Putin's War
2023-05-26 - 2023-06-24 | The Carl Cherry Center, Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA, 93921, United States
“Putin’s War,” a new exhibit of paintings by Waldek Dynerman exploring the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, opens Friday, May 26th at the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts. A reception for the artist will be held Friday, May 26th from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
VISIT ONLINE CATALOGUE
Russia invaded Ukraine by land, sea and air on Feb. 24, 2022, the largest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War II. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called its actions “a special military operation,” while Ukraine and the West call the attack a malicious land grab.
Against the backdrop of the successive incursions mounted by Russian forces into Ukrainian state territory since 2014, the works presented in the exhibition – all of which were created within the past fifteen months – provide an evocative, emotional reflection of the drastically transformed life and turbulent spiritual landscape of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.
VISIT ONLINE EXHIBIT
About the Artist:
Born in Warsaw six years after WWII ended, Mr. Dynerman grew up absorbing the traumatic stories of his parents and developing great empathy for victims of war; conflicts has become one of the stalwarts of his work.
“When making art, these thoughts and feeling are always present, and may be expressed through brutal treatment of materials, fragmentation of the human form, or obfuscation of meaning.” Putin’s unprovoked aggression and the brutality of the Ukrainian war has triggered flashbacks to the many WWII stories he heard as a child” he says.
Mr. Dynerman has exhibited in dozens of group and one-person shows throughout the U.S. and Europe, including exhibitions at the Hawthorn Contemporary in Milwaukee, WI, the Fata Morgana project space, Berlin, Germany, and the Apteka Sztuki Gallery, Wasaw, Poland.
The exhibit can be seen Wednesdays through Saturdays, 12 noon to 4 p.m. or by appointment through June 24th. The Carl Cherry Center for the Arts is located on the northwest corner of Fourth and Guadalupe, Carmel.
Image: “New World Order” – Waldek Dynerman

The Dick Whittington Trio - SOLD OUT
2023-06-25 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
The Dick Whittington Trio on June 25th is sold out. Tickets are still available for our next Jazz at The Cherry, the New York-based Essiet Essiet Quartet, performing Sunday, July 9th, at 2:oo pm. Tickets can be purchased on eventbrite.com or by calling 831-624-7491.

Jazz At The Cherry is pleased to welcome back to our stage nationally-known pianist, Dick Whittington, for an encore performance. Joining Dick will be virtuoso bassist, Dan Robbins, and drummer, Mike Shannon.
The trio will treat us to an afternoon of jazz interpretations of evergreens by Harold Arlen, Rodgers & Hart, Cole Porter, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Duke Ellington and others.
Sunday, June 25th, at 2:00pm. Doors open at 1:30pm for a reception featuring wine and light fare (included in the ticket price). Tickets are $35, purchased on eventbrite.com or by calling 831-624-7491.
About the Trio:
Dick Whittington grew up in Los Angeles, and while earning a degree in elementary education at Cal State Northridge, he was working gigs with Bobby Hutcherson, Sonny Criss, Barney Kessel, Charles Lloyd, Charlie Hayden, Scott Lafaro, Gary Peacock, and Billy Higgins. Dick later went on to accompany vocalists Anita O’Day, Ernestine Anderson, Dinah Washington, and Mel Torme. Over the last five decades he has performed with many jazz greats including Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, James Moody, Lee Konitz, Art Pepper, Eddie Harris, and Chet Baker.
Dan Robbins, who is among the West Coast’s most in-demand bassists, is known for his driving, creative, harmonically and melodically rich background and lead parts on bass. He has performed with numerous jazz stars such as Christian McBride, Roy Hargrove, Benny Green, Regina Carter, Lewis Nash, John Clayton, Bruce Forman, and many other West Coast jazz luminaries. Dan teaches at San Jose State University and Santa Clara University and is also involved as an educator with the Monterey Jazz Festival, Cabrillo Jazz Festival and the San Jose Jazz Society.
Mike Shannon has been involved in the Monterey Peninsula jazz scene since his high-school days including as a member of the Monterey Jazz Festival All-Star Big Band, and as a clinician with the Monterey Jazz Festival educational program. Mike has been featured and reviewed in the world’s leading jazz publications and websites including: JazzTimes, Downbeat, JAZZIZ, All About Jazz, E- Jazz News, Critical Jazz, and JazzWeekly.

The Essiet Essiet Quartet
2023-07-09 14:00 - 16:00
Jazz at The Cherry is thrilled to welcome the New York-based Essiet Essiet Quartet on Sunday, July 9th at 2:oo pm.
Doors open at 1:30 pm for a reception featuring wine and light fare included in the $35 ticket price. Tickets can be purchased on eventbrite.com or by calling 831-624-7491.
About the Quartet:
Essiet Okon Essiet, considered one of the top bassists in jazz today, first received critical acclaim over a decade ago in Bobby Watson’s group, Horizon. Born in Nebraska to Nigerian parents, he began studying violin at age 10 and switched to bass viol at 14. As a child, he traveled widely with his family, and that early exposure to many cultures, folk-ways, languages, and religions fostered his world view of strength through diversity. Essiet has performed and recorded with such notables as: Benny Golson, Johnny Griffin, James Moody, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, Cedar Walton, Sam Rivers, George Adams, Pat Martino, Kenny Burrell, Jackie McLean, Frank Morgan, Kenny Barron, Louis Hayes, Ben Riley, Jimmy Cobb, Billy Higgins, Billy Hart, Art Farmer, Abby Lincoln, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Billy Cobham, Bennie Maupin, Al Foster, Eddie Henderson, Steve Turre, Jon Faddis, Bobby Watson, Victor Lewis, Kenny Garrett, Kenny Kirkland, Mulgrew Miller, Jeff “Tain ” Watts, Mike Stern, Kevin Mahogany, Kurt Elling, Fort Apache Band, Danilo Perez, Claudia Acuna, Geri Allen, and Ralph Peterson, to highlight only a partial list.
Sylvia Cuenca, a highly accomplished jazz performer and educator, is an active drummer on the New York jazz scene. She has had the honor of sharing the bandstand with saxophone legend Joe Henderson for 4 years, and trumpet legend Clark Terry for 17 years. She has performed with some of the biggest names in jazz, including: Al Grey, Red Holloway, Jimmy Heath, Frank Wess, Marian McPartland, Dianne Reeves, Joe Williams, Lou Donaldson, John Handy, Mark Whitfield, John Clayton, Ernestine Anderson, Richie Cole, Dianne Schur, and many other jazz luminaries. In 2015, she performed at Dizzy’s Jazz at Lincoln Center in NYC, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
Saxophonist Rico Jones is steadily becoming one of the top young saxophonists of his generation. A Colorado native, Rico has been deeply compelled by artistic expression since early childhood. Rico grew up in Denver performing under the guidance of local artists such as Paul Romaine, Greg Gisbert, Eric Gunnison, Art Lande, Brad Goode and Vlad Girshevich. As the years passed, Rico became enthralled by black American musical art forms, and Blues and Jazz became primary modes of expression for Jones and his ensembles. As he grew, his heritage as a Latino with indigenous roots became a focus for his artistic expressions. He has performed as a leader with notable artists such as: Dave Kikoski, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Matt Clohesy, Yasushi Makimura, Ari Hoenig, Lage Lund, Kush Abadav, Jope Mrtin, Colin Stranahan, Rick Rosato, Rich Perry, Steven Feifke, and many others.
Bruce Forman, a local favorite and internationally known guitarist, will be joining this stellar jazz quartet. As a sideman, Bruce’s recordings include works with the likes of Ray Brown, Bobby Hutcherson, and Roger Kellaway, as well as soundtrack performances on three of Clint Eastwood’s distinguished films—most notably Academy Award-winning “Million Dollar Baby.” Bruce has performed at The Cherry on several occasions, and we are pleased to have his amazing guitar work as a part of this outstanding line-up.
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear some of the best contemporary jazz from these world-class artists!

