For more than a decade, the Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock has celebrated regional artists with the annual Valley Focus exhibition, showcasing their creative connections to the community. This year’s highly anticipated show, titled Growing Talent, highlights the work of 12 emerging artists in the stunning Ferrari Gallery. The exhibition runs from February 11 through May 17, offering visitors an inspiring glimpse into the future of Central Valley creativity.
Chosen through an open call for entries, the featured artists—aged 35 and younger with strong ties to the Central Valley—represent a diverse range of disciplines, including painting, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, and photography. The selection process emphasized both quality and diversity, resulting in a compelling collection that reflects the region’s vibrant artistic voice.
“Their unique perspectives and styles made them stand out to our selection committee,” said Carnegie Arts Center Director Lisa McDermott. “We are excited for this opportunity for our audience and for these artists — they represent the next generation of creative talent that we will be seeing in our region in the coming years.”
Gallery talks with the artists will be held on Thursdays—April 10 and May 8—all starting at 6 p.m.
The exhibition features works from:
- Timothy Brown, Jr. (Turlock)
- Zehl Day (Turlock)
- Bronte Klass (Murphys)
- Dorothy LoBue (Turlock)
- Emma Lowe (Oakdale)
- Destiny Nieves (Modesto)
- Monica Ocegueda (Turlock)
- Melissa Parga (Turlock)
- Kyle Silligman (Vernalis)
- Zachary Silva (Merced)
- Tamsen Taves (Reedley)
- Aaron Vizzini (Sacramento)
Among these talents, Bronte Klass captures attention with avant-garde photography. “As a photographer and mixed media artist I enjoy bending the rules of traditional expectations, manipulating my tools to create something mysterious,” she shared. “Mixing and messing everything up is exciting, and each ‘mess’ brings something new to the artwork.”
Dorothy LoBue’s exploration of metaphorical spaces adds another layer to the show’s narrative. “My recent work serves as an invitation into the symbolic house — a fumbling examination of the house and its boundaries as metaphysical space, as worlds compressed, dismantled, and put back again,” she explained. “I consider it an extended search for gentleness in the places where we are meant to rest safely.”
Melissa Parga’s thought-provoking sculptures challenge societal perceptions. “At its core, my art reflects the fluid and evolving nature of the self, juxtaposed against the rigidity of social standards and expectations of external appearances,” Parga said. Her innovative use of 3D modeling, casting, and traditional techniques provides an in-depth commentary on “plastic culture” and the influence of social consumerism.
The Carnegie Arts Center’s Growing Talent exhibition is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Admission is $7 for general entry, $5 for seniors and students, and free for CAC & NARM members, children 12 and under, and SNAP EBT cardholders. On the first Friday of each month, admission is free for everyone.
The Carnegie Arts Center is located at 250 N. Broadway.
