1970’s and ’80’s, Ming Smith: Jazz Requiem-Notations in Blue explores the influence of intuitive expression found in dance and music, particularly jazz, as a throughline in Smith’s innovative artistic vision. On view through June 7th, 2026.
For more information, go to: https://www.portlandmuseum.org/magazine/ming-smith-jazz-requiem-notations-in-blue-exhibit
Vermont
From the series The Disappearance of Joseph Plummer by Amani Willett, courtesy of the artist and the Vermont Center for Photography,
Vermont Center for Photography, Brattleboro – “The Disappearance of Joseph Plummer” is an exploration in the central New Hampshire woods where photographer Amani Willett spent time with his father. A hermit named Joseph Plummer lived in the woods in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and Willett sought clues to his life. He found parallels to his own father’s journey. The resulting body of work is an intriguing trip that is emotionally resonant and psychologically charged. Opens with a reception from 5 to 8pm on May 1st, 2026 and will be on view through June 28th, 2026.
For more information, go to: https://vcphoto.org/amani-willett-2026/
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