24 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 26-APRIL 1, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com of PhotoCarmel. The upcoming month-and-ahalf is the perfect time to explore photography in Monterey County, filled with workshops, lectures and countless photo shows that comprise PhotoCarmel 2026. The festival grew from an afternoon when a few Carmel galleries opened their doors to a larger crowd, staying open late and serving wine. In 2025, PhotoCarmel lasted five weeks, with 42 events in 36 venues. This year, it lasts for six weeks, with 67 events in 54 venues—a regional celebration of the medium in dozens and dozens of different places, offering much more than just photo exhibits. There are also photography workshops, lectures and reviews of portfolios of local artists (see event highlights, right). This year, PhotoCarmel is spreading its tentacles beyond Monterey County to Santa Cruz and as far as Oakland (with East Bay Photo Collective and Gray Loft Gallery) and San Francisco, where Barbara Ramos will show her works at the Harvey Milk Photo Center (on display until May 16). “The big thing about PhotoCarmel is that it’s community-led,” CfPA Executive Director Ann Jastrab says. Then she quotes her colleague and the visionary for PhotoCarmel, Nancy Sevier: “Photography should be everywhere.” That means in galleries, bakeries and libraries, be it the Meals on Wheels in P.G. or Chamisal Tennis & Fitness Club in Corral de Tierra, venues that are participating in the festival. “Nancy engages with places where you wouldn’t necessarily see photography,” Jastrab says. “She stops by venues and asks if they have space for photography. And then she picks local artists to go into those spaces. ‘Like, hi, would you like to show photography here?’” (Sevier curates a show at the Hartnell College Art Gallery, A Photographic Odyssey to The Salton Sea, opening April 14. Ten participants’ images come from a CfPA workshop led by Ted Orland and Brian Taylor.) Some participating galleries, such as the Nancy Dodds Gallery in Carmel, are opening their walls to photography for the first time; there will also be— another premiere—a book fair because presses that specialize in printing photography books are plentiful. This way, PhotoCarmel 2026 has exhibits and events at the CfPA, where the annual Members’ Juried Exhibition opens on March 28, as well as the by-the-wall neighbor Marjorie Evans Gallery, Sunset Center (A Light Exists in Spring opens May 7), ArtWorks @ Salinas, Weston College in Seaside and the Monterey Museum of Art (which hosts its annual Block Party during PhotoCarmel). “We have a booth there,” Jastrab notes. “And a VW Photo Booth bus from ’69 that’s been converted into a mobile photo booth. So you actually get into the bus, and have your picture taken.” The appetite for photography today—pursuing it or admiring it—is big and it seems to be growing. The renewed hunger is being addressed by the existing photo community, for example via scholarships given out by the CfPA. “[Monterey County] has always been a supportive community for photographers,” Bullock-Wilson says. “And today’s scene is also vibrant.” Casanave adds, “The local photographic community is bigger than ever.” In addition to showing her pieces at the MPC Art Gallery and the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts in Carmel, Casanave this year gives a talk on April 22 at the Carmel Foundation titled, “Who’s a Good Girl? Little Known Stories of Women in Photography and the Men in Their Lives.” “More diversity, more women,” she adds. “It’s contemporary photography now, but certain things haven’t changed, such as the strong flavor for landscapes.” Bullock-Wilson and Casanave both agree that there’s a resurgence in interest in photography among young people, who are picking up analog photography. “There’s strong respect for legacy,” Bullock-Wilson says. “PhotoCarmel reflects this excitement.” PhotoCarmel 2026: A Celebration of Photography on the Central Coast takes place from Friday, March 27-Sunday, May 10. See full schedule at tinyurl.com/2026PhotoCarmel. IN-PERSON WORKSHOP: DANIEL MILLER “Selling Photographs in a Changing Market” 1-2:30pm Friday, March 27 $30 (Limit 100 participants) Carpenter Hall, Sunset Center, San Carlos and 9th, Carmel KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: KELLI CONNELL AND DR. REBECCA SENF Artist talk and book signing 6-7:30pm Friday, March 27 $10/members, $20/non-members (Limit 125 attendees) Carpenter Hall and the CfPA Gallery at Sunset Center, San Carlos and 9th, Carmel MEMBERS’ JURIED EXHIBITION OPENING RECEPTION Juror: Dr. Rebecca Senf, Center for Creative Photography 4-6pm Saturday, March 28 CfPA Gallery at Sunset Center, San Carlos and 9th, Carmel GUEST LECTURE SERIES: OF MEMORY, VISION AND BEYOND 2:30-4pm on Wednesdays in April April 1: Jerry Takigawa with Colleen Mullens, “Beautiful / Broken” April 8: Brian Taylor, “All About AI: Artificial Intelligence in Our Brave New World” April 15: Maria Isabel LeBlanc, “De la Luz” April 22: Martha Casanave, “Who’s a Good Girl? Little Known Stories of Women in Photography and the Men in Their Lives” The Carmel Foundation, Diment Hall, 8th and Lincoln, Carmel CRAIG LOVELL, VISIONS ACROSS CONTINENTS Artists Reception: 1-5pm Wednesday, April 29 (exhibition viewable until May 31) Panel Talk: Photography’s Influence on Wildlife Conservation and Cultural Preservation, 2-3:30pm Wednesday, April 29 Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Atrium Gallery, 499 Pierce St., Monterey OPENING RECEPTION: MONTEREY COLLEGE PENINSULA GALLERY Former photography students of MPC including Edna Bullock, Wynn Bullock, Martha Casanave, Jane Olin, Ryuijie, Cathy Jaeger and more 4-7pm Friday, April 10 MPC Gallery, 980 Fremont St., Monterey OPENING RECEPTION: HARTNELL COLLEGE ART GALLERY Images from a CfPA workshop led by Ted Orland and Brian Taylor by participants Janet Beaty, Celia Lara, Maria Isabella Leblanc, Debi Lorenc, Jeanne Marino, Rick Murai, Hank Niles, Mark Overgaard, Nancy Sevier and Jacqui Turner 4-6pm Thursday, April 16 (exhibition viewable until May 1) Hartnell College Gallery, J-Visual Arts, 411 Central Ave., Salinas TEMPLE GARAGE ART STUDIO Jacqui Turner, Holding On Opening Party: 5-8pm Friday, April 3 Artist Talk and Book Signing: 2-4pm Sunday, April 19 Closing Party: 5-8pm Friday, May 1 (exhibition viewable until May 8) 542 Ortiz Ave. #5, Sand City CSUMB’S OLLI PROGRAM Brian Taylor, “The Salton Sea: the Good, the Bad, and the Abandoned,” 1:30-3pm Wednesday, April 1 Ginger Chih, “The Mekong River: Stories and Imagery,” 1-3pm Thursdays, April 2 and 9 Ryan Ranch, 8 Upper Ragsdale Drive, Monterey PHOTOCARMEL 2026 BOOK FAIR 11am-4pm Saturday, May 2 Sunset Center, San Carlos and 9th, Carmel PHOTOCARMEL 2026 HIGHLIGHTS “Leaves and Shadows” by Jeanne Marino (above) and “Crow 1” by Jane Olin (right) are both featured in the Through a Community Lens exhibit at MPC Art Gallery as part of PhotoCarmel 2026. JANE OLIN JEANNEMARINO
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==