2026
Join us to celebrate the talented exhibiting high school artists and the announcement of the award recipients of ArtNow 2026: Before / Between / Beyond. We invite the community to honor the emerging artists’ accomplishments, explore the exhibition, and enjoy art activities.
Have you read Of Mice & Men? The Grapes of Wrath? East of Eden? Did you know that the author of these classic books, John Steinbeck, was a Los Gatos local? Join us at the museum to learn more about his history! We will be joined by archivist Peter Van Coutren from the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies at SJSU.
2025
Celebrate the opening of Snapshots of Pride: Photographer Ted Sahl's Chronicle of the South Bay LGBTQ+ Community with a custom cocktail, small bites, a live performance by the Rainbow Women’s Chorus and Silicon Valley Gay Men’s Chorus, and a hands-on art activity where you can make your own pride flag keychain.
NUMU Members are invited to join curator Amy Long for a private tour of Snapshots of Pride: Photographer Ted Sahl's Chronicle of the South Bay LGBTQ+ Community.
Join us to celebrate the talented exhibiting high school artists and the announcement of the award recipients of ArtNow 2025: Dreamscapes. We invite the community to honor the emerging artists’ accomplishments, explore the exhibition, and enjoy art activities.
Join Seeping Through Domestic Dissonance artist Mitra Fabian & the Sempervirens Fund for a talk at the museum.
Join us for this unique opportunity to hear from Made of Memory exhibiting artist Priyanka Rana in conversation with Dr. Beth Citron about art, memory, and the Indian diaspora.
2024
Join representatives from the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad at the museum for an engaging presentation and Q&A session about the history of the Wildcat Railroad, supplemented by artifacts from NUMU's permanent collection.
In this exclusive event for NUMU Members, artist Holly Lane and curator Helaine Glick will give a private tour of Holly's solo shows at the museum: Not Enough Time to Love the World and In the Artist's Studio.
Join us to celebrate the 82 talented exhibiting high school artists and the announcement of the award recipients of ArtNow 2024: In Transition. We invite the community to honor the emerging artists’ accomplishments, explore the exhibition, and enjoy musical and dance performances curated by Mosaic America.
Join us for a virtual artist talk with the lost ones’s Liz Harvey.
the lost ones: iterations and murmurs is an exhibition centered on the artworks, artifacts, and ephemera behind creating the lost ones, a multi-year performance project by Bay Area artist Liz Harvey. For the lost ones performance project, Harvey worked with a range of collaborators, including choreographers Mary Armentrout, Cherie Hill, and Megan Nicely, as well as science editor Lauren Muscatine. The project featured myriad performers rotating through an embroidered performance garment on which participants were invited to stitch images of endangered plants in order to highlight overlooked species, untold feminist histories, and little-acknowledged art practices.
Los Gatos Museum Association (LGAA) and New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU) invite you to explore Greater Bay Area Open, the juried fine-art-only competition and exhibition, at its opening reception!
2023
This October, our First Free Sunday 11 AM art tour will be hosted by artist Liz Harvey and guest curator Alisa Polischuk of the lost ones.
the lost ones: iterations and murmurs is an exhibition centered on the artworks, artifacts, and ephemera behind creating the lost ones, a multi-year performance project by Bay Area artist Liz Harvey. For the lost ones performance project, Harvey worked with a range of collaborators, including choreographers Mary Armentrout, Cherie Hill, and Megan Nicely, as well as science editor Lauren Muscatine. The project featured myriad performers rotating through an embroidered performance garment on which participants were invited to stitch images of endangered plants in order to highlight overlooked species, untold feminist histories, and little-acknowledged art practices.
Los Gatos Museum Association (LGAA) and New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU) invite you to explore Greater Bay Area Open, the juried fine-art-only competition and exhibition, at its opening reception!
Visit the museum for a chance to meet artist Linda Simmel and explore The Hiking Club: A Vocabulary of Yearning before it opens to the public. Plus, enjoy refreshments and mingling with other guests!
Join us for the official opening of our long-awaited Collections Lab! This demonstration and prep lab will serve as a dedicated semi-public space to display artifacts, conduct conservation efforts and present public educational programs, and starting Sat, Sept 23, will be accessible to all during museum open hours. This event is reserved for VIPs.
This special event is reserved for ArtNow exhibiting artists, their parents and teachers. We'll be celebrating the accomplishments of these talented emerging artists, with talks with the NUMU team, significant individuals, and of course the announcement the award winners in this year's exhibition.
Save the date! Registration info will be sent directly to all exhibiting artists and teachers.
