By Stella Walker
Calling all Westmont artist enthusiasts and casual art-enjoyers! It’s time to be made aware of the NUMU: New Museum Los Gatos that sits right in our backyard. The NUMU museum is more than a regular art museum—it offers programs for students to get involved with the Santa Clara community, express themselves, and emerge into the art world.
NUMU museum offers a variety of activities, but the event that all students should keep their eyes peeled for is the Art Now yearly exhibit. Whether you are an artist, a viewer, or someone who wants to get more engaged with our community, the Art Now exhibit has something for everyone. Organized each year by a local teen internship council, these students curate themes, exhibitions, and tours around artists who were accepted into the exhibition. Art chosen for the exhibition stays displayed in the NUMU gallery from March to June.
The 2023 theme for Art Now: Unarmed Truth. This theme was curated based on a quote by Martin Luther King Jr. during his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech: “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant”. The prompt continued to inspire artists to create art that revealed a personal or universal truth. Eight hundred students submitted—pieces ranging from painting to mixed media, sculpture, and photography—but only eighty-three were accepted. Out of those limited numbers, an incredible list of eight Westmont artists were chosen to officially exhibit. The 2023 exhibition is open until Sunday, June 25 at 11:00 PM. Notably, before then on Sunday June 4th, admission is free and the museum is open from 10:00 AM—4:00 PM with a free guided tour from the Art Now Teen Council at 11:00 AM—but visit the website now as registration is required! What’s more, if you are interested in submitting to Art Now’s exhibition next year, submissions open every fall school semester—talk to a Westmont art teacher or email NUMU for any questions.
Other current exhibitions include their Uncovering Untold Stories history project, and Reclamation: Resilience of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. Upcoming exhibitions include (Un)Familiar—a thematic examination of how one can learn about themselves from observing others’ stories. For more information, their website (numulosgatos.org) talks about all their current and upcoming projects, exhibitions, workshops and more. The museum provides programs such as one-on-one portfolio reviews in addition to workshops with other Bay Area artists.
In essence, the NUMU art museum of Los Gatos proves a hidden gem in Santa Clara county, inspiring hundreds to speak their truth and delve into the crucial world of art and self-expression. Supporting that mission—and supporting the contributing students from Westmont—makes for a wonderful weekend (or weekday!) plan. So the next time you have free time, head down to downtown Los Gatos; grab a snack, then pop into the NUMU galleries for a peek at the wonderful world of art!
Location:
106 E. Main Street
Los Gatos, CA 95030
$10 General Admission
$6 (with valid ID) Seniors, military & students
FREE* Los Gatos residents, NUMU members, youth under 18 years of age, families up to 4 (with current EBT card & valid ID), Muwekma Ohlone Tribal Members, & active-duty military personnel & their families. FREE general admission first Sunday of the June (June 4th)