Arts & Entertainment in the U.S.—the animals are all local and they’re not living, but are carefully taxidermied specimens for us to get up close to dozens of bird species and a towering grizzly bear. The museum also includes other exhibits detailing the flora, fauna, history and Indigenous cultures of the coastal region. Combined with educational programs for children and adults and a native plant garden, it’s a true treasure for the community. BEST DANCE STUDIO The Dance Center 26135 Carmel Rancho Blvd., B6, Carmel (831) 625-3262, dancecarmel.com If young performers want to make it to Cirque du Soleil, the Dance Center in Carmel is a good place to start. Instructors work with children as young as age 2 up to adults, teaching them how to move on the dance floor. Founded by two dancers, it started modestly—with one teacher and one student. Now it offers a variety of classes for a variety of ages, starting with ballet, from beginner to pre-professional ballet training. Other options include acro, hip-hop, tap, pointe, jazz, lyrical and contemporary dance classes, as well as classes in musical theatre and theatre production. BEST ART GALLERY Carmel Art Association 555 Dolores St., Carmel (831) 250--3347, carmelart.org The Carmel Art Association is a historic, nonprofit artist cooperative and art gallery, one of the oldest continuously operating galleries in Carmel and one of the oldest nonprofit artist cooperatives in the United States. For art lovers, it’s a treasure trove of the best art ever produced in the region. Armin Hansen, Mary DeNeale Morgan and Percy Grey were among prominent members. Salvador Dalí joined the association during his time living on the Monterey Peninsula in the 1940s and helped jury student exhibitions. In other words, it’s fine art. No velvet clowns here. BEST PHOTO GALLERY Center for Photographic Art 908 San Carlos Ave., Carmel (831) 625-5181, photography.org Photographing performers isn’t easy. It requires a set of skills: mastering low light, clicking the shutter at the decisive moment and also capturing the human side of the performance. At Center of Photographic Art, visitors can find photos that depict reality or fantasy, in black and white or color. The photos show that our region has many talented photographers and inspires many, especially landscape and underwater photographers. And it is truly art at its finest. BEST LOCAL ARTIST Edi Matsumoto 539 Mission St., Carmel (831) 596-5157, edimatsumoto.com Edi Matsumoto works primarily in oil, but also enjoys experimenting with acrylic, watercolor, coffee painting and mixed media. She is especially proud of her Otter Therapy series, where she reimagines classic masterpieces and cultural icons as adorable sea otter characters. The paintings make people smile and feel a little happier. (Maybe one day an otter balancing a ball on its nose?) It’s hard to negotiate with untrained otters, so no wonder Matsumoto is chosen this year’s best local artist by the Weekly’s readers. In Matsumoto’s gallery, one can find hundreds of prints and a variety of art merchandise, including cards, coasters, cups, totes, T-shirts and wearable art. 40 BEST OF MONTEREY COUNTY® 2026 montereycountynow.com/bestof
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