Like an ever-evolving art project, the Cabrillo College campus has slowly expanded across an Aptos hillside, where it waterfalls down and across Soquel Avenue towards the sea. At the top of the slope, underneath the library and sitting in the heart of the campus in Room 1002, is the Cabrillo Gallery.
As the college evolves into a shinier version of itself, it continues to be recognized by locals and visitors alike for the affordable yet high quality education it provides. The Cabrillo Gallery is likewise celebrated statewide for its progressive approach and continuing mission to make this community a thriving center for cultural activities.
The library building may still be an outdated version of Cabrillo’s 1960s style architecture, but the gallery itself feels bright and contemporary. Albeit a smallish venue at 1,300 square feet, the movable partition walls, track lighting, and floors-so-squeaky-clean-you-can-see-your-own-reflection, give this gallery as much of an auspicious, polished presentation space as any larger one.The gallery is home to six annual exhibits held during Cabrillo’s Spring and Fall academic semesters. With a calendar filled one to two years in advance, it stays busy welcoming artists from the Santa Cruz area and around the world. As well as showing work from both established and emerging creative professionals, the gallery also hosts a student exhibition that is widely attended and held annually in the Spring.
The gallery is directed and curated by Beverly Rayner, a mixed media artist, and coordinated by Rose Sellery, who specializes in three-dimensional objects and wearable art. The eclectic and sophisticated lineup of work reflects the intention Rayner and Sellery clearly have for sharing valuable and varied resources of creativity.As anyone who has been to Cabrillo knows, when class sessions end the campus becomes a lively, humming beehive of students and staff on the move. However, despite the noise and activity outside its walls, the gallery remains a calm, cool, and collected refuge. Any outer distractions seem dispelled by that respectful, hush-voiced atmosphere that is unique to art exhibits.
It is also apparent that the gallery-goers are not only Cabrillo attendees wandering through, but also other community members who come to the campus just to browse the displays. It may be affiliated with the college, but it’s evident the gallery holds as much appeal for the general public as it does for those who pass by it every day on the way to labs, lectures, and library books.
This exhibit space serves a vital role in our community by offering diverse and innovative collections of work that are free for the public to enjoy. In addition to installations, the gallery hosts receptions and Artist Talks that launch the opening of new exhibits, and provide a more engaging and personal experience of the artists and their work.
To add further inspiration to the Cabrillo Gallery experience, prepare to be awestruck by the vast panorama of Pacific Ocean and Monterey Bay that meets the eye on the way out.
Find additional Galleries, Museums and venues to experience art in Santa Cruz here: Galleries
No comments yet.