ART FWD: 5x5x5

Join & Give

A vibrant, multi-tiered series celebrating Bay Area artists and the world that inspires them.

MarinMOCA’s ART FWD: 5x5x5 is a series of celebrations – both at the museum and across the North Bay. Join us and discover how the Bay Area’s leading artists find inspiration, support one another, and sustain the dynamic arts community that propels our region’s unique culture.

The centerpiece of ART FWD: 5x5x5 is a groundbreaking exhibition featuring 155 interconnected artists. Here, artists are in the driver’s seat, led by their knowledge, intuition, material know-how, and keen eye for great art. At ART FWD: 5x5x5, five renowned artists — Saif Azzuz, Arleene Correa Valencia, Liam Everett, Isabella Kirkland, and Barry McGee — each selected five artists, who each chose five more. The result is a dazzling constellation of diverse artworks that together paint a portrait of Bay Area artistry and creative kinship.

Kick things off on Opening Night, October 18, at a party pulsing with energy, live music, hands-on art-making, and relishable food and drinks. The experience deepens with special Artist's Table gatherings, intimate conversations where guests dive into the worlds that inspire ART FWD: 5x5x5’s headliners.

Nikhil Sharma · Woulf Boxuan Chen · Allison Hueman · Cheryl Derricotte · Pablo Manga · Mario Martinez · Vera Ting · David Tomb · Keith Hansen · Catherine Wang McMahon · Shashari Kiburi · Michael Damm · Shirin Towfiq · Leeza Doreian · Carole Jeung · Tracy Taylor Grubbs · Bushra Gill · Tana Quincy Arcega · Ron Moultrie Saunders · Sydney Cohen · Amy Keefer · Amy Tavern · Gaby Wolodarski · Julia Goodman · Liam Everett · Sara Dykstra · Gary Katiya · Fox Hysen · Julia Schwartz · Sandra Ono · Jamie Emerick · Melissa Dickenson · Michael Nieland · Rebekah Goldstein · Linda Geary · Parker Ito · Naomi Hawksley · Colin Chapman · Peter Hurley · Joe Draegert · Minoosh Zomorodinia · Francis Whitnall · Angela Willetts · Hearne Pardee · Calvin Trezise · Francis Baker · Felicia Griffin · Isaac Vazquez Avila · em kettner · Lucy Puls · Anthony Discenza · Dorian Reid · Samara Halperin · Tiangzong Jiang · Saif Azzuz · Terri Friedman · Alicia McCarthy · Dre'An Cox · Lulu Thrower · Kaya Davis · TRUE · Jean McElvance · Halisi Noel-Johnson · George Crampton Glasanos · Christine Wang · Rachel Morino · Paige Valentine · Laura Rokas · Vance Valenti · Gabby Severson · Jes Yung · Tricia Rainwater · Erik Michael Barrios Rendez · Ximena Natera · Adrian Clutario · Barry McGee · Daisy Sheff · Karen Barbour · Marian Wallace · Emma Soucek · July Guzman · Nick Gorham · Oliver Whitcroft

Opening Night

Saturday, October 18th
5:00 - 9:30 PM | MarinMOCA, San Rafael

This is not your typical gala. No rubber-chicken dinner. No long speeches. No polite applause.

ART FWD: 5x5x5 Opening Night — where the boundaries between spectator and participant dissolve and pure creative joy reigns.

Come enjoy outstanding art, delicious food and drinks, and wild entertainment. This is art as it should be experienced: not hushed and distant but immediate, vibrant, and participatory.

5:00 – 6:00 pm
Exhibition Viewing

6:00 – 7:30 pm
Picnic-Style Dinner

Musical Jam with Matt Jaffe

Artful Activities

7:30 – 8:15 pm
Performance by the Bay Area’s celebrated
Drag Queens on Wheels, Rollin’ with the Homos

Support MarinMOCA Art Education: Raise-the-Paddle

8:15 – 9:30 pm
Silent Disco with Operation Joy Lab

TICKETS

Artist Tables

Step beyond traditional gallery walls into the living, breathing spaces where art is made, contemplated, and loved. Each gathering weaves together artistic passion, culinary excellence, and connection among friends old and new.

Isabella Kirkland, At My Desk, 2025, Acrylic on canvas, 36 × 48 in.

Friday, October 3, 6:00 – 9:00pm
Artist’s Studio, Sausalito

Join celebrated artist Isabella Kirkland for an extraordinary dinner and conversation aboard her studio on a gorgeous barge in Sausalito. Kirkland, renowned for bridging artistic and scientific inquiry, opens her doors for an intimate meal and a glimpse at what makes this artist-environmentalist tick. Together, we’ll dive into the delights — both visual and epicurean — of Dutch still life painting, a genre that has inspired Kirkland for decades.

Next, along with Ryan Phelan, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Revive & Restore, we’ll learn about the work Kirkland and other Bay Area creative thinkers are doing as a champions of biodiversity. Combining exquisite dining with meaningful conversation about art's role in environmental advocacy, the evening will offer an unforgettable fusion of creativity, cuisine, and conservation.

A Feast on the Bay with Isabella Kirkland

TICKETS

Liam Everett, Untitled (still lives), 2025. Ink, oil, sand on linen, 35 × 29 in.

Saturday, October 11, 6:00 – 9:30pm
Collector’s Residence | Ross, CA

Step inside a private collection in Ross where Liam Everett's monumental painting, together with other great artworks, transforms daily life into artistic experience.