"Shared Visions: The Cherry at Seventy-Five" Art Exhibition
2023-07-14 - 2023-09-23
This summer, the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts illuminates the connection between the artwork and poetry of Jeanne D’Orge (Mrs. Carl Cherry) and contemporary local artists and poets in celebration of the center’s seventy-fifth year.
Opening Friday, July 14th, Shared Visions: The Cherry Center at Seventy-Five will include paintings, drawings and sculpture by ten area artists displayed alongside select works by Jeanne D’Orge from the Cherry Center’s private collection. Participating artists include Tracey Adams, Robert Armstrong, Rob Barnard, Jennifer Brook-Kothlow, Jamie Dagdigian, Judith Foosaner, Susan Hyde Greene, Ken Hale, Margaret Rinkovsky, and the Temple Sisters. An artists’ reception will be held Friday, July 14th, from 5-7pm. The event is free and open to the public.
Artists featured in this exhibition have created works that reinterpret and remix elements, themes and the palette of Jeanne D’Orge, and highlight ways art inspires across time. Their works speak to the expanding diversity of the stories we want to tell, and illustrate how today’s artists continue to find inspiration in the methods and pictorial traditions from the Cherry Center’s rich history.
The exhibit will close Saturday, September 23rd.

Shared Visions: The Cherry at Seventy-Five Poetry Reading
A poetry reading will be held at the Cherry Center on Friday, July 28th, at 7pm. Poets Jennifer Lagier, George Lober, Anne Mitchell, and Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts will read selections of their poetry alongside the writing of Mrs. Cherry; each offering insight into the other. Reservations required. Tickets are by donation, available on eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491. The Cherry Center is located on the northwest corner of Fourth Avenue and Guadalupe Street, Carmel.
Pictured, left: Untitled – Jeanne D’Orge
Pictured, right: “A Spider in the House” – Tracey Adams

About the Artists:
Jeanne D’Orge took up painting at the age of fifty-four at the urging of her husband, Carl Cherry. Although her paintings were recognized in her lifetime for their forcefulness and spirit — with exhibits at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the Park Avenue Galley in New York City, and De Young Museum in San Francisco — D’Orge insisted her paintings never be sold, saying, “I’m just a paintbrush for God.”
Tracey Adams has been an exhibiting artist for over 35 years. She has participated in over 175 solo and group exhibitions in the United States and internationally, including solo exhibitions at the Monterey Museum of Art, Fresno Art Museum and the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History. Adams’ paintings are included in the permanent collections of the Bakersfield Museum of Art, Crocker Museum, Hunterdon Art Museum, Monterey Museum of Art, Fresno Art Museum, Tucson Art Museum and Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
Robert Armstrong grew up in Salinas, California, and attended UC Berkeley as an art major. A mechanical technician by trade, he worked for a geophysical company, a survey group and on a photon accelerator. Armstrong’s interest in geology, physics and engineering informs his art. His exhibitions tend to be large, unique installations, with interesting titles, humor and irony.
Rob Barnard was born in Lexington, Kentucky in 1949. He began studying pottery at the University of Kentucky in 1971 after serving in Vietnam with the United States Marine Corps. In 1974 he was admitted to the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen and accepted as a research student at Kyoto University of Fine Arts in Kyoto, Japan where he studied under the late Kazuo Yagi. He has returned to Japan numerous times since 1978 for solo exhibitions in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. Besides Japan, Barnard exhibits widely both in the United States and Great Britain.
Jennifer Brook-Kothlow was born and raised in San Francisco. Her training began in the early 1960’s as an undergraduate art major at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and continued with studies in ceramics under Betty Woodman, as well as extension courses at the San Francisco Art Institute under Frank Lobdell. She has dedicated her life to art practice and has continued to produce paintings and mono-prints influenced by the Abstract Expressionist style for the past fifty years.
Jamie Dagdigian is an artist and designer currently living and working on the Monterey Peninsula. He is an instructor and the Art Department Chairman at Monterey Peninsula College and has been creating mixed-media work while teaching both art and design.
Judith Foosaner is a mixed-media artist who incorporates elements of collage and free-hand sketches into her large-scale acrylic works on canvas–dramatic, gestural black and white works where linear elements suggest letters from some unknown alphabet, poetry written in a language we can’t quite translate.
Susan Hyde Greene is an award-winning fine art photographer. She cuts her images apart then stitches them back together in a reflection of relationships and humanity. Susan is an avid traveler whose artwork is created from images around the world.
Kenneth J. Hale (born 1948) received a BA in 1971 from California State University at Long Beach and a MFA from the University of Illinois (Urbana) in 1973. After graduation he moved to Austin, Texas to teach at the University of Texas in the Department of Art and Art History. In addition to the AP/RC, his paintings, prints, and drawings are in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York, NY), The National Museum of American Art (Washington, DC), the Achenbach Foundation (San Francisco), the McNay Art Museum (San Antonio, TX), the Chicago Art Institute (IL), the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (MA) and the Modern Art Museum of Ft. Worth (TX).
Susan Hyde Greene is an award-winning fine art photographer. She cuts her images apart to then stitch them back together in a reflection of relationships and humanity. An avid traveler, her artwork is created from images from all over the world. Greene received her BFA in textiles, photography, and art history from the University of Hawaii, Manoa and her MFA from the University of Utah. Her work is in several public and private collections, including Adobe Systems.
Margaret Rinkovsky is a painter currently living in Santa Cruz, California. She received her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree from UCLA. She also holds a Masters of Arts degree in Printmaking and a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting, also from UCLA. Ms. Rinkovsky is the recipient of the prestigious SECA Award from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, was a nominee to the American Academy of Arts in New York, and received the Distinguished Artist Award from the Santa Cruz Art League.
The Temple Sisters – Holly and Ashlee Temple – work in mixed media to generate works on paper, canvas and create small assemblages. Each work they devise is meant to engage the viewer in questions about the temporal and fluid nature of image, memory, and the cultural language of expression.

