In late Spring, Associate Director of Exhibitions & Collections at the Claremont Lewis Museum of Art, Seth Pringle reached out to me via email with some information about his vision for a new type of exhibit to come to the museum in the Summer of 2024. The idea was that, for the first time, CLMA would open its doors to all artists on a first-come-basis and hang work salon style throughout the galleries for a one-day show called “Free 4 All” on August 24, 2024. The Claremont Lewis Museum of Art is not typically associated with emerging artists, and the effort was to attract a new audience in the form of patrons and artists alike.

I have worked with CLMA for several years as a volunteer artist coordinator for their annual event FestivArts (formerly Padua Hills Art Fiesta), did portraiture at one of their annual galas, and at some point, was a donating member of the museum back in my Claremont Chamber Emerging Leaders days! However, my connection to the Museum didn’t touch on my work with Curious Publishing. In fact, I was surprised that they suggested that I exhibit Curious in their museum to begin with. Their space was always in the gray area of attainability in terms of platforming artists like myself. Sure, I had established the rapport and collaboration in many other ways with their staff and board, but to have Curious’ work on display front and center in Downtown Claremont was unexpected. It was an automatic “yes” from me.

I think it’s important to take opportunities like this, not only for the (yes I’m gonna say it), exposure, but also to use it as a creative testing ground. The logistical puzzle of putting together this installation within a few days was an exciting challenge. I had to think of how I would utilize the entire atrium, and also display books which would be for sale during the event. How much was I willing to invest? Is vinyl important? What about wall color? I decided to go with the classic Curious pink, and Seth agreed to prep the walls ahead of time before installation. He had some shelving laying around, and painted those to match. He even offered the use of a wide table they had built for a previous exhibit. And with every new exhibit or tabling that I participate in, I had to incorporate something entirely new to make the installation special.

Nicholas Aceves, *Ontario, Fontana, Riverside*, 2024, Digital illustration printed on Canon ImagePrograf

I worked with my good friend, Nicholas Aceves to dream up a poster display. The Claremont Lewis Museum of Art is located at the historic and iconic Claremont Depot directly next to a Metrolink station, which is a local commuter train line. Nick drew inspiration from the history of the building, and decided to highlight a few local cities in the Inland Empire. I decided to display some conceptual accordion-bound books along with a wall mounted paper sculpture to anchor in the far southwest corner of the installation. Inspired by children’s picture books, I went to town on some repurposed paper and soft pastels in my studio the weekend before the installation. (What artist doesn’t love a good last-minute project deadline?)

The event itself had a fantastic turn out. I’m not sure the exact numbers, but I bet you can find it in their annual report. I’d estimate several hundred guests of all ages and backgrounds throughout the day were in attendance. I saw a lot of familiar community faces, but also met many patrons of the Museum who were just delighted to see this type of art being represented. Curious made out with some cash to put towards printing as well (can’t beat that). Like most great things, it was over all too soon.