For decades the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe has been working as stewards to protect their ancestral heritage sites throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. What role has archeology and anthropology played in revealing the 10,000 year history of Santa Clara County and the people indigenous to it, the ancestors of the Muwekma Ohlone? Hear from Monica V. Arellano, Vice Chairwoman of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribal Council and Most Likely Descendent Representative, and Alan Leventhal, Lecturer Emeritus of Anthropology at SJSU and Muwekma Tribal Archeologist, providing pre-contact and historical context on the history and heritage of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. Scholarly collaborations with the faculty and students from the Department of Anthropology at San Jose State University (SJSU) will be presented by Roberto Gonzalez, Chair of the Department of Anthropology, and Jan English-Lueck, Professor of Anthropology, and their students, as they discuss meaningful relationships and how the practice of anthropology and archeology has contributed to the education of the general public by supporting the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe in the development of the exhibition Reclamation.
Taking inspiration from our exhibition Terra Firma, join us for a special panel discussion exploring the importance of land stewardship, conservation, and environmental policy, curated by Marianne McGrath. Hear from experts Don Hankins, Professor of Geography and Planning at California State University, Chico, Sasha Berleman Ph.D., Director of Fire Forward, and Valentin Lopez, Chairman of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.
From natural to man-made frontiers, join us as we explore connections between land and art, from the backroads of Silicon Valley to the stars above. We will begin with an artist talk with Russell Crotty in our main gallery, followed by a panel discussion with Tracy Fish, Dr. Kerry Rohrmeier + Dr. Jan English-Lueck examining the reach of Silicon Valley into the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center, and ending with a chance to mingle and observe the full moon through telescopes on our patio.
Curious about how exhibitions come together? Wondering how multiple partners can come together to accomplish a common vision? Learn about the collaboration and partnership between NUMU staff, the Muwekma Ohlone Tribal Council, San José State University anthropology professors and graduate students, and artists in telling the story of the Tribe’s history and heritage.
2022
Join us for this unique opportunity to meet the artists of Terra Firma to learn more about their individual art practices and how this exhibition came about. The program will be facilitated with curator Marianne K. McGrath, and there will be a live Q+A.
NUMU Members will enjoy this opportunity to meet the exhibiting artists of NUMU’s exhibition Terra Firma and enjoy a tour lead by guest curator Marianne McGrath.
We invite you to join NUMU during the week of Indigenous People’s Day to learn more about the Muwekma Ohlone Tribal Council’s effort to regain federal recognition. Hear from Tribal Chairwoman Charlene Nijmeh, Tribal Vice Chairwoman Monica Arellano, and Tribal Ethnohistorian Alan Leventhal as they discuss the tribe’s history, the decades of “politics of erasure” that have led to the present situation, where the fight for the Tribe’s reaffirmation as a federally recognized Tribe stands today, and how you can support the Muwekma Ohlone in their efforts.
NUMU will be opening two new exhibitions, one on November 4th and the other on December 9th, highlighting the history, heritage, culture, and places of significance of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribal Council.
Join us for a rare earnest artist talk with Kathy Aoki who will share a behind the scenes look at the conceptual nature of her work and how she produces it. Kathy Aoki has created many satirical, museum-style installations on themes ranging from Hello Kitty Monument, to makeup-dominated landscapes, to pop-diva Gwen Stefani's mortuary temple. How does she create these narratives and the extremely wide-range of "artifacts" and "historical" artworks that accompany them? Find out at this artist talk with live Q&A!
New Museum Los Gatos and Content Magazine are hosting a unique, artful evening to celebrate Content Magazine’s release of issue 14.4 "Profiles." The night will include an activation by NUMU's inaugural Artist in Resident Alexander Hernandez, and viewing of Kathy Aoki's exhibition, Koons Ruins at the James Estate and Marie Cameron's exhibition Critical Masses, A Very Low Tide. Additional art will be displayed by 14.4 Featured Artists Nicholaus James Dalton, Vanessa Niembro de Paz, Ricardo Cortez, and Amy Hibbs. Come enjoy the art, music, activations, performances, and company of our vibrant arts community.
Join us for a special virtual artist talk with Alexander Hernandez, our inaugural Artist in Residence.
Join us for a special artist talk in NUMU’s gallery with Marie Cameron to learn more about her exhibition Critical Masses, A Very Low Tide. Marie will share insight into the themes of overconsumption and sustainability and how these themes influence her art practice. The artist talk will be followed by light refreshments with time to mingle in the gallery.
