Featured Exhibit and Events
Main Gallery, FA103
Clothes Story
Exhibit on view August 25 - October 16, 2025
Reception: Saturday, September 6, 4 - 7 PM, Art Gallery, FA 103
Curator Talk with Kenneth Green: Wednesday, September 10, 2025, 12:45 - 2 PM, Art Gallery, FA 103
Closing reception: Wednesday, October 15, 4 – 7 pm
Free Parking in Lot # 1 STAFF spaces ONLY. Event Nights ONLY.
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
Gallery Hours: 12 – 5 pm, M-Th or by appointment. Closed Fridays, Weekends & Holidays.
San Diego Mesa College Art Gallery is proud to present the exhibit Clothes Story, envisioned and curated by Atlanta based designer Kenneth Green. Clothes Story celebrates the lives and contributions of African American women by carefully replicating over thirty garments and fashion accessories that represent what women wore in historical periods ranging from 1890 to 1963. Every dress, coat or cloak has a unique story to tell, whether revealing details about the maker, providing information about the historical context or teaching us about the person who wore it. Through fashion, the narratives shared in this exhibition come alive. The engaging display takes the viewer on a journey through time, inviting them to experience women’s lives at home and in their communities and capturing historical moments that showcase the African American female experience and acknowledge their resilience, strength, bravery, courage, and unapologetic spirit for change. The exhibition is presented in collaboration with the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art. Join us for the reception on Saturday, September 6, 4 – 7 pm and for the curator talk on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, 12:45 - 2 PM.
Clothes Story invites guests to connect and reminisce as they experience the evolution of women’s clothing through the perspective of a fashion enthusiast. One might encounter the voluminous petticoat filled skirts and somber colors of the Late Victorian era contrasted with the body-hugging dresses of the 40s glamour decade. Meanwhile the sequined flapper cloaks and tunics resonate with the 60s patterned miniskirts, both a nod to women’s agency and liberation. Designed lovingly and with a desire for accuracy, each section was developed with insights from local historians, archivists, fashion designers and tailors. This empowering walk-through time invites guests of all ages to learn, reflect and discuss. Originating in Atlanta, Georgia, the exhibit has traveled to various locations in the South, and it makes its first appearance in the West Coast.
Kenneth Green, originally from San Bernardino, California, graduated from the United States International University with a B.F.A. in Musical Theater Dance and an M.A. in Dance from California State University Long Beach. Kenneth served as casting director for Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, where he was responsible for identifying and maintaining professional talent for Walt Disney World and their global partners. He has been on faculty at the University of California Irvine, and Spelman College in Atlanta, where he served as Director of Cultural Initiatives in the Office of College Relations. He has staged halftime shows for the Atlanta Falcons and choreographed several productions for Six Flags Over Georgia including their 50th Anniversary Show Celebration. His professional choreography includes City Springs Theatre production of the Color Purple, Target Stores with Vanessa Williams, Adidas, Wendy’s Hamburgers, Kodak and served as TV choreographer for Walt Disney World Christmas Specials and Easter Specials and park parades. Kenneth is the curator of the exhibition Clothes Story: Highlighting African American Women’s Stories from 1890-1963.
Second Floor Gallery, FA201
Images: (L) Berenice Badillo, Soy una flor machetada, 2024, photograph, 4' x 6' ; (R)
Gloria Muriel, Untitled, 2021, ball point pen on paper, 9.8" x 3.9"
A pop-up exhibit for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the Second Floor Gallery, FA-201.
Sacred Chichis: A Brush with Healing
Art by Berenice Badillo and Gloria (Glow) Muriel.
Exhibit on view October 6 - 10, 2025.
Reception: Wednesday, October 8, 4 - 7 pm.
Artist Talk at 6:30 pm in FA-105.
FREE and OPEN to the public.
Free Parking during events in Lot # 1, STAFF spots.
Visit us during our regular gallery hours:
This exhibit will be open Monday, October 6 through Friday, October 10, 12-5 pm.
Fine Arts Building, Second Floor Art Gallery, FA201
Art heals. Confronted with breast cancer, artists Berenice Badillo and Gloria Muriel,
found solace and strength in their creativity. During their most vulnerable moments,
with their lives forcibly on hold, they drew and sketched, wrote poetry and affirmations.
In this pop-up exhibit they share the artwork that emerged out of this difficult period.
Theirs is a gift of knowledge, hope, and resilience; their work brings awareness and
understanding of a disease that affects many women. This show is on view in our second-floor
gallery during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Join us for the reception and artist talk on Wednesday, October 8, 4 – 7 pm.
