HOME / EXHIBITIONS / CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
October 19, 2024–January 11, 2025
Opening Reception: Friday, October 18, 6:30–8:30 PM
The Athenaeum is pleased to present Carlos Castro Arias, who will exhibit 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, on view in the Joseph Clayes III Gallery and the Carolyn Yorston-Wellcome Rotunda Gallery.
Also, a selection of artists’ books from the Athenaeum’s Erika & Fred Torri Artists’ Books Collection will be showcased in the Max & Melissa Elliott North Reading Room.
The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library has earned a reputation as one of the outstanding art galleries and art collectors in San Diego. The Athenaeum’s art exhibition program, begun in the 1920s, has grown tremendously in both scope and recognition, particularly in the past 20 years.
Exhibitions are presented in three gallery spaces: the Joseph Clayes III Gallery, the Carolyn Yorston-Wellcome Rotunda Gallery, and the Max & Melissa Elliott North Reading Room. Approximately four exhibitions per year are presented in each. Exhibitions in the Joseph Clayes III Gallery focus on nationally and internationally recognized artists. The Rotunda Gallery emphasizes community partnerships or emerging regional artists. Art in both galleries are related to the Athenaeum’s other focuses, namely books or music. Works have included limited edition artists' books, drawing, painting, site-specific installations, photography, sculpture, collage, mixed media, architecture, and calligraphy.
The Max & Melissa Elliott North Reading Room, opened during the library’s expansion in 2007, is devoted to showcasing the Athenaeum’s Erika and Fred Torri Artists’ Books Collection.
The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library’s art exhibitions are on view during library hours, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. There is no charge for admission. Opening receptions and artists' walk-throughs are also free of charge.
The Carolyn Yorston-Wellcome Rotunda Gallery features annual collaborations with the San Diego State University Art Council and Children’s Hospital. Other community projects have included a fundraising exhibition for the Pacific Rim Parks Project.
The Athenaeum’s Annual Juried Exhibition is among the most prestigious in the San Diego area and the most sought-after by entering artists.
Exhibitions have given deserved recognition to San Diego artists including Joyce Cutler-Shaw, Patricia Patterson, Manny Farber, Italo Scanga, Zandra Rhodes, Russell Forester, Ernest Silva, Faiya Fredman, Jean Lowe, Viviana Lombrozo, Becky Cohen, Nina Katchadourian, Ethel Greene, Robin Bright, Raul Guerrero, Ellen Phillips, James Hubble, Jo Ann Tanzer, Christine Oatman, Roberto Salas, Marie Najera, Kim MacConnel, Teddy Cruz, Adam Belt, Jim Lee, Jay Johnson, David Adey, Ellen Salk, Gail Roberts, Sondra Sherman, and Philipp Scholz Rittermann. Artists from across the United States and around the world have included Harry Sternberg, Mauro Staccioli, Marcos Ramirez (ERRE), Nathan Gluck, William Wegman, Faith Ringgold, Ming Mur-Ray, Rolf Händler, David Teeple, and Peter Dreher.
Joseph Clayes III Gallery
HOME / EXHIBITIONS / CURRENT EXHIBITIONS / JOSEPH CLAYES III GALLERY
Carlos Castro Arias: The Splinter in the Eye
Exhibition Dates: October 19, 2024–January 11, 2025
Opening Reception: Friday, October 18, 6:30–8:30 PM, free
Artist Talk: Tuesday, November 12, 6 PM reception; 6:30 PM lecture
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.
Carlos Castro Arias is a Colombian artist, professor, and musician. He received a BA from the Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Bogota in 2002 and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 2008 to the San Francisco Art Institute, where he received an MFA in painting in 2010. Castro Arias has been an associate professor at San Diego State University since 2019. In 2022, the Museo Universitario Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia exhibited a retrospective of his work entitled La Vida de las Cosas Muertas (The Life of Dead Things).
Most recently Castro Arias has exhibited at Artpace, San Antonio; Bread & Salt, San Diego; LA Galería, Bogota; Quint Gallery, La Jolla, and Espacio El Dorado, Bogota. He has participated in group shows in Sweden, Peru, France, Spain, New Zealand, Mexico and Venezuela. His musical projects include: POPO (2000), Los Claudios de Colombia (2005-2010) and Amor Negro (2020). The artist lives and works between San Diego, Tijuana, and Bogota.
The exhibition can be viewed in the Joseph Clayes III Gallery at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library (1008 Wall Street, La Jolla, CA 92037) during open hours, Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Appointments are not required.
Carolyn Yorston-Wellcome Rotunda Gallery
HOME / EXHIBITIONS / CURRENT EXHIBITIONS / CAROLYN YORSTON-WELLCOME ROTUNDA GALLERY
Carlos Castro Arias: The Splinter in the Eye
Exhibition Dates: October 19, 2024–January 11, 2025
Opening Reception: Friday, October 18, 6:30–8:30 PM, free
Artist Talk: Tuesday, November 12, 6 PM reception, 6:30 PM lecture, $15/20/5
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.
Carlos Castro Arias is a Colombian artist, professor, and musician. He received a BA from the Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Bogota in 2002 and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 2008 to the San Francisco Art Institute, where he received an MFA in painting in 2010. Castro Arias has been an associate professor at San Diego State University since 2019. In 2022, the Museo Universitario Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia exhibited a retrospective of his work entitled La Vida de las Cosas Muertas (The Life of Dead Things).
Most recently Castro Arias has exhibited at Artpace, San Antonio; Bread & Salt, San Diego; LA Galería, Bogota; Quint Gallery, La Jolla, and Espacio El Dorado, Bogota. He has participated in group shows in Sweden, Peru, France, Spain, New Zealand, Mexico and Venezuela. His musical projects include: POPO (2000), Los Claudios de Colombia (2005-2010) and Amor Negro (2020). The artist lives and works between San Diego, Tijuana, and Bogota.
