Blood Memory
Blood Memory is a major exhibition that examines how ancestral knowledge and cultural memory continue to shape the present through contemporary art practices. The exhibition centers the work of regional artists from Native nations and Indigenous communities who consider how ancestral knowledge and lived experience are passed on across generations. Through installation, painting, sculpture, film, photography, fashion, and design, the exhibition presents inheritance as an active and sometimes unsettled process. Histories may be preserved, questioned, reclaimed, or understood anew.
The exhibition takes its title from a term developed across the writing of Kiowa author N. Scott Momaday. In his work, memory can extend beyond the limits of an individual life. It may emerge in an intuitive recognition of place, in an ancestral story felt with the force of personal memory, or through relationships sustained by language, oral tradition, imagination, and land. The artists in Blood Memory direct attention toward these forms of inheritance, and investigate how the past remains present in the body, in materials and images, and in the choices artists make now.
Featured Artists
Esteban Cabeza de Baca, Fox Maxy, Gail Werner, Gerald Clarke, Johnny Bear Contreras, Lewis deSoto, Robert Freeman, Matthew Valdivia, Sky Hopinka, Summer Herrera, Tiffany Wolfe, X, and XoQUE Art in Motion.
The exhibition includes a presentation organized by Cheryl Madrigal, Cultural Resources Manager of the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians, drawing upon the work of the Wa$xayam Pomki Museum.
The exhibition also includes Before There Were Borders, an interactive extended reality mural by OurWorlds, presented as a digitally connected counterpart to the eponymous mural at the San Diego Central Library in downtown San Diego. Museum visitor contributions will become visible to Central Library patrons, and vice versa, creating an evolving exchange between the two sites. The project was created by OurWorlds in collaboration with members of the Cahuilla, Kumeyaay, Payómkawichum, and Kuupangaxwichem communities.
Support
Major support is provided by the Henry Luce Foundation, the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians, and the California Center for the Arts Charitable Trust, with additional production support from George’s Camera.
Art + Wellness: Sound Meditation and Healing Movement
Join sound healer and movement practitioner Noriko Whitfield for an immersive session exploring the connection between body, mind, and art. Through guided sound meditation and gentle movement, participants will engage in practices that support emotional balance, nervous system regulation, and self-awareness.
With over 16 years of experience in sound therapy and energy healing, Whitfield creates a calming environment that invites reflection and inner stillness. This session is open to all levels. No prior experience is needed.
Please dress comfortably and bring a yoga mat. A pillow and sweater or blanket are also recommended.
Museum Store Sunday
Visit the California Center for the Arts Museum Store for a special shopping day celebrating the vital role museums and cultural institutions play in their communities!
Museum Store Sunday offers a unique shopping experience at our campus’s one-of-a-kind Museum Store, featuring a carefully curated selection of mission-inspired gifts. Explore new items added just for this event, including books, jewelry, and handcrafted gifts, and enjoy exclusive discounts throughout the day as you “Shop with Purpose.”
Enjoy extended Museum Store Sunday promotions and receive 15% off all merchandise through December 6, 2026. Proceeds from your purchases will directly support the museum’s mission and educational programs.
Museum Store Hours
Regular Hours:
Wednesdays – Saturdays: 11AM – 5PM
Sundays: 1PM – 5PM
Special Hours:
Closed: November 26-27, December 24-25
The Museum Store is free to access during regular hours through the Museum’s entry lobby.
About Museum Store Sunday
Museum Store Sunday, occurring annually the Sunday after Thanksgiving, takes place this year on Sunday, November 29, 2026 with participation by more than 2,100 Museum Stores representing all 50 states, 24 countries, and five continents to date.
Museum Store Sunday was launched in 2017 by the Museum Store Association (MSA) a 501(c)3 international organization with the mission of advancing the nonprofit retail industry, its museum stores, and the success of the professionals engaged in it.
Workshop | Mosaics with Fernanda Gaspar
Mosaics with Fernanda Gaspar
December 12, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Registration: $35 per person, including materials
Join artist Fernanda Gaspar to create your own glass mosaic trivet. Learn to cut small pieces of colored glass and arrange them like a puzzle on a wooden base to form a picture or pattern. Fernanda will guide you through composing your design, securing the pieces, and finishing the surface with grout. Explore color and shape while making a small work of art to enjoy on your coffee table or display on the wall.
All materials included. No experience necessary.
About the Instructor
Fernanda Gaspar is an artist and jeweler from Guadalajara, Mexico, currently based in San Diego, California. She received her BA in Business Administration from San Diego State University, along with a minor in Jewelry and Metalwork. Fernanda is passionate about making, sharing, and building community through craft. She was the Pocosin Arts Metals Artist in Residence from 2024–2025 and has also taught at craft institutions such as Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. These days, she works out of her San Diego studio, teaches part-time at Grossmont College and the San Diego Jewelry Academy, and coordinates the Summer Metals J.A.M. program at Idyllwild Arts.
