COMMENT

magpie Weekly, our free email newsletter, is an essential read for anyone interested in the same kind of things that engage us at magpie. It’s mailed on Thursdays throughout the year (we do take short breaks in the summer and at the turn of the year). In it you’ll find …

From the nest – key news for our community summarised, with the editor’s (usually opinionated) commentary
Five ‘not to be missed’ upcoming events selected from the full Agenda listings
Three of the latest open calls and other opportunities for artists and other creatives from our Opportunities page
As a bonus, we include a quote for the week (inspirational, entertaining or apposite, or sometimes all three); and our Earworm of the week, the tune that is currently doing it for us in magpie’s offices.

Here are the most recent From the nest sections:

magpie Weekly issue 7.29 / 30 Apr 2026

30 April 2026

The quote: We hardly ever realise that we can cut anything out of our lives, anytime, in the blink of an eye | Carlos Castaneda … SB17 first look Sharjah Art Foundation has announced the title, curatorial framework, and artist list for Sharjah [… more]

magpie Weekly issue 7.28 / 23 Apr 2026

23 April 2026

The quote: She feels in italics and thinks in CAPITALS | Henry James … Register here DCT Abu Dhabi has launched a Register of Cultural Organisations and Professionals and wants you to sign up here if you’re an organisation or individual in the visual or performing arts, AV [… more]

magpie Weekly issue 7.27 / 16 Apr 2026

16 April 2026

The quote: For me, painting is but another word for feeling | John Constable … Art Dubai reborn Art Dubai’s revised attendance list for what is being called a Special Edition features 50 galleries rather than the 120 or so originally [… more]

magpie Weekly issue 7.26 / 9 Apr 2026

9 April 2026

The quote: Half the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important | TS Eliot … War updates Having said only “There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” just a [… more]

magpie Weekly issue 7.25 / 2 Apr 2026

2 April 2026

The quote: We hardly ever realise that we can cut anything out of our lives, anytime, in the blink of an eye | Carlos Castaneda … Update Five weeks and counting, and maybe a second week of rain too … Remote learning for schools [… more]

magpie Weekly issue 7.24 / 26 Mar 2026

26 March 2026

The quote: Master your instrument, master the music, and then forget all that and just play | Charlie Parker … Update Four weeks into the war, and now comes the rain and the promise of tornadoes … and postponements. Sharjah Art [… more]

magpie Weekly issue 7.23 / 19 Mar 2026

19 March 2026

The quote: “In the dark times / Will there also be singing? / Yes, there will be singing / About the dark times” | Bertolt Brecht, Motto … Art sells We have had a happy couple of days digesting the latest Art Basel and [… more]

magpie Weekly issue 7.22 / 12 Mar 2026

12 March 2026

The quote: The good man wins a victory and then stops; he will not go on to acts of violence. Winning, he boasteth not; he will not triumph; he shows no arrogance. He wins because he cannot choose; after his [… more]

magpie Weekly issue 7.21 / 5 Mar 2026

5 March 2026

The quote: Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you | Pericles … What’s going on We’re only five days into a war that Trump has said will last four [… more]

magpie Weekly issue 7.20 / 26 Feb 2026

26 February 2026

The quote: If you don’t call it art, you’re likely to get a better result Brian Eno … Public art direction The appointment of Elvira Dyangani Ose as director of the forthcoming Abu Dhabi Public Art Biennial looked an ambitious and imaginative move when it was [… more]