JULY 2026 Newsletter
Michael Stearns Announced For Group Exhibition "Midsummer" At Diversions Fine Arts
Exhibition Opens July 5, 2026, in Manhattan Beach, California
(MANHATTAN BEACH, CA) Michael Stearns is pleased to announce his participation in the group exhibition Midsummer, opening to the public on Sunday, July 5, 2026, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Diversions Fine Arts, located at 1069 N Aviation Blvd, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266. The exhibition features artists Linda Sue Price, Susan Ossman, and Michael Stearns.
Midsummer radiates outward from the summer solstice, celebrating the year's longest days and lingering sunlight. The exhibition explores the intrinsic connection between art and light, as both illuminate and transform perception, bejeweling even dark hours with brilliance. The featured artists bring distinct visions to this theme, including the shimmering eternity of ocean waves, the vibrant delight of blooming gardens, and the dynamic magic of morning skies. Together, their works offer viewers an immersive encounter with the luminous energy of midsummer.
About Michael Stearns
Galvanizing is one way to describe the layered luster of Michael Stearns' art. Filled with a glowing joy, his work explores questions of existence, origin, and the metaphysical and aesthetic forces that animate being with a sense of wonder and heightened chromatic intensity.
Exhibition Programming:
Gallery Hop and Art Scavenger Hunt will be held on Saturday, July 25, 2026, from 12:00-4:00 PM.
The Artist's Talk and Closing will occur on Sunday, July 26, 2026, from 2:00-4:00 PM.
Regular gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12:00-4:00 PM, or by appointment.
All events are free and open to the public and will take place at Diversions Fine Arts, 1069 N Aviation Blvd, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266. For more information, please contact the gallery directly.
About Diversions Fine Arts
Diversions Fine Arts is a contemporary art gallery in Manhattan Beach, California, founded by arts writer and curator Genie Davis. Diversions Fine Arts Gallery offers a radiant and inclusive space to exhibit a wide range of artists located in the greater Los Angeles area, throughout the United States, and abroad.
JUNE 2026 Newsletter
Michael Stearns Studio Presents Societal Fingerprints
Michael Stearns Studio is pleased to present the opening of Societal Fingerprints on First Thursday, June 4th, from 6pm to 9pm. The studio is located inside Los Angeles Harbor Arts at 401 S. Mesa Street, San Pedro.
Societal Fingerprints is a continuation of the series Leavings, which began in 2020, driven by a deeper human impulse: the need to gather, to preserve, to leave a record of ordinary objects once part of our daily use. Rubbish, cardboard, plastics, glass, paper, bottle caps. The degraded object receives no redemption, only recomposition. These materials have been carefully arranged and painted in a harmonized symphony. Wall reliefs and freestanding sculptures give discarded things a second life, new compositions that mark a memorable past. Leaving markings.
Societal Fingerprints is also a chase, an ongoing pursuit. The series continues to evolve because the act of recording is never finished. There is always more to gather, another mark to leave behind.
Additional viewing hours are Saturdays from 1pm to 5pm and by appointment. The exhibition runs through July 25, 2026.
April 2026 Newsletter
This April, Michael Stearns opens his studio doors on three distinct occasions. Housed within the Los Angeles Harbor Arts Building, the studio offers an intimate glimpse into a practice shaped by spontaneity, symbolism, and the timeless.
We invite you to save these dates for a rare opportunity to experience the debut of New Abstractions, alongside the continuation of the Aerial Urban Landscapes series and a selection of works from Dreamtime, Primal Pond, and Chaos.
SAVE THE DATES
Please join us for one or all three events:
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San Pedro First Thursday
April 2nd | 6:00pm – 9:00pm
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San Pedro’s Second Saturday
April 11th | 1:00pm – 5:00pm
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Arts Open
April 25th & 26th | 11:00am – 5:00pm -
Michael Stearns Studio
Los Angeles Harbor Arts Building
401 S. Mesa Street, San Pedro 90732
NEW WORK: New Abstractions
Join us for the opening of New Abstractions, debuting fresh works that build upon the continuation of the Aerial Urban Landscapes series.
ON VIEW: Selections from Three Series
Within the studio, you will find a curated selection of works drawn from three distinct bodies.
Dreamtime
Rooted in the Aboriginal Australian concept of Dreaming, a timeless creation era that shaped the world, this series explores a worldview where past and present coexist, the physical is deeply connected to the spiritual, and land, ancestors, and people form an interconnected story. Each work reflects a personal Dreaming, speaking to one’s place in the world and connection to both heritage and environment.
