Upcoming Events
"Women's Work" Art Exhibition
Women’s Work is a collection of SLO County artists who challenge patriarchal norms, practice empathy, protest fascism, and find catharsis in expressing themselves through a variety of mediums. These artists define “women’s work”, as deconstructing gender norms, fighting for equality, and exercising intersectional feminism.
Guest curated by Lena Rushing
HAY FEVER Opening Reception
HAY FEVER, a new collection of work by Owen Blackwell, captures the tension between the aesthetic beauty and the overwhelming nature of springtime on the central coast: vibrant and textured paintings built through layers of meticulous patterning and raw disruption. Join us on March 29th from 6–8 PM to experience HAY FEVER, an exploration of color, memory, and the cyclical nature of creation.
"Out of Bounds!" Art Exhibition
Art Center of Morro Bay proudly presents “Out of Bounds!” exhibition offered by The Pastel Society of the West Coast’s as their first open juried exhibition, an exhibition that fills both levels of the gallery.
Art After Dark
Art After Dark is the FREE event where art, culture, and community come to life!
Earth Day Art Show
This special exhibition brings together a group of exceptional artists whose work explores a mix of contemporary art and sustainable practices. The theme may be Earth Day, but the art itself is modern and innovative and speaks to a broader audience who appreciates cutting-edge creativity.
"Out of Bounds!" Awards Ceremony and Reception
Awards ceremony and reception for the Pastel Society of the west Coast’s “Out of Bounds!” exhibition with renowned British pastelist, Tony Allain.
Poetry Night at the Los Osos Library
You are invited to another in-person Poetry Night at the Los Osos Library on Thursday, March 20, 2025!
Featured poets will be Christopher Buckley from Santa Barbara and our former Poet Laureate of San Luis Obispo County, Kevin Clark. An open mic reading will follow a short intermission. The evening's theme will be "How the Universe Speaks to Us" though poets need not feel bound by it.
Sunny Jain's Wild Wild East
Sunny Jain’s Wild Wild East encompasses myriad facets of Jain’s identity both as a first-generation South Asian-American and as a global musician, from his own family’s immigration story to his eclectic musical upbringing. In recasting the immigrant—steeped in the courage to leave a familiar homeland for a new beginning—as the modern-day cowboy and cowgirl, Jain sources musical inspiration from the scores of Bollywood classics and Spaghetti Westerns, Punjabi folk traditions, jazz improvisation, and rollicking psychedelic styles.
Sunny Jain’s Wild Wild East is rooted in the contemporary global soundscape, singing in a new voice, “I am large, I contain multitudes.”
Art After Dark
Art After Dark is the FREE event where art, culture, and community come to life!
Craftmakers Brainstorm Brunch
This event is being hosted by the Central Coast Artists Collective Craftmakers Group. Members and non-members are welcome! You are encouraged to bring friends who might be interested in joining the Craftmakers Group. Light brunch buffet and hot and cold beverages provided.
SLO County Poetry Out Loud Competition
Join us at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art to support high school students across SLO County as they compete in the Poetry Out Loud recitation competition! The winning student will go on to Sacramento to represent SLO County in the California Poetry Out Loud Finals.
SLO Rep Presents Million Dollar Quartet
This electrifying musical, based on the legendary true story of one of the greatest rock-and-roll gatherings in history, will take audiences back to December 4, 1956, when four of the most iconic figures in music—Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins—came together for one unforgettable night at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee.
Art After Dark
Art After Dark is the FREE event where art, culture, and community come to life!
SLO County Poet Laureate Inaugural Reading
SLO County Arts invited you to celebrate the incoming San Luis Obispo County Poet Laureate, Caleb Nichols, with an inaugural reading on Friday, January 24th at the Octagon Barn in San Luis Obispo.
Reading alongside Caleb will be outgoing SLO County Poet Laureate Kevin Clark, California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick, and Cal Poly professor and poet MT Vallarta. Join us in highlighting and celebrating the work of poets residing in the state and county and the relaunch of the Poet Laureate program here in SLO County.
