Founders Gallery is open Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Admission is FREE.

2024 Gallery Exhibition
February 15 - September 12, 2024

Summer Storm, 2021, ink, acrylic and collage on paper, 50 x 30 inches
Anne Austin Pearce, “Summer Storm” (detail),  2021, ink, acrylic and collage on paper, 50” x 30” 

River Deep - Mountain High by Anne Austin Pearce

Anne Austin Pearce was born in Lawrence, Kansas and studied at Kansas City Art Institute, Brighton Polytechnic, and the University of Kansas. She received her MFA in Painting from James Madison University, where she was awarded a full scholarship. Pearce has been a fellow/artist-in-residence at UCROSS Foundation, Wyoming; Officina Stampiera del Notaio, Sicily; Rimbun Dahan, Malaysia; Draw International, France; and pARTage, Mauritius, and is the recipient of grants from the Lighton International Artist Exchange Program, Charlotte Street Foundation, and Rockhurst University. Pearce’s work, encompassing drawings, paintings, sculptures, and mixed media installations, has been widely exhibited nationally and abroad and is held in museum collections including MDC Museum Art and Design, Miami; Spencer Museum of Art at University of Kansas; Daum Museum of Art, Sedalia, Missouri; and Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, Kansas and the Tucson Museum of Art, Arizona.

Pearce is currently Professor of Studio Art, Director of Creative Arts, and Curator of Founders Gallery at Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo, California. Previously, she was Associate Professor of Art at Rockhurst University, Kansas City, Missouri, where she also served as the director of the university’s Greenlease Gallery of Art.

Curator for River Deep - Mountain High - Cara Megan Lewis, Deputy Director at the Wende https://imagejournal.org/article/curators-corner-bridge-projects-los-angeles/

Upcoming Exhibitions

River Deep - Mountain High by Anne Austin Pearce

  • February 15, 2024 - September 12, 2024
  • Artist’s Reception: Thursday, February 15, 2024; 5:30 - 7:30 PM
  • Dates subject to change. Please check website for updates.

Chris Justice: The First Decade

  • September 26, 2024 - January 24, 2025
  • Artist’s Reception: Thursday, September 26, 2024; 5:30 - 7:30 PM
  • Dates subject to change. Please check website for updates.

Guidelines for Submitting Exhibition Proposals

The Soka University Art Gallery Committee reviews all exhibition proposals on the basis of theme, quality, size (number of works vs. space available and suitability to large wall spaces), media, uniqueness to SUA (have we done a similar exhibition in the recent past?) and proposed budget. Artists should be aware that the gallery is also used for receptions and special events throughout the year that may include food in the gallery.

Does the proposed exhibition relate to SUA’s mission to foster a steady stream of global citizens committed to living a contributive life? Does the art relate to SUA’s core values of peace, human rights, and the sanctity of life? Does it relate to topics SUA students are studying or will be studying? Does it offer a unique insight into another country or culture? 

Exhibitions are usually booked two to three years in advance. 

Proposals should include:

  • web links or digital or print images of works for committee review 
  • background of artist
  • description including size and number of works
  • theme and title
  • proposed dates of exhibition
  • detailed budget

These are some budget details you should consider:

  • Will the artist hang works? Do hangers need to be hired?
  • What is the shipping or transportation cost to the gallery? 
  • The gallery does not usually pay for the cost of making prints, canvas/paint/materials for creating art, or mounting/framing.

If shipping is involved, the gallery will pay the cost of shipping and shipping insurance to the gallery for an approved exhibition, but it will be your responsibility to provide shipping and insurance from the gallery to the next destination.

Art should arrive in a ready-to-hang condition. The gallery only accepts art that can be hung on walls. Art submitted for consideration MUST be available at the time of exhibition.

Founders Gallery exhibitions usually run three to four months. Artists should be available to oversee their exhibit installation and attend the opening reception, which will be hosted by SUA on a Thursday evening. If transportation is needed, it should be included in the budget. The gallery will also pay for one night’s hotel stay and will provide meal tickets for artists coming from out of town for an opening reception.

Proposals should be emailed or mailed to:

Anne Pearce
Curator, Founders Gallery
1 University Drive, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
apearce@soka.edu

Past Exhibitions

Fall 2023
Emptiness is Form: Paintings by Ed Moses | September 21, 2023–January 12, 2024

Summer 2023
The Flames of Heaven: Dylan Mortimer | May 18–September 8, 2023
Nellie Gail Moulton: Through the Eyes of a Pioneer Woman | May 18–September 8, 2023

Spring 2023
Sugar Coated: SUPERSIZED Paintings by Lauren Mendelsohn-Bass | February 11–May 8, 2023

Fall 2022
TRANSFORMATIONS a Retrospective by Arie A. Galles | October 20, 2022–January 20, 2023

Spring 2020
Evolution by Farr Ligvani

Summer 2019
ClassWorks 2019: Soka Student Art Exhibition | May 31–August 31, 2019

Spring 2019
Chaos Theory by Sheryl Daane-Chesnut & Carol Pquetj | January 17–May 5, 2019
Earth, Air, Fire & Water | May 17–August 31, 2019

Fall 2018
California Fibers: A Matter of Time | September 17, 2018–January 7, 2019

Summer 2018
ClassWorks 2018: Soka Student Art Exhibition | May 21–August 31, 2018
Breaking Rules of the Past, A Retrospective by Mutlu Ertac | May 21–August 31, 2018

Spring 2018
Votive: Art of Frank Galuszka | January 25–May 7, 2018
100 Women and More by Red (Tracey Sagalow) | January 25–May 7, 2018

Fall 2017
Sleeping in the Forest: dreamscapes of nature and society by Sebastián Chillemi & Pablo Salvadó | September 14, 2017–January 7, 2018

Summer 2017
ClassWorks 2017: Student Art Exhibition | May 21–August 31, 2017

Spring 2017
Distant Visions: Digital images by Jay Gale | February 15–May 12, 2017 
Self-Motivated: Selected Paintings and Drawings by Soka Art Students | February 15–May 12, 2017

Contact us

Email us at arts@soka.edu.