Pacific Grove Art Center turns 56.

Pacific Grove Art Center will be turning 56 this Fourth of July.

The community is invited to meet with the artist residents who will be present at the center all day with special works created just for the occasion. The artists are Sahar Jabr, Pacia Platzek, Jim Wagoner, Sharon Ericksen, Bryan Katz, Mark Davy, David Hohmann and Sherard Russell; they all have studios at the center and have been preparing the birthday art for a long time.

Mocktails will be served throughout the day (red, white and blue), as well as snacks.

At 56, PGAC is doing better than ever. The recent Extraterrestrial Ball event was a tremendous success, organizers say.

“We nearly filled the art center to capacity and raised over $2,000 in one night,” says Sam Al-Maqtari on behalf of PGAC’s Board of Directors. “The community really showed up and the energy was unforgettable.”

Al-Maqtari says it's been an honor and a privilege to operate within the PGAC ecosystem.

"When you come here and you hear the stories from the artists here, why do they do their work and what brings them together, it's inspiring," he says. "And not just for young people, but people of all generations”.

Check the PGAC website regularly for upcoming events. In addition to concerts, gatherings and exhibits, the center is organizing a birthday-themed Pub Walk, in collaboration with Hops and Fog and Pop and Hiss in Pacific Grove—scheduled for Saturday, July 5.

On June 18, representatives of the PGAC attended the Pacific Grove City Council meeting, where they talked about the center’s past and future. They invited the council to show up for the birthday festivities.  

“I hope that we are able to exist for another 56 years and maybe even more,” Al-Maqtari says. “And I hope that people join us to celebrate the history and the partnerships and the people that really make it matter.”

Pacific Grove Art Center’s 56th Birthday: Noon to 10pm Friday, July 4. 568 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove. Free. 375-2208, pgartcenter.org.