Featured Exhibit and Events
San Diego Mesa College Art Gallery presents:
Future Flowers: Memory, Meaning, Mischief
Thao Huynh French
Exhibit on view August 24 – September 17, 2026
(closed Monday, September 7, Labor Day)
Reception: Wednesday, September 2, 4 - 7 PM
Artist Talk: Wednesday, September 9, 5-7 PM
Art Gallery - FA 103
FREE and OPEN to the public.
Free Parking during events in Lot # 1, STAFF spots.
Artist website: https://mindfulmurals.com/
Artist IG: https://www.instagram.com/thaofrenchart/
Multi-disciplinary artist and muralist Thao Huynh French was recently commissioned
to create two murals for San Diego Mesa College’s KUP Village in the Student Services
building. Thao and her husband founded Mindful Murals and they have painted over 400
murals. Born in Vietnam and raised in California, Thao’s artistic practice is heavily
influenced by her Asian American heritage, her experience as a refugee, and an appreciation
for nature, particularly flowers, which she considers symbols of resilience and transformation.
Future Flowers: Memory, Meaning, Mischief is Thao’s debut solo exhibition and it features paintings, interactive installations
and archival materials on the theme of refugee history and experiences while providing
a place for sharing and connection. The exhibit also delves into Asian American life,
cultural memory and nostalgia, which Thao interprets through the use of traditional
Vietnamese dresses, Lunar New Year customs and decorations, immigrant food, lively
pop culture, and even conflict. We invite you to join us for the reception on Wednesday, September 2, 4 - 7 pm. Meet the artist, enjoy refreshments and a performance by Southern Sea. As part of
the programming there will also be an artist led gallery tour and talk on Wednesday,
September 9 at 6 pm.
During the summer of 2026, Thao worked with a group of San Diego Mesa College students
and staff to conceptualize a pair of murals for the center that supports the Kapwa,
Umoja and Puente counseling programs. Ideas emerged from a conversation on the role
of art as social justice. The final mural design was grounded and inspired by collages
created by students and staff and published in a zine which is on display as reference
material. Thao’s work has a unique approach using layered and stenciled spraypaint.
The completed pieces will be on view in the gallery and when the exhibition concludes
they will be placed in their intended location. This is an opportunity for the campus
community and the general public to understand the murals within the larger context
of Thao’s artwork and explorations.
A section of the exhibit is devoted to canvases where details of flowers explode into
brilliant crimson, orange and blue textured petals. Flowers have a special meaning
for Thao because they often appear in family photographs as decorations for a joyful
celebration such as Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, or offering comfort in times of
grief; they are seen as universal symbols of love and connection. Blossoms become
the protagonists in paintings where they are appreciated close up, fluid shapes in
fiery hues. Thao mentions how “they mirror the way in which we persist and bloom through
adversity. How conditions meant to break us instead become the very source from which
we grow.” As an adult, Thao has become more deeply attuned with Nature and has developed
an interest in ethnobotany, closely observing the relationship between culture, people
and plants. Environmental and socioeconomic disparities are growing and art can be
used as a force for good to spread awareness or act as a form of storytelling.
Another section of the gallery is a reflection on the 50th anniversary of the fall
of Saigon; it includes an installation of photographs and archival documents that
Thao rescued from a refugee processing center in Bajaan, Philippines. This is the
same refugee camp where Thao and her family lived before migrating to the US. Visitors
are invited to sift through the materials as the artist did during her expedition
to the camp in January 2025. On the walls, a memory mapping of snapshots helps piece
together a timeline of her family as refugees, from the moment they entered the camp
to their present lives. This storyline includes the discovery of her mother's Amerasian
origins and the ongoing search for her biological father. Refugees will be able to
interact with the materials and submit their own stories and documentation in person
with the use of a memory box or on an online portal. This project is supported and
endorsed by the Critical Refugee Studies Collective. The findings and data will be
included in the website https://www.refugeesandiego.com/ and Thao encourages intergenerational contribution to the archive as it evolves.
