News

MONTEREY, CA (MARCH 11, 2025) – Aligned with its mission to celebrate the diversity of California art, Monterey Museum of Art (MMA) is proud to announce the selection of 122 artists for the inaugural Monterey Biennial, a juried exhibition celebrating the dynamic and diverse talent of contemporary artists across seven Central California counties. The Museum will showcase the work of artists from Fresno, Kern, Kings, Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz, and San Luis Obispo Counties, who embody the region's vibrant creative spirit. The exhibition will be on view May 15 – August 31, 2025, at MMA's Pacific Street location.

MMA Executive Director Corey Madden states "We were thrilled at the response from artists submitting their work for the Monterey Biennial. Our esteemed jurors, Hector Dionicio Mendoza, Demetri Broxton, and Ann Jastrab were able to select from a rich pool of work. The 122 selected works represent a multifaceted and talented group of artists. This exhibition underscores the extraordinary breadth of artistic talent in Central California and provides a platform to amplify the voices of artists working in this culturally rich and ever- evolving region."

Following the theme of Resonance and Reflection, the Museum received more than 800 artworks spanning across all mediums and interpretations of the theme. Each work chosen for the Biennial explores how art resonates with cultural, social, and personal contexts to foster public dialogue about contemporary California art.

Hector Dionicio Mendoza, internationally exhibited artist, professor, and one of three Monterey Biennial jurors reflects on the exhibition explaining, "The artwork selected for the inaugural Monterey Biennial reflects the diverse talent from artists of Central California. The artists that were selected represent a wide range of cultural backgrounds, identities, expertise, and ideas. As one of the jurors, I am honored to collaborate with others on this exhibition that aims to spark discussions about how contemporary art is reflected in this region."

Support for this exhibition provided by Richard Carr and Barbara Schilling, Lynn and Michael Hayford, Jacalyn June Horton, Caroline Scott Low and Graham Low, and Lila and James Thorsen.

Accepted Artists by County
The Museum has accepted artwork from 122 artists across all seven counties.

• Fresno – Jared Barbick, Trishelle Jeffery, Haesook Lee, Samantha León, Hyeyoung Maeng, Julia Scott, Joan Sharma, and Ruth Soderlund.
• Kern – Yvonne Cavanagh and John Harrer.
• Kings – McKenna Schroder.
• Monterey – Nada Abdelshahid, Renata Abma, Debra Achen, Peggy Alonas, Lori Bala, Elizabeth Barlow, Becky Brister, Michael Buckley, Rupert Chambers, Warren Chang, Matt Connors, Edward Corpus, Jim Dultz, Bonnie Rose Fernandez, McKenzie Floyd, Janna Fournier, Armando Franco, Eduardo Fujii, Melanie Gatica, Amanda Gonzales-Butorac, Stacey Gregory, Daniel Gutierrez, Peter Hiller, Nikki Hoff, David Hohmann, Margaret King Hunt, Stephanie Langley, Christopher Leib, Michelle Magdalena Maddox, Molly Martin, Edi Matsumoto, Melanie Mena, Joey Miguel, Carolyn Moore, Richard Murai, Duncan Murray, Elizabeth Murray, Nazz Narte, Daphne Nixon, Catie O'Leary, Michelle Park, Natalia Poehner, Lynda Reed, Juan Reyes, Paul Richmond, Marybeth Rinehart, Denese Sanders, Diana Throgmorton, Kate Tova, Paul Van de Carr, Karen Warwick, Gleidy Wetzel, Robin Winfield, and Alicia Yanosik.
• San Benito – Katherine Filice, Megan Gnekow, Karen Percival, Georgina Rios, and Kathleen Sheridan.
• San Luis Obispo – Elise Coatney, Drew Davis, Marian Galczenski, Elizabeth Hale, Steven Hampton, Delanie Johnson, Carol Paquet, Tracy L. Paz, Colin Pope, Edgar Ramirez, Laurel Sherrie, Wendy Walter, and Kenneth Wilbanks.
• Santa Cruz – Ondea Barbe, Andrea Borsuk, Penny Cagney, Edwin Carungay, Kristiana Chan, Genevieve Daly, Tony DeVarco, Roger Fairley, Janet Fine, Justin Francavilla, Sara Friedlander, Shannon Glasheen, Janet Goldstein, Shelby Graham, Anne Green, Lidia C. Hasenauer, Michele Hausman, Ellis Hepburn, Dee Hooker, Christopher Lawrie, Claire Lerner, Tim Litvin, Lesley Louden, Melanie Maravilla, Evelyn Markasky, Anne Martinete, Aaron Samuel Mulenga, Margaret Niven, Laura Rice, Teddy Ridgeway, Margaret Rinkovsky, Darrah Robinson, Jeanne Rosen Sofen, Rose Sellery, Janice Serilla, Cynthia Siegel, Robynn Smith, Shirin Towfiq, and Mark Yanowsky.

Public Events & Programming
The Monterey Museum of Art invites the public to celebrate the Monterey Biennial through a series of special events:

• Opening Celebration – Saturday, May 17, 2025
• Juror Round Table Discussion – Saturday, June 21, 2025
• Free Museum Admission – Every Sunday through the run of the exhibition

Additional programming and outreach events will be announced on the Museum's website.