Events, Programs & Workshops
Ontario Art Block Party: Community as Canvas
The Ontario Museum of History & Art announces the Ontario Art Block Party on Saturday, June 27, from 5 AM – 8 PM. This free one-day event celebrates the biennial joint exhibition Community as Canvas in partnership with the Ontario Museum of History & Art and the Chaffey Community Museum of Art. Community as Canvas explores the relationships between artist, place, and community.
Paper Bag Art: Creating With Unconventional Materials - Hosted by Melanie Walden
Join artist Melanie Walden for a creative afternoon exploring art made from paper bags and recycled materials. Begin with a guided walk through the current exhibition, Pieces of the Poet, in the Leavitt Gallery, where Melanie will share insights into her process and how to transform unconventional materials into elevated works of art.
Reception for: Pieces of the Poet - Melanie Walden
Join us to celebrate the opening of the exhibition Pieces of a Poet by Melanie Walden. Light refreshments will be provided.
Ontario Art Walk
Join us for a night of art, community and hands-on activities at the Museum.
Quarterly on the Third Saturday of February, May, August, and November in the Downtown Ontario Arts District since 2018. To learn more about the Ontario Art Walk, visit OntarioArtWalk.org.
Artist Talk with Melanie Walden Lead by Rebecca Ustrell
Join us for an artist talk with Pieces of the Poet artist, Melanie Walden lead by Rebecca Ustrell. “Pieces of the Poet is a collective body of work, narrating my perceptions of memory and time. Each piece a physically manifested engram.” - Melanie Walden
Ontario Arts Festival
Now accepting artist application. To apply, visit OntarioCA.Submittable.com
The City of Ontario’s Department of Museum, Arts & Culture and the Chaffey Community Museum of Art are excited to announce the seventh annual Ontario Arts Festival. The Arts Festival averages 2,000 visitors annually and exemplifies the City’s commitment to making Ontario the premier destination for arts and culture in the Inland Empire.
The Ontario Arts Festival is located between the Ontario Museum of History & Art and the Chaffey Community Museum of Art at 217 S. Lemon Avenue, Ontario, CA.
Ontario Art Walk - Route 66: A Celebratory Evening
The Chaffey Community Museum of Art is thrilled to host: Route 66: A Celebratory Evening during May Art Walk. Stop by to check out one-of-a-kind vendors like Jenny's Vintage, a fabulous artist providing beautiful jewelry and fabric merchandise and Retro Rentals, a local nostalgic hand crafted sticker company. Be sure to check out their themed stickers based upon Route 66's Oklahoma City Landmark the "Blue Whale of Catoosa". We are also offering Michael Graves photography prints, a classic car photo opportunity and an arts and crafts area. While you're here be sure to view our current Exhibition: Walls that Speak. Last but not least, come early to snag a concha pastry provided by Alebrijes Bakery, free to the first 75 visitors! Let's celebrate the centennial of Route 66!
Free | All Ages
Walls That Speak Panel Discussion with Man One, Cosmé Cordova and Joe Ded
Join the artists of Walls That Speak: New Work by Man One, Cosmé Cordova and Joe Ded for a panel discussion in the galleries. Learn more about each artist’s practice and explore the galleries.
Walls That Speak Exhibition Reception
Join us to celebrate the fifth collaboration between Ontario’s two museums: Community as Canvas. Explore the exhibitions: Walls that Speak: New Work by Man One, Cosmé Cordova and Joe Ded and Chicana/o Mural Art, 1970s -1990s at the Chaffey Community Museum of Art, and Lived-in: Creative Practices Shaped by People & Places at the Ontario Museum of History & Art. Light refreshments will be provided.
Ontario Art Book Fair
This free one-day event showcases regional artists’ books, catalogues, monographs, periodicals, and zines. The Museum opens its art galleries to 50 exhibitors including publishing houses, independent press collectives, artists, zine-makers, printmakers, and individuals practicing in experimental paper formats.
The event highlights exhibitors from around the country with an emphasis on California-based artists and publishers. Highlights include publications on photography, illustration, comics, rare and out of print ephemera, zines, poetry, and artists’ writings. Programming features hands-on zine making workshop hosted by the Ontario City Library, print-making activities, artist talks, and temporary art installations. Original books, zines and art prints are on exhibit and available for purchase.
Gallery Talk with David Svenson
This exhibition presents a wealth of rarely seen works of art by sculptor John Edward Svenson and his family – David and Kazumi + John and Sharon. The works are created in a wide variety of media from traditional carved wooden sculpture to mixed media and neon. The scale ranges from a 9-foot totem pole newly carved by David to diminutive glass works by Kazumi. Curated by David Svenson, this exhibition is a unique opportunity to view the legacy of renowned Pomona Valley sculptor John Edward Svenson and his artistic progeny.