Future Flowers is both about revisiting the past and making the future. Through the ubiquitous backdrop
of a child’s memories and the preservation of historical documents, it tracks the
transition from Vietnam to a new American life. The artwork ponders on this important
legacy, especially at a time when immigration policies affect the lives of immigrants
and refugees who have become political scapegoats. The show is ultimately about the
quest for meaning, finding unexpected family along the way, decolonization and generational
healing for the artist’s family.
Thao Huynh French is a multidisciplinary artist, muralist, and photographer. Born in Cam Ranh Bay,
Vietnam and now based in San Diego, California, she co-founded Mindful Murals™, a
creative social enterprise dedicated to bringing communities together through the
power of art. Since 2018, she has led murals in schools and public spaces across the
United States and internationally, including New York, Mexico, Vietnam, and the Philippines
with each project rooted in story-telling and civic engagement. She has worked with
San Diego Unified School District, Disney, Rise SD, Viet Voices, San Diego Museum
of Art, Prebys Foundation, UCSD, Caltrans, and more.
Gallery Hours: M, T, W, TH 12 - 5 p.m. (Or by appointment.) Closed Fridays, Weekends
& Holidays (closed Monday September 7, 2026).
Can't join for the events?
Visit us during our regular gallery hours:
Monday - Thursday, 12 - 5 PM.
Or, set up an appointment for a time outside these hours.
Gallery Director, Alessandra Moctezuma [email protected]
or call (619) 388-2829 during business hours.
Spring 2026 Highlights
Here are a few images from our spring semester.
For more visit our Flickr.
POLITICS OF PORTRAYAL
Parallel Cities: Cartographie of Loss
Spring 2026 Student Exhibit
For up to the minutes updates and photographs of our exhibitions please follow us on Instagram.
We offer San Diego's only hands-on program in Museum Studies and Gallery Management.
Future Exhibits
Irma Sofía Poeter
October 5 - 29, 2026
Instagram: @irma_sofia_poeter
Museum Studies Class Juried Exhibit
November 16 - December 16, 2026 (closed for Thanksgiving Break)
Theme TBD, info will be shared end of August/ beginning of September.
Past Exhibits
Unless otherwise noted, all exhibits are curated by Alessandra Moctezuma, Gallery Director and Museum Studies Professor. Available details are listed on this page or via the Mesa College Art Gallery Facebook Events page.
2023chevron_right
Student Art Exhibit
May 1-18, 2023
Reception: Thursday, May 4th, 4 – 7 p.m.
Perceive Me
March 13 - April 13, 2023
Reception: Wednesday, November 2nd, 4 – 7 p.m.
Africa in Context
San Diego Mesa College World Art Permanent Collection
Curated by Dr. Denise Rogers
January 30 - February 23, 2023
Reception: Thursday, February 9th, 4 – 7 p.m.
2022chevron_right
Pride and Protest
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
November 2 – 17, 2022
Reception: Wednesday, November 2nd, 4 – 7 p.m.
Pride and Protest virtual gallery
In Lak'Ech: Tu eres mi otro yo
Maria de Los Angeles and Ryan Bonilla
September 26 - October 13, 2022
Reception: Wednesday, September 28th, 4-7 p.m.
The Weight of Color, The Shape of Light
Christian Garcia-Olivo, Kaori Fukuyama, Melissa Walter
August 22 - September 8, 2022
Reception: Thursday, August 25, 4-7p.m.
Try on a New Perspective
Mesa Student Art Exhibition
Spring 2022 Student Art Exhibition Website
Connecting the Dots
Presented by SDCCD Faculty and Staff from Mesa, City, and Miramar colleges; along with Continuing Education and the District Office.
With Guest Juror Wendy Wilson-Gibson
April 26 – May 26, 2022
Reception: Thursday, May 5th, 4 – 7 p.m.
Connecting the Dots Virtual Gallery
Militarized Desert: Life and Death in the Mojave
Ben Allanoff and Anna Stump’s two-person exhibition delves into the contradictions of the Mojave desert, a militarized training ground but also a place notable for incredibly tenacious forms of life.
Spring 2022
2021chevron_right
Student Art Exhibition
Fall 2021
Fall 2021 Virtual Student Art Exhibition Website
Sowing Seeds of Universal Language
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
November 9 – December 15, 2021
Reception: Friday, November 12th, 3 – 7 p.m.
