MONTEREY, CA The Monterey Museum of Art is pleased to announce that the first exhibition in the Monterey NOW series will open to the public on August 17, 2006 and run through October 29, 2006. Inaugurating this invitational series is one of the Monterey Peninsula’s most-esteemed artists, Barry Masteller. “From his Surrealist-inspired canvases of the mid-1970s through his poetic landscapes of the late 1990s, Barry Masteller has demonstrated a profound intellectual curiosity and sustained passion for art making. The Monterey Museum of Art is honored to celebrate his important contribution to the visual arts community,” says Executive Director Michael Whittington.

For Monterey NOW, Masteller will unveil recent paintings from his Boulevard Series, never previously exhibited in Monterey County. “The haunting stillness of these urban scenes pushes Masteller’s longtime engagement with landscape in a new, compelling direction,” adds Marcelle Polednik, Director of Collections and Exhibitions.

Public Program:In Dialogue: A Conversation between Barry Masteller and Marcelle Polednik, MMA Director of Collections and Exhibitions. September 16, 2006 at 4 p.m. This program will be held at the Museum’s La Mirada location.

Modeled after nationally-acclaimed series such as the Whitney Museum of Art’s Bucksbaum Award, the mission of Monterey NOW is to identify and commend local artists who have made a significant contribution to the visual arts, regionally as well as nationally.

Monterey NOW is sponsored by Bill and Barbara Hyland.