Monterey Comedy Improv
2023-07-22 19:00 - 20:30
Monterey Comedy Improv is back! The premier improv comedy troupe on the Peninsula returns to The Cherry on Saturday, July 22nd, at 7:00pm.
Similar to “Whose Line is it Anyway,” Monterey Comedy Improv takes audience suggestions or volunteers and instantly creates hilarious scenes right on the spot. Join us for a night of fun and laughs! For audiences 16+
Tickets are $20, available on eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491.

"Shared Visions: The Cherry at Seventy-Five" Poetry Reading
2023-07-28 19:00 - 21:00
This summer, the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts illuminates the connection between the artwork and poetry of Jeanne D’Orge (Mrs. Carl Cherry) and contemporary local artists and poets in celebration of the center’s seventy-fifth year.
A poetry reading will be held at the Cherry Center on Friday, July 28th, at 7pm. Poets Jennifer Lagier, George Lober, Anne Mitchell, and Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts will read selections of their poetry alongside the writing of Mrs. Cherry; each offering insight into the other. Reservations required. Tickets are by donation, available on eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491. Suggested donation at the door: $15.

Shared Visions: The Cherry at Seventy-Five art exhibition will open with an artists’ reception on Friday, July 14th, from 5-7pm. The event is free and open to the public. The exhibit will close Saturday, September 23rd.

About the Poets:
Jeanne D’Orge was a published poet and playwright by age twenty. Her book of verse, “Voice in the Circle,” recounts fragments from her childhood. After arriving in the United States from England, D’Orge became associated with The Others, a group of modernist poets the included Marianne Moore, William Carlos Williams and Wallace Stevens. In 1916, she made her debut as Jeanne D’Orge in “The Little Review”. Her poetry most often appeared in “Others,” the magazine founded by Alfred Kreymborg and the great art connoisseur, Walter C. Arensberg. She later published award-winning verse, including the “Lobos” poems of Scribners magazine. William Carlos Williams referred to her work as “poems of understanding and disarming technical skill.”
Jennifer Lagier is an Italian American writer, poet, and retired college librarian/instructor. She taught with California Poets in the Schools and served as an Area Coordinator for San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tuolumne Counties. Her scholarly essays on digital resources and online education have been published in peer-reviewed journals; her poetry has appeared in many literary magazines and blogs. She is the author of twenty books of poetry and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Her poetry primarily includes themes of her Italian ancestry, social justice, dementia, addiction and nature.
George Lober teaches English at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. He received his Bachelor of Arts in English from San Jose State and his master of Arts in English from Fresno State. He is a recipient of the nationally awarded Ruth Cable Memorial Prize for Poetry. His poetry has appeared in numerous magazines and journals. He lives in Carmel, California
Anne Mitchell has called Carmel, CA home for over 30 years. A lifelong writer, when the year 2020 brought the unexpected realm of solitude and poetry presented itself, she became a willing conversationalist. Mitchell currently serves as a board member for the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts. She enjoys the theater, and has acted in staged readings at The Cherry, The Listening Place and Eulalia Theater.
Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts is Professor Emeritus at Monterey Peninsula College where he taught composition, literature, public speaking and humanities for 32 years. He serves as President of the Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation in Carmel, California. Ruchowitz-Roberts coordinates the Foundation’s annual Prize for Poetry, annual reading series, and serves as a tour docent. He coordinated the National Endowment for the Arts, “The Big Read: The Poetry of Robinson Jeffers,” during which he read and performed Jeffers’s poetry at venues throughout Monterey County, including local libraries, high schools and colleges. The Carl Cherry Center’s high school poetry contest is named in his honor.

Feleboga - Norwegian Traditional Music and Dance
2023-08-18 19:00
Feleboga (Elizabeth Gaver and Hans-Hinrich Thedens) will perform traditional Norwegian music and dance on Friday, August 18th, at 7:00pm. Tickets are $20, available on eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491.
During the concert, several tunes will be played on the hardingfele, while others are from the Norwegian-American old-time tradition and are played on vanlig fele – “normal fiddle” – accompanied by banjo and guitar. Together with archival recordings and pictures, the duo will demonstrate the oldest couple dances, or bygdedans. Some of the oldest tunes are mentioned in the sagas as calling forth supernatural forces. Others are lyrical listening pieces telling stories of tragic love or describing nature and imitating bird calls. The songs include short joking rhymes, a Christmas ballad about the gnome on the farm, and fiddle tune verses.
About Feleboga:
Feleboga was founded by Hans-Hinrich and Elizabeth in 1998 as a hardingfele duo. When their son Mattias joined them, first on spoons and slide guitar, later on fiddle and banjo, the ensemble became a family band performing both Norwegian traditional and American old-time music. With the addition of other musician friends on flutes, banjo, and bass, Feleboga has played concerts and led dances in Norway, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Poland, Thailand, and the US. feleboga.com