The evening kicks off with a delightful aquatic performance by San Francisco’s Merionettes, taking full advantage of the home’s unique features.

Next, join Everett and esteemed urbanist Ayssar Arida for a night exploring light, theoretical science, and spatial creation. Here, in the tradition of artist salons where ideas flow like wine, conversation becomes an art form itself. Over dinner from A16, we’ll contemplate how artists and architects shape space, whether on canvas or in the built environment, thinking across disciplines in search of new creative breakthroughs.

Light, Space, & Perception with Liam Everett

TICKETS

Saif Azzuz, Community Restoration, 2025. Acrylic on canvas, 40 × 30 in.

Sunday, November 9
Film: 3:30 – 5:00pm, Sequoia Cinema, 25 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley
Film & Dinner: 3:30 – 7:50 pm, Sequoia Theater and Anthony Meier Gallery, 21 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley

Join us in Mill Valley for a special evening with the artist Saif Azzuz, one of today’s most powerful voices in the Bay Area whose work explores identity, resistance, and deep connections to the land.

The program begins with a screening of Firelighters: Fire is Medicine, featuring Saif’s mother, Elizabeth Azzuz of the Cultural Fire Management Council, followed by a conversation with Saif, Elizabeth, and film contributors.

The evening concludes with an exclusive dinner at Anthony Meier Gallery, featuring wines from Peter Michael Winery and a unique artmaking experience led by the artist.

Film, Dinner & Creating Together with Saif Azzuz

TICKETS

Arleene Correa Valencia, Mei Mei, 2024, Textiles on tortilla napkin, 30 1/8 × 30 1/8 in.

Spring 2026. Event Details Coming Soon

Join us for an outdoor dinner in beautiful Napa celebrating artist Arleene Correa Valencia in the valley that has helped shape her life, artwork, and advocacy. Get up close and learn about Correa Valencia’s inspirations, sources, and process during an evening that includes a studio visit and honors the dedicated workers who make Napa's excellence possible. Created collaboratively with local community members and those near and dear to Correa Valencia, the event supports her art initiatives and championship of the diverse voices that shape wine country's rich cultural tapestry.

Wine Country Get-Away with Arleene Correa Valencia

Barry McGee, Untitled, 2025, Gouache, spray paint, and collage on paper.

Spring 2026. Event Details Coming Soon

In West Marin, where ocean and land shape both daily rhythms and creative spirit, we’ll gather for an evening that echoes Barry McGee’s deep belief in community. Known for creating expansive environments that weave together his own work with contributions from friends, collaborators, and found imagery, McGee blurs the line between individual and collective expression. This event captures that ethos: a celebration of shared abundance and connection, with Bolinas-grown produce, locally caught fish, and music drawn from the town’s creative fabric. Together, we’ll experience an atmosphere where art, music, place, and people fold into one another, a living reflection of the coast that inspires McGee’s practice.

Gathering Along the Coast with Barry McGee

Fund-A-Need

All donations — large and small — are vital to achieving MarinMOCA goals for the coming year, especially as we expand our many education programs. Contribute today at whatever amount feels right for you!

DONATE

At Family Day smiles abound and creativity flows during joy-filled Sunday afternoons. Help us ensure the love continues by donating to cover the cost of art materials and professional instructors for a full year of monthly Family Days.
Let's put art back into kids' curricula! Your donation will help cover the cost of MarinMOCA's outstanding Novato Unified School District Art Enrichment Program, serving more than a thousand 4th and 5th graders.
Kids’ Summer Art Camp at MarinMOCA rules! Months when school isn’t in session are the perfect time for creative exploration and developing artistic skills. Your donation covers costs for supplies, allows us to pay fair compensation to our incredible summer instructors, and enables us to offer scholarships to families who need them.
MarinMOCA's new Teen Leadership Council is training tomorrow's changemakers TODAY! Support Marin’s dynamic teens as they master real career skills – regardless of the professional path they choose – while collaborating with top artists and arts leaders to create programs for future youth cohorts.
With Young Artists for the Planet, young creators team up with acclaimed Bay Area artists to create stunning public artworks that spark environmental action! This one-of-a-kind program transforms young visionaries into eco-advocates through art that can't be ignored. Your support ensures that youth participation is free, all materials and installation costs are covered, and artist-mentors receive competitive pay.

ART FWD: 5x5x5 Planning Committee

Bonnie Brown, Sarah Elsasser, Daelyn Short Farnham, Christa Grenawalt, Tania Houtzager, Sylvia Kwan, Nancy LaDieu, Zea Moscone, Lauren Ryan, Sarah Shepard, Evie Simon, Libby Tracy

Sasha Larson, Co-Chair
Kes Narbutas, Co-Chair

ART FWD: 5x5x5

Join & Give

A vibrant, multi-tiered series celebrating Bay Area artists and the world that inspires them.

Opening Night

Artist Tables

A Feast on the Bay with Isabella Kirkland

Light, Space, & Perception with Liam Everett

Film, Dinner & Creating Together with Saif Azzuz

Wine Country Get-Away with Arleene Correa Valencia

Gathering Along the Coast with Barry McGee

Fund-A-Need

Family Day

Art Enrichment Program

Kids’ Summer Art Camp

Teen Leadership Council

Young Artists for the Planet

Sponsors

ART FWD: 5x5x5 Planning Committee