
SURF ART: EXPLORING SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA'S COASTAL CULTURE
August 23, 2025–February 1, 2026
Juried by Jim Kempton (CSM Executive Director), Maria Mingalone (OMA Executive Director), Katie Dolgov (OMA Director of Exhibitions and Collections), Phil Roberts, and Wade Koniakoski
A dual exhibition at the California Surf Museum (CSM) and Oceanside Museum of Art (OMA), this exhibition will explore art that has emerged from the surf-culture lifestyle and surfing’s influence on artists. Everyone who has experienced the feeling of riding a wave understands just how hard it is to describe that incredible sensation, referred to as “stoke”. It seems that only through creative self-expression can surfer-artists capture the essence of stoke and the inspiration that can be found between the surfer and the wave. Artists who surf may take this creative energy in many directions and may explore subjects outside of surfing and surf culture. This joint exhibition will feature a variety of media, from traditional art making methods to works in resin, murals, surfboards, graphic art, sculpture, or fabric, all with the goal to convey the creative power that all artists experience, on or off the wave.
Luminaries in the surf art genre have been pre-selected as Featured Artists for the exhibition and will be represented at both museums. They include Drew Brophy, Nathan Gibbs, Howard Kirk, Wade Koniakowsky, Jesse Miller, Joshua Paskowitz, Philip D. Roberts, Kevin Short, and John Van Hamersveld.
Additionally, Southern California-based surf artists are invited to submit their work for consideration. Review the full prospectus and submit here.
EXHIBITION CELEBRATION
Saturday, August 23, 2025, 5:00-7:00pm
Register Here (Members free, Visitors $15)
Southern California-based surf artists are invited to submit their work for consideration. Review the full prospectus and submit here.