Kenny Stahl and Friends
2023-08-20 14:00 - 16:00
Jazz At The Cherry proudly presents Kenny Stahl & Friends on Sunday, August 20th at 2:00pm. Doors open at 1:30pm for wine and light fare (included in the ticket price). Joining creative and innovative flautist Kenny Stahl for an afternoon of scintillating contemporary jazz will be local favorites Leon Joyce Jr., Scotty Wright, and Steve Uccello.
Tickets are $35, available online at eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491. You won’t want to miss this one! Reserve your tickets today.
Meet the Musicians:
A seasoned recording artist and composer, Kenny Stahl is one of the hottest jazz flute performers playing today. He has worked with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Jaco Pastorius, Ira Sullivan, Cal Tjader, Richie Cole, Herb Jeffries, Paul Horn, and many others. Stahl has performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival many times; among his other noted performances are appearances at the Great American Music Hall and the Kuumbwa Jazz Center. In addition, he has performed or recorded with such artists as Diana Krall, Lee Greenwood, Paul Horn, Pierre Bensusan, Roger Glenn, and Richie Cole, among others. Raised in Chicago, Kenny has studied and performed many forms of jazz, from the mysteries of Monk to the preludes of Bach, with stops along the way for Latin, Be-bop, Brazilian and Contemporary.
Drummer Leon Joyce Jr.’s musical career began in high school, but was shaped and nurtured when he joined the Marine Corps in 1976. Born in Meriden, Connecticut, Joyce received his musical training through private instruction under John Oblon and Jimmy Rozelle. His musical education was greatly expanded during the 21 years he spent in the Marines where he received in-depth training and experience, emerging as a premier drummer and bandleader. Leon has worked with a variety of top artists, including Nancy Wilson, Larry Coryell, Patti LaBelle, Ellis Marsalis, and the Ramsey Lewis Trio. Joyce has made numerous appearances at some of the most prestigious international jazz music festivals, including the Montreaux and Lugano Jazz Festivals in Switzerland. Since relocating to the Monterey Peninsula from Chicago in 2011, Leon has been a mainstay of the regional and West Coast jazz scene.
Scotty Wright is a veteran jazz pianist and vocalist. His vocals cover a wide spectrum of jazz singing with a warm, rich-toned voice and a relaxed delivery. Scotty’s repertoire includes interpretations of classic songs by Gershwin, Porter, Kern, and Rodgers & Hart, as well as jazz standards by Miles Davis. In everything Scotty sings, one is certain that the song has never been heard quite the same way before, nor will it be again. It is this element of the unexpected, what Scotty calls the ‘music of the moment,’ that is the essence of great jazz.
As an upright bassist, multi-instrumentalist and composer, Steve Uccello is experienced in many genres, including jazz, blues, folk, bluegrass, R & B, mariachi, and classical. As a freelance artist, he plays gigs around the Monterey and San Francisco Bay areas and is a regular bassist with the local Monterey group, Along Came Betty. Steve was a featured soloist at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 2009 and 2017.

Playfest '23
2023-08-26 19:00 - 21:00
Soapbox Stageworks present Playfest ’23, their first annual 10 minute play competition at the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts on Saturday, August 26th, at 7:00pm. Doors open at 6:30pm for a wine and light fare reception (included in the ticket price). Tickets are $35, available at eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 664-6587.
Eight plays were selected from a pool of two hundred submissions from across the country. The audience will determine which playwrights earn the coveted first and second prizes. Four dramas and four comedies will come to life through staged readings performed by local talent:
Drama:
Light by Barbara Blatner A mother and her grown children struggle with divorce and loss of a parent.
Nearly Departed by Michael Waterson An unsuspecting stranger helps a person with suicidal thoughts.
Inherit the Dumb by Carl L. Williams The plight of being an honest science teacher
The Unspoken by Aldo Accomero A happy bride learns of her husband’s well kept secret.
Comedy:
Match Play by Seth Freeman An older woman teaches a younger man a lesson about dating.
Budget Airlines by Bruce Guelden You get what you pay for, even with a high end airline
Speed Dating by Curt Strickland A widower and a widow waste no time in finding a new partner.
Dress Blues by Donald Luftus A dress shop owner and his partner attempt to make a woman feel good in her skin.

The Spirit is Alive at 75!
2023-09-02 15:00 - 18:00
The Carl Cherry Center for the Arts celebrates seventy-five years of bringing art, music, literature and drama to the Monterey Peninsula on Saturday, September 2nd, from 3-6 pm.

The Carl Cherry Center, originally called the Carl Cherry Foundation, was established in 1948 by Jeanne D’Orge (Mrs. Carl Cherry), to provide arts programing to the Monterey Peninsula and as a testament to the potential of arts in community.
“Our seventy-fifth anniversary provides a chance to reflect on the numerous ways the art center’s exhibitions, classes, events, and school programs have made an impact on thousands of people in our community,” said Robert Reese, the Cherry Center’s executive director. “This landmark anniversary also provides a chance for us to look forward to our future as we continue to provide significant and meaningful arts programs to the community, working towards our vision to make art an essential part of Monterey County.”

Wine and light fare start off the event, with special entertainment that includes a reading by award-winning writer Jane Smiley, Dylan and Dylan preview, and prose and poetry reading by Patrice Vecchione. The celebration will also include performances by several music groups, and a silent auction. “Shared Visions,” a far-reaching exhibition showcasing artists with an affiliation to the artwork of Jeanne D’Orge, will also be on display.Tickets for the event are $65, available on Eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491. The Cherry is located on the northwest corner of Fourth Avenue and Guadalupe, Carmel.
About Us:
The Carl Cherry Center for the Arts is your place to discover art. Established in 1948 by Mrs. Carl Cherry in her husband’s name, the center provides an accessible and welcoming place to engage with art. We serve approximately 10,000 people every year through a diverse range of programs. The Carl Cherry Center is funded, in part, through grants from the Arts Council for Monterey County, the Community Foundation for the Monterey County, Monterey Peninsula Foundation, the Mitchell Foundation, and private donations.

Special Guests:
Jane Smiley is the author of numerous novels, including A Thousand Acres, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, and the Last Hundred Years Trilogy: Some Luck, Early Warning, and Golden Age. She is the author as well of several works of nonfiction and books for young adults.

The Monterey Peninsula’s celebrated bard and biographical dramatist Taelen Thomas collaborates with artists Steve Mortensen, Laura Burian, and Dixie Dixon for a beguiling excursion into the lives, minds and works of two passionate and unpredictable literary geniuses who share a name: Dylan Thomas and Bob Dylan.

For many years, Patrice Vecchione has taught poetry and creative writing to young people through her program, The Heart of the Word: Poetry and the Imagination. She is currently Poet-In-Schools for the Cherry Center’s high school poetry program, and judge of the Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts Monterey County High School Poetry Awards.

