Annual Community Exhibition Draws Crowds to Manhattan Beach
Jul 28, 2025 09:50PM ● By Jeanne Fratello
Manhattan Beach loves its art and its artists, which explains why
its Annual Community Exhibition is easily the most popular event of
the year at the city's art gallery. But this year's exhibition has topped even
the wildest expectations, drawing a record crowd of more than 650 people on its opening night.
Now in its eighth year, the Annual Community Exhibition, held at the Manhattan Beach Art Center, is open to artists "who live, work, and play in Manhattan Beach." It has earned a solid reputation for the impressive level of artwork presented each year and for the high visibility that the gallery provides.
"This
year
we had our highest number of applicants, with 265 artists applying," Cultural Arts Supervisor Randy Niessen told MB News. Out of those applications, 109 artworks were
selected, he added. (Only one artwork per artist is selected.)
Spanning a wide range of media -- including
painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics, and mixed media -- the exhibition features views of daily life in Manhattan Beach as well as images
and concepts from around the world. It also draws on the youth perspective: There are 11 young artists (under age 18) represented in the exhibition this year.
Friday night's opening reception drew the artists as well as family, friends, local residents, elected officials and city staff. Wine for the opening reception was donated by Manhattan Beach resident Janet Jones and family, founders of the nonprofit Single Mom Project.
The exhibition is free and open to the public. It will remain on view through October 5.
The Manhattan Beach Art Center is located at 1560 Manhattan Beach Blvd. Exhibit hours are Wednesday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; and Friday through Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The gallery is closed Monday and Tuesday.
Annual Community Exhibition 2025 [6 Images]
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