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ART FWD 5x5x5

Artworks

A vibrant, multi-tiered series spotlighting a constellation of Bay Area artists.

MarinMOCA’s ART FWD: 5x5x5 celebrates artistic breakthroughs and creative networks—both at the museum and across inspiring Bay Area sites. Discover how leading artists find inspiration, support one another, and sustain the dynamic arts community that defines our region.

The series launches with a groundbreaking exhibition of 155 interconnected artists, turning the traditional model on its head. Five renowned artists—Saif Azzuz, Arleene Correa Valencia, Liam Everett, Isabella Kirkland, and Barry McGee—each selected five artists, who each chose five more, creating a dazzling constellation of diverse artworks that together capture Bay Area artistry and kinship.

Festivities kick off Opening Night, October 18, with live music, hands-on art-making, and food and drinks. The experience deepens through Artist’s Table gatherings—intimate conversations where guests explore the worlds that inpsired ART FWD: 5x5x5’s headliners.

Nikhil Sharma • Woulf Boxuan Chen • Allison Hueman • Cheryl Derricotte • Pablo Manga • Mario Martinez • Tiffany Bozic • Vera Ting • David Tomb • Keith Hansen • Catherine Wang McMahon • Shashari Kiburi • Michael Damm • Shirin Towfiq • Leeza Doreian • Carole Jeung • Tracy Taylor Grubbs • Bushra Gill • Tana Quincy Arcega • Ron Moultrie Saunders • Sydney Cohen • Amy Keefer • Amy Tavern • Gaby Wolodarski

Nikhil Sharma • Woulf Boxuan Chen • Allison Hueman • Cheryl Derricotte • Pablo Manga • Mario Martinez • Tiffany Bozic • Vera Ting • David Tomb • Keith Hansen • Catherine Wang McMahon • Shashari Kiburi • Michael Damm • Shirin Towfiq • Leeza Doreian • Carole Jeung • Tracy Taylor Grubbs • Bushra Gill • Tana Quincy Arcega • Ron Moultrie Saunders • Sydney Cohen • Amy Keefer • Amy Tavern • Gaby Wolodarski

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Opening Night

Saturday, October 18th
5:00 - 9:30 PM | MarinMOCA, San Rafael

This is not your typical gala. No rubber-chicken dinner. No long speeches. No polite applause.

ART FWD: 5x5x5 Opening Night — where the boundaries between spectator and participant dissolve and pure creative joy reigns.

Come enjoy outstanding art, delicious food and drink, and wild entertainment. This is art as it should be experienced: not hushed and distant, but immediate, vibrant, and participatory.

5:00 – 6:00 pm
Exhibition Viewing

6:00 – 7:30 pm
Picnic-Style Dinner
• Musical Jam: Mick Hellman & Matt Jaffe
• Artful Activities

7:30 – 8:15 pm
Performance by the Bay Area’s celebrated
Queens on Wheels, Rollin’ with the Homos
Support MarinMOCA Art Education: Raise-the-Paddle

8:15 – 9:30 pm
Silent Disco with Operation Joy Lab

Artist Tables

Step beyond traditional gallery walls into the living, breathing spaces where art is made, contemplated, and loved. Each gathering weaves together artistic passion, culinary excellence, and connection among friends old and new.

  • Friday, October 3, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
    Artist’s studio, Sausalito

    Join celebrated artist Isabella Kirkland for an extraordinary dinner aboard her floating studio in Sausalito. Kirkland, renowned for bridging artistic and scientific inquiry, opens her doors for an intimate meal and a glimpse at what makes this renowned artist- environmentalist tick.

    Together, we’ll dive into the delights — both visual and epicurean — of Dutch still life painting, a genre that has inspired Kirkland for decades, and learn about her tireless work as a champion of biodiversity. Combining exquisite dining with meaningful conversation about art's role in environmental advocacy, the evening will offer an unforgettable fusion of creativity, cuisine, and conservation.

