Sept 13–22, 2024
Jump to
Across Santa Cruz County | Mostly FREE
Jim Denevan, San Gregorio State Beach, 2023, photo Peter Hinson.
Explore the adventurous terrain.
CommonGround is a biennial festival of place-inspired, outdoor artworks hosted in locations throughout Santa Cruz County, in downtown plazas, on nearby beaches and forested hillsides, and at local landmarks.
Focused on temporary and performative public art projects in rural, urban, and architectural spaces, the 10-day event features site-responsive installations and interventions across the area’s natural and built environments, connecting people, stories, and landscapes.
Community Agreements
The MAH is committed to creating an environment that fosters inclusion and belonging and ensures the well-being of all our guests, volunteers, and employees. We have articulated a set of principles and values-based practices that we ask all individuals to uphold when visiting the museum and other MAH spaces. These include:
• Practicing respect
• Keeping yourself and others accountable
• Acknowledging and celebrating our differences
• Holding space for reflection and active listening
• Encouraging the sharing of ideas, questions, and experiences
The MAH strives to collaborate with artists, historians, and creatives that celebrate and respect everyone. Thank you.
Marla Novo, Interim Executive Director, September 2024
Schedule
The Pyramids
By Jim and Brighton Denevan
Cowell Beach
Sep 13–22 / FREE
Installation Dates: Sep 13–15, 8am-6pm
Sign-up to assist
Watermarks of the Last Chinatown
By Huy Truong, Susana Ruiz, and Karen Tei Yamashita
740 Front Street, Downtown Santa Cruz
Sep 13–22 / FREE
Monuments
By Craig Walsh
Evergreen Cemetery
Sep 13–15, 8–10pm / FREE
Portraits: Luna HighJohn-Bey, Jim Lorenzana, and George Ow, Jr.
Fathoming: Among Whales and Walls
By Angela Willetts
Davenport Jail
Sep 17, 19, 21 / FREE
Sep 17, 7:30–9pm, with guest artist Alicia Escott
Sep 19, 7:30–9pm, with featured artist Angela Willetts
Sep 21, 7:30–9pm, with guest artist Victoria Perenyl
Welcoming Our Relatives: The Kincentricity Garden
With Tribal Chairman Valentin Lopez
Garden Area, MAH
Sep 21, 1–2:30pm / FREE
I Belong Here
By Tavares Strachan
MAH
Aug 23–Dec 29 / $10 Suggested Admission
Young, Gifted and Black:
The Lumpkin-Boccuzzi Family Collection of Contemporary Art
Solari Gallery, MAH
Aug 23–Dec 29 / $10 Suggested Admission
Of Love and Revelation: Learning Photography from the Land
Art Forum Gallery, MAH
May 24–Sep 29 / $10 Suggested Admission
Rising Tide
M.K. Contemporary Art
Sep 13–29 / FREE
Featured Artists
The Pyramids
By Jim and Brighton Denevan
Cowell Beach
Sep 13–22 / FREE
A large-scale sand installation co-created with the community, serving as a testament to the artists’ enduring appreciation for the transient beauty inherent in the natural world. The work will be on view until it disappears as a result of environmental forces or human intervention.
Installation Dates: Sep 13–15, 8am–6pm
Sign-up to assist
Tools provided
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Las pirámides
Por Jim y Brighton Denevan
Playa de Cowell
Sep 13–22 / GRATIS
Una instalación de arena a gran escala creada conjuntamente con la comunidad, que sirve como testimonio del aprecio perdurable de los artistas por la belleza transitoria inherente al mundo natural. La obra permanecerá a la vista hasta que desaparezca como resultado de fuerzas ambientales o intervención humana.
Fechas de instalación: : Sep 13–15, 8am–6pm
Regístrese para ayudar
Herramientas proporcionadas
Photo / Foto: Jim Denevan, Self Similar, Manar Abu Dhabi 2023, photo by Lance Gerber, courtesy of the artist.
