2024 Opening Weekend

Join artist Karla Diaz for an event that celebrates the stories of the people who make up the vibrant community of Borrego Springs. Diaz’s participatory performance is a guided 5k run/walk that will center the histories of labor and community as they relate to the unique landscape of the Anza Borrego desert.

Wear comfortable shoes for running/walking, and be sure to bring water, sunscreen, and a hat. We will journey from Galleta Meadows past land that holds Borrego’s agricultural stories, concluding at Seley Ranches, a family-owned citrus orchard focused on developing a more sustainable future for farming in the valley.

A shuttle bus will be available along the route during the event.

A self-guided version of the route will be accessible after the event.

Debra Scacco‘s “Beneath the Clay” is inspired by the stories of water embedded in the land around Borrego Springs, newly commissioned for this year’s Festival. This work will be on view through April 2024.

Join artist Pearl C. Hsiung to create a collaborative painting inspired by the patterns of ocotillo and cholla branches. We will be using oak gall ink, a substance derived from the galls growing on oak trees used in manuscripts and paintings since ancient times. On your way to or from the workshop, be sure to see Hsiung’s sculpture Holocene Screen, installed in the area east of the paved parking lot between the Mall and the US Post Office. It was originally made for the first Candlewood Arts Festival in 2019, and returns to Borrego Springs for the first time since its debut. The sculpture explores how we understand the terms natural, artificial, and cultural and the ways this framing impacts our actions.

This work will be on view through April 2024.

A lively conversation between the artists of this year’s festival.

Celebrate the artists!

Join us for the opening party for the Candlewood Arts Festival and We You Me, a group exhibition organized by and featuring students from Borrego Springs High School, mentored by artist Jake Freilich. This year, Freilich collaborated with BSHS welding instructor Mike Kitten to engage his students in creating steel works for the exhibition.

Look for artists from past and current editions of the Candlewood Arts Festival in the gallery as well, reflecting on the themes of belonging and identity, including Tanya Aguiñiga, Sherin Guirguis, Nery Gabriel Lemus, Star Montana, noé olivas, Fay Ray, Alison Saar, Devon Tsuno, Allison Wiese and more.

The gallery will be open through April 14, Thursday to Sunday, 11-5.