Arts & Entertainment BEST PERFORMING ARTS VENUE Sunset Cultural Center San Carlos between 8th and 9th, Carmel (831) 620-2048, sunsetcenter.org It’s been said that Wyatt Earp’s slogan was to be brave, courageous and bold. This venue has embodied those words in its programming since its inception. Couple that with pure architectural beauty and stunning, accurate acoustics, and it’s easy to see why this venue has been named for 14 consecutive years as Weekly readers’ choice. There just isn’t a better place to see and hear a live event anywhere else in the county. BEST DANCE STUDIO The Dance Center 26135 Carmel Rancho Blvd. B-6, Carmel (831) 625-3262, dancecarmel.com If you were an officer fresh out of West Point and headed to the territories, you were expected to know the formal dances—how to waltz, the “Grand March” and such. The Dance Center would have come in handy. In fact, it does. The Center offers a variety of classes for all ages, starting with very young children and their parents. For adults, they have acrobatic and tumbling, ballet, pointe, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop and more. You can also try theater production or musical theater. No matter what kind of dance you are interested in, this is the place where everyone of any age can kick their heels. BEST ART GALLERY Carmel Art Association Dolores Street between 5th and 6th, Carmel (831) 250-3347, carmelart.org There are countless galleries in Carmel, but this one is different. Founded in 1927, canvases like “Emigrants Crossing the Plains” by Albert Bierstadt or “The Sign of the Buffalo Scout” by Frederic Remington might have been on display in the early days. It is still the best place to learn about local artists. The association has more than 100 member artists. There are always four different exhibits on the gallery walls. It’s a perfect starting point for your local gallery journey. BEST PHOTO GALLERY Center for Photographic Art Sunset Center, San Carlos at 9th, Carmel (831) 625-5181, photography.org When you conjure an image of the Old West, maybe you think of lined and weathered faces, or broad landscapes and vistas in sepia tones. That’s mostly due to photographers who rendered these images. Now, conjure an image of the New West. There are some of the same elements when it comes to people and places, but with more artfulness and elegance. And some of these Western photographers—big names like Ansel Adams, Cole Weston, Wynn Bullock, Nancy Newhall—started a group that originated the idea for what became the Center for Photographic Art, the oldest and longest-running photographic organization on the West Coast. That doesn’t mean exhibits are attached to landscapes or to anything at all; they are contemporary and interesting and always changing, keeping this gallery fresh. BEST LOCAL ARTIST Erin Gafill eringafill.com Erin Gafill is an award-winning artist, teacher and author from Big Sur. Her abstract landscapes, plein air paintings and still life paintings are radiant with color and emotion, so it’s no wonder Weekly readers voted for her as the best artist. Gafill’s work is collected internationally, but meanwhile she is also passing the torch by teaching creativity and painting workshops online and in-person. She teaches regularly at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Baja California, every fall in Italy and at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur. 40 BEST OF MONTEREY COUNTY® 2024 montereycountynow.com/bestof
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