Free 4 All is a one-day community art show with no submission fees, no jury deciding who belongs, and no waiting list. On Saturday, August 1, 2026, from 1 to 8 PM, I’m showing my work alongside hundreds of Southern California artists at the Claremont Lewis Museum of Art, inside the historic Claremont Depot.
Key Takeaways
- Free 4 All 2026 runs Saturday, August 1, 1 to 8 PM at the Claremont Lewis Museum of Art, and admission is free.
- There are no entry fees and no jury. Hundreds of self-taught, emerging, and professional artists fill all three galleries.
- My piece, “Emerald Way,” is an ocean-inspired painting built around Laguna Beach blues and greens.
- The museum grew from a 1987 idea into a permanent institution after a $1 million Randall W. Lewis Foundation gift in 2022.
Why I said yes to this show
Fellow artist Doug Pearsall brought me into Free 4 All, and that’s the whole spirit of it. Artists lift each other. Connection is the point, not competition.
The Claremont Lewis Museum of Art fits that idea. It’s built around local talent and regional culture, and it treats a first-time exhibitor with the same welcome as an established name. Showing here felt less like applying to a gallery and more like joining a community.
Bringing Laguna Beach waters to Claremont
My piece is called “Emerald Way,” a 24 by 24 inch ocean-inspired painting. I built it from the colors I associate with Laguna Beach: rich blues, vibrant greens, and layered, shifting tones. The shapes move the way water moves. Dynamic forms track the rhythm of waves so the surface reads as fluid rather than fixed. My aim was to put a piece of the coast on a wall two counties inland.
Art in conversation: from the collection to the canvas
One reason Claremont is a fitting home for a coastal painting is the conversation between styles you find here.
The museum’s collection includes work by Karl Benjamin, a Claremont painter who became one of Southern California’s defining hard-edge, Abstract Classicist artists after the landmark 1959 “Four Abstract Classicists” exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Karl Benjamin). His work is structured and geometric, built from bold shapes and brilliant, deliberate color.
“Emerald Way” sits on the other side of that spectrum. Where Benjamin’s geometry holds still, my coastal rhythms keep moving. Putting the two in the same building is its own small dialogue: hard edges and open water, order and flow.
The story behind the museum
The Claremont Lewis Museum of Art didn’t start with a building. It started with a conversation.
1987: an idea on a walk. The museum traces its origin to weaver Marion “Hoppy” Stewart, who floated the idea to her friend Marguerite McIntosh, wife of the renowned ceramicist Harrison McIntosh. McIntosh went on to serve as the museum’s Founding President (Claremont Lewis Museum of Art: History).
2009 to 2016: the “Museum Without Walls” years. After the Great Recession forced the first building to close, volunteers kept the mission alive with pop-up shows and launched Project ARTstART, an art-education program for local public schools.
2015 onward: a home at the Depot. The museum leased the historic Claremont Depot and restored its original features, giving the collection a permanent address at 200 W. First Street.
2022: a transformative gift. The Randall W. Lewis Foundation contributed $1 million, the bulk of which established an endowment for long-term stability and broader public access. In recognition, the museum took its current name: the Claremont Lewis Museum of Art (Claremont COURIER).
What the day feels like
Free 4 All isn’t a quiet gallery afternoon. Live music runs across the event, and refreshments and hands-on projects keep families moving between the galleries. If you’ve never set foot in an art museum, this is the low-pressure way in. Nothing is roped off from you, and no one is checking whether you belong.
Come find “Emerald Way,” say hello, and tell me what the color pulls up for you. That conversation, between the work and the person standing in front of it, is the reason I show at all.
Frequently asked questions
When and where is Free 4 All 2026?
Saturday, August 1, 2026, from 1 to 8 PM at the Claremont Lewis Museum of Art, 200 W. First Street, in the historic Claremont Depot, Claremont, California.
How much does it cost to attend?
Admission is free.
Do artists pay to exhibit?
No. Free 4 All has no submission fees and no jury. Any artist may show, regardless of age or experience, as long as the work is family-appropriate and no larger than 24 by 24 inches.
What can I see and do there?
Hundreds of works by Southern California artists across three galleries, plus live music, hands-on art projects, and refreshments.
Event details
- Event: Free 4 All 2026
- Date: Saturday, August 1, 2026
- Hours: 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM
- Location: Claremont Lewis Museum of Art, Historic Claremont Depot, 200 W. First Street, Claremont, CA
- Admission: Free
