The Claremont Lewis Museum of Art Announces New Exhibitions for 2025
For Immediate Release
January 15, 2025
Press Contact: Catherine McIntosh
909 626-1386, cell 713 829-9338 cmcintosh1011@gmail.com
The Claremont Lewis Museum of Art has announced four new exhibitions set to open in 2025. These exhibitions will explore various topics, including the art of instrument making, the intersection of language and art, and the themes of color and abstraction. Additionally, a pop-up show will showcase hundreds of local artists.
CLMA thanks all the donors whose support makes these exhibitions possible and invites the community to visit the museum regularly to discover new exhibits throughout the year. The Museum is located in the historic Claremont Depot at 200 W. First Street. For more information visit clmoa.org.
Sound Formations: Artist, Musician, Instrument Maker
April 5 – July 13, 2025
Sound Formations is a group exhibition showcasing beautifully handcrafted musical instruments that can also be appreciated as works of art. Claremont and its surrounding region boast a rich and unique history of musicians and instrument makers. Many artists continue to create instruments in their workshops and studios, catering to musicians who value handcrafted pieces over mass-produced items. Claremont has made a significant impact on the music world. While this exhibition focuses on instruments and their makers, it also recognizes the important contributions of the many resident musicians.
The music culture in Claremont has deep roots in significant landmarks, including the establishment of the Folk Music Center by Charles and Dorothy Chase in 1958, and the opening of the Golden Ring music café in 1965. For many years, Claremont’s live music scene thrived, largely due to the annual Folk Festival and the numerous live music venues in the area.
Sound Formations is guest curated by Mike Kotzen and Martin Maudal and will include the works of Henry Barnes, Richard Barnes, Otto D’Ambrosio, Kris Erickson, Pete Escovedo, Steve
Goode, Mike Kotzen, Martin Maudal, Jom Rivers, Victoria Rosas, Warren Shingleton and Dave Tourje.
Free for All
July 19, 2025
Local artists will take over the Museum for CLMA’s annual one-day pop-up show from 4-9 pm. With no fees to exhibit and no gatekeepers to decide who is allowed to show their work, hundreds of artists will fill the Museum’s galleries with their work. Free 4 All is a commitment to unfiltered community building.
The public is invited to celebrate the amazing cultural bounty that surrounds us with free admission to the Museum, refreshments available and live music.
Complications in Color
August 2 – November 16, 2025
Complications in Color will celebrate the beauty of abstraction while also exploring how abstract art can be more complicated than it may appear. Historically, discussion of abstraction has focused on “purity” of form and ignored psychological and political contexts. Rachel Lachowicz uses the gendered codes of materiality and appropriation to recontextualize abstract objects as catalysts for feminist thought. In this light, the historical narrative of hard-edge abstract painting, and the inherent sexism of its canonization, is made more complex.
Sculptor Terry O’Shea also expands on abstraction through his use of lozenge forms, which grow out of the formalism of the light and space movement but also connote the chemical influence of pharmaceuticals or hallucinogens. The exhibition will also include work by Florence Arnold, Karl Benjamin, and June Harwood.
She Opens the Door: Women Artists and Writers Shape Language and Space
December 6, 2025 – March 22, 2026
Curated by Poet-in-Residence Chloe Martinez, She Opens the Door is a group show of contemporary artists exploring female agency at the intersection of language and art. The exhibition will feature artists from the Claremont and San Gabriel Valley communities, as well as Southern California at large. In addition to selecting artworks, Martinez will also provide poetry and writing to supplement the exhibition and invite other creative writers to contribute.
Language is crucial for exploring female autonomy and its relationship to the structures of patriarchy. As James Baldwin stated, “…the root function of language is to control the world by describing it.” Language is the filter through which we comprehend our reality and assert our agency. Language extends beyond written words on a page. The language of visual art is
intricately linked to verbal language and plays a significant role in shaping our thoughts and existence.
CURRENTLY ON VIEW
Home in Aztlán Showcases the Garcia Collection of Chicanx Art
On view through March 23, Home in Aztlán: The Garcia Collection of Chicanx Art presents the rich Chicanx art collection of Cathy and Frank Garcia. Cathy, a mosaic artist, and Frank, a curator and organizer, have developed an art collection over decades that reflects a community-based approach to collecting. Involved in the annual exhibition Return to Aztlan at the dA Center for the Arts for many years, the Garcias, their home and collection are an integral part of the local and regional Chicanx art community.
Home in Aztlán is sponsored by Carol Holder and John Mallinckrodt; Epic Design Build Inc; Foothill Transit; Bernadette Kendall, Wheeler Steffen Sotheby’s International Realty; The Vera Law Group; and VMA Communications, Valerie Martinez. The Museum is open 12-4 pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Fridays are free for the whole family.
As a companion exhibition, One of Your Girls or Your Homies features recent work by Tan Jazz Mont at the intersection of autobiography, social commentary, and abstraction.