Watermarks of the Last Chinatown
By Huy Truong, Susana Ruiz, and Karen Tei Yamashita
740 Front Street, Downtown Santa Cruz
Sep 13–22 / FREE
An interactive public memorial in the form of a site-specific augmented reality experience that speaks to the rich narrative landscape of Santa Cruz through the lens of historical erasure with a focus on its last Chinatown.
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Marcas de agua del último barrio chino
Por Huy Truong, Susana Ruiz y Karen Tei Yamashita
740 Front Street, Centro de Santa Cruz
Sep 13–22 / GRATIS
Un monumento público interactivo en forma de una experiencia de realidad aumentada específica de un sitio que habla del rico paisaje narrativo de Santa Cruz a través de la lente del borrado histórico con un enfoque en su último barrio chino.
Photo / Foto: Rose Calucchia.
Monuments
By Craig Walsh
Evergreen Cemetery
Sep 13–15, 8–10pm / FREE
A video installation that features nighttime projected portraits of local honorees onto live trees in tribute to their ancestors’ contributions to the community. The work aims to challenge traditional expectations of public monuments and the selective history represented in our civic spaces.
Portraits: Luna HighJohn-Bey, Jim Lorenzana, and George Ow, Jr.
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Monumentos
Por Craig Walsh
Cementerio Evergreen
Sep 13–22, 8–10pm / GRATIS
Una videoinstalación que presenta retratos nocturnos proyectados de homenajeados locales en árboles vivos en homenaje a las contribuciones de sus antepasados a la comunidad. El trabajo tiene como objetivo desafiar las expectativas tradicionales de los monumentos públicos y la historia selectiva representada en nuestros espacios cívicos.
Retratos: Luna HighJohn-Bey, Jim Lorenzana y George Ow, Jr.
Photo / Foto: Craig Walsh, Monuments, photo by Erich Camping, courtesy of the Rochester Fringe Festival.
Fathoming: Among Whales and Walls
By Angela Willetts
Davenport Jail
Sep 17, 19, 21 / FREE
A site-responsive, multimedia installation that entangles the sublime and mysterious world of whales with rigid human structures of separation and control in an exploration of ecological grief and joy. Presented in collaboration with the Institute of Marine Sciences at UC Santa Cruz.
Sep 17, 7:30–9pm, with guest artist Alicia Escott
Sep 19, 7:30–9pm, with featured artist Angela Willets
Sep 21, 7:30–9pm, with guest artist Victoria Perenyi
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Sondeo: entre ballenas y muros
Por Ángela Willetts
Cárcel de Davenport
Sep 17, 19, 21 / GRATIS
Una instalación multimedia adaptada al sitio que entrelaza el sublime y misterioso mundo de las ballenas con las rígidas estructuras humanas de separación y control en una exploración del dolor y la alegría ecológicos. Presentado en colaboración con el Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de UC Santa Cruz.
Sep 17, 7:30–9pm, con la artista invitada Alicia Escott
Sep 19, 7:30–9pm, con la artista destacada Angela Willetts
Sep 21, 7:30–9pm, con la artista invitada Victoria Perenyi
Photo / Foto: Antartica whales, courtesy of the Institute of Marine Sciences at UC Santa Cruz.
Welcoming Our Relatives: The Kincentricity Garden
With Tribal Chairman Valentin Lopez
Garden Area, MAH
Sep 21, 1–2:30pm / FREE
A traditional ceremony celebrating the opening of the new Indigenous learning gardens at the museum, created in collaboration with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.
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Recibiendo a nuestros familiares: el jardín kincentricity
Con el presidente tribal Valentín López
Zona ajardinada, MAH
Sep 21, 1–2:30pm / GRATIS
Una ceremonia tradicional que celebra la apertura de los nuevos jardines de aprendizaje indígena en el museo, creados en colaboración con la Banda Tribal Amah Mutsun.