A cancer diagnosis is traumatic, upending one’s world. Breast cancer is the most common
cancer in women in the United States, except for skin cancers. Screenings mammograms
are important preventive care, but many women, and particularly women of color, don’t
always have access. Navigating the medical system can be both scary and frustrating
with patients having to deal with economic costs of treatment, on top of the physical
and emotional toll of surgeries, radiation, and chemotherapy. Badillo was diagnosed
in 2023, right in the middle of the restoration of her 1997 historic mural in Chicano
Park. She states:
Entering the medical system leaves you feeling powerless. You lose your identity,
your dignity and autonomy. If you beat Cancer, you have survival guilt. I was a busy
bee, an art therapist with a full case load of clients, an artist, and a consultant.
I certainly had no time for Cancer. But we can’t choose our destiny. I used art as
my beacon, my pen as my sword and my tears as the oil in my engine to get through.
Inspired by Audre Lorde’s The Cancer Journals (1980); Badillo decided not to “waste her pain” and began to create educational content
about her disease. She used social media effectively, with witty heartfelt posts that
revealed the life of a cancer patient. As she navigated difficult moments, explaining
medical jargon, she also but also found ways to experience joy. Drawings, sculptures,
textile pieces burst out. Many of the works included here were previously on view
in her solo exhibit Treacherous Titties at the Hillstreet Country Club in Oceanside. Engaging her practice as a therapist,
Badillo also created a poetry book that was provided to newly diagnosed patients.
While undergoing chemotherapy, Gloria (Glow) Muriel also looked to artmaking as both
refuge and powerful medicine. Sitting through treatment, she engaged in a meditative
task of filling journals with sketches and words. The drawings she created for this
exhibition, are expressions of an intimate time, when she felt the most vulnerable,
and they are revealed to a public audience for the first time. Surreal and magical
characters emerge guiding Muriel through her journey, connecting her to Nature and
holistic practices. This exhibit will become a touching point, a way to support and
start a conversation about this illness. Muriel says: My hope is that the works bring
strength and connection to women walking through breast cancer or any path of healing.
Berenice Badillo is a Spanish speaking Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, illustrator, muralist,
ceramicist, and multimedia artist. Berenice strives to document and encourage the
creation of communal cultural wealth through murals, sculpture, pop-up art galleries
and in the co-creation of counter stories. Berenice sees art expression as a way to
both, amplify communal voices and disseminate their stories to be witnessed on a grand
scale. Berenice is a Chicano Park muralist, has a doctorate in Art Therapy and is
a (SEL) Social Emotional Learning Consultant. She is a Breast Cancer Survivor. She
was also a recipient of The Far South Border North grant and the Living Cultures grant.
She is a cofounder of XoQUE Art in Motion.
Gloria Muriel (Glow) is a fine artist and muralist. She was raised in Mexicali, Baja California and resides
in San Diego, California. She has a degree in Graphic Designer from Universidad Iberoamericana
(Tijuana). Gloria celebrates the inspiration of divine feminine in her artwork with
a surreal whimsical psychedelic connection to Mother Earth and the 4 elements. She
believes art is a conduit to share energy and highlights the delicate beauty of innocence
and wonder.
Over the years, Gloria has completed numerous murals and collaborations throughout
the US and Mexico. Much of her work is spread throughout San Diego partnering with
non-profits, city departments, school district beautification projects, corporations,
and private commissions.
Past Exhibits
Unless otherwise noted, all exhibits are curated by Alessandra Moctezuma, Gallery Director and Museum Studies Professor. Available details are listed on this page or via the Mesa College Art Gallery Facebook Events page.
2023chevron_right
Student Art Exhibit
May 1-18, 2023
Reception: Thursday, May 4th, 4 – 7 p.m.
Perceive Me
March 13 - April 13, 2023
Reception: Wednesday, November 2nd, 4 – 7 p.m.
Africa in Context
San Diego Mesa College World Art Permanent Collection
Curated by Dr. Denise Rogers
January 30 - February 23, 2023
Reception: Thursday, February 9th, 4 – 7 p.m.
2022chevron_right
Pride and Protest
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
November 2 – 17, 2022
Reception: Wednesday, November 2nd, 4 – 7 p.m.
Pride and Protest virtual gallery
In Lak'Ech: Tu eres mi otro yo
Maria de Los Angeles and Ryan Bonilla
September 26 - October 13, 2022
Reception: Wednesday, September 28th, 4-7 p.m.
