Galleries

August 20, 2025 – October 15, 2025

City of Santa Clarita City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd #120, Valencia, CA 91355

The City of Santa Clarita is proud to present its newest art exhibition, “Hispanic Heritage Month,” on view now through Wednesday, October 15, 2025, in the First Floor Gallery at City Hall (23920 Valencia Boulevard). This juried exhibition celebrates the rich cultural traditions, history, and vibrant contributions of the Hispanic and Latin American community. Opening ahead of Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15), the show showcases a wide variety of mediums and artistic voices from deeply personal narratives to vivid celebrations of heritage. A free public reception will be held on Friday, September 19, 2025, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at City Hall, where guests can meet the artists and enjoy light refreshments.

Among the featured artists is Raymond Morua (@bad_hombre_art), whose painting La Madre y Niño pays tribute to the quiet power and sacred role of Latina mothers. Morua states “Painted in my signature “Barrio Baroque” style, this piece fuses bold color, cultural symbolism, and emotional depth to honor the strength, tenderness, and beauty passed down through generations.” Morua continues “The mother’s embroidered blouse and skirt reflect Mexican tradition, while golden tones surround her like an aura — elevating her to something holy, yet grounded. Her hands are rough and stained by work — not by accident, but by design. Mexican mothers are not only tender and divine, they are laborers, protectors, and fighters. As a self-taught Chicano artist, veteran, and storyteller, I use my work to reflect my culture and heritage”.

Also included is the work of Ruben Hernandez (@kptudio_la), a painter and muralist born in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. Hernandez states “My art is rooted in the immigrant story—one I have lived, witnessed, and continue to be inspired by. Through murals and paintings, I honor the resilience of my family and the Hispanic community, whose hard work has shaped and enriched this country.”

Also featured is Barbara Rivera (@barbarariveraart), a self-taught artist of Cuban and Mexican descent, explores heritage, family, and identity in her vibrant paintings. Influenced by her parents’ immigrant journey and her own bicultural background, Rivera’s work captures the joy, complexity, and enduring spirit of her cultural roots. Rivera states “My hope is that after seeing my paintings, you can walk away with the desire to tell your story or paint your journey.  Whatever creative process is in your path, take it.  I challenge you to tell your unique story, your human experience.  You will be amazed with the power that’s within you.  As crazy and complicated as it may be, it’s your story.  Through my paintings you can see a glimpse of mine.  I paint every day because art liberates me.  As cliché as it sounds, I feel alive when I paint, when I’m creating.  It is my moment.  I can move in any direction that my heart desires. That is true freedom.”

The exhibiting artists include Sydney Coleman, Jesus Delgadillo-Galindo, Estefania Farias, Wendy Hernandez, Ruben Hernandez, Jocelyn Lagunas, Raymond Morua, Barbara Rivera, Stephen Ruiz, Siliva Sinalo, Lorena Uriostegui, Rosa Villanueva, and Andrea Wong.

August 19, 2025 – November 12, 2025

Old Town Newhall Library, 24500 Main St. Santa Clarita, CA 91321

The City of Santa Clarita is excited to announce a new exhibition “A Conversation Under the Sun” at the Old Town Newhall Library on view from August 19, 2025 – November 12, 2025. This exhibition is a collection of Gouache on Paper abstractions and is an ongoing investigation into the ability of abstract painting to create a personal pictorial language. “With suggestions of landscape or figuration, there is created a tension between spontaneity and calculation, gesture, and rendering. In response to the memory of external nature there is the constant attempt to find a place between pure expressive forms and the experience of nature internalized. In conversation with the attempts to depict our world, I reference early sources of abstraction and enhance these references with personal associations of the same mysteries that are around us”. – Tim Forcum

Exhibiting Artist: Tim Forcum

July 30, 2025 – October 28, 2025

Valencia Public Library, 23743 Valencia Blvd, Valencia, CA 91355

The City of Santa Clarita announces a new exhibition, “To Teeter on a Three Faced Ledge” by artist Demi Sedrakyan, on view July 30, 2025 – October 28, 2025, at the Valencia Library. This captivating collection showcases a body of work by Armenian artist Demi Sedrakyan whose paintings explore the sacred, care, and the embodied experience of migration. Through abstract compositions, the artist invites viewers into spaces that feel at once deeply personal and open, spaces shaped by memory, gesture, and devotion.