Ronald Reagan Saves the World
2023-09-15 19:00 - 20:30
Ronald Reagan Saves the World is a one-man show by Terry Phillips, starring veteran actor/director Paul Messinger. It presents the unvarnished, unapologetic, unauthorized recollections of America’s 40th president. During an evening in the Oval Office, Mr. Reagan reflects on his life — from growing up in the Great Depression, to an iconic career in show business and politics — while dealing with an unexpected family crisis. WATCH VIDEO
Regardless of one’s preconceived notions about Reagan the man or Reagan the historical figure, this sometimes serious, sometimes humorous play is juxtaposed against the many challenges of his own time (and ours) to provide something touching and surprising for everyone. For more information, please visit reaganplay.com.
A portion of the proceeds from the play will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association of Monterey County.
One performance only: Friday, September 15th at 7:00PM. Tickets are $35, available on Eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491.
Meet the Playwright:
Terry Phillips is the creator and host of Imagine Air Theater, a series of audio plays in the style of old-time radio but with contemporary themes. As a journalist, he covered major stories across the United States as well as from such global hot spots as Russia, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq and Haiti. Phillips is the author of Murder at the Altar, a historical novel. He was an award-winning radio talk show host and an independent congressional candidate in California’s Central Valley. His business experience includes serving as an executive in the wireless telecommunications industry. Phillips founded a multimedia production company and a boutique publishing house, with clients in America and Europe
Meet the Director/Actor:
Paul Messinger is a veteran actor and director. His many theatrical performance credits include Lady Patriot, I Never Sang for My Father, and Stuff Happens. He also has a long TV acting career in movies, episodic shows, and commercials. Paul’s voice talents frequently grace Imagine Air Theater, a series of audio plays. Paul has worked as a director in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and various places in between, staging children’s shows (The Christmas Princess), high dramas (Gentle Passage), and comedies (Ledge), among others. He formerly served as the head of the director’s unit for Fierce Backbone.

Dylan & Dylan - SOLD OUT
2023-09-22 19:00 - 2023-09-23 15:00
BOTH SHOWS SOLD OUT
The Monterey Peninsula’s celebrated bard and biographical dramatist Taelen Thomas collaborates with artists Steve Mortensen, Laura Burian, and Dixie Dixon for a beguiling excursion into the lives, minds and works of two passionate and unpredictable literary geniuses who share a name: Dylan Thomas and Bob Dylan. Two performances only: Friday, September 22nd at 7:00pm and Saturday, September 23rd at 3:00pm. Tickets are $25, available on Eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491.
Meet the Performers:
TAELEN THOMAS, a poetical showman who has been performing works of Dylan Thomas for decades, with gusto!

STEVE MORTENSEN, a versatile singer/songwriter known for his simple but elegant guitar playing, who has long been a Bob Dylan afficionado.

LAURA BURIAN, a classically trained violinist who plays with many groups locally, and shares a love for these two great artists.

DIXIE DIXON, a local singer and bass player who will back the others with her dulcet tones and subtle bass notes.

Monterey County Artists Studio Tour
2023-09-30 - 2023-10-08
The Carl Cherry Center for the Arts will host 12 artists participating in this year’s Artists Studio Tour. Tour hours will be 11:00am to 5 :00pm on Saturday, September 30 and Saturday, October 7th, 12:00pm – 5:00pm Sunday, October 1st and 8th. The event is free and open to the public.
Artists Showing at The Cherry
September 30 & October 1:
Micheal Armstrong- Impressionist landscape painting Linda Elling- Oil painting
Alan Estrada- Mixed media painting
Katie Mackin- Plein air watercolor
Holly Rose- Fine art lampshades
Jean Vengua- Drawing, painting & collage
Artists Showing October 7 & 8:
Celine Picus- Acrylic & oil paintings
Shaelah Perales- Fine art
Willamina Strupat- Fine art paintings
Gloria Shaw- Fine art monoprints
Kate Warthen- Oil & watercolor paintings
Christine Watten- Painting, multimedia & ceramics Elizabeth A Wrightman- Acrylic, collage & mixed media
Pictured: Mission Basilica – Micheal Armstrong

Duo Violão Plus One
2023-10-15 14:00 - 16:00
Jazz at The Cherry Goes Brazilian!
Please join us as we explore the exciting and creative Brazilian sounds of Duo Violao Plus One. This highly talented trio, composed of acclaimed guitar master Rogerio Souza on 7-string guitar, Thiago Souza on mandolin, and SF Bay Area percussionist Ami Molinelli, will perform Sunday, October 15th at 2:00pm. Doors open at 1:30pm for a reception offering wine and light fare included in the $35 ticket price. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491.
The ensemble navigates 20th century Brazilian popular music, emphasizing Brazil’s first original musical genre, Choro, while also showcasing original works and inventive arrangements. The group’s first album, A História de Choro, released in 2019, was highlighted by the San Jose Mercury News as one of the best musical albums of the Bay Area.
The trio recently completed a national tour that included a featured performance at the Chamber Music Association in New York. They’ve also appeared at many notable jazz venues including the Healdsburg Jazz Festival and jazz programs at colleges and universities around the country.
Whether you are an experienced fan of Brazilian jazz, or new to this delightful musical form, you will not want to miss this extraordinary show!

Toward Abstraction: Paintings by Anne Marchand and Lesley Anne Spowart
2023-10-20 - 2023-11-25
Toward Abstraction: Paintings by Anne Marchand and Lesley Anne Spowart opens Friday, October 20th at the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts. A reception for the artists will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

The exhibition features individual works by Anne Marchand and Lesley Anne Spowart, reflecting their interests in figuration and abstraction and serial processes across a range of media. The exhibit explores issues related to isolation, creative adaptation, novel ways to connect and a vision for the future. Taken together, these paintings straddle the line between representation and abstraction, revealing how ordinary objects often serve as a point of departure for an artist’s abstract vision, or, alternatively, how an artist’s abstract forms may subtly suggest recognizable elements.
The exhibit will run through Saturday, November 25th. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4:00 p.m.
VISIT ONLINE EXHIBIT

