Upcoming Exhibits

2027 Exhibit Themes

Art With Heart: Valentines Pop-up
Curator: Johanna McCormick
February is coming up, and love is in the air! And now more than ever, our world needs to see what love looks like. Love doesn’t just come in the romantic form, it comes in many ways that we all can relate to. Love is all around us, but each one of us experiences it differently. In relationships, friendships, or acts of kindness, love isn’t going to be the same for everyone, and that’s okay. We need to bring this awareness to our world, and we can—through art. For this short exhibit, we ask artists to bring in heart-themed work that would make a perfect Valentine’s gift for someone you love… including yourself! Reduced entry fee. All work must be for sale.

Radical
Curator: Jen Hennig
A show by and for women to express themselves. Far too long have we been silenced, dismissed and subordinated as speaking out for our equality has been labeled ‘radical’. In one way it is. Delving into the source of our inequalities is radical. Who is deciding and who is being decided about? And history repeats itself over and over as balance is still yet to be. We invite women to express themselves in this exhibit to eliminate our inequalities of existence. It’s time now, more than ever. We may manifest change. Be radical. 

Spring into Art: 28th Annual Youth Art Exhibit
Curators: Rae Rodriguez and Cindy Laurin
Big ideas. Wild colors. Tiny details. Giant imaginations. There’s nothing quite like seeing what happens when young artists are given a space to show the world what they see, think, and create. Paint it. Draw it. Build it. Sculpt it. Stitch it. Photograph it. Dream it up and make it your own. Spring into Art brings together young artists up to age 18 from throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Cruz County for a joyful gallery exhibition all their own. No class experience needed, just bring your creativity and the artwork you’re excited to share.

Featured Artist: Barbara Thomas
Celebrate Barbara: Opening the Door for Spirit
Curator: Tina Masciocchi with Barbara Thomas
I am an artist in Life, Color and Words. My service is to awaken consciousness to the spiritual dimension of life, relating with the angelic and elemental world of nature. I will be celebrating my 100^th birthday this year. I am excited to share this retrospective of 70 years of paintings and textiles at the Art Center. From the age of 4 I have been playing with color, and since I started painting, color has always been the focus. I was once asked, how does God show you that s/he loves you? And the answer surprised me, the answer was Color.

A Moment in Time: Photography
Curators: Susan Archibald and Bari Lee
Calling all photographers! Are you a visual storyteller? Santa Cruz Mountain Art Center invites you to bring in your work for an open-themed photography exhibition. All subjects, styles, genres and approaches to photographic craftsmanship are welcome. We want to see what inspires you to capture a moment in time through your lens!

Fragments & Fusion: Mixed Media
Curator: Janet Silverglate
We invite artists to explore the limitless possibilities of mixed media in this open invitational exhibit celebrating experimentation, creativity, and the art of combining materials. We are seeking works that incorporate a variety of physical materials, art supplies, and techniques on a single tangible surface or three-dimensional object. From layered collage and intricate assemblage to sculptural forms and experimental combinations of wet and dry media, artists are encouraged to push beyond traditional boundaries and discover unexpected ways to bring materials together.
Whether combining paint, ink, paper, fabric, found objects, natural elements, photography, textiles, or unconventional materials, each work should demonstrate a thoughtful and expressive interplay of textures, forms, and processes. Artists working in all styles and approaches are encouraged to participate. Celebrate the unexpected, embrace experimentation, and share work that reflects the diverse and imaginative world of mixed media.

Featured Artist: Johanna McCormick
Along My Way
Curator: Johanna McCormick

The Gift of Art
Curators: Judy Person and Bela Ravikumar
Once again we will have our popular holiday gift exhibit. For this show we ask artists to submit work that is suitable for gift giving. Framed paintings, crafty wall hangings, functional ceramics, sculpture, jewelry, cards, glass, woodwork, etc! All mediums are welcome. But all submissions must be for sale. Open to artists 18 years and older.