Founders Gallery
Founders Gallery is open Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Admission is FREE.
Fall 2026 Art Gallery Exhibitions
Join us for the Opening Reception
Thursday, September 24, 2026 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM (PT)
Founders Gallery, Soka University of America • Aliso Viejo CA
The event is free but RSVPs are appreciated!
May All Beings Know We Are Dreaming
The exhibition titled May All Beings Know We Are Dreaming is a stitching together of artworks comprised of fragments—Japanese textiles, discarded military cloth, stray linens and relic fabrics—building a remembering skin. Martello’s inspiration draws upon Eastern and Western philosophies: Tibetan esoteric symbolism, Bön and Vajrayana iconography, and Western high-priestess traditions.
Michela Martello is an Italian artist based in New York City whose work explores intimacy, spirituality, and transformation. A 2026 Brooklyn Arts Council grant recipient, her work has been featured in global solo projects including Just Love (2024–25) and resides in major collections such as the Andrea Soros collection, and has been shown at MACO museum, Italy, TNAM museum, Taiwan, and Tsenpo Museum, Tibet.
The “May All Beings Know We Are Dreaming” exhibit will be located on the 1st floor of Founders Gallery.
Living Lineages: Tibetan Art and the Himalayan Sacred Imagination
Living Lineages: Tibetan Art and the Himalayan Sacred Imagination explores Regong thangka painting as a living tradition shaped by discipline, sacred canons, and community life. Beyond religious imagery, the exhibition reveals how sacredness is continually created through craftsmanship, memory, and cultural transmission.
Curator Xiaoying Gan is an independent scholar specializing in the sociology of religion, Tibetan cultural life, and Himalayan sacred art. With more than ten years of ethnographic research experience in Tibetan regions, her work explores religious practice, cultural memory, and the social life of sacred images.
The “Living Lineages: Tibetan Art and the Himalayan Sacred Imagination” exhibit will be located on the 2nd floor of Founders Gallery.
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
Spring 2026
(Re)Formation: Joaquín Palting | February 12–August 20, 2026
Divergence of Birds: Carolyn Monastra | February 12–August 20, 2026
View Opening Reception Photo Gallery
Fall 2025
Stone Soup: A Group Exhibition: Contributors: K. Baker, M. Baker, Donaldson, Heftersmith, Hill, Ingold, Jaffe, Lewis, Marsh, Meckel-Sam, Minaya, Moe, Nguyen, Stoner, Weber, White | September 18, 2025–January 22, 2026
View Opening Reception Photo Gallery
Spring 2025
Fixing on a Horizon: Cynthia Ona Innis | February 13–August 28, 2025
Lipstick/Waterline: Don Ryan | February 13–August 28, 2025
View Opening Reception Photo Gallery
Fall 2024
Chris Justice: The First Decade | September 26, 2024–January 24, 2025
View Exhibit Photo Gallery
Spring 2024
River Deep - Mountain High by Anne Austin Pearce | February 15, 2024–September 12, 2024
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