San Juan Islands Museum Of Art

06/02/2026

SJIMA's Summer 2026 exhibitions open June 11 — three galleries, three remarkable artists, and work that spans photography, etching, feather sculpture, and glass. Read about all three exhibitions and plan your visit. 👇

SJIMA's Summer 2026 exhibitions open June 11 — featuring Convergence & Divergence with Imogen Cunningham, Roi Partridge & Rondal Partridge in the Nichols Gallery; Feathered Masterpieces by Chris Maynard in the North Gallery; and Fluid Life by Raven Skyriver in the Sterner Atrium. On view through S...

05/21/2026

We're thrilled to share some exciting news from the broader art world — and it feels close to home.

Multidisciplinary artist Gu Xiong is the subject of a major new retrospective, Becoming: The Art of Gu Xiong, opening May 28 at the Museum of Vancouver and on view through February 7, 2027. Spanning 50 years of work across painting, sculpture, photography, video, and site-specific installation, it's the most comprehensive exhibition of his career — and a well-deserved celebration of an artist whose work on migration, identity, and cultural hybridity has resonated around the world.

Gu Xiong is no stranger to San Juan Island. SJIMA has had the privilege of presenting his work twice — including his powerful mixed-media installation A River of Migration in our Sterner Atrium Gallery in 2016, and an Art As A Voice talk at the San Juan Community Theatre where he spoke about his life, his art, and the ideas behind the exhibition.

Seeing artists we've championed go on to receive this kind of recognition is one of the most meaningful parts of what we do. Congratulations, Gu Xiong.

Learn more about "Becoming: The Art of Gu Xiong" at the Museum of Vancouver
➡️ https://museumofvancouver.ca/becoming-the-art-of-gu-xiong

Explore Gu Xiong's 2016 Exhibition at the SJIMA
➡️ https://www.sjima.org/exhibitions/a-river-of-migration

Watch Gu Xiong's 2008 and 2016 Art as a Voice talks on SJIMA YouTube
➡️ 2008 Talk --> https://youtu.be/GX3grvfFPoo?si=uSsew2pgVjdlLLOG
➡️ 2016 Talk--> https://youtu.be/G1tHZN60re0?si=AEQdugFShulNdGIy

05/19/2026

There's something elemental about watching metal come alive under a welder's torch. This is Dan Brown in his studio — sparks flying, rebar bending, a sculpture taking shape from raw material and imagination.

Dan's exhibition Iron and Wood: Sculptures of the Northwest is on view now through June 1 in SJIMA's Sterner Atrium Gallery — and the finished work is every bit as energetic as the process. Eagles in flight. A humpback whale threading a century-old wagon rim. Fish and wildlife caught mid-motion in steel, wood, and found objects.

Don't miss your chance to see it — and to hear directly from Dan himself. He'll be joining us for a free artist talk on Sunday, May 31 from 6–7 PM in the Sterner Atrium Gallery. It's the last weekend of the exhibition and a rare opportunity to hear the stories behind the work.

Free admission. No RSVP needed. Open Friday–Monday, 11 AM–5 PM.

05/11/2026

Lopez Island glass artist Janis Miltenberger brings twenty-five years of lampworking mastery to SJIMA's North Gallery. Her exhibition Productive Uncertainty weaves together storytelling, science, and the natural world — organized into three interconnected series: Works in Blue, The Doctrine of Signatures, and An Intimate Area.

Read her full artist profile at the link below. On view through June 1, 2026.

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Lopez Island glass artist Janis Miltenberger transforms borosilicate glass into allegory — exploring grief, healing, and the ancient search for meaning. On view in the North Gallery at SJIMA through June 1, 2026.

04/19/2026

Scraps of metal. Discarded objects. Extraordinary art.

Dan Brown's "Iron and Wood: Sculptures of the Northwest" fills SJIMA's soaring Sterner Atrium Gallery with constructed sculptures that swim, dance, and soar — built from metal, wood, and found objects, and alive with the playful energy of the Pacific Northwest.

Brown's lifelong habit of repurposing materials isn't just an artistic choice; it's a philosophy. Every piece in this exhibition is a testament to what's possible when creativity meets resourcefulness.

Come see it for yourself — on view through June 1, 2026 at SJIMA.

