Dezember/Cunningham Gallery
January 29, 2026 – August 29, 2026

The Invented Land offers an immersive exploration of transformation in California’s San Joaquin Valley, where land, water, and human ambition are inseparably linked. Drawing from her multigenerational connection to California agriculture, Ann Diener weaves drawing, sculpture, and installation into layered visual systems that reflect irrigation, infrastructure, and environmental change. Expanding on earlier iterations, this presentation introduces new works inspired by the Kern River, examining its vital role in shaping the region’s ecology, industry, and cultural memory. Maps, diagrams, and organic forms converge to trace cycles of cultivation, extraction, and renewal, revealing place as an ever-evolving construction shaped by memory, labor, and invention. 

Ablin Gallery
January 29, 2026 – May 2, 2026 

Shaped by her upbringing in Bakersfield, Ali Vaughan’s The Afterlife of Rivers and Fields explores how landscapes hold memory long after their surfaces change. Drawing from the Central Valley’s rivers, fields, and evolving terrain, Vaughan creates richly layered abstractions that register time through texture, gesture, and material. Her process embraces slowness and revision, allowing each work to emerge as a record of transformation rather than depiction. In Vaughan’s hands, place becomes an emotional and physical amalgam, shaped by history, sensation, and renewal. The exhibition offers a luminous reflection on how environments continue to speak through what remains.

September 25, 2025 - March 7, 2026

Impressions of Place draws from the Bakersfield Museum of Art’s permanent collection to spotlight the creative perspectives shaped by Kern County. Featuring artists who were born in, lived in, or inspired by the region, the exhibition explores how place can influence artistic expression. From depictions of the Central Valley’s agricultural landscapes to abstractions rooted in memory and environment, these works reflect the beauty, complexity, and resilience of life in Kern County. Together, they underscore the museum’s ongoing commitment to preserving and presenting the diverse visual culture of the region.