May 2–July 25, 2026
Sound Journey with May-ling Martinez and Virgil Sim: Saturday, July 25, 2026, 4 PM

Join artist May-ling Martinez and Virgil Sim for a guided sound bath in the gallery on the final day of the exhibition. This unique program invites participants to engage with the exhibition in a contemplative and immersive setting. Please bring a yoga mat, blanket, cushion, or anything else that will help you sit or lie comfortably during the program. Please arrive early to get settled. 

Opening Reception: Saturday, July 11, 5–8 PM
July 11–August 8, 2026

We are pleased to announce our Faculty & Staff Exhibition in the Palmer Gallery at the Athenaeum Art Center. The heart of the Athenaeum’s School of the Arts is our faculty, whose knowledge and expertise embrace all aspects of fine art. In this exhibition of our teaching artists’ current work, viewers will enjoy the broad range of mediums and techniques that characterize our faculty’s versatility, from painting to book arts, printmaking, ceramics, illustration, painting, and beyond. Their dedication to lifelong learning and exploration continues to inspire students who take classes in both our Logan Heights and La Jolla studios. The Faculty Exhibition reflects the Athenaeum’s ongoing commitment to fine arts education and its role as a vibrant cultural hub in San Diego’s art community.

Opening Reception: Saturday, May 16, 5–8 PM
May 16–July 3, 2026

The Athenaeum Art Center is proud to present an exhibition of artwork by graduate and upper-division undergraduate students of the School of Art and Design at San Diego State University. Since 2002, the SDSU Art Council has awarded scholarships to a select number of students who, in addition to the Council's financial support, receive the opportunity to present their artwork at the Athenaeum.

Saturday, May 9, 2026
12–8 PM

Every year around Mother's Day, the Athenaeum Art Center (AAC) opens its doors to the community for a festive, bilingual pop-up exhibition that honors mothers and maternal figures across cultures. Drawing on the traditions of Día de las Madres, rooted in Mexican cultural heritage and the spirit of the broader Mother's Day weekend, this annual event brings together local artists, families, and neighbors for an afternoon and evening of art, music, craft demonstrations, and connection. 

May 2–July 25, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, May 1, 5:30–7:30 PM
Artist Talk: Friday, May 1, 5:30–6:15 PM

The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library is pleased to present Within the Context of Time, a two-person exhibition bringing together new and recent works by May-ling Martinez and Coralys Carter. On view from May 2 through July 25, 2026, the exhibition explores memory, time, and family history through two distinct yet deeply resonant artistic practices. 

Opening Reception: Saturday, March 14, 2026, 5–8 PM
March 14–May 7, 2026

In this exhibition, Annie Alarcón presents a body of ceramic sculptures that move between vessel, body, and offering. Rooted in personal writings, sketches, and ritual practice, the works trace an intimate emotional landscape shaped by memory, grief, and care. Drawing inspiration from ancient Greek perfume bottles, Alarcón treats the vessel as a keeper of the intangible, holding what is invisible, fleeting, and impossible to fully contain. 

January 24–April 25, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, January 23, 5:30–7:30 PM
Artist Talk: Friday, January 23, 5:30–6:15 PM

People sometimes have the same name. As an imperfect example of this phenomenon, this upcoming exhibition will pair two Baders: Daren and Darren. The two have never met in person but have been in contact—on and off—since 2013. Both have intimate relationships to San Diego and art making. This exhibition will bring about their first in-person meeting and a co-curated confluence of contrasting approaches to crafting art.

Opening Reception: Saturday, January 10, 2026, 5–8 PM
January 10–March 7, 2026

The Athenaeum Art Center presents All Shall Be Well, Jonathan Paul Parker’s first solo exhibition, on view January 10–March 7, 2026. Featuring paintings and explorative drawings, Parker’s practice centers on an intuitive, process-based approach to painting that explores the threshold between perception and inner experience. Using color, gesture, and rhythm, he works in a state of focused openness that allows intuitive and archetypal forms to surface. His process draws on the idea of active imagination, where inner images and impulses rise to awareness and shape the direction of the work.  

Opening Reception: Saturday, December 13, 5–8 PM
November 29, 2025–January 3, 2026

We are pleased to announce our Faculty & Staff Exhibition in the Palmer Gallery at the Athenaeum Art Center. The heart of the Athenaeum’s School of the Arts is our faculty, whose knowledge and expertise embrace all aspects of fine art. In this exhibition of our teaching artists’ current work, viewers will enjoy the broad range of mediums and techniques that characterize our faculty’s versatility, from painting to book arts, printmaking, ceramics, illustration, painting, and beyond. Their dedication to lifelong learning and exploration continues to inspire students who take classes in both our Logan Heights and La Jolla studios. The Faculty Exhibition reflects the Athenaeum’s ongoing commitment to fine arts education and its role as a vibrant cultural hub in San Diego’s art community.

