From the waves to the redwoods, it's all happening here.

Confluence: where separate currents meet. The exhibition brings together two distinct practices, each shaped by its own materials, process, and point of view - meeting at a single point within the gallery. Carter's work begins from a place of not knowing, letting intuition guide the encounter between material and chance. Arias describes her work as primitive contemporary, presenting her sculptures as if they belonged in a history museum - objects that carry the weight and presence of relics. Together, their work forms a quiet conversation about what separate paths can become when they meet. "Susana and Glenn each bring such a deeply distinctive artistic voice to their work," said Rose Sellery, exhibition curator. "Confluence explores the fertile ground where two creative currents meet. Their work remains unmistakably their own, yet in conversation with one another it reveals new layers of meaning, beauty and possibility." Confluence is shown alongside work from more than 25 local and regional artists whose work the gallery is proud to represent, reflecting M.K. Contemporary's ongoing commitment to the Santa Cruz arts community. The exhibition opens with a First Friday reception on August 7, featuring live improvisational jazz from The Leftovers. The public is invited to attend.

Please join us to hear Victor Kimura of Watsonville share about his family's experiences in Hiroshima and Japanese internment camps, followed by a short film, paper crane folding, and a ceremony marking the U.S. bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We'll meet at 1 PM at RCNV for a screening of Collateral Damage, a 35-minute documentary created by RCNV staff and volunteers about construction of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial located near the Santa Cruz Clock Tower. After the screening we’ll fold paper cranes and march to the memorial to lay the cranes around it. Victor Kimura will be joining us to share stories about his family who were in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb dropped. His mother and father, born in Watsonville and Petaluma, respectively, were imprisoned in Arizona’s Poston Camp during World War II. Victor was 6 months old when his family moved back to Freedom in 1945.

Barb Bartels began studying fashion design at Parsons School of Design in New York at eighteen, where she developed her skills in garment design, fashion illustration, and pattern making during a transformative era in American fashion. There she received critiques and mentorship from pioneering designer Claire McCardell, whose innovative approach emphasized comfort, movement, simplicity, and clothing designed for the realities of women’s lives. The watercolor sketches featured in Quiet Revolution were created during Barb’s years at Parsons and reflect the influence of that remarkable period. Their graceful lines and expressive silhouettes capture a moment when American fashion embraced elegance through simplicity and ease. After completing her second year at Parsons, Barb chose to marry and raise a family before returning to the fashion industry in the 1970s. She designed and created patterns for Esprit and Gunne Sax before building a successful freelance career in design and pattern making in Los Angeles. These sketches represent both the beginning of Barb’s creative journey and a pivotal moment in fashion history. They reflect the spirit of a quiet revolution—one that reimagined how women dressed with grace, comfort, confidence, and freedom—and stand as a lasting record of her artistic vision and lifelong love of design.