The Cherry Center for the Arts was founded in 1948 by free-spirited, non-conformist artist and poet Jeanne D’Orge. She established the Carl Cherry Foundation in honor of her husband, Carl Cherry, in the year after his death. Then as now, the nonprofit institution served as a cultural center to support experimental fine arts.

The name of the foundation was later changed to the the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts. In the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, Jeanne D’Orge and Carl Cherry, an inventor, passionately enriched Monterey Peninsula culture through support of artistic and scientific exploration. Their home now preserves the salon tradition in Carmel, offering an alternative space where contemporary artists explore new ideas in a warm, intimate setting.

Known as the Augusta Robertson cottage when it was built in 1890, the original house was acquired by Carl Cherry’s mother in the 1920s. Today, rooms that were once living and lounging areas serve as exhibit space for local and national painters, sculptors, and photographers.

In 2008 the Cherry Center entered its 60th year as a nonprofit arts organization, and is emerging steadily as the Monterey Peninsula’s artistic innovator.