Sowing Seeds of Universal Language website
Sowing Seeds of Universal Language Virtual Gallery
Ludicrous Tales: A Topsy Turvy Quartet
Paintings by Gloria Muriel, sculptures by Aida Valencia and a collaborative ceramic installation by Beliz Iristay and Irene de Watteville.
Fall 2021
Inject Yourself with a Fresh Dose of Art
Virtual Student Art Exhibition
Spring 2021
Heavy Duty: Steamroller Printmaking Exhibition Drive-thru Reception
May 7 – June 4, 2021
Drive-Thru Reception: Friday, May 7th
2020chevron_right
Student Art Exhibition
Fall 2020
Fall 2020 Virtual Student Art Exhibition Website
Mesa Drive-In: An Outdoor Art Exhibition
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
Mesa Drive-In: An Outdoor Art Exhibition website
Student Art Exhibition
Spring 2020
Spring 2020 Virtual Student Art Exhibition Website
Forced Exodus: Coded Messages from the Underground Railroad
By Joe Lewis
February 3 – 27, 2020
2019chevron_right
Fall 2019 Student Pop Up Art Exhibition
December 3-6, 2019
Reception: Thursday, December 5th
In-Part: Interact and Participate with Art
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class with Guest Juror Michelle Montjoy
October 29 - November 19, 2019
Reception: Thursday, November 7th
Brightest Beacons, Blindest Eyes
John Brinton Hogan
September 24 - October 17, 2019
Reception: Thursday, September 26th
Chromatic: Grounding with Color
April Rose and Katie Ruiz
August 19 - September 11, 2019
Reception: Thursday, August 29th
Spring 2019 Student Art Exhibition
May 9 - 21, 2019
Reception: Thursday, May 9th
Subterranean
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
April 10 - 25, 2019
Reception: Thursday, April 11th
Artivismo Loko
Mario Torero
February 27 - March 21, 2019
Reception: Thursday, March 7th
Looking Forward, Looking Back
Alumni Exhibition
January 28 - February 13, 2019
Reception: Thursday, February 7th
2018chevron_right
Fall 2018 Student Art Exhibition
November 29 - December 11, 2018
Reception: Thursday, November 29th
Fall 2018 Faculty Exhibition
October 8 - Novemeber 7, 2018
Reception: Thursday, October 11th
Scarred For Life: Every Scar Tells A Story
By Ted Meyer
August 27 - September 20, 2018
Reception: Thursday, September 6th
Spring 2018 Student Art Exhibition
May 9 - 21, 2018
Reception: Thursday, May 9th
Art that Cuts
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
April 12 - 20, 2018
Reception: Thursday, April 12th
Remember the Trees: Southern California’s Changing Ecology
Ruth Wallen
March 12 – April 3, 2018
Reception: Thursday, March 15th
By(e) Default
Guest Curator: Andrea Chung
February 5 - 28, 2018
Reception: Thursday, February 15th
2017chevron_right
Student Art Exhibition
Fall 2017
November 29 - December 11, 2017
Reception: Thursday, November 29th
7 Steps Forward 7 Steps Back
By V. Kim Martinez
October 12 - Novemeber 2, 2017
Reception: Thursday, October 12th
Endangered: Exploring California’s Changing Ecosystems
Guest Curator: Danielle Susalla Deery
September 5 - 28, 2017
Reception: Thursday, September 7th
Haven
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
May 13 – 20, 2017
Reception: Saturday, May 13th
Spring 2017 Student Art Exhibition
May 9 - 21, 2017
Reception: Thursday, May 9th
FOBIA: A participatory Project
By Shinpei Takeda
April 6 - 13, 2017
Reception: Thursday, April 6th
Impressions: African American Artists and their connection to African Art
Co-curated by: Alessandra Moctezuma and Denise Rogers, Ph.D.
