Chaired by Anna Haudenschild Meier, Jennifer Nelson, and Alex High, The Avant Garde Ball invites you to celebrate the fusion of art, music, and fashion in a way that San Diego has never experienced before. Save the date—Saturday, May 3, 2025—for a night of self-expression, where art extends beyond the gallery walls and MCASD transforms into a living runway. Guests are encouraged to let the works of contemporary art inspire their Avant Garde attire—fashion as bold, captivating, and expressive as the pieces on display.

Please note: The Avant Garde Ball is a 21+ event.

What makes an icon? Drawing inspiration from concurrent exhibition Fashioning an Icon: Virgin of Guadalupe Imagery in Textile Design, high school students were invited to create work exploring the visual themes of what makes a figure an icon. Students selected a personally meaningful iconic figure to explore through craft forms including but not limited to clay, metal, jewelry, furniture design, glass, textiles, weaving, basketry, fashion design, and craft-based mixed media.

All student work on view has been made by hand, by high schoolers during the 2024/2025 school year.

Celebrate the return of Art Alive with an impressive display of colorful floral arrangements interpreting works of art from throughout the Museum and four days of sensational events from April 24-27, 2025. 

This exhibition presents over 100 spoons from across the globe, including examples from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Some are adorned with exquisite carvings of human and animal figures, and others are brilliant for their simplicity of form. Some show decades or even centuries of wear and use, and others are pristine. As objects of use, spoons are universally understood. Each object is a reflection of a specific cultural context–from intimate traditions of home and family to community and celebratory preparations of food and drink, and the spiritual gestures of giving thanks for sustenance. The design of each spoon reflects the work of a maker, a person often unknown to us, whose creativity inspires a sense of wonder.