Join us for a special virtual artist talk with Luz Donahue, our In the Artist’s Studio artist.
In this virtual webinar, NUMU is excited to have former residents of the Ming Quong Home to share their own stories, remember what it was like living and growing up in Los Gatos, and reflect on the impact Ming Quong had on their lives.
Presented by San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles (SJMQT), New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU), and Palo Alto Art Center
Join us for a conversation with Alexander Hernandez, a textile and mixed media artist whose vibrant quilted works explore issues of gender, immigration, and cultural assimilation with dynamic and creative techniques. In this hour-long discussion, Hernandez will discuss his most recent work as the inaugural Artist in Residence at NUMU. He will highlight his experimental approach to textiles utilizing non-traditional materials and techniques such as spray paint, found objects, and accentuation of rips, stains and loose threads.
Join us for a special virtual artist talk with Jane Olin, interviewed by guest curator Helaine Glick.
Join NUMU for a virtual program as we spotlight our collections database partners, CatalogIt! We just made our collections database available to the public in December, and to celebrate, we’ve invited CatalogIt’s co-founder, Dan Rael, to speak about the platform, its impressive functionality, and how you can use it to manage your personal collections at home.
CatalogIt is not only an amazing resource for museums, it’s a cloud-based software program available to anyone who wants to organize their own collections.
2021
What happens when it’s socially possible for women to participate in the workforce in a meaningful and equitable way?
Join us for a special panel discussion facilitated by artist Sawyer Rose. We will unpack the many themes present in her exhibition Carrying Stones, including the gender pay gap, leadership advancement opportunities for women, gendered expectations and requirements, workforce participation and retention, and breaking through the glass ceiling. Let’s examine the structures of our society and reflect on the barriers, opportunities and systems that women face and navigate daily.
Diverse Community. Real Artists. Thoughtful Conversations.
Let’s unpack the relationship between Data and Art. In her ongoing series Carrying Stones Project, Sawyer Rose makes visible the invisible by giving life to data through art. Her sculptures tangibly illustrate important statistics about women’s unpaid labor, giving way to conversations around social norms, expectations, and inequalities in our society.
Along with artists, Dennis Delgado and Scott Kildall, we will discuss: How can we interact with data in a non-passive way? What can we learn through data? What messages do we consume or convey through how data is interpreted and represented? What happens when art and data collide?
This virtual event is free for all with an RSVP.
In this Community Conversation, we will explore the role of public art and policymaking in recognizing the labor and legacies of women’s work. Inspired by the themes present in Sawyer Rose’s exhibition, let’s discuss how we hold space for women as institutions, individuals, and collectives.
Join us in conversation with Womanhood Project. Womanhood, a project of Art Builds Community, is an arts-based initiative that explores different ways to commemorate women from all intersectional identities and their significant contributions to the region and beyond. Womanhood is an initiative through the County of Santa Clara Office of Women's Policy. You can learn more about Womanhood Project here!
In this Community Conversation, we will unpack the stereotypes of the “starving artist”. Inspired by the themes present in Sawyer Rose’s work, how can we dismantle misconceptions about artist labor?
Date Thursday, May 20
Time 5-6pm PDT via Zoom
For NUMU Members, Sponsors and Community Partners. join today.
SAWYER ROSE: Carrying Stones opens at NUMU on May 21! This exhibition, Sawyer’s largest to date, is a series of sculpture, data visualization, and interactive works that explores women’s work inequity. Join artist Sawyer Rose and NUMU Executive Director Ami Davis for a virtual walk through of this timely exhibition before it opens to the public, and learn all about Sawyer’s unique process, perspective, and vision.
This virtual walk through event is a special thank you for our NUMU members! If you’d like to attend this event, and become a part of the NUMU member community, join today.
Celebrating Good Trouble: A Mosaic of Artists and Performances, curated by Mosaic America, presents the voices and works of diverse poets, dancers, and musicians, featuring classical, folk, and contemporary cultural threads woven together to create a uniquely American mosaic. The program will conclude with a Q&A between artists and audience.
New Museum Los Gatos is proud to be partnering with Mosaic America in celebration of the ten year anniversary of ArtNow, our annual juried high school exhibition. Mosaic is a nonprofit org that strengthens communities, cultivates belonging, and catalyzes inclusion through inter-cultural and co-created art.
REGISTER HERE
Let’s unpack “Good Trouble”, the theme of this year’s ArtNow 2021 Exhibition. As we commemorate the tenth year of ArtNow, we have a unique opportunity to dive deeper into how the arts can function as a vector for anti-racism in Santa Clara County and beyond. What special role can youth play in activism, arts, and social justice? How can institutions, such as Art Museums, support the efforts of youth and activists? The program will conclude with a Q&A and discussion between attendees and our panelists.