Saturday, October 25, 2025
2–7 PM

Mark the final day of Helena Westra’s installation Lying Fallow with an afternoon of creative celebration at the Athenaeum Art Center. Drop in anytime between 2 and 7 p.m. for this free, all-ages gathering. Harvest the golden meadow grass from the installation and transform it into autumn treasures—wreaths, straw dolls, bundles, and other imaginative creations. Take home a piece of the artwork, enjoy time with friends and neighbors, and embrace the spirit of the season.

October 25, 2025–January 17, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, October 24, 5:30–8 PM
Conversation with Nolan Oswald Dennis and critic KJ Abudu: 5:30–6:15 PM

INSITE is pleased to announce Nolan Oswald Dennis: Demonstrations (i), opening at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla, California, this October. Nolan Oswald Dennis (b. 1988, Lusaka, Zambia) is an artist based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Informed by the study of geological and planetary systems—and situated within African and diasporic relations to the land, cosmos, and anti-colonial political structures—Dennis’s work approaches the world as it is while mapping possibilities for transforming it. Demonstrations (i) marks the West Coast premiere of Isivivane, an ongoing project by Dennis that replicates rock specimens from geology museums and university departments in South Africa and parts of the world where the work has been shown. Originally commissioned for INSITE Commonplaces in Johannesburg in 2021, this project has since traveled to the Kunstinstituut Melly in Rotterdam, Netherlands; the Swiss Institute in New York; and Gasworks in London.

Saturday, September 20, 2025
5–8 PM

Celebrate the Autumnal Equinox at the Athenaeum Art Center with an evening honoring the turning of the seasons. Gather in the gallery amidst Lying Fallow, Helena Westra’s immersive indoor meadow, for an artist talk, poetry readings, and an experimental sound bath by musician Daniel Henderson. Seasonal refreshments will be served. Send off the summer in the company of art, nature, and community. Admission is free, and all are welcome.

Opening Reception: Saturday, August 9, 5–8 PM
August 9–October 25, 2025

Lying Fallow is a golden meadow brought indoors and an invitation to rest. In this installation of hand-gathered California grasses, artist Helena Westra creates a space shaped by slowness, reflection, and return. The title comes from the agricultural term “lying fallow,” used when a field is left unplanted for a season so the soil can restore its strength. For Westra, this idea becomes a metaphor for creative and personal renewal. 

July 26–October 18, 2025
Opening Reception: Friday, July 25, 5:30–7:30 PM

One of the most prestigious juried shows in San Diego, the Athenaeum’s 33rd Annual Juried Exhibition will be on view this summer and fall, July 26 through October 18, 2025. This year 315 artists entered about 900 works for consideration. Juror Malcolm Warner, art historian and curator, selected the final 29 artists and 29 works to exhibit. Prizewinners, including the recipient of the Leslie Von Kolb Memorial Award, will be announced at the opening reception on Friday, July 25, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 12, 2025
5–8 PM

Join us, Saturday, July 12, for MATRICES, a project showcase reception featuring new prints by Christian Olid-Ramirez created during his residency at the Athenaeum Art Center Print Studio.

Artists Talk: Saturday, July 12, 5:30–6:30 PM
May 17–July 26, 2025

Join us, Saturday, July 12, for a talk with student artists in celebration of the 20th Annual SDSU Art Council Scholarship Exhibition. From 5:30 to 6:30 PM, each artist will share insight into their work and creative process in short, 10-minute talks.⁠

April 26–July 19, 2025
Panel Discussion: Wednesday, June 25, 6:30 PM (5:30–6 PM members-only reception; 6 PM general reception; 6:30 PM lecture)

Please join us for a panel discussion with mika Castañeda and Cat Gunn of Harvest & Gather, along with artists featured in the Athenaeum’s current exhibition missed connections, Deanna Barahona and Maria Antonia Eguiarte Souza. A members-only reception will take place from 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. The reception for all ticketholders will take place at 6:00 p.m., followed by a lecture at 6:30 p.m.

Deadline to Enter: Friday, June 20, 2025 by 11:59 p.m. PDT.

The call for entries for the Athenaeum's33rd Annual Juried Exhibition will open April 1 through June 20, 2025. Artists may enter up to three different works for juror consideration for this exhibition, which will open July 26. Our juror this year is art historian and curator Malcolm Warner. Entry fee per artist is $15 for members and $20 for non-members. 

Opening Reception: Saturday, May 24, 5–7 PM
May 24–June 14, 2025

The Student Exhibition will include works by students who have completed a class at the Athenaeum School of the Arts during the last two years. Artwork entries for this exhibition will be accepted between Monday, March 3–Friday, May 9, 2025. Each artist may enter up to one (1) artwork for this exhibition. Artists will be notified via email after May 12.

Opening Reception: Saturday, May 17, 5–8 PM
May 17–July 26, 2025

The Athenaeum Art Center is proud to present an exhibition of artwork by graduate and upper-division undergraduate students of the School of Art and Design at San Diego State University. Since 2002, the SDSU Art Council has awarded scholarships to a select number of students who, in addition to the Council's financial support, receive the opportunity to present their artwork at the Athenaeum.

