The annual series will explore the role of art and artists in relation to a central theme, with the first volume, Art & Histories, coming in January 2026

Washington, DC—The Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts (the Center), the National Gallery’s world-renowned research institute, today announced Art &, its new book series aimed at understanding the role of art and artists in imagining a dynamic social fabric. The first volume, Art & Histories, will be published on January 13, 2026, followed by Art & Water in July of the same year. Future volumes will be published annually in the summer.

Each edition of Art & will invite artists and scholars to explore a central topic—histories, water, dreaming, and more—and how artistic practices, both past and present, shape society’s relationships to these issues. Academic exploration of the topics will be accompanied by an original, commissioned work of art created specifically for the book and in response to its theme.

“As a series, Art & is an invitation to think about art together with the issues it shapes through material and imaginative expressions,” said Kaira M. Cabañas, the Center’s associate dean for academic programs and publications. “The ampersand in the title is intentional both typographically and conceptually. By foregrounding ‘&’ in the title, the series signals how art does not stand alone but is always already entangled with people, ideas, materials, networks, and communities, aligning with the National Gallery’s mission to welcome all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity.”

Art & Histories, the first volume in the series, engages with multiple cultural contexts and time periods to embrace art’s expansive histories, promoting new research through innovative methodologies and exploration of specific issues. The publication features essays by Seeta Chaganti, Lisa Gail Collins, Lorraine Mendes and Igor Simões, Wanda Nanibush (Anishinaabe, Citizen of the Beausoleil Nation), Juno Richards, and Erhan Tamur, with an original work of art by Glexis Novoa.

The series’ concise format, artist interventions, and issue-driven content offer an engaging entry point into art-historical research. The publication aims to be responsive to the breadth of art history as it relates to the theme, with each volume comprising scholarship and subject matter spanning geographies, time periods, and artistic genres. Art & advances the Center’s contributions to the scholarly community by including the perspectives of authors of varying generations and at different points in their careers, as well as from different parts of the country and the world, encouraging and introducing the future of art-historical scholarship in a widely available context.

Each volume will be published simultaneously in print and open-access digital editions. Art & will be published by the National Gallery of Art and distributed by Yale University Press. The first edition in the series is now available for preorder.

A launch event for Art & Histories will take place on January 31, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. at Politics and Prose (5015 Connecticut Avenue NW). To learn more about the new publication, visit nga.gov/art-and.

About the Center

Since its inception in 1979 with the opening of the National Gallery’s East Building, the Center has promoted the study of the production, use, and cultural meaning of art, artifacts, architecture, urbanism, photography, and film from all places and periods through the formation of a community of scholars. Center publications seek to deepen our knowledge of the artistic past, present, and future, transforming our understanding of art’s role in the world.

About the National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery of Art welcomes all people to explore art, creativity, and our shared humanity. Nearly four million people come through its doors each year—with millions more online—making it one of the most visited art museums in the world. The National Gallery’s renowned collection includes nearly 160,000 works of art, from the ancient world to today. Admission to the West and East Buildings, Sculpture Garden, special exhibitions, and public programs is always free.