In this special virtual tour, Tony May will give us an inside look at the construction of the T. House, sharing a selection of process photos, details and inspiration. The T. House is a handmade building—initially constructed over the course of ten years and still evolving—in the style of Japanese carpentry and woodworking. Tony May’s installation at NUMU, Views of the T. House (1991-1992), features 18 photo-real acrylic paintings that serve as a record of the T. House’s material details and May’s process building it.
Real Artists. Thoughtful Conversations. Virtual Studio Visits.
In this 5-part series, curator Julie Ericsson takes us into the homes and studios of the 51 talented artists featured in NUMU’s inaugural benefit auction exhibition, Art in the Time of Corona. We’ll learn more about each artist currently on view and get a glimpse into their artistic process. This series will conclude with a special conversation featuring curator and gallerist Craig Krull, the Juror of the exhibition.
Real Artists. Thoughtful Conversations. Virtual Studio Visits.
In this 5-part series, curator Julie Ericsson takes us into the homes and studios of the 51 talented artists featured in NUMU’s inaugural benefit auction exhibition, Art in the Time of Corona. We’ll learn more about each artist currently on view and get a glimpse into their artistic process. This series will conclude with a special conversation featuring curator and gallerist Craig Krull, the Juror of the exhibition.
Real Artists. Thoughtful Conversations. Virtual Studio Visits.
In this 5-part series, curator Julie Ericsson takes us into the homes and studios of the 51 talented artists featured in NUMU’s inaugural benefit auction exhibition, Art in the Time of Corona. We’ll learn more about each artist currently on view and get a glimpse into their artistic process. his series will conclude with a special conversation featuring curator and gallerist Craig Krull, the Juror of the exhibition.
New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU) is pleased to present two exhibitions featuring works by San Jose-based artist Tony May. Views of the T. House (1991-1992) opens in the Spotlight Gallery on January 15th.
Major support for NUMU's virtual programs and events provided by Badger Meter, Inc. With additional program support from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
Real Artists. Thoughtful Conversations. Virtual Studio Visits.
In this 5-part series, curator Julie Ericsson takes us into the homes and studios of the 51 talented artists featured in NUMU’s inaugural benefit auction exhibition, Art in the Time of Corona. We’ll learn more about each artist currently on view and get a glimpse into their artistic process. his series will conclude with a special conversation featuring curator and gallerist Craig Krull, the Juror of the exhibition.
2020
NUMU’s Meet the Artist series is a monthly public program that introduces exhibiting artists and their practice to the New Museum Los Gatos community.
This December, we are pleased to introduce Lauryl Gaumer, San Francisco-based metalsmith, glassblower, and jeweler. Her work can be viewed as a part of In the Artist’s Studio through January 24, 2021. We will learn about how Gaumer uses a combination of precious metals and glass to build pieces that interact with the female form, and speak to the cultural conditioning and restrictive representation that women face today.
Image + Object
An exhibition exploring innovations in alternative process photography, featuring works by Bay Area artists, Chris McCaw, Moira McDonald, Klea McKenna, and Meghann Riepenhoff.
July 10 - November 29, 2020
Image + Object is an exhibition that explores alternative process photography through the unique photographic works of four Bay Area contemporary photographers, each of whom challenges our notions of photography as reflection, documentation and separation.
Image + Object is curated by Allison Railo.
It’s that time of year again! Welcome the ninth annual ArtNow juried Santa Clara County high school art exhibition to the NUMU galleries! The exhibition and educational program give county high school students the experience of presenting artwork in a professional museum setting and the opportunity to participate in supporting educational and career development programs.
$36 General Admission | FREE for NUMU Curators’ and Director’s Circle Members
THIS EVENT HAS SOLD OUT
No ticket sales at the door
Join us for a very special Performance by Violinist Hannah Tarley & Talk by Tel Aviv-based Violin-maker, Avshi Weinstein at NUMU on the occasion of the opening of the exhibition, In The Artist’s Studio: The Workshop of Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein and The Violins of Hope at New Museum Los Gatos.
