Current Exhibitions
Centering: Clay and Community at the Palo Alto Art Center will engage and convene the community in the art of ceramics through a series of art exhibitions, public programs, school tours, and partnerships.
Pushing Boundaries: Ceramic Artists and Identity
September 13-December 7, 2025
Across diverse cultures and continents, numerous ancient human origin narratives depict clay as the primordial material from which humanity was formed. In these accounts, deities or other divine entities mold human beings from this malleable, earth-derived substance, symbolizing an intrinsic connection between human existence and the land itself. These narratives underscore the profound relationship between identity and place, suggesting that our sense of self is inherently linked to the geography of our origins.
Pushing Boundaries presents the work of contemporary California-based artists who engage with clay as a medium to interrogate themes of identity and materiality. While some of these artists work primarily with clay, others incorporate it as a symbolic reference to notions of value, place, and corporeality.
Since the mid-20th century, California has played a pivotal role in redefining ceramics as a critical fine art medium. The artists featured in Pushing Boundaries expand upon this legacy, utilizing clay to explore and challenge discourses surrounding the body, race, gender, sexuality, and the environment. Through their innovative practices, they further advance the medium’s revolutionary potential, positioning it at the intersection of contemporary artistic and social inquiry. This exhibition is guest curated by artist, educator, independent curator and arts administrator Demetri Broxton.
Anabel Juárez, Recuerdos, 2022, ceramic and mixed media, Courtesy of the artist
Artists in the exhibition include: Alex Anderson, Karla Ekaterine Canseco, Kristiana Chan 莊礼恩, Carolina Cuevas, Woody De Othello, Reniel Del Rosario, Andres Payan Estrada, Ryan Flores, Anabel Juárez, matt lambert, Cathy Lu, Duma Mock, Tracy Ren, Victor Saucedo, AJ Serrano, Rose B. Simpson, Andrew Wilson, Maryam Yousif, Wanxin Zhang.
Ashwini Bhat: Being, Longing..., 2025, installation view. Image courtesy of the Artist and Shoshana Wayne Gallery. Photo by John Janca.
Ashwini Bhat: Being, Longing…
September 13, 2025-August 23, 2026
Bay Area artist Ashwini Bhat’s site-specific installation ties together and is concurrent to the three exhibitions forming Centering: Clay and Community at the Palo Alto Art Center, addressing themes of identity, sustainability, and highlighting performance and installation.
Being, Longing… will include three works by Bhat: a performance video with sound projected on unfired clay, a limited-edition neon installation, and a large-scale glazed ceramic mandala created collectively by public participation during the 2025 Montalvo Art Center Summer Festival Montalvo Funk.
After thirty-five years in Southern India, multidisciplinary artist Ashwini Bhat now lives and works in the foothills of Sonoma Mountain, California. Coming from a background in literature and classical Indian dance, Bhat works in sculpture, installation, ceramics, video, text, and performance developing a unique visual language to explore the intersections between body and nature, self and other.
Ashwini Bhat: Being, Longing… is supported by the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation through a gift from SACHI, Society for Art & Cultural Heritage of India in celebration of its 25th anniversary (1997-2022).
2025 Peninsula Photo Contest Exhibition
September 12-December 17, 2025
Art Center Meeting Room
The Palo Alto Art Center, in partnership with the Palo Alto Weekly and The Six Fifty, is delighted to present the 2025 Peninsula Photo Contest Exhibition. On view from September 12 through December 7, 2025, this annual showcase celebrates the creativity and vision of photographers who live, work, or study in the 650 area code.
The exhibition features winning and finalist images that capture the spirit, beauty, and stories of our community. Visitors will have the opportunity to see these remarkable photographs on display at the Palo Alto Art Center, while selected works will also be published in the Palo Alto Weekly and featured across Palo Alto Online, The Six Fifty, and the Art Center’s publications, website, and social media channels.
Please note that the Art Center's Meeting Room can be used from time to time for private groups and community meetings--call before your visit to ensure the show is available for viewing.