February 9 - March 1, 2017
Reception: Thursday, March 9th
Featuring Artists: Andrea Chung, Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle and Robert Pruitt and artifacts from the San Diego Mesa College African Art Collection
2016chevron_right
Fall 2016 Student Art Exhibition
December 1 - 13, 2016
Reception: Thursday, December 1st
Why We Collect: the 20th Century…
An art history survey with original works
Guest Curator: Kraig Cavanaugh
October 13 - Novemeber 8, 2016
Reception: Thursday, October 13th
Fall 2016 Faculty Exhibition
September 8 - 29, 2016
Reception: Thursday, September 8th
Spring 2016 Student Art Exhibition
April 28 - May 10, 2016
Reception: Thursday, April 28th
Bifocal: Bridging Prespectives
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
April 9 – 28, 2016
Reception: Saturday, April 9th
New Codex Oaxaca: Immigration and Cultural Memory
Guest Curator: Marietta Bernstorff
March 15 – April 13, 2016
Reception: Thursday, March 17th with invited San Diego artists Claudia Cano and Omar Pimienta
Chor Boogie
The Ultimate Sacrifice
February 11 - March 2, 2016
Reception: Thursday, March 11th
2015chevron_right
Fall 2015 Student Art Exhibit
November 19 - December 9, 2015
Reception: Thursday, November 19th
A Moveable Feast
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
November 6 – 8, 2015
Reception: Thursday, November 5th
Transpoiesis
By Jose Hugo Sanchez
October 13 - November 4, 2015
Reception: Thursday October 15th
Macro Views, Micro Wonders
By Cathy Breslaw
September 8 – 30, 2015
Reception: Thursday, September 10th
Spring 2015 Student Art Exhibit
April 30 – May 14, 2015
Reception: Thursday, April 30th
Untold Narratives
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
April 10 – May 14, 2015
Reception: Wednesday, April 29th
The Other Side of Birth
By Helen Redman
March 10 - April 14, 2015
Reception: Thursday, March 12th
Reshaping the 2%: Contemporary Ceramics
Guest Curator: Nathan Betschart
February 2 – 26, 2015
Reception: Thursday, February 12th
2014chevron_right
Fall 2014 Student Art Exhibit
November 20 – December 1, 2014
Reception: Thursday, November 20th
Connective Surge
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
November 6 – 9, 2014
Reception: Thursday, November 6th
Encoded Histories
By Doris Bittar and Qais Al-Sindy
October 13 - November 16, 2014
Reception: Thursday, October 24th
Fall 2014 Faculty Exhibition
September 2- 25, 2014
Reception: Thursday, September 4th
Spring 2014 Student Art Exhibit
May 1 – 15, 2014
Reception: Thursday, May 1st
Metaloci: Points of Transformation
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
Spring 2014
Reception: Wednesday, April 30th
"Stories On My Back" and "I CON"
By Richard A. Lou and James Luna, respectively
March 17 - April 16, 2014
Reception: Thursday, March 20th
LURE: all is not what it seems
Guest Curator: Susan Myrland
February 3 – 27, 2014
Reception: Thursday, February 6th
2013chevron_right
San Diego Mesa College Fall 2013 Student Art Exhibit
November 21 - December 10, 2013
Reception: Thursday, November 21st
Acerca de la Cerca
By Carmela Castrejon, Maria Teresa Fernandez, and Paul Turounet
October 10 - November 6, 2013
Reception: Thursday, October 10th
POKE: A series of Provocations
By Debby and Larry Kline
August 26 - September 26, 2013
Reception: Thursday, September 5th
Altered Horizons
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
Reception: Saturday, May 11th
San Diego Mesa College Spring 2013 Student Art Exhibit
May 2 - 16, 2013
Reception: Thursday, May 2nd
"GIFT" Women as Givers: Installation and Performance by Feminist Image Group
Guest Curator: Anna Stump
March 14 - April 18, 2013
Reception: Thursday, March 14th
Dynamic Gestures
By Larry Caveney, Silfredo La O, and Chris Warr
February 7 - 28, 2013
Reception: Thursday, February 7th
2012chevron_right
San Diego Mesa College Fall 2012 Student Art Exhibit
November 29 - December 12, 2012
Reception: Thursday, November 29th
Organic Colonies
Presented by Mesa College Museum Studies Class
Reception: Saturday, November 10th
agitPop: Protest Becomes Graphic
October 11 - November 6, 2012
Reception: Thursday, October 11th
Seven Deadly Sins
Guest Curator: Beate Berman-enn
September 6 - October 1, 2012
Reception: Thursday, September 6th
San Diego Mesa College Spring 2012 Student Art Exhibit: Express Yourself!