Art + Wellness: Sound Meditation and Healing Movement
Join sound healer and movement practitioner Noriko Whitfield for an immersive session exploring the connection between body, mind, and art. Through guided sound meditation and gentle movement, participants will engage in practices that support emotional balance, nervous system regulation, and self-awareness.
With over 16 years of experience in sound therapy and energy healing, Whitfield creates a calming environment that invites reflection and inner stillness. This session is open to all levels. No prior experience is needed.
Please dress comfortably and bring a yoga mat. A pillow and sweater or blanket are also recommended.
Workshop Series: Printmaking and the Contemporary Amoxtli with José Hugo Sánchez
Image: José Hugo Sánchez: Amoxtlis, Installation view, California Center for the Arts Museum, June 6 — August 16, 2026. Photo: Philipp Scholz Rittermann.
Printmaking and the Contemporary Amoxtli with José Hugo Sánchez
Dates: Sundays, January 10–February 28, 2027 | 1:00–5:00 PM
Location: Museum Art Lab
$400 per participant for eight sessions, including materials
Registration deadline: January 8, 2027
This workshop series introduces participants to the artistic language of relief color printmaking while exploring the symbolic universe of the amoxtli/Codex Borgia, one of the greatest pictorial manuscripts of ancient Mesoamerica.
Participants will learn both the practical techniques of color printmaking and the philosophical foundations of the amoxtli/codex tradition. Throughout the sessions, students will create an original contemporary amoxtli/codex, interpreting present-day life through symbols, narrative sequences, memory, family, community, ecology, contemporary mythology, ritual and personal experience. Students will study its visual language and reinterpret its principles through contemporary practice.
This series combines historical knowledge, studio production, creative research, and personal reflection. Each participant will develop original imagery and assemble a finished book. Sessions combine discussion with demonstrations and guided studio work. Sánchez will provide individual feedback as you develop your imagery, refine your printing techniques, and bring your book together.
Organized by the California Center for the Arts Museum in collaboration with José Hugo Sánchez.
Who This Workshop Is For
This series is for adults and teens ages 15 and older interested in printmaking, artist books, and visual storytelling. Instruction begins with tool safety and introductory relief-printing techniques before progressing to multicolor printing and book assembly.
The sessions build on one another, so participants should plan to attend the complete series.
What You’ll Learn and Make
Throughout the course, you will:
Explore how images and symbols communicate meaning in the Codex Borgia and develop your own imagery in response.
Transfer drawings to linoleum and use carving tools safely.
Mix printing inks and use registration methods to align successive layers of color.
Organize individual prints into a connected visual narrative.
Assemble and finish an original pictorial book.
You’ll leave with a contemporary amoxtli of your own design and practical experience in relief color printmaking.
Weekly Schedule
January 10 | Introduction to Pictorial Storytelling and Relief Printmaking
Begin with an introduction to the Codex Borgia and its use of images and symbols to communicate meaning. Drawing exercises will help you develop ideas for your own pictorial book. In the studio, learn safe handling of carving tools and make practice cuts in linoleum, exploring texture and the relationship between printed and unprinted areas.
January 17 | Creation Stories and Personal Imagery
Explore representations of creation, deities, and the natural world in the Codex Borgia. Use the discussion as a starting point for developing your own visual vocabulary. Learn methods for transferring drawings onto linoleum, begin carving your first image, and pull a black-ink proof to assess the design and identify areas for refinement.
January 24 | Ritual and the Introduction of Color
Consider how images convey ceremony, offerings, and the cycles of human life. Continue refining your carved imagery while preparing additional blocks for color printing. Learn to mix inks and establish a registration system—a method for aligning successive impressions—before printing your first color layers.
January 31 | Calendars and Layered Color
Discuss the relationships between time, numbers, and recurring cycles in the Codex Borgia’s divinatory calendar. In the studio, build on your earlier prints by adding color layers. Experiment with transparent ink and overlapping colors while refining registration and considering how color changes the mood and readability of an image.
February 7 | Dreams and Symbolic Imagery
Develop images that explore dreams, animal companions, and changes in identity. Continue developing your own images through multiblock printing. Experiment with texture and repeated forms, considering how layered imagery and visual rhythm can connect one page of your book to the next.
February 14 | Contemporary Stories and Book Development
Consider how symbols can communicate experiences of migration, community, or environmental change. Begin arranging your prints into a contemporary amoxtli, deciding how the story unfolds across multiple pages. Combine printed imagery with collage or other media, and identify any additional images needed to complete the sequence.
February 21 | Printing and Assembling the Amoxtli
Discuss how pictorial storytelling can help us reflect on contemporary life and imagine the future. Complete remaining prints and edit your page sequence with guidance from José. Learn assembly, binding, and finishing techniques as you bring the individual pages together into a finished book.
