Artsy has released its latest monthly selection of exhibitions at small and rising galleries, highlighting five shows across five cities for October. Written by Katie White and published on 6 October, the roundup champions the independent spaces that, in the platform's framing, quietly steal the show while industry giants dominate the headlines. The piece makes a case for the small gallery as the art world's most direct conduit to new work. These are spaces dedicated to showcasing emerging artists, and they have demonstrated notable resilience and adaptability in the years since the pandemic. Away from the crowds and the monumental scale of museum exhibitions, the argument runs, small galleries give visitors immediate, unmediated access to their city's art scene. The format is a deliberate counterweight to the mega-gallery and museum calendar. Instead of star names and blockbuster footfall, the selection points readers toward rooms where discovery is still possible — where a visitor might encounter an artist for the first time, in a space small enough that the encounter feels personal. For the galleries themselves, inclusion in such a roundup is a meaningful signal. Small spaces operate on thin margins and rely on word of mouth; a place on a widely read list can translate into real foot traffic during a show's run. The series has become a recurring fixture, tracking the health of the grassroots exhibition ecosystem month by month. As October's fair season concentrates attention on the largest commercial stages, the roundup serves as a reminder that much of the art world's energy still circulates in modest rooms. For readers planning their month, it offers five starting points — and an implicit invitation to look beyond the obvious.