May 3 – 15, 2012
Reception: Thursday, May 3rd
Domestic Disobedience: Redefining the Feminine Space
Guest Curator: Nuvia Crisol Guerra
March 15 - April 19, 2012
Reception: Thursday, March 15th
Layering Time and Place: An African Memoir
By Atara Baker
February 9 - March 1, 2012
Reception: Thursday, February 9th
2011chevron_right
San Diego Mesa College Fall 2011 Student Art Exhibit
December 1 - 13, 2011
Reception: Thursday, December 1st
Faculty Plus One
Art faculty invite guests to exhibit artwork alongside their own.
October 13 - November 9, 2011
Reception: Thursday, October 13th
Disappearing Landscapes: The American Delta in Distress
By Monique Verdin and Anthony Fontenot
September 6 - 29, 2011
Reception: Thursday, September 22nd
San Diego Mesa College Spring 2011 Student Art Exhibit: Raw and Exposed
May 5 – 19, 2011
Reception: Thursday, May 5th
Above Us Only Sky
By Becky Guttin
March 10 - April 13, 2011
Reception: Thursday, March 10th
Parody and Plunder
By Armando Romero
Guest Curator: Danielle Susalla Deery
February 1 – 28, 2011
Reception: Thursday, February 10th
2010chevron_right
San Diego Mesa College Fall 2010 Student Art Exhibit
November 2010
Unearned Intimacies
By David Fobes, Michele Iversen, K.V. Tomney
Guest Curator: Barbara Sexton
October 14 - November 9, 2010
Reception:
Industrial
By Nicolas Gadbois
Guest Curator: Beate Berman-enn
September 9 - 30, 2010
Now We Can't Forget
By Judith and James Christensen
Faculty Exhibition 2010
2009chevron_right
Echoes in the Ice
by Rik van Glintenkamp
Shadows and Light in the Niger Delta
By Ed Kashi
January 29 - March 3, 2009
2008chevron_right
Premeditated: Meditations on Capital Punishment
BY Malaquias Montoya
October 9 - November 6, 2008
enTangoed Memories
By Alfredo Antognini
September 2 - 30, 2008
A visual journey from the streets of Buenos Aires to the beaches of La Jolla.
2007chevron_right
Student Exhibition - Art Corridor, second floor of the LRC
Menagerie
Featured Artists: Gloria Torres, Kathi McCord, Artemio Rodrigues, Brent Wear, and Angela Miles.
2006chevron_right
Memories From the Rolling Hills of Old San Diego
By Gloria Torres
Fleeting Moments
By Jeffrey Clark
Assembly of the Wondrous Head
By Gail Schneider
2005chevron_right
La Nueva Grafica
By Favianna Rodriguez and Jesus Barraza from Taller Tupac Amaru
XXXL (Extreme Extra Extra Large)
By Michael Barton Miller
Borders of intimacy
By Patricia Frischer and Cheryl Tall
Faculty Exhibition 2005
2004chevron_right
Stand and Deliver: Engineering Sculpture into a Book Format
Southern California: A Cinemuralby
By Louis Hock
The Multiplication of Bread
By Marcos Ramirez ERRE
2003chevron_right
Iro: Color
By Kaoru Mansour
Under the Skin of Grace & Cheryl Tall: Twins
By Suda House
Blue: An Invitational Ceramics Exhibit
The Rainbow, Quasar, Roller Coaster Divide
By Michael Jones McKean
In the Spirit of Tina Modotti
By Vincent Vigil
2002chevron_right
Faculty Exhibition 2002
Reconstituting the Vanished
By Lynda Frese
The Adoration of the Magi
By Ruben Ortiz Torres
Site/Unseen
By Sheila Pinkel
2001chevron_right
Destination Solitude
By Sharon Allicotti
Himself Beheld
By Maryann Luera
Quilts, Prints and Story Books
By Faith Ringgold
About the Gallery
The Mesa College Art Gallery is an educational forum to present the work of professional artists in a range of media and dealing with diverse issues. During the academic year, four exhibits feature art by emerging and established contemporary artists.
Learn More About the Mesa College Art Gallery