This event is free and open to all!
Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival
Get ready for a night of adventure, breathtaking films, and giving back! Join us for the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour at the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, CA, January 24-25, 2025. Ticket sales benefit the SLO Land Conservancy and the SLO Botanical Gardens.
Art For Paws
Studios on the Park and Woods Humane Society have partnered up to host “Art For Paws,” a free community event that will include pet caricatures by local artist Savannah Reifers (free with a donation to Woods), a dog-toy making station, samples from Ziggy’s plant-based eatery, refreshing cider from Tin City Cider, and an opportunity to enter to win a custom pet portrait by Savannah Reifers, with proceeds benefiting two beloved community nonprofits: Woods Humane Society and Studios on the Park.
Opening Reception for "River" at Cruise Control Contemporary
Cruise Control Contemporary (CCC) is delighted to showcase River, a debut solo exhibition of new work by Big Sur-based artist, Abigail Smith. While residing in a tiny mountain cabin, Smith’s new oil painting series depicts the region's freshwater streams. These eight small-scale works offer a unique intimacy, both for the creator and the viewer. The scale compels an intentional proximity, drawing the viewer in to engage closely with the details and textures of the surface. This closeness fosters a sense of contemplation and encourages a slower, more deliberate pace of intake. Each brushstroke carries weight, every compositional choice becomes essential, and every inch of the painting is imbued with significance.
SLO Rep Presents Twelfth Night
This charming and witty Shakespearean comedy will be brought to life by an ensemble of talented local students, offering a fresh and vibrant interpretation of one of the Bard’s most beloved works. Set in the fantastical land of Illyria, Twelfth Night tells the story of Viola, a young woman shipwrecked and separated from her twin brother, who disguises herself as a man and enters the service of Duke Orsino. What follows is a whirlwind of mistaken identities, romantic entanglements, and hilarious misunderstandings that culminate in an uproarious celebration of love, folly, and the chaos of life.
9th Annual "For the Birds" Exhibit
Art Center Morro Bay proudly presents our 9th annual “For the Birds” exhibit. This exhibit is held in conjunction with the Morro Bay Annual Bird Festival, a yearly event promoting an understanding and appreciation of birds and other wildlife, and an awareness of environmental and conservation issues of the Central Coast. Birders from all over the United States come together to experience our wonderful and diversified ecosystem on the West Coast of California. Artists have been asked to share their artistic talents with the many visitors attending the festival through art that celebrates the varieties of birds and other wildlife, and their habitats, in our area.
SLO Master Chorale presents "Holiday Festival"
Join with the San Luis Obispo Master Chorale to perform the great choruses from Handel's ever-popular masterpiece, Messiah. Thomas Davies conducts as the audience is invited to sing various choruses from Handel’s masterwork, as well as a few well-known carols. The SLO Master Chorale will perform a variety of beautiful seasonal works and will be joined by guest artist Amy Goymerac, Los Angeles’s Westwood Brass, and Paul Woodring on the tremendous Forbes Pipe Organ. It's a family tradition!
SloDrawz Figure Drawing Group
Stop by Art Central on the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month for a figure drawing group run by local artist Spencer Poulter!
First Saturday: Handcrafted for the Holidays
Join Studios on the Park for First Saturdays, a fun tradition of art, wine, and music! Their Handcrafted for the Holidays exhibition will still be up, so get started on your holiday shopping by browsing for unique gifts from over 20 local artists!
Casa Ramos Art Gallery Grand Opening
Celebrate the new location for John Ramos Fine Art! Also featuring works by Jonny Miller, Philip Lopez, and more. Wine and refreshments will be available - stop by to check out the new space and meet the artists.
A Christmas Story at SLO Rep Theatre
San Luis Obispo’s Holiday Tradition Since 2014!