About the Artists:
Lesley Anne Spowart was born and raised in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, receiving her B.A. in Art History in 1979. During her time there, she assisted in installing the work of Richard Fleishner, Sol Lewitt and Larry Bell. Relocating to Davis, Ca., shortly thereafter, she began her graduate studies in Art History at UC Davis, continuing graduate work at UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton, where she went on to install works by Beatrice Wood, Viola Frey and John Buck. Her education in Art History, Exhibition Design and Museum Studies has strongly motivated her to create and display her own work.
Lesley has shown her work in galleries on the Monterey Peninsula in solo and group shows. Among these are Gallery Mar, Carmel; American Art Gallery, Carmel; Marjorie Evans Gallery, Carmel. Her work is found in corporate and private collections both here and abroad.
Anne Marchand was born in New Orleans. She majored in art at Auburn University, graduating with a BA, and then earned an MFA from the University of Georgia. Her early artistic focus was the figure, and she was especially drawn to the work of Francis Bacon for his expressive paintings of the human body. Marchand’s other early influences include 20th century modernist painters, the Abstract Expressionists, and the work of Carl Jung, with his reflections on dream imagery and psychological states. She credits her upbringing in New Orleans for her sensitivity to, “a sense of awe at the power and majesty of nature.”
In 2005, Marchand’s Ellipsis paintings, with their arcing lines and vivid color, expressed her desire to create “cosmoscapes”, inspired by deep space. Mystical themes came to the fore in the paintings, stimulated by readings by Garcia Lorca, Kandinsky, and Rumi. Travel to India brought a range of new color palettes and fabrics that she incorporated into her work.
Beginning in 2010, Marchand began experimenting in paintings with acrylic mediums and interference and pearlescent pigments. With these materials, qualities of radiance and light became active metaphors reflecting an inner state of being. Images of planets from the Hubble telescope inspired the painter to introduce circular imagery into her work. The nebulas and galaxies suggested biological structures, and Marchand realized the connection between space and the body as manifestations
Pictured: “Blue Squared” – Lesley Anne Spowart

Monterey Comedy Improv
2023-11-04 19:00 - 20:30
Monterey Comedy Improv is back! The premier improv comedy troupe on the Peninsula returns to The Cherry on Saturday, November 4th at 7:00pm.
Similar to “Whose Line is it Anyway,” Monterey Comedy Improv takes audience suggestions or volunteers and instantly creates hilarious scenes right on the spot. Join us for a night of fun and laughs! For audiences 16+
Tickets are $25, available on eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491.

“It’s Just a Lifetime” - A portrait of Craig Nuttycombe
2023-11-05 14:00 - 16:30
“It’s Just a Lifetime”
(A portrait of Craig Nuttycombe)
Sunday, Nov. 5th @ 2:00 – 4:30 pm • Tickets: $25 each
Online at Eventbrite.com or call (831) 624-7491
Documentary, Live Concert, Wine and Appetizer Intermission
Please join us for the U.S. premiere of “It’s Just a Lifetime” (A portrait of Craig Nuttycombe), a delightfully offbeat documentary about an amusing, almost famous, Woodstock era singer/songwriter, now in his seventies and still strumming. View trailer HERE.
Locals may know Craig as the lead singer/songwriter for the wildly popular “gypsy, swing, tango” band, “Café Musique,” having played “Hidden Valley Music Seminars” for a half dozen gigs (including three sold out New Year’s Eves.)
Retired handyman, devoted dog owner, and sixties troubadour: Craig Nuttycombe is the surviving half of “Lambert and Nuttycombe”, the West Coast’s “Simon and Garfunkel.”
Following a wide-ranging, yearlong correspondence, the Canadian filmmakers, Tim Ursuliak and Carmen Cookson-Hills, travelled to Central California to live with the musician for three weeks, tucked in amongst the gentle greenery of a quiet mobile home park, while they documented his musings, interactions, and memories.
Presented in the style of ’70’s handmade films, “It’s Just a Lifetime” is an affectionate, musical odyssey of a resilient, septuagenarian artist who defies the ‘almost famous’ archetype by embracing life’s lessons with a song in his heart, and a toothpick on his lips.
Following the screening, there will be a brief intermission during which the audience can mingle with the filmmakers, followed by a short concert with Craig and Duane Inglish (the accordionist and bandleader) from Café Musique, back in the theatre.

Make Merry at The Cherry Art Sale
2023-12-08 16:00 - 2023-12-16 16:00
Make Merry at The Cherry, our annual pop-up art sale, is open now through Saturday, December 16th, during gallery hours: Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4pm or by appointment.
Proceeds will support the Cherry’s ongoing contribution to the arts community of Monterey County. For more information about this event, please call (831) 624-7491.
Image, top: Untitled – Peter Hiller

Along Came Betty - Jazz at The Cherry
2023-12-10 14:00 - 16:00
Jazz at The Cherry will once again bring the year to a “bebobing” close with Along Came Betty for another round of what has become a traditional December treat. Join us Sunday, December 10th, for some great music, wine and light fare–all included in the ticket price. Doors open at 1:00pm; performance begins at 2:00pm. Tickets are $35, available online at eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491.
Spark up your holiday spirit with some of the best bebob and straight-ahead jazz on the West Coast. Along Came Betty will delight you with their rich harmonized sax and trumpet, backed by the classic piano, bass and drums rhythm section.
This group of highly talented musicians (Biff Smith, piano; Brian Stock, trumpet and flugelhorn; Paul Tarantino, saxophone; Zack Westfall, bass; Patrick Tregenza, drums) has performed at many local and national jazz venues, including the Monterey Jazz Festival and the Big Sur Jazz Festival. Since 1998, they have been celebrating the spirit of hard-bop, a seminal movement of 50s and 60s jazz. Pianist and prolific composer Biff Smith’s sophisticated yet highly accessible compositions blend elements of that era with modern sensibilities.

The Cherry Trio and Friends
2024-01-01 15:00 - 16:30
PERFORMANCE SOLD OUT
The Cherry Trio — Elizabeth Gaver (baroque violin), Penny Hanna (viola da gamba) and Michael Peterson (harpsichord) — return to The Cherry for their annual New Year’s performance on Monday, January 1st, at 3:00pm. Tickets are $30, available on eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491.
The trio, with David Wilson (baroque violin) and Francis Toldi (dulcian), will perform Italian and English music from the seventeenth century – sonatas by Dario Castello, Giovani Batista Fontana and Antonio Bertali, a canzona by Girolamo Frescobaldi, harpsichord solos, and descriptive pieces for viola da gamba by Tobias Hume.
Francis Toldi – Dulcian

David Wilson – Baroque Violin
The dulcian is a double reed woodwind instrument from the Renaissance and predecessor of the modern bassoon. It is a versatile instrument – played quietly, it has a sweet, vocal sound suitable for chamber music, but it can play loudly and join the consort of outside instruments. The concert program includes three trio sonatas with melodic parts for two violins and dulcian.
Please join us after the concert for a reception.