Opening Reception: Saturday, May 10, 1–8 PM
May 9–10, 2025

Celebrate Mother’s Day with us at the Athenaeum Art Center (1955 Julian Avenue, San Diego 92113)! Join us for a special pop-up exhibition opening, May 9 and 10, with a reception on Saturday, May 10, 1–8 PM, featuring live mariachi (1:30–3:30 PM) and printmaking demos. Submit artwork by Friday, May 2, to be included.

April 26–July 19, 2025
Gallery Walk-through with mika Castañeda and Cat Gunn: Saturday, April 26, at 2 PM, free

Harvest & Gather is pleased to present missed connections, an exhibition that facilitates collaboration between artists who might have once worked together, but the stars did not align in their favor or their spirits could not quite connect. Each invited artist has selected another artist to exhibit with, thus fulfilling their missed connection at the Athenaeum. Moving beyond an exchange of glances but nothing more and the “you-smiled-at-me-on-the-subway-platform” prose of personal ads, Harvest & Gather seeks to allow the exhibiting artists a working opportunity to intimately connect with another artist’s work and practice. Artists are Deanna Barahona and Susan Aparicio; Katie Delaney and Elaine Fisher; Maria Antonia Eguiarte and Liz Nurenberg; and Stephen Rivas and A.R. Tran.

April 26–July 19, 2025
Opening Reception: Friday, April 25, 5:30–7:30 PM

Harvest & Gather is pleased to present missed connections, an exhibition that facilitates collaboration between artists who might have once worked together, but the stars did not align in their favor or their spirits could not quite connect. Each invited artist has selected another artist to exhibit with, thus fulfilling their missed connection at the Athenaeum. Moving beyond an exchange of glances but nothing more and the “you-smiled-at-me-on-the-subway-platform” prose of personal ads, Harvest & Gather seeks to allow the exhibiting artists a working opportunity to intimately connect with another artist’s work and practice. Artists are Deanna Barahona and Susan Aparicio; Katie Delaney and Elaine Fisher; Maria Antonia Eguiarte and Liz Nurenberg; and Stephen Rivas and A.R. Tran.

Opening Reception: Saturday, March 22, 5–8 PM
March 22–May 10, 2025

I Thought I’d Be Braver, Jiang’s debut solo exhibition, is a decade-long chronicle of her journey toward emotional courage. Her early work, characterized by bold colors and harsh textures, reflects the pain of repressed emotions and a fear of vulnerability. Gradually, this aesthetic softens into one of sheer, vibrant hues and delicate layers, mirroring her internal shift toward nurturance, forgiveness, and compassion. A testament to the beauty and complexity of spiritual survival, Jiang’s work offers viewers a poignant reminder of the courage and tenderness of the human heart.

January 18–April 19, 2025

Gallery Walk-through: Saturday, January 18, 11 AM

Julian Tan will give a free gallery walk-through of his Athenaeum exhibition, End Trances.

January 18–April 19, 2025

Opening Reception: Friday, January 17, 5:30–7:30 PM

For his exhibition End Trances, Los Angeles–based painter Julian Tan has created a body of work centered on a blinding, mysterious light in the sky and humans’ moments of wonder, panic, and solace as they witness it. In creating these paintings, Tan was thinking about recent trends including the use of AI in art making, the vastness of knowledge at our fingertips in a world dominated by instant information, public fascination with unidentified aerial phenomena, and a pervasive sense of being at the precipice of something—whether the end of the world or a cultural shift we have yet to understand as a society. The unknown light offers us all a glimpse of our own humanity, a sublime focal point in each work that remains open to interpretation.

Opening Reception: Saturday, January 11, 5–8 PM (during the Barrio Art Crawl)

January 11–March 14, 2025

Ana María Herrera’s work explores identity, displacement, and cultural coexistence through an intricate blend of found objects and diverse materials, such as wood, glass, metal, and fabric. Her compositions reflect the ephemeral nature of existence, particularly in the border region, where the complexities of migration and cultural negotiation are ever-present. By incorporating photographs, textiles, and three-dimensional elements, Herrera examines the emotional and physical boundaries that shape personal and collective identities, addressing themes of vulnerability, resistance, and resilience within the contemporary sociopolitical landscape. 

Opening Reception: Saturday, November 9, 5–8 PM (during the Barrio Art Crawl)

November 9, 2024–January 3, 2025

We are pleased to announce a Faculty & Staff Exhibition at the AAC Gallery. Athenaeum School of the Arts faculty and Athenaeum Music & Arts Library staff will submit a piece to display.

October 19, 2024–January 11, 2025

Opening Reception: Friday, October 18, 6:30–8:30 PM

Carlos Castro Arias will be exhibiting his newest project, The Splinter in the Eye, an installation composed of paintings and objects in which the artist reflects about memory, trauma, and elements of the individual and collective identity.