One Big Idea Deserves Another

We invite you to support the energetic role of art and literature in these challenging times. Throughout this season, we’ve been reflecting on how the arts have taught us to comprehend and perceive.

More than just another lens through which to look, the arts have been a prism, a means to see more deeply. To look through the optics of art and literature is to flush from the deep undergrowth of the self some thought, feeling, comprehension, question or music you didn’t know was in you, or in the world.

The arts instruct us how to relax; how to pay attention, not just to the notes but the silences amid the notes. This is true for discovering some newness of the emotions or uncovering new ideas—which is essentially the mission of the Cherry Center.

So today, we invite you to do something creative: support the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts by making a gift through Monterey County Gives! When you donate through MCGives!, the Cherry Center receives 100% of your contribution plus a pro rata match that increases the impact of your generosity. The program is open now through Wednesday, December 31, 2025.