I Belong Here
By Tavares Strachen
MAH
Aug 23–Dec 29 / $10 Suggested Admission
A neon work that is both a question and affirmation, encouraging us to imagine infinite possibilities around how one can be seen and welcomed within radically shifting environments.
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Pertenezco aquí
Por Tavares Strachen
MAH
Aug 23–Dec 29 / Entrada sugerida de $10
Una obra de neón que es a la vez una pregunta y una afirmación, que nos anima a imaginar infinitas posibilidades sobre cómo uno puede ser visto y bienvenido en entornos que cambian radicalmente.
Photo / Foto: Tavares Strachan, I Belong Here, 2013, courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery.
Young, Gifted and Black:
The Lumpkin-Boccuzzi Family Collection of Contemporary Art
Solari Gallery, MAH
Aug 23–Dec 29 / $10 Suggested Admission
An exhibition that champions an emerging generation of artists of African descent who are exploring identity, politics, and art history as they engage with the work of their predecessors.
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Jóvenes, superdotados y negros:
la colección de arte contemporáneo de la familia Lumpkin-Boccuzzi
Galería Solari, MAH
Aug 23–Dec 29 / Entrada sugerida de $10
Una exposición que defiende a una generación emergente de artistas afrodescendientes que exploran la identidad, la política y la historia del arte mientras interactúan con el trabajo de sus predecesores.
Photo / Foto: Tunji Adeniyi Jones, Blue Dancer, 2017, courtesy of the artist.
Of Love and Revelation: Learning Photography from the Land
Art Forum Gallery, MAH
May 24–Sep 29 / $10 Suggested Admission
An exhibition of contemporary photographic experiments that reveals our entanglements with landscape, the power of arts pedagogy, and the trouble of settler colonialism.
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Del amor y la revelación: aprendiendo fotografía de la tierra
Galería Foro de Arte, MAH
May 24–Sep 29 / Entrada sugerida de $10
Una exposición de experimentos fotográficos contemporáneos que revela nuestros enredos con el paisaje, el poder de la pedagogía artística y los problemas del colonialismo.
Photo / Foto: Edgar Cruz, Shadow with Tree in Pasadena, CA, 2023, courtesy of the artist.
Rising Tide
M.K. Contemporary Art
Sep 6–29 / FREE
An installation of aerial drone videography of ephemeral land art works by Jim and Brighton Denevan along with photographic prints by Brighton Denevan.
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Marea creciente
M.K. Arte Contemporáneo
Sep 6–29 / GRATIS
Una instalación de videografía aérea con drones de obras efímeras de land art de Jim y Brighton Denevan junto con impresiones fotográficas de Brighton Denevan.
Photo / Foto: Jim Denevan, Tofino BC, 2022, photo by Brighton Denevan, courtesy of the artist.
Admission
CommonGround is a mostly FREE event. While the majority of works can be visited at no cost, there is a small admission fee to the MAH to view supporting exhibitions and installations.
Museum Admission
Adults: $10, Children (12 and under): $5
MAH Members: FREE
Become a MAH member!
MAH members get FREE entry into the museum and discounted tickets to select festival performances:
- Friend ($60) | Includes MAH entry for up to two adults
- Family ($80) | Includes MAH entry for up to two adults and four children under the age of 18
- Fan ($125-999) | Includes MAH entry for up to two adults and four children under the age of 18, plus two additional guests
Sign up today and enjoy free admission, special viewing access, exclusive programming, and other member benefits.
Venues & Locations
Abbott Square and Museum of Art & History (MAH)
725 and 705 Front Street, Santa Cruz
A public plaza next to a three-floor museum in downtown.
Cowell Beach
21 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz
A sandy beach that is located on the left side of the pier in downtown.
Davenport Jail
70 Center Street, Davenport
A decommissioned jailhouse and historic landmark built in 1914.
Evergreen Cemetery
261 Evergreen Street, Santa Cruz
A historic site and one of the state’s first cemeteries founded in 1858.
