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Public Library

Art and Culture Exhibitions

The Visual Arts Program provides access and connection to the arts and culture landscape in San Diego, offering unique opportunities to local and regional artists. Featured exhibitions can be viewed at Central Library’s Judith Harris Art Gallery. Rotating exhibitions by local artists and creative groups are hosted at several library locations throughout the year. The Visual Arts Program demonstrates the library’s role as a cultural institution embracing a broad range of disciplines while assisting San Diego artists to achieve wider local, regional and national attention.

For more information about library exhibitions, email us at OnView@sandiego.gov.

 

Judith Harris Art Gallery

Exhibition name "M(other) Tongue" stitched in red on white background with names of artists stitched on the side

 

Onview January 31, 2026 – April 18, 2026

M(other) Tongue brings together artists who use textile to examine the interconnected experiences of migration, displacement, and cultural inheritance. Drawing on textile traditions rooted in women’s domestic and communal practices, the works approach stitching, weaving, and dyeing as forms of mark making; methods of carrying ancestral stories across borders and generations. In M(other) Tongue, cloth becomes both archive and language, expressing the tensions of uprooting and the desire to remain connected to one’s past. Each piece invites viewers to reflect on how identity is continually woven from personal narratives, shared histories, and the ongoing work of becoming.

Featuring work by Leila Khalizadeh Aghdami, Chitra Gopalakrishnan, Kirstyn Hom, Yasmine Kasem, Shirin Towfiq.

Opening Reception: Saturday, January 31, 2026 | 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. 

Featuring LIVE DJ vinyl set by @Maeormaenot and small bites sponsored by the Friends of the Central Library.

OnView - Local Arts

Detail of a painting with green, pink, blue rectangles containing eyeballs looking at the viewer.

Central Library- 2nd Floor
Mike McCarley
October 6 – December 31

RUTH-Remember Us the Holocaust logo.

La Jolla/Riford
Remember Us The Holocaust (RUTH)
December 14, 2025 to June 1, 2026

Detail of an abstract painting of various shapes

La Jolla
Color it Contemporary
November 4, 2025 – January 17, 2026

Detail of a still life photograph of a vase of flowers and fruit on a table

Mission Hills
Victoria Amelina
December 11, 2025 – January 31, 2026

Photograph of a colorful children's play structure at night

Mission Valley
Brent Jensen
November 1, 2025 – January 31, 2026

Close up photo of a colorful geometric fabric pattern

Mission Valley
Hupil Exhibit
November 1, 2025 – January 31, 2026

Detail of an oil painting of the exterior of a cafe on a rainy street

Pacific Beach/Taylor
Young M. Jo
November 15, 2025 – January 31, 2026


Previously OnView Exhibitions

Explore past exhibitions at the Central Library Art Gallery, including behind-the-scenes content and virtual tours.

 
  • Uncharted ElsewhereUncharted Elsewhere | August 2, 2025 - January 4, 2026
  • Drawings of hands with text The Drawing Show

    25 Years of the Drawing Show | February 22, 2025 - June 15, 2025

  • Helen and Newton Harrison: California WorkHelen and Newton Harrison: California Work | September 21, 2024 - January 19, 2025
  • James Hubbell: Architecture of JubilationJames Hubbell: Architecture of Jubilation | March 9, 2024 - Aug. 4, 2024
  • San Diego Art Prize 2023San Diego Art Prize | Oct. 28, 2023 - Jan. 14, 2024
  • Waiting Room: Health & Wellness Explored through Contemporary CraftWaiting Room | Aug. 11, 2023 - Oct. 15, 2023
  • Good Natured: Art & the EnvironmentGood Natured: Art & the Environment | May 13, 2023 - July 29, 2023
  • Lost in Translation: A Game of TelephoneLost in Translation: A Game of Telephone | Feb.  6, 2023 - April 15, 2023
  • SD Art PrizeSD Art Prize | Sept.  17, 2022 - Jan. 7, 2023
  • Echoes of AfricaEchoes of Africa | June 4, 2022 - Aug. 20, 2022
  • Clara BreedCall to Serve: Clara E. Breed and the Japanese American Incarceration | Sept.  18, 2021 - Jan. 30, 2022
  • Occupy Third SpaceOccupy Thirdspace II: Plástica y palabra en TJ/SD | Ocupa Tercer Espacio II: Plástica y palabra en TJ/SD | Feb. 19 - May 7, 2022
  • Julius ShulmanJulius Shulman: Modern San Diego | Sept.  28 – Jan. 19, 2020
  • Fear No ArtFear No Art: Civic Engagement, Histories, Currencies | Feb.  15 – May 17, 2020