Care is central to the practice, not only as a theme but as a visual and material language. Surfaces are slowly built through layering, scraping, staining, and soft interruptions. Each mark a trace of a presence, a record of time and the human hand. This engagement with the painted surface becomes a kind of tactile attention, where process is an act of resilience.

The paintings reference specific forms. The architectural outlines of Armenian cathedrals, the fluid motion of migratory paths, and the spaces that exist in between, those that hold tension, care, and the sacred. These shapes emerge and dissolve within the compositions, hovering between abstraction and figuration.

Rooted in personal and inherited histories, the work maps unseen geographies: the movement of bodies across time, the stillness of sacred architecture, and the soft, persistent presence of care. Through paint, the artist creates a language that is tender and resilient, one that honors the complexity of what we carry and what we make.

July 21, 2025 – September 22, 2025

The MAIN, 24266 Main St, Santa Clarita, CA 91321

The City of Santa Clarita announces a new exhibition, Allure by artist Frank Rock, on view from July 21, 2025 – September 22, 2025, located at The MAIN. This coastal-inspired collection captures the vibrant beauty, emotional depth, and ever-changing rhythm of the ocean through Rock’s expressive and colorful brushwork.

Drawing from real-life travels and treasured memories, Allure explores the sensory experience of beach life—from the sunlit waves and tropical breezes to the personal reflections stirred by the sea. Each painting offers a unique perspective on the shoreline, celebrating both the intimate and powerful presence of the ocean.

A reception will be held on September 3, 2025, offering an opportunity to meet the artist and enjoy an evening of art and community. The event will be held from 6:00pm – 8:00pm and is free and open to the public.

June 30, 2025 – September 16, 2025

Canyon Country Community Center, 18410 Sierra Hwy, Santa Clarita, CA 91351

The City of Santa Clarita announces a new exhibition, “Encapsulating Bloom” by Angelica Gomez, which will be on view from June 30, 2025 – to September 16, 2025, located at the Canyon Country Community Center. In Encapsulating Bloom, Angelica Gomez presents a series of paintings where allegory explores a moment of emotional maturity. Though each piece is inspired by a particular phase in her life, the narrative she tells is an expression that growth doesn’t stop once you “arrive,” but continues at every stage of life. Reflecting a state of being immersed in an emotional world, she invites viewers to step into their own inner landscapes—to recall their own moments of curiosity, reflection, and self-discovery, where personal realizations emerge from the freedom of imagination.

May 28, 2025 – July 30, 2025

Valencia Public Library, 23743 Valencia Blvd, Valencia, CA 91355

The City of Santa Clarita announces a new exhibition, “Walk with Me” by photographer Nima Kharrazi, on view May 28, 2025 – July 30, 2025, at the Valencia Library. This captivating collection showcases Kharrazi’s deep appreciation for the natural world and the fleeting, breathtaking moments found within it. Through vivid landscapes and sun-drenched scenes, this exhibition invites viewers on a journey through forests, mountains, and coastlines — all captured in pursuit of light. From fiery sunsets to quiet trails, Kharrazi’s photography reminds us of the beauty and wonder that still surrounds us. His work serves as a visual reminder to pause, breathe, and be present with the world’s natural brilliance.

Q&A with Nima Kharrazi

Can you talk about a specific moment when you pulled over to photograph a scene? What caught your eye and what did it feel like to capture it?
“I was riding my bicycle to one of the trails and was overwhelmed by the simplicity of the beauty. It felt like seeing something that millions of other people had seen but not fully clocked. It was like finding a secret.”

How do you usually start your creative process?
“I usually walk, hike or ride my bicycle around town and find cool things to take photos of. Sometimes it’s travel related, and I’m noticing something that most people are snow-blind to.”

What is the best piece of advice you’ve received as an artist?
“I tend to be very self-dismissive when people ask me about my art. I say things like, “Oh, I just take pics from my iPhone” or “Oh, I was walking and saw something cool and snapped a quick pic”. But when it actually touches someone, that lets me see that everyone has their own interpretation of art – photos included. So, trust the process and believe in yourself.”

How do you know when your collection is finished?
“It’s never finished. I’ll keep finding things that stick out to me years later. 20 years ago, I took a picture of a Hermit Crab I found on the beach in Mexico. Then, 10 years ago I found another one in the Dominican Republic and snapped that picture. I’d love to have a collection, but whenever it happens. I’m not rushing to find them, they find me.”