The Weight of Color, The Shape of Light
Christian Garcia-Olivo, Kaori Fukuyama, Melissa Walter
August 22 - September 8, 2022
Reception: Thursday, August 25, 4-7p.m.
Try on a New Perspective
Mesa Student Art Exhibition
Spring 2022 Student Art Exhibition Website
Connecting the Dots
Presented by SDCCD Faculty and Staff from Mesa, City, and Miramar colleges; along with Continuing Education and the District Office.
With Guest Juror Wendy Wilson-Gibson
April 26 – May 26, 2022
Reception: Thursday, May 5th, 4 – 7 p.m.
Connecting the Dots Virtual Gallery
Militarized Desert: Life and Death in the Mojave
Ben Allanoff and Anna Stump’s two-person exhibition delves into the contradictions of the Mojave desert, a militarized training ground but also a place notable for incredibly tenacious forms of life.
Spring 2022
2021chevron_right
Student Art Exhibition
Fall 2021
Fall 2021 Virtual Student Art Exhibition Website
Sowing Seeds of Universal Language
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
November 9 – December 15, 2021
Reception: Friday, November 12th, 3 – 7 p.m.
Sowing Seeds of Universal Language website
Sowing Seeds of Universal Language Virtual Gallery
Ludicrous Tales: A Topsy Turvy Quartet
Paintings by Gloria Muriel, sculptures by Aida Valencia and a collaborative ceramic installation by Beliz Iristay and Irene de Watteville.
Fall 2021
Inject Yourself with a Fresh Dose of Art
Virtual Student Art Exhibition
Spring 2021
Heavy Duty: Steamroller Printmaking Exhibition Drive-thru Reception
May 7 – June 4, 2021
Drive-Thru Reception: Friday, May 7th
2020chevron_right
Student Art Exhibition
Fall 2020
Fall 2020 Virtual Student Art Exhibition Website
Mesa Drive-In: An Outdoor Art Exhibition
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
Mesa Drive-In: An Outdoor Art Exhibition website
Student Art Exhibition
Spring 2020
Spring 2020 Virtual Student Art Exhibition Website
Forced Exodus: Coded Messages from the Underground Railroad
By Joe Lewis
February 3 – 27, 2020
2019chevron_right
Fall 2019 Student Pop Up Art Exhibition
December 3-6, 2019
Reception: Thursday, December 5th
In-Part: Interact and Participate with Art
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class with Guest Juror Michelle Montjoy
October 29 - November 19, 2019
Reception: Thursday, November 7th
Brightest Beacons, Blindest Eyes
John Brinton Hogan
September 24 - October 17, 2019
Reception: Thursday, September 26th
Chromatic: Grounding with Color
April Rose and Katie Ruiz
August 19 - September 11, 2019
Reception: Thursday, August 29th
Spring 2019 Student Art Exhibition
May 9 - 21, 2019
Reception: Thursday, May 9th
Subterranean
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
April 10 - 25, 2019
Reception: Thursday, April 11th
Artivismo Loko
Mario Torero
February 27 - March 21, 2019
Reception: Thursday, March 7th
Looking Forward, Looking Back
Alumni Exhibition
January 28 - February 13, 2019
Reception: Thursday, February 7th
2018chevron_right
Fall 2018 Student Art Exhibition
November 29 - December 11, 2018
Reception: Thursday, November 29th
Fall 2018 Faculty Exhibition
October 8 - Novemeber 7, 2018
Reception: Thursday, October 11th
Scarred For Life: Every Scar Tells A Story
By Ted Meyer
August 27 - September 20, 2018
Reception: Thursday, September 6th
Spring 2018 Student Art Exhibition
May 9 - 21, 2018
Reception: Thursday, May 9th
Art that Cuts
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
April 12 - 20, 2018
Reception: Thursday, April 12th
Remember the Trees: Southern California’s Changing Ecology
Ruth Wallen
March 12 – April 3, 2018
Reception: Thursday, March 15th
By(e) Default
Guest Curator: Andrea Chung
February 5 - 28, 2018
Reception: Thursday, February 15th
2017chevron_right
Student Art Exhibition
Fall 2017
November 29 - December 11, 2017
Reception: Thursday, November 29th
7 Steps Forward 7 Steps Back
By V. Kim Martinez
October 12 - Novemeber 2, 2017
Reception: Thursday, October 12th
Endangered: Exploring California’s Changing Ecosystems
Guest Curator: Danielle Susalla Deery
September 5 - 28, 2017
Reception: Thursday, September 7th
Haven
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
May 13 – 20, 2017
Reception: Saturday, May 13th
Spring 2017 Student Art Exhibition
May 9 - 21, 2017
Reception: Thursday, May 9th
FOBIA: A participatory Project
By Shinpei Takeda
April 6 - 13, 2017
Reception: Thursday, April 6th
Impressions: African American Artists and their connection to African Art
Co-curated by: Alessandra Moctezuma and Denise Rogers, Ph.D.