Primal Pond
This body of work culminates in a manifestation of symbols, blending devotional convictions with forward-thinking concepts found in cosmology. As Carl Sagan wrote in Cosmos, “The surface of the Earth is the shore of the cosmic ocean… We are made of star stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.” Stearns channels this sense of cosmic longing and belonging, inviting viewers to wade into the waters of the unknown.
Chaos
Embracing spontaneity, Chaos breaks traditional constraints to foster unexpected forms of expression. Disorder becomes a generative force; accidents and randomness shape the work, revealing unexpected harmonies, emergent patterns, and structured compositions born from apparent disarray.
We hope you will join us to explore these narratives in person. Whether you come for the energy of First Thursday, the relaxed pace of Second Saturday, or the immersive weekend of Arts Open, we look forward to welcoming you.
Michael Stearns Studio
Michael Stearns Studio cordially invites you to a series of exhibitions and events this October.
First Thursday, October 2nd, 6:00–9:00 PM
Join us for the First Thursday Art Walk at the Los Angeles Harbor Arts (LAHA) building for the debut of two concurrent exhibitions. We are proud to present "Fragments," a solo exhibition of new work by Dave Clark, hosted in our studio space. Concurrently, the main gallery (upstairs) will feature the group show "Forces: Persuasion in Abstract."
Save the Date for the Artist Receptions: Saturday, October 18th, 6:00–9:00 PM
We invite you to an evening reception to celebrate Dave Clark's "Fragments" and the group exhibition "Forces: Persuasion in Abstract." This event offers a further opportunity to engage with the artworks and artists.
Long Beach Open Studio Tour: October 25th & 26th, 1:00–5:00 PM
Michael Stearns Studio will participate in the annual tour, opening its private residency to the public.
Public Discourse
Michael Stearns Studio Presents Public Discourse San Pedro, CA (August 1, 2025) – Michael Stearns Studio is pleased to announce Public Discourse, an exhibition of works by Phoebe Barnum, Rose C'est la Vie, Dave Clark, Diane Cockerill, Eugene Daub, Anne Olsen Daub, Patty Grau, Donna Herman, Jim Murray, Lowell Nickel, Paula A. Prager, Peggy Sivert (Zask), Michael Stearns, and Mick Victor. The opening reception will take place on August 7th, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM at Los Angeles Harbor Arts, 401 S. Mesa St., San Pedro, CA 90731.
Among the artworks, Uniform by Rose C'est la Vie, juxtaposes historical and contemporary imagery to create charged visual paradoxes. The layered composition walks a razor's edge between pointed commentary and open-ended inquiry, using symbolic collision rather than direct representation.In Take a Knee, Eugene Daub's small, blackened cardboard sculpture reveals flashes of green and red beneath its fractured surface. The kneeling figure's upraised fist emerges with urgent clarity. The work's rough texture and hidden hues hold both the grit of struggle and glimmers of resilience.
In VICTIM (War in Ukraine), Peggy Sivert (Zask) layers a New York Times front page depicting a young woman whose dinner is interrupted by shrapnel. The fissures tearing through the collage mirror the fractures of a nation at war, while the work's title extends to those facing oppression everywhere.
Public Discourse runs through September 20, 2025, and is curated by Michael Stearns and Edith MonDragon (MonDragon Fine Arts). Together, the works in this exhibition, whether through stark imagery, reclaimed materials, or symbolic forms, confront the tensions of our time with equal potency. In an era of conflict and division, Public Discourse asserts art's unique capacity to translate raw emotion into collective reflection.
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For press inquiries, interviews, or high-resolution images, please contact: Michael Stearns Studio @The Loft401 S. Mesa St.San Pedro, CA 90731
E: michaelstearnsstudio@gmail.com
PH: 562.400.0544
IG: @stearns.michaelFB: MichaelStearnsStudio
Studio hours: Saturdays, 1 - 5 p.m. and by appointment
Image (detail) : Mick Victor, The Burning of America, 2025, Mix Media, 18 x 20 in.
AT LA HARBOR ARTS (LAHA)
Our goal is to inspire discovery of San Pedro's Arts and Cultural District and all it contributes to the greater Los Angeles arts community. We aim to highlight and uplift our incredible local artists, performers, and musicians, showcasing the unique creative spirit that thrives throughout this vibrant city.