The exhibition can be viewed in the Carolyn Yorston-Wellcome Rotunda Gallery at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library (1008 Wall Street, La Jolla, CA 92037) during open hours, Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Appointments are not required.
Max & Melissa Elliott
North Reading Room
HOME / EXHIBITIONS / CURRENT EXHIBITIONS / MAX & MELISSA ELLIOTT NORTH READING ROOM
Art & the Environment | Selections from the Athenaeum’s Erika & Fred Torri Artists’ Books Collection
Exhibition Dates: October 19, 2024–January 11, 2025
Opening Reception: Friday, October 18, 6:30–8:30 PM, free
A selection of artists’ books on the environment in the Athenaeum’s Erika & Fred Torri Artists’ Books Collection will be showcased in the Max & Melissa Elliott North Reading Room.
About the Athenaeum’s Erika & Fred Torri Artists’ Books Collection
The Athenaeum’s artists’ books collection was initiated in 1991 when Joan & Irwin Jacobs Executive Director Emeritus Erika Torri received a generous donation from life member Hope Shipley with the advice “to use it for her dreams.” Artists’ books have been Torri’s passion for many years prior and it seemed a natural fit for the Athenaeum. She purchased Harry Sternberg’s limited edition A Life in Woodcuts, published by Brighton Press, and thus the collection was launched. The mission of the collection was established with a focus on regional artists and presses and on artists who emphasized art and/or music in their works. The collection has grown enormously through purchases, sponsored acquisitions, and generous donations—now numbering close to 2,200 books—and so has its reputation. It is sought out by artists, researchers and collectors and can be viewed by making an appointment with library staff.
The exhibition can be viewed in the Max & Melissa Elliott North Reading Room at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library (1008 Wall Street, La Jolla, CA 92037) during open hours, Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Appointments are not required.
Catherine & Robert Palmer Gallery
HOME / EXHIBITIONS / CURRENT EXHIBITIONS / CATHERINE & ROBERT PALMER GALLERY
Ana María Herrera: Layered Memories
Exhibition Dates/Fechas de exposición: January 11–March 14, 2025/11 de enero–14 de marzo de 2025
Opening Reception/Recepción de apertura: Saturday, January 11, 5–8 PM/sábado, 11 de enero, de 5 a 8 PM
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.
Herrera engages with layered complexities of human existence, crafting assemblages that challenge traditional notions of representation and foster dialogue about the realities of border life. Using windows and frames as both physical and symbolic elements, Herrera invites viewers to contemplate the tension between visibility and obscurity. These pieces serve as portals into narratives of migration and belonging while subtly addressing issues of surveillance and power dynamics. This exhibition encourages a critical examination of the intersection of culture, history, and memory in the shaping of individual and collective identities in an increasingly interconnected world.
Las obras de Ana María Herrera exploran la identidad, el desplazamiento y la coexistencia cultural a través de una mezcla de objetos encontrados y materiales diversos como la madera, el vidrio, el metal y la tela. Sus composiciones reflejan la naturaleza efímera de la existencia, especialmente en la región fronteriza, donde las complejidades de la migración y la negociación cultural están siempre presentes. Mediante la incorporación de fotografías, tejidos y elementos tridimensionales, Herrera examina los límites emocionales y físicos que conforman las identidades personales y colectivas, abordando temas de vulnerabilidad, resistencia y resiliencia en el panorama sociopolítico contemporáneo.
Al abordar las complejidades de la existencia humana, sus montajes desafían las nociones tradicionales de representación y fomentan el diálogo sobre las realidades de la vida fronteriza. Utilizando ventanas y marcos como elementos físicos y simbólicos, Herrera invita al espectador a contemplar la tensión entre visibilidad y oscuridad. Estas piezas sirven como portales a narrativas de migración y pertenencia, al tiempo que abordan sutilmente cuestiones de vigilancia y dinámicas de poder en los espacios fronterizos. Esta exposición invita a un examen crítico de cómo la cultura, la historia y la memoria se entrecruzan para dar forma a las identidades individuales y colectivas en un mundo cada vez más interconectado.
Ana María Herrera—Artist Statement
In my assemblage art, I draw from the aged and textured materials of the past—pieces like rusted metal chains, weathered wood from light poles, bicycle wheels, pressure gauges, and electrical meters. These objects, marked by time and mystery, serve as silent witnesses to countless stories, histories, and transformations, much like the wisdom of an elder etched by years of experience. I am drawn to their deep tones and weathered surfaces, each item resonating with lives lived and “time stories” I may never fully understand. This uncertainty around their origins only enhances my appreciation, allowing me to create without the constraints of their original purpose and instead invite viewers to interpret their own narratives within these materials.
In each assemblage, I work to honor the age, history, and hidden memories within these objects. Through layering and reimagining, I hope to give them new life, encouraging viewers to look closely, question, and connect with the unseen past that each object holds. Ultimately, my art celebrates the beauty in things long overlooked, encouraging a reverence for the history that surrounds us and inviting curiosity about what once was.
The exhibition can be viewed in the Catherine and Robert Palmer Gallery at the Athenaeum Art Center (1955 Julian Avenue, San Diego, CA 92113) during open gallery hours, Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and every second Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m., during the Barrio Art Crawl, and by appointment.
La exposición se puede ver en la Galería Catherine y Robert Palmer en el Centro de Arte Athenaeum (1955 Julian Avenue, San Diego, CA 92113) durante el horario de atención de la galería, de martes a sábado, de 11 a. m. a 4 p. m., y cada segundo sábado de 5 a 8 p.m., durante el Barrio Art Crawl, y con cita previa.