February 28 | Finishing and Sharing Your Work
Complete final printing and finishing details, then photograph your work for documentation. Share your amoxtli with the group and discuss the imagery, technical decisions, and experiences that shaped it. The series concludes with a presentation of participants’ books and prints and a reflection on the creative process.
About José Hugo Sánchez
José Hugo Sánchez is a multidisciplinary artist and educator whose practice centers on monumental printmaking and the cultural exchanges between Mexico and the United States. Drawing from Mesoamerican codices, contemporary Chicano visual culture, and mass media, he develops a visual language he describes as “pop-multiculture.”
His exhibition history includes Polinización at the Museo Nacional de la Estampa in Mexico City and Umbra: New Prints for a Dark Age, selected by Alison Saar at International Print Center New York. Centro Cultural Tijuana presented a retrospective marking thirty years of his artistic practice in 2014. His work has also been exhibited at the San Diego Art Institute and internationally.
Sánchez brings extensive experience teaching printmaking and monumental image-making. His teaching residencies have included San Diego Mesa College, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Academia de las Artes de San Alejandro in Havana, and Centro de las Artes de Baja California in Mexicali. He also founded La Huella, a printmaking research workshop at Centro Cultural Tijuana.
Materials and Registration
The registration fee includes all required materials, including linoleum blocks, carving tools, printing inks, paper, and printing supplies. The eight-session series provides 32 hours of instruction.
Enrollment is limited to 20 participants.
Questions
For program questions or accommodation requests, contact:
Belen Torralba, Museum Education Coordinator, at btorralba@artcenter.org.
Art + Wellness: Sound Meditation and Healing Movement
Join sound healer and movement practitioner Noriko Whitfield for an immersive session exploring the connection between body, mind, and art. Through guided sound meditation and gentle movement, participants will engage in practices that support emotional balance, nervous system regulation, and self-awareness.
With over 16 years of experience in sound therapy and energy healing, Whitfield creates a calming environment that invites reflection and inner stillness. This session is open to all levels. No prior experience is needed.
Please dress comfortably and bring a yoga mat. A pillow and sweater or blanket are also recommended.
OPaf South 2
OPaf South 2, presented by Other Places and Harvest & Gather, will transform the campus of the California Center for the Arts, Escondido into a day-long meeting ground for artists and ideas.
Participants 2026
BAB & Friends / Wild Geese / An Interval /Hag Stone Fountains / sspatz / Project PAINT: the Prison Arts Initiative / Until Silence Falls / Undercurrent Artist Collective / Karah Lain / Drawing Village Time / Home Was the Place I Longed for, Not Where I Lived / beauty in movement / Pin-Up Moms, Bella Pettengill / Utlitarian Mud / elegia incorporate / We the Gadflys / Fishing for a Sound, Aeolian Forms for San Diego's Mission Bay
A calendar of OPaf South–related events will be posted at opaf.info.
Admission is free, with a suggested $5 donation to Other Places to sustain future programming.
About Other Places
Other Places is a Los Angeles–based 501(c)(3) arts organization founded in 2017 to challenge commercial and institutional models by supporting art exhibition practices outside the mainstream. Since 2018, Other Places has organized Other Places art fair (OPaf) – a public program which reimagines what an art fair can be and whom it can serve – in Los Angeles, Santa Rosa, San Diego, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Kyoto. OPaf cultivates a global network of independent art project spaces and artist-run platforms worldwide. In 2025, Other Places launched STAR150 PRESS, an imprint that publishes artist books and printed materials that reflect the same values as our exhibitions and events: experimental, collaborative, and rooted in dialogue over market logic.
Art + Wellness: Sound Meditation and Healing Movement
Join sound healer and movement practitioner Noriko Whitfield for an immersive session exploring the connection between body, mind, and art. Through guided sound meditation and gentle movement, participants will engage in practices that support emotional balance, nervous system regulation, and self-awareness.
With over 16 years of experience in sound therapy and energy healing, Whitfield creates a calming environment that invites reflection and inner stillness. This session is open to all levels. No prior experience is needed.
Please dress comfortably and bring a yoga mat. A pillow and sweater or blanket are also recommended.
Worldwide Day of Play at the Museum
Join us for the Museum’s first Nickelodeon Our World: Worldwide Day of Play event—a day of artmaking, exploration, and active play for children and families.
Play can take many forms. It can be physical and social, but it can also begin with imagination, storytelling, creativity, and experimentation. Through hands-on activities and playful encounters with art, families are invited to discover new ways of seeing, making, and engaging with the world around them.