Frame of Mind - Photographs by The ImageMakers
2024-01-12 17:00 - 2024-02-17 16:00
“Frame of Mind,” an exhibit of photographs by the ImageMakers, will open with a reception on Friday, January 12th, from 5-7 pm. The event is free and open to the public. A second opportunity to meet the ImageMakers will be held Saturday, January 27th, from 2-4pm. The exhibit will run in the gallery through Saturday, February 17th. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4pm or by appointment.
VISIT ONLINE EXHIBIT
“A Moment in Time” – David J. Gubernick
Participating Artists:
Debra Achen , Mary Aiu, James Atherton, Richard Cannon, Ginger Chih, David Clarkson, Matt Connors, Rita Costa-Hollmann, Annelies de Kater, Dixie M. Dixon, Eduardo Fujii, David J. Gubernick, Tom Hierl, Oliver Klink, Gary Lopez, Craig Lovell, Jeanne Marino, James Mickelson, Carolyn Moore, Rick Murai, Robert Nielsen, Kevin Osborn, Mark Overgaard, Peter Paluzzi, Kenneth Parker, Maria Prince, Robin Robinson, Bob Sadler, Dennis Segers, Jacqui Turner, Greg Weeks, Gary Wilson, Steve Zmak
“Dance of The Lusitano” – Mary Aiu
About The ImageMakers:
The ImageMakers, formed in 1996, is a local group of professional and serious amateur photographers, brought together monthly for the past 26 years by our love and passion for photography, and a willingness to share and explore new directions and perspectives. The founders created a venue where they could exchange ideas about the rapidly evolving world of contemporary photography, as well as review and discuss new work in progress by their fellow artists. ImageMakers meets monthly to share work, accepting and encouraging all approaches to producing fine-art photographs. The goal of the ImageMakers is to ensure that photography, as a vital art form, will continue and thrive on the Monterey Peninsula.
We are a diverse group with varied interests ranging from, but not limited to, traditional black-and-white photography and printmaking, infrared, alternative processes and multimedia, hand-colored digital prints, and digital imaging. We value our diversity and support each other’s growth as photographers, through our monthly meetings, mini-workshops, tutorials, and group shoots.
ImageMakers currently consists of 66 members representing the best of the West Coast and the Monterey Peninsula’s tradition of photography, as well as new and alternate approaches to image making. Many of our members have had individual exhibitions in various galleries, museums, and art centers, and have their work in numerous national and international private and public collections. At least ten members have had one or more books published of their photography, fifteen members teach photography classes and workshops, and many have had their work published in various venues. As a group, we have had exhibits in and around Monterey County including the Center for Photographic Art, Carmel; Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Carmel; Harvey Milk Photo Center, Carmel; Maritime Museum, Monterey; Pacific Grove Art Center, Pacific Grove; Alvarado Gallery, Monterey; Spectrum Gallery in Fresno.

Pictured: “Cruising” – Bob Sadler

Poetry Reading to Benefit the Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts Poetry Awards
2024-01-20 15:00 - 17:00
More Than Words, a poetry reading to benefit the Cherry Center’s Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts Monterey County High School Poetry Awards, will be held Saturday, January 20th at 3 p.m. Local writers Patrice Vecchione, George Lober, Philip (Rags) Rosenberg, Anne Mitchell, and Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts will read selections of their poetry in the Cherry Center Gallery. Reservations required. Tickets are $20, available on Eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491.
Established in 1994 to increase literacy, empower youth, and invigorate communities through poetry recognize and promote excellence in high school poets, the Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts High School Poetry Awards were created as a collateral program to “Thinking Out Loud”, the Carl Cherry Center’s annual high school art exhibit. The poetry awards were created out of two fundamental insights: First, the vigorous and open-eyed quality of student poetry gives the student work a redemptive role complementary to other forms of human expression, second, poetry by young people is a vital yet largely unrecognized part of our culture. The Awards were conceived as a simple and effective way to address these concerns. Through poetry and the act of creative writing, the program is intended to help transform the imagination and awareness of high school students in Monterey County. These goals are in keeping with the aspirations and values of the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts.
About the Poets:
George Lober teaches English at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. He received his Bachelor of Arts in English from San Jose State and his master of Arts in English from Fresno State. He is a recipient of the nationally awarded Ruth Cable Memorial Prize for Poetry. His poetry has appeared in numerous magazines and journals. He lives in Carmel, California
Anne Mitchell has called Carmel, CA home for over 30 years. A lifelong writer, when the year 2020 brought the unexpected realm of solitude and poetry presented itself, she became a willing conversationalist. She enjoys the theater, and has acted in staged readings at The Cherry, The Listening Place and Eulalia Theater. Anne’s new book of poetry, Fog Totem, is being published in February 2024.
Phillip Rosenberg’s first chapbook, Raised in the Shadow, was praised by Robert Bly (“a certain drive forward into truth”) and U.S. Poet Laureate Philip Levine (“strong signs of a real talent”). His poetry has appeared in Black Moon, Fine Homebuilding Magazine, The California writers Club Literary Review, and Hudson View. He has lived and worked in Carmel-by-the-Sea since 2021.
Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts is Professor Emeritus at Monterey Peninsula College where he taught composition, literature, public speaking and humanities for 32 years. He serves as President of the Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation in Carmel, California. He coordinated the National Endowment for the Arts, “The Big Read: The Poetry of Robinson Jeffers,” during which he read and performed Jeffers’s poetry at venues throughout Monterey County, including local libraries, high schools and colleges. The Carl Cherry Center’s high school poetry contest is named in his honor.
Patrice Vecchione, poet, nonfiction writer and teacher, is the author of My Shouting, Shattered, Whispering Voice: A Guide to Writing Poetry & Speaking Your Truth, among other books. Ms. Vecchione is the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts Poet-in-Schools.
Pictured: “Space of Love” – Anne Marchand

Toastmasters Unplugged
2024-01-20 19:00 - 20:30
Monterey Comedy Improv will be joining up with the Monterey Peninsula Toastmasters at the Cherry Theater on Saturday, January 20th at 7pm. This truly unique event will start with some lovely appetizers and beverages from 6-7pm. The show will include members of the Monterey Peninsula Toastmasters delivering an array of engaging presentations along with fun bits by Monterey Comedy Improv. This event is free and designed for anyone that enjoys public speaking and comedy improv.
Seating is limited – call (831) 624-7491 to reserve your tickets now.