Galleria
740 Front Street, Santa Cruz
A site where the city’s last Chinatown once stood in downtown.
M.K. Contemporary Art
703 Front Street, Santa Cruz
A commercial gallery highlighting local artists in downtown.
Gallery
Craig Walsh, Monuments, courtesy of the Moss Center.
Antartica whales, courtesy of the Institute of Marine Sciences at UC Santa Cruz.
Evergreen Cemetery, photo by Crystal Birns.
Jim Denevan, Self Similar, Manar Abu Dhabi 2023, photo by Lance Gerber, courtesy of the artist.
Huy Truong, Susana Ruiz, and Karen Tei Yamashita, Watermarks of the Last Chinatown (detail), photo by Daris Jasper.
Tavares Strachan, I Belong Here, courtesy of the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art.
Davenport Jail, photo by Daris Jasper.
Craig Walsh, Monuments, photo by Chris Phutully.
Cowell Beach, photo by unknown.
Norman Locks, Submerged Desert Landscape, 2022.
Front Street view of Santa Cruz’s Chinatown, 1894.
Jim Denevan, 2013, photo by Peter Hinson, courtesy of the artist.
CommonGround FAQs
CommonGround is a biennial festival of place-inspired, outdoor artworks presented by the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH) from September 13–22, 2024.
Focused on temporary and performative public art projects in rural, urban, and architectural spaces, the 10-day event features site-responsive installations and interventions across the area’s natural and built environments, connecting people, stories, and landscapes.
CommonGround takes place Friday, September 13 through Sunday, September 22, 2024 at different times and locations throughout Santa Cruz County.
CommonGround is a mostly FREE event. While the majority of works can be visited at no cost, there is a small admission fee to the MAH to view supporting exhibitions and installations.
Museum Admission
- Adults: $10, Children (12 and under): $5
- MAH Members: FREE
MAH members get FREE entry into the museum and discounted tickets to select festival performances:
- Friend ($60) | Includes MAH entry for up to two adults
- Family ($80) | Includes MAH entry for up to two adults and four children under the age of 18
- Fan ($125-999) | Includes MAH entry for up to two adults and four children under the age of 18, plus two additional guests
Sign up today and enjoy free admission, special viewing access, exclusive programming, and other member benefits.
You do not need need a ticket to attend the festival. However, if you choose to visit the artworks inside the museum during regular hours of operation, the cost of admission—if you are not a MAH member—is processed onsite at the time of the event. There is no advance ticket purchase option, other than purchasing or renewing a membership to provide a limited number of museum admissions.
Museum Admission
- Adults: $10, Children (12 and under): $5
- MAH Members: FREE
For events happening downtown or at the museum, we encourage attendees to visit the food and beverage vendors at Abbott Square Market, immediately next to the MAH. There are also many downtown restaurants in close proximity to the museum. Please keep in mind that food and drink are not allowed inside the MAH or its exhibition galleries.
Generally, CommonGround is a rain-or-shine event, although some outdoor performances may be delayed or rescheduled due to inclement weather. Dress appropriately and bring an umbrella if necessary!
The MAH continues to implement pandemic restrictions during CommonGround including masking recommendations, social distancing guidelines, and venue capacity limitations (both indoor and outdoor).
For the safety of our guests, staff, and community, the MAH continues to encourage masking, social distancing when possible, hand hygiene, and other preventive measures. If you are experiencing any symptoms of illness, please visit the festival another time.
How nice to hear you would like to volunteer! Please email us to express your interest.
CommonGround is made possible with the support of many partners and collaborators. To read more about partnership opportunities and how to get involved with us, visit our sponsorship page. You can also email Marla Novo for more information.
Artist submissions for 2024 are currently closed. Please keep an eye on the MAH website and social media channels for updates about opportunities to get involved in future festivals and projects.
You can also join our mailing list for the most up-to-date information on how to showcase your work at the MAH.
With additional funding provided by
The City of Santa Cruz and The Humanities Institute at UC Santa Cruz.