Ever want to cram a whole lot of art into a single day? Now’s the chance, with the arrival of the final weekend of the Emeryville Art Exhibition, featuring more than a 100 artists inspired by the so-called “rottenest city on the Pacific Coast.”
The 40th annual Emeryville Art Exhibition features more than a hundred artists and runs until Oct. 25, 2026, in Emeryville, Calif. Pictured is an artwork from the exhibit, “In the Tree, Before the Prismatic” by Arie Dallas. (emeryarts.org)
Of course, visitors to Emeryville’s small-town environs know it’s come far from the days when that moniker applied (it was given due to Prohibition-related bootlegging and gambling). Part of the reason for that is because it’s become a hive of activity for artists, who have studios or live in the city. The Emeryville Art Exhibition this year marks its 40th anniversary, and it’s celebrating in a major way with 200-plus artworks spanning painting, sculpture, textiles, craft furniture and more.
“The Emeryville Art Exhibition is what art has always been meant to be: accessible, inclusive, affordable and engaging,” says John Bauters, director of the Emeryville Celebration of the Arts (and former city mayor). “Art is the medium through which ideas, perspectives, questions and emotions take form, and our exhibition is the forum where the community gathers to receive, discuss, embrace and share in them.”
Details: Open 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. until Oct. 25 at 5905 Shellmound St., Emeryville; free, emeryarts.org