Bruce Forman and The Red Guitar
2024-02-11 13:00 - 15:00
Jazz At The Cherry proudly welcomes Bruce Forman and The Red Guitar back to our stage on Sunday, February 11th, at 1pm. Doors open at 12:30 for wine and light fare included in the ticket price.
Imagine receiving an invitation to a gala featuring John Coltrane, Sigmund Freud, and Faust. Bruce Forman’s “The Red Guitar” is all that more. It draws on Forman’s decades of experience as a formidable jazz guitarist and his considerable skill as a storyteller and teacher, producing a work that is greater than the sum of its dazzling parts.
​A story in and about jazz, The Red Guitar showcases Bruce Forman’s genre—breaking inventiveness and his ability to improvise and create within a classical form. Enlisting the full power of the jazz idiom and integrating it with seasoned and provocative story-telling, he confronts the dilemma of artistic obsession face-to-face—by creating a work of art that simultaneously explores and demonstrates the hold that music has over its most ardent followers, the hold that poses itself as a life-or-death, must-be-solved-question to Forman and his ilk: “The Red Guitar.” Do you play it…or does it play you?
Tickets are $35, available on Eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491. You won’t want to miss this mesmerizing, and delightful performance.

Dylan & Dylan
2024-02-23 19:00 - 2024-02-24 15:00
The Monterey Peninsula’s celebrated bard and biographical dramatist Taelen Thomas collaborates with artists Steve Mortensen, Laura Burian, and Dixie Dixon for a beguiling excursion into the lives, minds and works of two passionate and unpredictable literary geniuses who share a name: Dylan Thomas and Bob Dylan. Two performances only: Friday, February 23rd at 7:00pm and Saturday, February 24th at 3:00pm. Tickets are $30, available on Eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491.
Buy Friday, February 23rd tickets online HERE.
Buy Saturday, February 24th tickets online HERE.
Meet the Performers:
TAELEN THOMAS, a poetical showman who has been performing works of Dylan Thomas for decades, with gusto!

STEVE MORTENSEN, a versatile singer/songwriter known for his simple but elegant guitar playing, who has long been a Bob Dylan afficionado.

LAURA BURIAN, a classically trained violinist who plays with many groups locally, and shares a love for these two great artists.

DIXIE DIXON, a local singer and bass player who will back the others with her dulcet tones and subtle bass notes.

2024 Thinking Out Loud Regional Art Competition
2024-03-02 - 2024-03-30
The Carl Cherry Center for the Arts is proud to announce 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 our gallery.
VIEW WINNING ENTRIES
Thinking Out Loud will open with a reception for the student artists on Saturday, March 2nd from 2:00 – 4:00PM. The event is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. or by appointment. The exhibit will close Saturday, March 30th.

Established in 1948, the mission of the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts is to enhance the quality and diversity of artistic, educational and cultural programs in Monterey County by encouraging public programs and interactions between artists and the community.
Thinking Out Loud is made possible, in part, through a grant from the Arts Council for Monterey County, Monterey County Board of Supervisors, and funds from:
Carmel Woman’s Club
Carmel-by-the-Sea Rotary
Community Foundation for Monterey County
Gibson Family Foundation
Monterey Peninsula Foundation
Pebble Beach Company Foundation
Yellow Brick Road Benefit Store

Pictured: “Self Portrait” – Kayla Green, Monterey High School
Thinking Out Loud Regional Art Competition 2024

Monterey Museum of Art's Block Party
2024-04-06 11:00 - 16:00
Discover local artisans and makers showcasing their unique crafts alongside dazzling performances and a variety of delicious food and drink options. Participate in interactive arts activities designed for all ages, and enjoy free admission to their latest exhibitions on Saturday, April 6th from 11am-4pm. The event is located behind the Monterey Museum of Art on Pacific Street, Monterey.
Cherry Center’s Booth 2023
Be sure to stop by the Cherry Center’s booth and say hello to our board members and friends! For more event information and a complete list of participants, follow this LINK.

Poetry for Peace in Palestine - SOLD OUT
2024-04-06 15:00 - 17:00
THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT
Join Monterey Peninsula poets Marie Boucher, Farnaz Fatemi, Rana Issa, Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts, Daniel Summerhill and Patrice Vecchione for a poetry reading to benefit the Middle East Children’s Alliance on Saturday, April 6th, at 3pm. Tickets are $20, available on Eventbrite.com.
About the Middle East Children’s Alliance:
The Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) works to protect the rights and improve the lives of children in the Middle East through aid, empowerment and education. In the Middle East, MECA provides humanitarian aid, partners with community organizations to run projects for children, and supports income-generation projects. In the US and internationally, MECA raises awareness about the lives of children in the region and encourages meaningful action.

RE/Aligned: A Visual Journey in Collage
2024-04-12 17:00 - 2024-05-11 17:00
RE/Aligned, an exhibition of collage spanning a range of themes and media, opens Friday, April 12th at the Cherry Center with a reception for the artists from 5 to 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Artists in this multi-media exhibit include: Tracey Adams, Lisa Hochstein, Claire Lerner, Will Marino, Julia Nelson-Gal, Catie O’Leary and Robynn Smith.
VISIT ONLINE EXHIBIT
Bridging a range of materials and mediums, the breadth of the Cherry exhibition documents how collage’s use of bits and pieces of applied materials is unique in its ability to capture physical moments of time and place. The exhibit includes the created or found materials of the Central Coast of California, its colors, forms and ephemera. Collage has the ability to bring a tactile, physical experience of human history into the presence of the viewer. As an artistic tool, this wide-ranging medium mixes high and popular references and offers a vibrant, innovative connection to cultural context.
The exhibit can be seen Wednesday through Saturday, from noon to 4 p.m., or by appointment through May 11th. The Carl Cherry Center is located at the corner of 4th and Guadalupe, Carmel.
Pictured: “Gone Fishing” – Julia Nelson-Gal

SOLD OUT Bob Phillips’ Lighthouse Jazz Quartet + One
2024-04-14 14:00 - 16:00
SOLD OUT
Jazz At The Cherry is delighted to bring local legendary pianist and band leader, Bob Phillips, to our stage for an afternoon of exciting straight ahead classic jazz. Joining Bob will be a highly talented group of Monterey Peninsula jazz artists, including Paul Contos on sax, Dennis Murphy on bass, Stu Reynolds on sax and Mike Shannon on drums.
Phillips, one of the finest performers on the Monterey Peninsula, has been playing professionally since he was 17. Over the years, he has played with a variety of notable jazz icons, such as Ali Reyerson, Charles Loos, Al Cohn, Richie Cole, and Rebecca Parris. Well known for his exceptional technique and versatility, Bob has performed numerous times at the Monterey Jazz Festival and is currently in demand all over Central and Northern California.
Bob’s musical talent, combined with his embrace of this stellar group of journeymen jazz artists, is sure to bring about a memorable and enthralling musical performance. Sunday, April 14th, at 2pm. Doors open at 1:30pm for wine and light fare, included in the $35 ticket price. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.com or by calling (831) 624-7491.