February 9 - March 1, 2017
Reception: Thursday, March 9th
Featuring Artists: Andrea Chung, Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle and Robert Pruitt and artifacts from the San Diego Mesa College African Art Collection
2016chevron_right
Fall 2016 Student Art Exhibition
December 1 - 13, 2016
Reception: Thursday, December 1st
Why We Collect: the 20th Century…
An art history survey with original works
Guest Curator: Kraig Cavanaugh
October 13 - Novemeber 8, 2016
Reception: Thursday, October 13th
Fall 2016 Faculty Exhibition
September 8 - 29, 2016
Reception: Thursday, September 8th
Spring 2016 Student Art Exhibition
April 28 - May 10, 2016
Reception: Thursday, April 28th
Bifocal: Bridging Prespectives
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
April 9 – 28, 2016
Reception: Saturday, April 9th
New Codex Oaxaca: Immigration and Cultural Memory
Guest Curator: Marietta Bernstorff
March 15 – April 13, 2016
Reception: Thursday, March 17th with invited San Diego artists Claudia Cano and Omar Pimienta
Chor Boogie
The Ultimate Sacrifice
February 11 - March 2, 2016
Reception: Thursday, March 11th
2015chevron_right
Fall 2015 Student Art Exhibit
November 19 - December 9, 2015
Reception: Thursday, November 19th
A Moveable Feast
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
November 6 – 8, 2015
Reception: Thursday, November 5th
Transpoiesis
By Jose Hugo Sanchez
October 13 - November 4, 2015
Reception: Thursday October 15th
Macro Views, Micro Wonders
By Cathy Breslaw
September 8 – 30, 2015
Reception: Thursday, September 10th
Spring 2015 Student Art Exhibit
April 30 – May 14, 2015
Reception: Thursday, April 30th
Untold Narratives
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
April 10 – May 14, 2015
Reception: Wednesday, April 29th
The Other Side of Birth
By Helen Redman
March 10 - April 14, 2015
Reception: Thursday, March 12th
Reshaping the 2%: Contemporary Ceramics
Guest Curator: Nathan Betschart
February 2 – 26, 2015
Reception: Thursday, February 12th
2014chevron_right
Fall 2014 Student Art Exhibit
November 20 – December 1, 2014
Reception: Thursday, November 20th
Connective Surge
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
November 6 – 9, 2014
Reception: Thursday, November 6th
Encoded Histories
By Doris Bittar and Qais Al-Sindy
October 13 - November 16, 2014
Reception: Thursday, October 24th
Fall 2014 Faculty Exhibition
September 2- 25, 2014
Reception: Thursday, September 4th
Spring 2014 Student Art Exhibit
May 1 – 15, 2014
Reception: Thursday, May 1st
Metaloci: Points of Transformation
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
Spring 2014
Reception: Wednesday, April 30th
"Stories On My Back" and "I CON"
By Richard A. Lou and James Luna, respectively
March 17 - April 16, 2014
Reception: Thursday, March 20th
LURE: all is not what it seems
Guest Curator: Susan Myrland
February 3 – 27, 2014
Reception: Thursday, February 6th
2013chevron_right
San Diego Mesa College Fall 2013 Student Art Exhibit
November 21 - December 10, 2013
Reception: Thursday, November 21st
Acerca de la Cerca
By Carmela Castrejon, Maria Teresa Fernandez, and Paul Turounet
October 10 - November 6, 2013
Reception: Thursday, October 10th
POKE: A series of Provocations
By Debby and Larry Kline
August 26 - September 26, 2013
Reception: Thursday, September 5th
Altered Horizons
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
Reception: Saturday, May 11th
San Diego Mesa College Spring 2013 Student Art Exhibit
May 2 - 16, 2013
Reception: Thursday, May 2nd
"GIFT" Women as Givers: Installation and Performance by Feminist Image Group
Guest Curator: Anna Stump
March 14 - April 18, 2013
Reception: Thursday, March 14th
Dynamic Gestures
By Larry Caveney, Silfredo La O, and Chris Warr
February 7 - 28, 2013
Reception: Thursday, February 7th
2012chevron_right
San Diego Mesa College Fall 2012 Student Art Exhibit
November 29 - December 12, 2012
Reception: Thursday, November 29th
Organic Colonies
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
Reception: Saturday, November 10th
agitPop: Protest Becomes Graphic
October 11 - November 6, 2012
Reception: Thursday, October 11th
Seven Deadly Sins
Guest Curator: Beate Berman-enn
September 6 - October 1, 2012
Reception: Thursday, September 6th
San Diego Mesa College Spring 2012 Student Art Exhibit: Express Yourself!