Jean Shepherd’s memoir of growing up in the Midwest in the 1940s follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker in his quest to get a genuine Red Ryder BB gun under the tree for Christmas. Ralphie pleads his case before his mother, his teacher and even Santa Claus himself, at Higbee’s Department Store. The consistent response: “You’ll shoot your eye out!” Bring the whole family to A Christmas Story for a heartwarming, funny, nostalgic holiday treat!
SloDrawz Figure Drawing Group
Stop by Art Central on the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month for a figure drawing group run by local artist Spencer Poulter!
Poetry Night at the Los Osos Library
This in person poetry night will feature poet and editor Marsha de la O from Ventura! Her most recent book is Creature, which she shared on the poetry stage at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC in April. Other books by Marsha include Antidote for Night and Every Ravening Thing. The last time she joined us was in July 2019.
There will be an open reading following the reading by Marsha de la O. The evening’s theme is “Passages,” but no one need feel bound by it.
Masks will be available for all who would feel more comfortable wearing one.
SloDrawz Figure Drawing Group
Stop by Art Central on the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month for a figure drawing group run by local artist Spencer Poulter!
Annual Winter Faire & Juried Craft Show 2024
This very special holiday event offers a collection of exceptional paintings, photography and fine crafts, spanning a variety of artistic mediums from traditional to contemporary. Crafts include fiber, wood, glass, sculpture, pottery, jewelry and more.
Poetry and Prose Reading
Come join us and enjoy an afternoon of literary arts along with fine guitar music – on Sunday, November 3rd, between 2 and 4 PM at the Octagon Barn Center off South Higuera Street at the southern edge of San Luis Obispo. The event is free.
Handcrafted for the Holidays Opening Reception
Celebrate the opening of Studios on the Park’s holiday gift exhibition, Handcrafted for the Holidays! Get started on your holiday shopping by browsing for unique gifts from over 20 local artists, while enjoying music by Loren Radis and delicious wine from Tribeca Wine Co!
Art After Dark
Join us for First Fridays in San Luis Obispo County! Experience visual, literary and performing art in galleries and other participating venues.
Visit slocountyarts.org/art-after-dark to see who’s participating this month!
Handcrafted for the Holidays Exhibit
Studios on the Park announces the return of their annual holiday market in November and December: "Handcrafted for the Holidays", a two-month long exhibition featuring gifts made by over 25 local artists.
SloDrawz Figure Drawing Group
Stop by Art Central on the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month for a figure drawing group run by local artist Spencer Poulter!
Art Talk Series: Marcie Begleiter
Join us for the next lecture in the free Art Talk Series presented by SLO County Arts and the City of SLO’s Public Art Program!
Marcie Begleiter is a California-based artist working with large photographic installations depicting possible futures of currently stressed bio-systems. “Chimera: The Future of Nature”, her current series, explores objects that are assembled from nature but not of it. This artist talk will focus on work created with materials from Estero Bay, Coastal Mexico and Banff, Canada. Echoes of Voynich : Coded Systems, a group exhibit that Begleiter curated and has work in, is at Wönzimer Gallery in LA through October 18th. She will also feature installation shots and talk about the curatorial journey of bringing this show to light.
This event is taking place at the SLO Public Library Community Room from 6pm to 7:30pm.
Jamil Hellu: Face to Face
A solo exhibition of photography and sculpture by Jamil Hellu featuring themes of identity fluidity, cultural heritage, and queer representation. Born in Brazil and of Syrian descent, Hellu’s multicultural background informs his practice, fostering empathy and dialogue, while advocating for greater inclusivity and understanding. Hellu holds an MFA from Stanford University and a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and is currently a Photography Lectuer in the Department of Art and Art History at Stanford. His work has been discussed in The New York Times, The Guardian, Artforum, and VICE.
Open Studios Art Tour Weekend 2
The San Luis Obispo County Open Studios Art Tour, a program of SLO County Arts Council, takes place each year over two weekends in October, National Arts and Humanities Month. Free to the public, fine artists and crafters open their studios to showcase their art and share their processes. Visitors create their own self-guided tours using the catalog.