Do you have a favorite photograph you’ve captured?
“My family lives in Effingham and they have horses and acres of land. When I go visit, there are a few places I love to see. One of them is the forest that connects them to Horsley. On your way there, you can see the Effingham Common which is a large swath of land that has a pond and a big tree with a rope swing. That is easily one of my favorite places.”

Do you have any tips for photographers starting out?
“Get either a smart phone with a lot of storage or a little digital camera with decent resolution and go shoot everything. One that helped me was doing daily “Gratitude Walks” where I walk around and find things I’m grateful for like rabbits, lizards, squirrels and grasshoppers. It helps you really look around and see what is around you. You find beauty where most people are just walking by. Just keep taking photos and you’ll find what inspires you most. For me, it’s mostly nature.”

What’s next for your photography journey? Are there any future series or new locations you’re excited to explore?
“I’m currently working on a Magnolia flower series. From green bud, white bloom, full bloom, brown petals and finally just the stamen. It would hang in a 5-piece frame, or 5 individual pieces hung next to each other. I’m really into this idea and I was inspired by my sister, Sarah, who said it would look cool.”

May 21, 2025 – August 19, 2025

Old Town Newhall Library, 24500 Main St. Santa Clarita, CA 91321

The City of Santa Clarita is excited to announce a new exhibition “The Reading Tree” at the Old Town Newhall Library on view from May 21, 2025 – August 12, 2025. This exhibition will display 12 original acrylic paintings used as the inspiration and illustrations in The Reading Tree, a children’s picture book. Artist Therese Verner created the original Reading Tree paintings when she was inspired to write a children’s picture book with a magical storyline. The purpose of the exhibition is to spark children’s imagination, bring them into The Reading Tree’s magical world, where trees and animals can talk, and unicorns come alive!

Exhibiting Artist: Therese Verner

May 14, 2025 – August 20, 2025

City of Santa Clarita City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd #120, Valencia, CA 91355

The City of Santa Clarita is proud to present its newest exhibition, “Beyond the Desk,” on view from May 14 through August 20, 2025, at the First Floor Gallery located in City Hall. This special juried exhibition is the City’s first-ever show exclusively featuring artwork by City of Santa Clarita staff and their families. “Beyond the Desk” celebrates the creativity, passion, and artistic expression found within our workforce. The exhibit provides a platform for City employees and their families to share their unique artistic voices with the broader community. Artists have submitted work across a variety of styles and mediums, including painting, photography, sculpture, and mixed media. The result is a vibrant and diverse showcase that reflects the talent and imagination that exists beyond the professional roles we see every day.

A special reception will be held in the First Floor Gallery at City Hall on Thursday, June 5, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., where you can meet the artists and enjoy refreshments.

The exhibiting artists include Billie Abreu, Jared Anderson, Michele Arima, Joel Bareng, Leah Becker, Ellen Bernal, Leyan Cooksey, Parrish Cooksey, Jennifer De Avila, Pablo Cevallos, Ryan Drake, Dan Duncan, Cailin Garcia, Elizabeth Gutierrez, Damon Letz, Sean Lopez, Rosemary McCollister, Michelle Miracle, Katherine Nestved, Andy Olson, Christine Phachanh, Kevin Reynolds, Joe Redmond, Georgia Rios, Diana Rodriguez, Andrew Saiz, Christine Saunders, Tess Sigmen, Lone Stamper, Alan Stump, Darlene Stump, Elle Thompson, Alina Vinales, and Karolina Wasowicz.

April 30, 2025 – July 21, 2025

The MAIN, 24266 Main St, Santa Clarita, CA 91321

The City of Santa Clarita announces a new exhibition, Angel Art by artist Krishna Thangavelu, on view from April 30, 2025 – July 21, 2025, at The MAIN. This powerful collection features paintings that survived the Palisades Fire—bright, expressive works that now stand as testaments to resilience, renewal, and the enduring power of art.

The exhibition showcases pieces from Thangavelu’s Floral and Oceanscapes series, including vivid portrayals of blooming landscapes, moonlit waters, and radiant sunsets. Created on canvas and wood panels, these paintings invite viewers to reflect on the beauty of the natural world and the strength found in transformation.

The reception will be held on May 15, 2025, offering a chance to meet the artist and explore the inspiring stories behind the work. The event is free and open to the public.