Begin your visit with an interactive “I Spy” scavenger hunt through the Museum’s galleries. The activity encourages children to look closely at the artwork and consider how artists use imagination and storytelling. After completing the scavenger hunt, families can collect a small prize and continue the experience with creative activities and family-friendly music in the Museum Courtyard.
Activities
Gallery Scavenger Hunt: Explore the Museum through a family-friendly search for details, forms, and stories hidden throughout the galleries.
Slime Station: Create your own slime by choosing from different colors, textures, materials, and mix-ins.
Kite Decorating: Design and decorate a kite using a variety of art materials, then take it to Grape Day Park for more outdoor play.
All ages are welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Art + Wellness: Sound Meditation and Healing Movement
Join sound healer and movement practitioner Noriko Whitfield for an immersive session exploring the connection between body, mind, and art. Through guided sound meditation and gentle movement, participants will engage in practices that support emotional balance, nervous system regulation, and self-awareness.
With over 16 years of experience in sound therapy and energy healing, Whitfield creates a calming environment that invites reflection and inner stillness. This session is open to all levels. No prior experience is needed.
Please dress comfortably and bring a yoga mat. A pillow and sweater or blanket are also recommended.
Bird Outing with Tony Bingham and SoCal Bird Nerds
Bird Outing and Art Connection with Tony Bingham and SoCal Bird Nerds
Saturday, August 15, 2026
8:00–11:00 AM
Coleman Creek, Wynola, near Julian
Join artist Tony Bingham and SoCal Bird Nerds for a guided bird outing along Coleman Creek, followed by an outdoor talk connecting the area’s natural environment with its history and Bingham’s artistic practice.
The group will explore the approximate site of Coleman Camp, an African American community associated with the Julian gold rush whose physical traces have largely disappeared from the landscape. Following the bird outing, Bingham will discuss his multimedia artwork in Field Notes on Memory, currently on view at the California Center for the Arts Museum, and its connections to Coleman Creek, local habitats, history, and memory.
Schedule
8:00–8:15 a.m.
Introductions
8:15–10:00 a.m.
Bird outing with SoCal Bird Nerds
10:00–10:45 a.m.
Outdoor art talk with Tony Bingham
Location and Access
The group will meet approximately one-quarter mile down Calico Ranch Road along Coleman Creek. Most of the outing will take place on the dirt road that follows the creek. Optional portions will include creek crossings and rocky, uneven terrain.
The staging area and primary dirt-road route are accessible to wheelchairs and strollers.
Please use this map pin for directions: CLICK HERE
Parking
Parking will be available near the starting point along the dirt road. If additional parking is needed, overflow parking will be available at Heroes Wood-Fired Pizza, and carpools to and from the birding site will be organized that morning.
Restrooms
There are no restrooms at the event site. Restrooms at Calico Cidery, approximately one-half mile away, will open at 11:00 a.m.
Register
All are welcome to join. Advance registration is required.
Artist Talk | Tony Bingham
Art Talk with Tony Bingham
Thursday, August 13, 2026 | 6:00–7:00 p.m. | Zoom
Join artist Tony Bingham for an online presentation exploring the research, histories, and landscapes that inform his work in Field Notes on Memory, currently on view at the California Center for the Arts Museum.
Through a slideshow presentation, Bingham will discuss his multimedia practice and its connection to Coleman Creek near Julian, California. His work brings attention to African American histories associated with the Julian gold rush and Coleman Camp, a community whose physical traces have largely disappeared from the landscape. He will also reflect on the area’s natural habitats and the ways history, memory, and place come together in his work.
This virtual talk will provide context for Bingham’s work in the exhibition and serve as an introduction to the bird walk at Coleman Creek on Saturday, August 15.
Register below to receive a Zoom access link the day before the event.
Chicano Block Party
Chicano Block Party
The Chicano Block Party is an annual celebration of Chicano art, culture, and community presented by the California Center for the Arts Museum in honor of Chicano Heritage Month in California. Inspired by the exhibitions and artists featured at the Museum, the event brings together artists, musicians, lowrider clubs, community organizations, and visitors for a day of art, music, food, and cultural programming.
First launched in 2025 in conjunction with XICANA! San Diego, the Chicano Block Party continues a growing Museum tradition of celebrating the artists, histories, and communities that shape the cultural landscape of Southern California and the Californias.
This year's event is presented in conjunction with Amoxtlis, José Hugo Sánchez's immersive exhibition of monumental woodblock prints, sculpture, animation, and mural-making. The word "block" carries multiple meanings throughout the event: the city block as a place of gathering, the carved woodblock as the foundation of Sánchez's artistic practice, and the important role printmaking has played in the development of Chicano art and visual culture. Throughout the twentieth century, artists have used printmaking to share stories, circulate ideas, advocate for social change, and make art accessible within their communities. The Chicano Block Party honors this legacy by bringing together artists, makers, and organizations whose work continues to build upon these traditions today.