04/14/2026

Glass comes alive in Janis Miltenberger's Productive Uncertainty — now on view in SJIMA's North Gallery through June 1.

A Lopez Island artist with an international reputation, Miltenberger transforms heated glass rods and tubing into intricate sculptures that weave together themes of grief, healing, and wonder. Her work draws on ancient traditions — the Doctrine of Signatures, medicinal plants, marine life — piecing together fragments of meaning into luminous, narrative-driven forms.

The exhibition spans three distinct bodies of work: Works in Blue, a series of grief-related wall pieces; The Doctrine of Signatures, inspired by healing plants and their relationship to the body; and An Intimate Area, featuring large-scale standing sculptures.

"With pieces ranging in size from hummingbird small to human scale, my efforts are whimsical, provocative, and deeply connected to the marine life which surrounds me."

🔗 Plan your visit: sjima.org

04/10/2026

There's a humpback whale at SJIMA right now, frozen mid-surge through an old wagon wheel rim. It's made of metal, it weighs what metal weighs — and yet it seems to breathe.

That's the quiet magic of Dan Brown's work. His constructed sculptures of fish, birds, and wildlife fill the Sterner Atrium Gallery this spring, alongside whimsical watercolor trout paintings from his book Trout: A Fictitious History. It's the work of a former wildlife biologist, Peace Corps volunteer, and 29-year art teacher who simply never stopped making things.

We sat down with Dan in the Atrium to talk about growing up on fish and wildlife refuges, finding art in found objects, and why making art makes him "really happy." Read his full artist profile — and watch his interview — at the link below.

Iron and Wood: Sculptures of the Northwest is on view through June 1. Open Friday–Monday, 11 AM–5

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Dan Brown's constructed sculptures of fish, birds, and wildlife fill SJIMA's Sterner Atrium Gallery this spring — alongside whimsical watercolor trout paintings from his book Trout: A Fictitious History. On view through June 1.

04/07/2026

What's it like to stand inside one of Lauren Boilini's massive paintings? Why did Janis Miltenberger start making larger work? And what does Dan Brown see when he looks at a pile of scrap metal?

This spring, we sat down with all three of our exhibiting artists for in-depth conversations recorded right here in the galleries. Watch all three interviews online — or come see them in person in our upstairs gallery during your visit. Celestial Navigation, Productive Uncertainty, and Iron and Wood are on view through June 1.

Read more and watch at the link. 👇
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SJIMA sat down with all three Spring 2026 artists — watch the interviews online or in the upstairs gallery during your visit, through June 1.

04/01/2026

🎨 Kindling Creativity is back — and the first class is Tuesday, April 7!

Our beloved adult art class series with Simona Burla returns to the SJIMA loft this spring, and we couldn't be more excited. Eight Tuesday evenings, eight unique hands-on projects — and something new this year.

New in 2026 — Series Passes! In addition to registering for individual classes at $25 each (just like last year), you can now sign up for the full experience in one easy purchase:

🎟 All 8 Classes Pass — $200 One payment, all eight evenings. The full spring series, start to finish.

🎟 Choose Any 4 Classes Pass — $100 Pick the four classes that speak to you and register for them all at once.

Whether you join us for one class or all eight, spots are limited to just 10 per class — and the first class is just days away.

Read all about the series, browse the full class lineup, and register today at the link below. 👇

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SJIMA's beloved adult art class series returns this spring with eight Tuesday evening classes — April 7 through May 26, 2026. Led by artist and educator Simona Burla, each class is a unique hands-on creative project with all materials and refreshments provided. $25 per class. Limited to 10 partici...

04/01/2026

🎨 Spring Family Art Days are back — and the first class is THIS SATURDAY!

Intuitive Collage with Alice Hibberd
Saturday, April 4 | 12:00–2:00 PM
📍 San Juan Islands Museum of Art

✅ Free | Ages 5 and up with a supervising adult

Follow your imagination and let your inner voice guide you. In this hands-on collage workshop, kids and their grown-ups will gather magazine images, photographs, words, and more to create something uniquely their own.

This is the first of eight free weekly Family Art Days classes this spring — a wonderful creative tradition here on the island. Space is limited, so grab your spot now!

👉 RSVP here:

Gather images as your heart desires, making unique, soulful collage creations.