Visuals 02.29.24

PAM BONSPER

There is a powerful exhibit wrapping up at East Village Cafe in Monterey. The artist is Pam Bonsper, who has a gift for distilling Black history into an educational and moving image. Her work addresses racism and diversity through art. You can find many of her works on the website of the Caste Action Alliance. CAA is a group of individuals based out of Monterey County, rising up for social and restorative justice. The above piece by Bonsper is titled “White Privilege” and represents “my thoughts… landing on the canvas,” Bonsper wrote on CAA’s website. “The plants tell the story,“ she wrote. “A plant from a healthy seed, raised with proper care and nurturance, will develop into a strong plant. Seeds raised with deprivation and insufficient nutrition will develop into sorrowful plants which will wither and die.” [AP]

MADDIE GILL

The Carl Cherry Center for the Arts is proud to announce the winners of “Thinking Out Loud 2024,” a regional art competition that challenges high school students to create works inspired by their lives. Each year, students from across Monterey County are invited to display their artwork across a wide range of media for exhibition in the Cherry Center’s gallery. The exhibit will open with a reception at 2-4pm Saturday, March 3. The event is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday from noon-4pm, or by appointment. The image above is titled “Sisterhood” and was done by Maddie Gill of York School, this year’s first-place winner. “My inspiration for much of my work comes from the nostalgia associated with nearly every aspect of my childhood,” she wrote in an artist statement. [AP]