May 3 – 15, 2012
Reception: Thursday, May 3rd
Domestic Disobedience: Redefining the Feminine Space
Guest Curator: Nuvia Crisol Guerra
March 15 - April 19, 2012
Reception: Thursday, March 15th
Layering Time and Place: An African Memoir
By Atara Baker
February 9 - March 1, 2012
Reception: Thursday, February 9th
2011chevron_right
San Diego Mesa College Fall 2011 Student Art Exhibit
December 1 - 13, 2011
Reception: Thursday, December 1st
Faculty Plus One
Art faculty invite guests to exhibit artwork alongside their own.
October 13 - November 9, 2011
Reception: Thursday, October 13th
Disappearing Landscapes: The American Delta in Distress
By Monique Verdin and Anthony Fontenot
September 6 - 29, 2011
Reception: Thursday, September 22nd
San Diego Mesa College Spring 2011 Student Art Exhibit: Raw and Exposed
May 5 – 19, 2011
Reception: Thursday, May 5th
Above Us Only Sky
By Becky Guttin
March 10 - April 13, 2011
Reception: Thursday, March 10th
Parody and Plunder
By Armando Romero
Guest Curator: Danielle Susalla Deery
February 1 – 28, 2011
Reception: Thursday, February 10th
2010chevron_right
San Diego Mesa College Fall 2010 Student Art Exhibit
November 2010
Unearned Intimacies
By David Fobes, Michele Iversen, K.V. Tomney
Guest Curator: Barbara Sexton
October 14 - November 9, 2010
Reception:
Industrial
By Nicolas Gadbois
Guest Curator: Beate Berman-enn
September 9 - 30, 2010
Now We Can't Forget
By Judith and James Christensen
Faculty Exhibition 2010
2009chevron_right
Echoes in the Ice
by Rik van Glintenkamp
Shadows and Light in the Niger Delta
By Ed Kashi
January 29 - March 3, 2009
2008chevron_right
Premeditated: Meditations on Capital Punishment
BY Malaquias Montoya
October 9 - November 6, 2008
enTangoed Memories
By Alfredo Antognini
September 2 - 30, 2008
A visual journey from the streets of Buenos Aires to the beaches of La Jolla.
2007chevron_right
Student Exhibition - Art Corridor, second floor of the LRC
Menagerie
Featured Artists: Gloria Torres, Kathi McCord, Artemio Rodrigues, Brent Wear, and Angela Miles.
2006chevron_right
Memories From the Rolling Hills of Old San Diego
By Gloria Torres
Fleeting Moments
By Jeffrey Clark
Assembly of the Wondrous Head
By Gail Schneider
2005chevron_right
La Nueva Grafica
By Favianna Rodriguez and Jesus Barraza from Taller Tupac Amaru
XXXL (Extreme Extra Extra Large)
By Michael Barton Miller
Borders of intimacy
By Patricia Frischer and Cheryl Tall
Faculty Exhibition 2005
2004chevron_right
Stand and Deliver: Engineering Sculpture into a Book Format
Southern California: A Cinemuralby
By Louis Hock
The Multiplication of Bread
By Marcos Ramirez ERRE
2003chevron_right
Iro: Color
By Kaoru Mansour
Under the Skin of Grace & Cheryl Tall: Twins
By Suda House
Blue: An Invitational Ceramics Exhibit
The Rainbow, Quasar, Roller Coaster Divide
By Michael Jones McKean
In the Spirit of Tina Modotti
By Vincent Vigil
2002chevron_right
Faculty Exhibition 2002
Reconstituting the Vanished
By Lynda Frese
The Adoration of the Magi
By Ruben Ortiz Torres
Site/Unseen
By Sheila Pinkel
2001chevron_right
Destination Solitude
By Sharon Allicotti
Himself Beheld
By Maryann Luera
Quilts, Prints and Story Books
By Faith Ringgold
About the Gallery
The Mesa College Art Gallery is an educational forum to present the work of professional artists in a range of media and dealing with diverse issues. During the academic year, four exhibits feature art by emerging and established contemporary artists.
Learn More About the Mesa College Art Gallery