Cyanotype Printing and Toning Lab
In this workshop, you’ll learn to tone Cyanotype photos using a tannic acid solution formulated by Bostic & Sullivan.
$30/person to participate | All levels welcome
Cyanotype Essentials, an Introduction to the Cyanotype Process with Rebecca Ustrell
Join experimental photographer, Rebecca Ustrell for an introductory course on the Cyanotype process.
$30/person to participate | All levels welcome
Reception: Generations of Creativity: the Art of the Svenson Family
Join us for the reception of Generations of Creativity: the Art of the Svenson Family.
This exhibition presents a wealth of rarely seen works of art by sculptor John Edward Svenson and his family – David and Kazumi + John and Sharon. The works are created in a wide variety of media from traditional carved wooden sculpture to mixed media and neon. The scale ranges from a 9’ totem pole newly carved by David to diminutive glass works by Kazumi. Curated by David Svenson, this exhibition is a unique opportunity to view the legacy of renowned Pomona Valley sculptor John Edward Svenson and his artistic progeny.
Free | All Ages | Light refreshments provided
Closing Reception and Conversation for The Hard-Edged Genius of Karl Benjamin: Selections From the Family Collection
A Conversation with Beth Benjamin moderated by Wendy Slatkin and Timothy LeBlanc at 3 PM
Don’t miss the final opportunity to view this exhibition celebrating the diversity and creativity of noted Claremont painter Karl Benjamin on his 100 th birthday. At 3 PM, Karl’s daughter Beth will provide insight into her father’s creative and artistic processes drawn from her time with him in his studio. Moderated by exhibition curator Dr. Wendy Slatkin and exhibition installer Timothy LeBlanc.
This exhibition is generously sponsored by: The Brulte Family
Free | All Ages | Light refreshments provided
Ontario Art Walk
Join the Chaffey Community Museum of Art for a night at the Museum during the Ontario Art Walk in historic Downtown Ontario. We are excited to welcome featured artist vendors Bianca Alina Arellano and Retro Rentals Blind Box Stickers. Stay for an opportunity drawing, a photo op and special art sale. All ages are welcome, and kids enjoy hands-on art making activities.
Free | All Ages
Reception: Contemporary Hard-Edge Explorations: Paintings by Mark Rush and Timothy Harens
Join us for the reception of Contemporary Hard-Edge Explorations: Paintings by Mark Rush and Timothy Harens.
These two artists from the Pomona Valley have developed sophisticated abstract styles using the precision of clean lines and precisely defined forms. They are innovators whose works display movement in exciting and dynamic compositions. The art of both Rush and Haerens is evidence of the legacy of Karl Benjamin on contemporary painters.
Free | All Ages | Light refreshments provided
Reception: Florence Arnold: Hard-Edge Innovator
Join us for the reception of Florence Arnold: Hard-Edge Innovator.
Florence Arnold (1900-1994) embraced hard-edge abstraction later in life around age 50. Mentored by Karl Benjamin, Arnold was a committed and original painter who employed a style of severe geometric abstraction. The CCMA is delighted to exhibit Arnold’s series, Theme in a Square from our permanent collection as evidence of the rich and varied legacy of Benjamin.
Free | All Ages | Light refreshments provided
Ontario Arts Festival
The City of Ontario’s Department of Museum, Arts & Culture and the Chaffey Community Museum of Art are excited to announce the seventh annual Ontario Arts Festival. The Arts Festival averages 2,000 visitors annually and exemplifies the City’s commitment to making Ontario the premier destination for arts and culture in the Inland Empire.
The Ontario Arts Festival is located between the Ontario Museum of History & Art and the Chaffey Community Museum of Art at 217 S. Lemon Avenue, Ontario, CA.
To learn more, visit: https://www.ontariomuseum.org/arts-and-culture/ontario-arts-festival
Reception: The Hard-Edged Genius of Karl Benjamin: Selections from the Family Collection
Join us for the reception of The Hard-Edged Genius of Karl Benjamin: Selections from the Family Collection.
This exhibit celebrates the diversity and creativity of Karl Benjamin, noted Claremont painter on his 100th birthday. Drawn from rarely-seen private family collection, these magnificent abstract paintings were executed between 1969 and 1992. Collectively they demonstrate the diversity and range of his compositional creativity and gorgeous color sensibility.
This exhibition is generously sponsored by: The Brulte Family
Free | All Ages | Light refreshments provided
Cyanotype Photography Workshop with Rebecca Ustrell
Participants are invited to collect natural materials and use photographic negatives to create one-of-a-kind vivid blue monochromatic photos using one of the oldest photography techniques still used today. The cyanotype is a slow-reacting, economical photographic printing formulation. It produces a monochrome, blue colored print, often used for art, and for reprography in the form of blueprints.