Current Exhibition

HERE / NOW

SMC Art Mentor Program Exhibition

May 22 - June 5, 2025

Opening Reception: Thursday, May 22, 5 - 8 p.m.

The Pete and Susan Barrett Gallery is proud to present HERE/NOW, a group exhibition of student work made in Santa Monica College’s Artist Mentor Program. Dormant for almost a decade, previously known for producing the leading contemporaries in the art world, Mentor is now back. A collection of driven artists under the guidance of Emily Silver and Carlson Hatton form a community dedicated to pushing each other’s practice.

HERE/NOW embodies both the time and space we habit. How do we respond to and shape our surroundings? What does it mean to be present? Engaging with our environment through the visual, auditorial, and tactile, we define our world’s orientation: here and now. Coming from varied phases of life, cultural backgrounds, and beliefs, the works represent who we are as individuals as well as our collective voice.

It is our job as artists to define the present. The 2025 mentor class is heavily engaged in the social and political issues that will impact our futures. Why is “now” important? Marking the moments of omnipresent transition, this show is a time capsule. The art anchors the viewer in the present through confrontation, authenticity, and humor. In the future we will be able to reflect on events, ideas, and emotions that become versions of who we are, where we are, and when we are.

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Artists