Throughout the day, visitors can explore a lowrider car show organized in collaboration with Lady Lowriders Car Club, an artist market featuring local printmakers, artisans, and makers, live music and performances, artist demonstrations, workshops, and activities presented in collaboration with community organizations from across the region. Inside the Museum, José Hugo Sánchez will create a woodblock-printed mural live in the gallery alongside his work in Amoxtlis, offering visitors a unique opportunity to observe his artistic process in real time.
Admission to the Museum and all Chicano Block Party activities are free.
Event Highlights
Lowrider Car Show
Presented in collaboration with Lady Lowriders Car Club, the car show celebrates the craftsmanship, creativity, and cultural traditions of lowrider culture.
Art Market & Printmaking Fair
Browse original artwork, prints, zines, books, apparel, and handmade goods from local artists, publishers, and independent vendors. The Museum Sculpture Courtyard will also feature live printmaking demonstrations and hands-on activities organized in collaboration with the San Diego Printmaking Society.
Live Music & DJs
Enjoy music throughout the day from local DJs and performers across the campus.
Artist Workshops & Demonstrations
Participate in hands-on activities and learn directly from artists, printmakers, and community organizations.
Live Mural by José Hugo Sánchez
Visit the Museum galleries to watch José Hugo Sánchez create a new mural throughout the day as part of his exhibition Amoxtlis.
Pop-Up Installations
Discover temporary artworks and creative interventions presented throughout the campus by invited artists and community collaborators.
Get Involved
The Chicano Block Party is built through community participation. We invite artists, musicians, vendors, organizations, and community members to join us.
Register for the Lowrider Car Show
We're currently accepting registrations for the Chicano Block Party Car Show. Registration and participation are free.
Become an Art Market Vendor
We're seeking artists, artisans, food and beverage vendors, and cultural organizations to participate in our art market. Space is limited. Participation is free.
Propose a Pop-up Art Installation
Artists are invited to submit proposals for temporary installations, interactive projects, or creative interventions. Projects may be visual, participatory, site-responsive, or community-focused.
Perform at the Block Party
We are currently accepting interest forms from DJs, musicians, performers, and cultural groups interested in participating. Preference will be given to projects that complement the event's focus on art, community, and Chicano culture.
Community Organizations
Interested in sharing resources, hosting an activity, leading a workshop, hosting a resource booth, or participating in another way? We'd love to hear from you.
Questions?
Contact the Museum at museum@artcenter.org or call (760)839-4120 during regular hours for additional information.
NEW DATE: Journey of a Persian Carpet | Talk, Screening, and Family Art Activities
Persian Carpets: Talk, Short Film & Family Art Activities
As part of Maryam Bayat: Unrolling Paradise, this free public program offers a welcoming introduction to the art and history of Persian carpets through film, conversation, and hands-on making. Families and visitors of all ages are invited to explore the journey of a Persian carpet, from design and wool preparation to dyeing and weaving, and to learn more about the skill, tradition, and imagination carried in each work.
The program features a short educational talk alongside screenings of two animated films by acclaimed Iranian artist and animator Noureddin Zarrinkelk, The Little Prince and the Magic Carpet and Amir Hamzeh.
Hands-on art activities for families and children will round out the afternoon, creating an inviting space to learn, watch, and make together in connection with the exhibition.
This program is free and open to the public.
Art + Wellness: Sound Meditation and Healing Movement
Join sound healer and movement practitioner Noriko Whitfield for an immersive session exploring the connection between body, mind, and art. Through guided sound meditation and gentle movement, participants will engage in practices that support emotional balance, nervous system regulation, and self-awareness.
With over 16 years of experience in sound therapy and energy healing, Whitfield creates a calming environment that invites reflection and inner stillness. This session is open to all levels. No prior experience is needed.
Please dress comfortably and bring a yoga mat. A pillow and sweater or blanket are also recommended.
Workshop | Amoxtlis Printmaking with José Hugo Sánchez
In this hands-on workshop, participants will become creators of their own amoxtli. Join artist José Hugo Sánchez as he opens a door into the ancient cultures of the Maya, Olmec, Toltec, and Aztec, and explore how their visual traditions can be brought into conversation with contemporary aesthetics.
Participants will create a singular amoxtli, or painted book, of their own through cutting, pasting, printing, painting, and experimentation. Sánchez will guide participants in converting their visions, dreams, and memories into works of art while igniting their flor y canto — their artistic spark.
The workshop will also include the creation of a collective mural. Participants will learn how to juxtapose techniques and styles from different periods of Mesoamerica with images from contemporary popular culture, including DC and Marvel heroes, anime, cartoons, films, magazines, advertisements, and other media.
Come prepared to have fun. The practices you learn will be enjoyable and imaginative, but also focused and intense. They require attention, curiosity, and a willingness to experiment with materials and your own imagination.