    RSVP

  • Saturday, October 11, 6:00 – 9:30 p.m.
    Collector’s Home, Ross

    Step inside a private Ross residence where Liam Everett's monumental painting, together with other great artworks, transforms daily life into artistic experience. In the tradition of intimate gatherings where ideas flow as freely as wine, join artist Everett and esteemed urbanist Ayssar Arida for a salon exploring light, theoretical science, and spatial creation.

    Here, amid works that are enjoyed and contemplated daily, conversation becomes an art form itself—examining how we shape space, whether on canvas or in the built environment. Together we’ll gather to think across disciplines, and who knows…we might just spark a new creative breakthrough.

    RSVP

  • Sunday, November 9
    Film: 3:30 – 5:00 p.m., Sequoia Cinema
    Film and Dinner: 3:30 – 7:50 p.m. Sequoia Theater and Anthony Meier Gallery

    Discover the local history and family legacy that inspires one of today’s most powerful indigenous voices in the Bay Area. Artist Saif Azzuz creates work that confronts, challenges, and celebrates as it explores identity, resistance, and connection to the land. Over a special evening in Mill Valley, we’ll gain insights into the ways Azzuz’s community of friends, family, artists, and activists inform his work.

    The evening begins with a special screening of Firelighters: Fire is Medecine featuring Azzuz’s mother, Margo Robbins, co-founder and executive director of Cultural Fire Management Council (CFMC). Follow that up with a conversation between Azzuz and contributors to the film. 

    Finally, an exclusive dinner at Anthony Meier Gallery will offer a chance to connect with Azzuz over an incredible meal and an artmaking experience led by the artist. 

    RSVP: Movie & Dinner
    RSVP: Dinner Only

  • Event details coming soon.

    Join us for an outdoor dinner in beautiful Napa celebrating artist Arleene Correa Valencia in the valley that has helped shape her life, artwork, and advocacy. Get up close and learn about Correa Valencia’s inspirations, sources, and process during an evening that includes a studio visit and honors the dedicated workers who make Napa's excellence possible. Created collaboratively with local community members and those near and dear to Correa Valencia, the event supports her art initiatives and championship of the diverse voices that shape wine country's rich cultural tapestry.

Fund-A-Need:

All donations -- large and small -- are vital to achieving MarinMOCA goals for the coming year, especially as we expand our many education programs. Contribute today at whatever amount feels right for you!

Family Day
Smiles abound and creativity flows during these joy-filled Sunday afternoons. Your donation helps cover art materials and professional instructors for a full year of monthly Family Days.

Teen Leadership Council
Tomorrow’s changemakers are training today. Support Marin teens as they master real-world skills while collaborating with artists and arts leaders to create youth-driven programs.

Art Enrichment Program
Let’s put art back into kids’ curricula! Support MarinMOCA’s partnership with Novato Unified School District, bringing art to more than a thousand 4th and 5th graders each year.

Young Artists for the Planet
Young creators team up with Bay Area artists to spark environmental action through public art. Your support keeps the program free, covers all costs, and ensures artist-mentors are paid competitively.

Kids’ Summer Art Camp
When school’s out, creativity takes center stage! Your donation provides supplies, supports fair pay for summer instructors, and funds scholarships for families in need.

Filler Text for Something Else
Let’s put art back into kids’ curricula! Support MarinMOCA’s partnership with Novato Unified School District, bringing art to more than a thousand 4th and 5th graders each year.

Sponsors

Kay Fields, Nancy Goler, Nina and Roy Kwan, Sylvia Kwan, Sasha and John Larson, Linda Mayne, Kes and Laura Narbutas, Stanlee Gatti, Mary Robinson, Libby Tracy

ART FWD: 5x5x5 Planning Committee

Sasha Larson, Co-Chair
Kes Narbutas, Co-Chair
Bonnie Brown, Daelyn Short Farnham, Christa Grenawalt, Tania Houtzager, Sylvia Kwan, Nancy LaDieu, Zea Moscone, Lauren Ryan, Sarah Shepard, Evie Simon, Libby Tracy