SMC Art Mentor Program “HERE/NOW Exhibit, May 22-June 5

Santa Monica College Art Mentor Program Exhibition Opening Reception May 22

“HERE/NOW” Exhibit Runs May 22-June 5

SANTA MONICA, CA — The Santa Monica College Pete & Susan Barrett Art Gallery presents the SMC Art Mentor Program Exhibit, with the theme for this year’s group exhibition of student work being “HERE/NOW.” The free exhibition featuring pieces chosen from a variety of works submitted by students in the SMC Art Mentor Program will be open to the public from Thursday, May 22 through Friday, June 6. An opening reception will be held in the gallery from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 22.

The exhibition’s theme was selected by the SMC art students with these thoughts in mind:

“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.

The Santa Monica College Art Mentor Program is designed for gifted and burgeoning art majors who are building a portfolio of work with the goal of transferring to a four-year arts program. The Art Mentor Program fosters an environment that encourages collaboration and offers in-depth studio discourse, individual studio visits, professional artist presentations, and rigorous group-critiques. SMC Art Department faculty invite students with exceptional talent and a strong academic record to join the program and explore and develop their artistic practice in an experimental and interdisciplinary manner. Dormant for nearly a decade, the SMC Art Mentor Program — which helped develop some of the leading artists in the contemporary the art world — was recently revived under the guidance of Pete & Susan Barrett Art Gallery director Emily Silver and SMC art instructor Carlson Hatton.

SMC's Pete & Susan Barrett Art Gallery is located at the SMC Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th Street (at Santa Monica Boulevard), Santa Monica. Exhibits, gallery talks, and opening receptions are free.

Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

For more information, please call 310-434-3434.

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