What to Bring
Participants are encouraged to bring:
Old posters and magazines of all kinds, including fashion, music, comics, anime, advertisements, or other printed materials
Three objects that are special or magical to you
Please note: these objects may be inked and printed during the workshop. The ink is water-based, and the objects will be washed, cleaned, and returned to you at the end.
The workshop on this date, July 19, is designed for adult participants.
For the version of this workshop designed for youth, please see the event page for July 18.
Youth Workshop | Amoxtlis Printmaking with José Hugo Sánchez
In this hands-on workshop, participants will become creators of their own amoxtli. Join artist José Hugo Sánchez as he opens a door into the ancient cultures of the Maya, Olmec, Toltec, and Aztec, and explore how their visual traditions can be brought into conversation with contemporary aesthetics.
Participants will create a singular amoxtli, or painted book, of their own through cutting, pasting, printing, painting, and experimentation. Sánchez will guide participants in converting their visions, dreams, and memories into works of art while igniting their flor y canto — their artistic spark.
The workshop will also include the creation of a collective mural. Participants will learn how to juxtapose techniques and styles from different periods of Mesoamerica with images from contemporary popular culture, including DC and Marvel heroes, anime, cartoons, films, magazines, advertisements, and other media.
Come prepared to have fun. The practices you learn will be enjoyable and imaginative, but also focused and intense. They require attention, curiosity, and a willingness to experiment with materials and your own imagination.
What to Bring
Participants are encouraged to bring:
Old posters and magazines of all kinds, including fashion, music, comics, anime, advertisements, or other printed materials
Three objects that are special or magical to you
Please note: these objects may be inked and printed during the workshop. The ink is water-based, and the objects will be washed, cleaned, and returned to you at the end.
This workshop is designed for youth 13 -17
Art + Wellness: Sound Meditation and Healing Movement
Join sound healer and movement practitioner Noriko Whitfield for an immersive session exploring the connection between body, mind, and art. Through guided sound meditation and gentle movement, participants will engage in practices that support emotional balance, nervous system regulation, and self-awareness.
With over 16 years of experience in sound therapy and energy healing, Whitfield creates a calming environment that invites reflection and inner stillness. This session is open to all levels. No prior experience is needed.
Please dress comfortably and bring a yoga mat. A pillow and sweater or blanket are also recommended.
Art + Wellness: Calm and Creativity with Clay
Air-Dry Clay Handbuilding Workshop with Ellie Fonseca
Find your flow through touch and texture in this calming, hands-on workshop. No experience necessary—just bring your curiosity. Materials provided.
About the Instructor
With a passion for ceramics and hands-on creativity, Ellie Fonseca has been guiding students through the art of clay in Orange County and now San Diego. Specializing in hand-building, she brings dedicated experience from teaching workshops for local community and non-profit organizations. Her approach emphasizes mindfulness, sensory awareness, and artistic exploration, ensuring that every participant feels connected to the craft and empowered to create. Through engaging demonstrations and personalized guidance, Ellie Fonseca enjoys fostering a welcoming environment where creativity flourishes and clay transforms into art.
Lecture | José Hugo Sánchez on Amoxtlis
In this lecture, artist José Hugo Sánchez presents ideas surrounding his solo exhibition Amoxtlis at the California Center for the Arts Museum, a body of print-based works that draw from Mesoamerican histories, anthropological research, and contemporary image-making. Developed through site-based research in Mexico and the U.S.–Mexico border region, the works combine carving, engraving, and hand-printing techniques to produce layered visual narratives.
Opportunity for Q&A to follow.
Free and open to the public.
Workshop | Lamp Design with Maryam Bayat
Join artist Maryam Bayat for a hands-on workshop exploring decoupage and surface design through the transformation of recycled glass wine bottles into decorative objects. Drawing inspiration from the Persian-inspired motifs and materials featured in Maryam Bayat: Unrolling Paradise, participants will work with patterned papers, layering techniques, and decorative applications to create their own finished piece.
Throughout the workshop, Bayat will introduce participants to the process of decoupage while discussing the relationship between ornament, interior design, and reuse within her artistic practice. The workshop also considers how everyday materials can be reimagined through craft and design.
Open to adults and youth ages 12 and up, this workshop is suitable for all skill levels. All materials are provided, and participants will leave with a completed work to take home.
Presented in collaboration with Persian Place.
Registration: $55 per participant
Artist Talk | Design & Furniture
Design & Furniture: From Past to Present
Discover the evolution of Persian decorative arts, furniture, and interior design—from tradition to contemporary styles with Maryam Bayat and Nicholas Bijan Pourfard.
Art + Wellness: Sound Meditation and Healing Movement
Join sound healer and movement practitioner Noriko Whitfield for an immersive session exploring the connection between body, mind, and art. Through guided sound meditation and gentle movement, participants will engage in practices that support emotional balance, nervous system regulation, and self-awareness.