2019
Exhibition Opening: ArtNow: Annual Santa Clara County Juried High School Exhibition
March 21 - May 5, 2019
ArtNow is an annual juried Santa Clara County high school art exhibition and educational program, presented by New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU). The ArtNow Exhibition and supporting programs offer opportunities for high school student artists, from Palo Alto to Gilroy, to gain real-world experience in participating in a juried museum exhibition. Each year, a new theme is chosen for the exhibition and students are asked to submit works based on that theme. The theme for ArtNow 2019 is Dare. $10,000 in scholarships and awards are given to participating students in support of pursuit of professions in the visual arts.
Applications to the 2019 ArtNow exhibition are open to all Santa Clara County high school students, grades 9-12, public, private, and homeschooled. Applications and art submissions open Monday, November 12, 2018 and close Monday, January 14, 2019. The exhibition opens at NUMU on March 21, 2019 with a student reception and awards ceremony. A professional development scholarship, and cash awards in several categories, including painting, watercolor and drawing, sculpture, and video art will be awarded at the opening reception. The exhibition closes on May 5, 2019.
2018
Summer’s here and we’re busy gearing up for the opening of Sis Boom Bah! The Life & Times of Los Gatos High School exhibition on Saturday, September 8th. So, mark your calendar!
We hope that you can join us and join in on the fun. We’ll have surprises and festivities throughout the day as we celebrate the opening our expansive, entertaining exhibition.
Meantime, check out Sis Boom Bah! on our website for complete exhibitions details, news and information. And, place an order for your yearbook catalog and plan to join the yearbook signing party in January 2019.
Sis Boom Bah: The Life and Times of Los Gatos High School is generously supported by:
The Town of Los Gatos, The History Club of Los Gatos and the Los Gatos Community Foundation
With additional support provided by: The Rotary Club of Los Gatos and the Kirkorian Family Foundation.
Exhibition Closing: ArtNow: Annual Santa Clara County Juried High School Exhibition
March 29 - May 6, 2018
ArtNow is an annual juried Santa Clara County high school art exhibition and educational program, presented by New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU). The ArtNow Exhibition and supporting programs offer opportunities for high school student artists, from Palo Alto to Gilroy, to gain real-world experience in participating in a juried museum exhibition. Each year, a new theme is chosen for the exhibition and students are asked to submit works based on that theme. The theme for ArtNow 2018 is Perspectives. $10,000 in scholarships and awards are given to participating students in support of pursuit of professions in the visual arts.
Applications to the 2018 ArtNow exhibition are open to all Santa Clara County high school students, grades 9-12, public, private, and homeschooled. Applications and art submissions open Monday, November 20, 2017 and close Friday, January 26, 2018. The exhibition opens at NUMU on March 29, 2018 with a student reception and awards ceremony. A professional development scholarship, and cash awards in several categories, including painting, watercolor and drawing, sculpture, and video art will be awarded at the opening reception. The exhibition closes on May 6, 2018.
Download ArtNow 2018 Press Release.
2017
Ceremonial Destruction of the Cosmic Microwave Mandala
Sunday, March 5 | 2pm-3pm | Free with admission to NUMU
Bring your own container to take part of the universe home with you!
Artist Rachel Sussman created a sand mandala for the exhibit Making Contact: SETI Artist in Residence. The Cosmic Microwave Mandala is an ephemeral artwork about eternity. Rachel Sussman weaves together the principles of physics, exploring the birth and nature of the universe, with the traditional Tibetan Buddhist practice of creating sand mandalas.
The mandala will be ceremoniously destroyed at the end of the exhibition in keeping with Buddhist beliefs on the transitory nature of life. Join us for the ceremonial destruction of the mandala, and if you come with a recyclable container you can bring home your own piece of the universe.
Rachel Sussman is a contemporary artist with a transdisciplinary practice blending art, science, and philosophy. Sussman is a Guggenheim, NYFA and MacDowell Colony Fellow, TED speaker, and author of New York Times bestselling book, The Oldest Living Things in the World. Her exhibition record spans more than a decade in museums and galleries in the US and Europe, and her photographs and writing have been featured on global media outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and NPR’s Picture Show.
Major support for NUMU's virtual programs and events provided by Badger Meter, Inc.
With additional program support from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
Interested in Current + Upcoming Programs at NUMU?
NUMU’s rotating exhibitions means there will always be something new to see, learn, and explore. Check out all related exhibition programming at the museum!
Don’t miss out on this unique youth art mural project! Learn art techniques, interact with New Museum Los Gatos art exhibitions and historic collections, and visit local Los Gatos cultural landmarks. By the end of the week students will have completed a one-of-kind painting reflecting the theme “Capturing Life in Los Gatos” that will be digitally photographed, printed, and installed by the Town of Los Gatos on the Forbes Mill footbridge.