With over 16 years of experience in sound therapy and energy healing, Whitfield creates a calming environment that invites reflection and inner stillness. This session is open to all levels. No prior experience is needed.
Please dress comfortably and bring a yoga mat. A pillow and sweater or blanket are also recommended.
José Hugo Sánchez: Amoxtlis
José Hugo Sánchez: Amoxtlis
June 6, 2026 – August 16, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, June 6, 2026 | 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM | Free Entry
Amoxtlis—the Nahuatl word for “codices”—centers Sánchez’s large-scale printmaking practice, which draws from the visual language of Mesoamerican codices while engaging the cultural and political conditions of the U.S.–Mexico border.
At the heart of the installation is Codex Tonalpohualli, a series of towering printed banners that reference the twenty day signs of the divinatory calendar of the sun. In this calendar, time unfolds through cycles of thirteen days associated with birth and renewal. Sánchez translates this structure into an immersive environment: carved wooden codices are printed in red and black ink on monumental sheets of paper measuring sixteen feet high. Suspended from ceiling to floor, the banners surround the viewer, creating a dense vertical landscape that evokes a forest of signs and symbols.
The exhibition also includes video work, eight large-scale carved wooden sculptures, and a mural created on the gallery wall during the exhibition’s run. These elements extend Sánchez’s exploration of narrative image-making across multiple forms, from print and sculpture to moving image and architectural intervention. Throughout the installation, references to popular culture intersect with mythic imagery and historical forms of knowledge transmission.
Sánchez describes his work as “pop-multiculture,” a hybrid language shaped by the movement of people, images, and ideas across borders. Working across printmaking, sculpture, drawing, performance, and graphic design, he brings together references from pre-Columbian codices, contemporary Chicano visual culture, and mass media. His imagery reflects the layered histories that connect Mexico and the United States, while addressing the political and human realities that define the border today.
Field Notes on Memory
Field Notes on Memory
June 6 – August 16, 2026
Field Notes on Memory brings together the work of 2025–26 Artists-in-Residence Farshid Bazmandegan, Tony M. Bingham, and Helena Westra in an exhibition exploring memory, land, and its histories through installation, sculpture, photography, and sound.
Developed through the Museum’s In Studio Artist Residency program, the exhibition approaches landscape as a site where memory takes shape through earth, architecture, domestic objects, sound, and archival research. The artists draw from family histories, overlooked narratives, ancestral practices, and experiences of migration and exile, creating environments where personal memory and collective history remain closely intertwined.
Farshid Bazmandegan’s installation reflects on displacement and collective mourning through sculptural forms, video, and references to Persian cultural traditions informed by memories of Iran. Tony M. Bingham’s work traces overlooked African American histories at the start of the Gold Rush in Julian, California, through pinhole photography, sound, found materials, and sculptural installations informed by local archives and oral histories. Working with clay, soil, and natural materials, Helena Westra draws from ancestral craft traditions and family histories connected to Okinawa.
Workshop | Painting Cypress Trees with Maryam Bayat
Join artist Maryam Bayat for a hands-on painting workshop inspired by the Cypress tree, a recurring symbol in Persian art, poetry, and garden design. Participants will paint on pre-cut Cypress tree forms using acrylic paint and surface treatments drawn from the motifs and visual language of Maryam Bayat: Unrolling Paradise.
Bayat will guide participants through painting techniques and sanding processes that create layered textures and a weathered finish. Along the way, participants will learn more about the cultural significance of the Cypress tree and its presence within Persian visual traditions.
This workshop is open to adults, families, and youth ages 10 and up. No prior experience is needed, all materials are provided, and participants will leave with a finished artwork to take home.
Presented in collaboration with Persian Place.
Registration: $40 per participant
Art + Wellness: Calm and Creativity with Clay
Air-Dry Clay Handbuilding Workshop with Ellie Fonseca
Find your flow through touch and texture in this calming, hands-on workshop. No experience necessary—just bring your curiosity. Materials provided.
About the Instructor
With a passion for ceramics and hands-on creativity, Ellie Fonseca has been guiding students through the art of clay in Orange County and now San Diego. Specializing in hand-building, she brings dedicated experience from teaching workshops for local community and non-profit organizations. Her approach emphasizes mindfulness, sensory awareness, and artistic exploration, ensuring that every participant feels connected to the craft and empowered to create. Through engaging demonstrations and personalized guidance, Ellie Fonseca enjoys fostering a welcoming environment where creativity flourishes and clay transforms into art.
Art + Wellness: Calm and Creativity with Clay
Air-Dry Clay Handbuilding Workshop with Ellie Fonseca
Find your flow through touch and texture in this calming, hands-on workshop. No experience necessary—just bring your curiosity. Materials provided.
About the Instructor
With a passion for ceramics and hands-on creativity, Ellie Fonseca has been guiding students through the art of clay in Orange County and now San Diego. Specializing in hand-building, she brings dedicated experience from teaching workshops for local community and non-profit organizations. Her approach emphasizes mindfulness, sensory awareness, and artistic exploration, ensuring that every participant feels connected to the craft and empowered to create. Through engaging demonstrations and personalized guidance, Ellie Fonseca enjoys fostering a welcoming environment where creativity flourishes and clay transforms into art.
Art + Wellness: Sound Meditation and Healing Movement
Join sound healer and movement practitioner Noriko Whitfield for an immersive session exploring the connection between body, mind, and art. Through guided sound meditation and gentle movement, participants will engage in practices that support emotional balance, nervous system regulation, and self-awareness.
With over 16 years of experience in sound therapy and energy healing, Whitfield creates a calming environment that invites reflection and inner stillness. This session is open to all levels. No prior experience is needed.
Please dress comfortably and bring a yoga mat. A pillow and sweater or blanket are also recommended.
Persian Garden & Home | In Stitches with Maryam Bayat and Marty Ornish
Persian Garden & Home — In Stitches with Maryam Bayat and Marty Ornish
Join artists Maryam Bayat and Marty Ornish for a hands-on workshop exploring stitching as a way to reflect on memory, place, and the idea of home. Inspired by the imagery of Persian gardens and domestic spaces, participants will experiment with simple embroidery and textile techniques to create small stitched compositions where gardens bloom in thread and each mark carries a personal story.
Registration fee: $40. All materials are included.
Special Event Closure
The Museum will be closed for a special event from April 16 –April 19, reopening with regular hours on Wednesday, April 22.
During the closure, we invite families to explore at-home art activities using lesson plans inspired by works from the Museum’s collection.
Shadow Drawing & Painting workshop
Shadow Drawing & Painting workshop in celebration of World Art Day
Led by Maryam Bayat and Shirin Aghdaie
This workshop encourages participants to explore creativity through observation and hands-on making. The session begins with a garden walk, during which participants observe the unique patterns created as light filters through leaves and branches. They will sketch these forms and then use natural materials to trace and develop them into their own compositions, then using color to complete their work.
Registration fee: $40 | Payable upon arrival
All materials will be provided. No prior experience necessary.
Closing Event | Designing the Infinite: Virtual Worldbuilding in Art & Gaming
Join us as we celebrate the closing weekend of Designing the Infinite: Virtual Worldbuilding in Art & Gaming with an artist market, drop-in workshop, and a conversation with exhibiting artist Victor Castaneda H on Saturday, April 11, from 2:00 - 5:00 PM at the California Center for the Arts Museum.
Drawing from global cosmologies and contemporary digital practices, Designing the Infinite explores the perspectives of twelve artists from across the world building virtual environments through gaming technology to reimagine the cycles of creation, balance, and renewal that shape our realities.
2:30 - 3:00 PM: Join us in the gallery for a conversation with exhibiting artist Victor Castaneda H and learn more about his virtual reality installation, Eternal Ether. Audience Q&A to follow.
2:00 - 5:00 PM: Throughout the afternoon, spend time in the galleries with an artist market, a drop-in pixel cross-stitch workshop, and a live vinyl DJ set by Andrew Nguyen.
Don't miss your last chance to check out the exhibition, along with Kayla Mattes: Reboot > Reweave > Repeat and Lightwall, closing April 12th.
Art + Wellness: Calm and Creativity with Clay
Air-Dry Clay Handbuilding Workshop with Ellie Fonseca
Find your flow through touch and texture in this calming, hands-on workshop. No experience necessary—just bring your curiosity. Materials provided.
About the Instructor
With a passion for ceramics and hands-on creativity, Ellie Fonseca has been guiding students through the art of clay in Orange County and now San Diego. Specializing in hand-building, she brings dedicated experience from teaching workshops for local community and non-profit organizations. Her approach emphasizes mindfulness, sensory awareness, and artistic exploration, ensuring that every participant feels connected to the craft and empowered to create. Through engaging demonstrations and personalized guidance, Ellie Fonseca enjoys fostering a welcoming environment where creativity flourishes and clay transforms into art.
Art + Wellness: Sound Meditation and Healing Movement
Join sound healer and movement practitioner Noriko Whitfield for an immersive session exploring the connection between body, mind, and art. Through guided sound meditation and gentle movement, participants will engage in practices that support emotional balance, nervous system regulation, and self-awareness.
With over 16 years of experience in sound therapy and energy healing, Whitfield creates a calming environment that invites reflection and inner stillness. This session is open to all levels. No prior experience is needed.
Please dress comfortably and bring a yoga mat. A pillow and sweater or blanket are also recommended.