The Borrego Art Institute is a nonprofit organization that’s here to inspire and enrich the Borrego Springs community. People come here to experience, create, and enjoy all art forms — from pottery to gardening, painting to photography. Our distinctive campus features the Gallery and the ArtPark gardens as well as an off-campus pottery studio. The BAI is a community resource and gathering place and a major supporter of adult and children’s education, participation and art appreciation. Please join us for classes, workshops, shows, and other events, and become a member. Whether you are an artist, a Borrego Springs resident, a visitor, an art lover, or simply a curious explorer, we look forward to welcoming you!
EXHIBITIONS

March 4 – April 14, 2024
18th Annual Plein Air Invitational
The 18th Annual Plein Air Invitational will bring another outstanding exhibition of Plein Air paintings focusing on the unique beauty and environmental significance of the Anza-Borrego Desert and the Borrego Valley. The exhibition will present a rich diversity of Plein Air paintings by a select group of 14 artists working in oils, watercolor, and pastels, all producing work for the show during the week of March 4 – 9. New work will go up daily in the gallery during the week and the gallery will stay open until 7:00 pm Monday through Friday that week. 

Awards and Reception
Saturday, March 9, 2024
3:00pm – 5:00 pm.

The Gallery will host the show till April 14, 2024. The Invitational will once again be curated by Kay Levie. 

Quick Draw Juror will be Diane Moore. 

Rick Delanty from San Clemente, CA will return as the 2024 Juror of Awards.



GALLERY HOURS 

Open Wednesday - Sunday

10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Closed Monday and Tuesday


Stay up to date on classes, events, exhibitions and more!

FRESH VEGETABLES SALE
Our Compost Program: 
Scraps To Soil! 
Turn your leftover vegetable peelings, bread, coffee grounds, and other kitchen scraps directly into compost that goes back into the Community Gardens. Healthy soil is a major part of growing in a desert environment, and your kitchen scraps help make it possible. Dropping off compostable material at the ArtPark is quick and easy, and volunteers are happy to share more about the compost program next time you stop by the ArtPark.

Seasonal vegetables are available weekly at the ArtPark. The gardens provide bumper crops of squash, onions, salad greens, Swiss chard, herbs, eggplant, peaches, apples, and figs in season.

These super-fresh herbs and veggies are the best deal in town at $5 a bag on Friday mornings.

 

Become a Table Sponsor                 Stainless Steel Sign With Your Personal Message
Please contact the BAI if you are interested in becoming a full or partial table sponsor. With a full-table sponsorship of $1,000, you can add a name plate to one of the beautifully designed tables, which are constructed to last a lifetime. It’s a great way to commemorate loved ones!

THE POTTERY STUDIO

ThePottery Studio is Open
We offer private and small group lessons for beginners: handbuilding, wheel, and tile making. All materials are included. Please contact Jill Sullivan for more information:

Learn To Throw on the Wheel
These classes are designed for beginners or for people who want to improve their throwing techniques.

Your instructor will be John Surprenant.
 
3 days a week 11:30am – 2pm,
Tuesday – Thursday
3 person minimum
Additional 1 hour glazing demonstrations will be scheduled after pieces are fired. All materials, tools, and firings included.
 
3 days a week, 2.5 hours per class,

Tuesday – Thursday, starting February 13th. $80 per person per week, $25 for the glazing class. 3 people minimum. 

 
Students can come one week or more, consecutively or not.
 

      For more details or to sign up contact: 

Jill Sullivan
Cell: 760-285-7145
Email: [email protected]

Payments by cash or check (made out to the “BAI”) will be collected on the first day of class every week.
 
Classes location at our outdoor studio on the high school campus.
Park on Cahuilla Road across from the daycare center near the big double gate just south of the athletic field.
Someone will meet you there to let you in.
 

Gallery & ArtPark

Borrego Art Institute

665 Palm Canyon Drive, at Christmas Circle

Borrego Springs, CA 92004

Mailing Address

P.O. Box 2383

Borrego Springs, CA 92004

Phone: (760) 767.5152
Email: [email protected]

October 7 – October 29, 2023

Two Art Exhibits Celebrate the Natural World. The Borrego Art Institute’s Season Opening Features Life in the Desert and Beyond.

The Borrego Art Institute kicks off its 2023-2024 gallery season October 7, 2023, with The Art of Flora, Fauna, and Earth’s Elements, showcasing our world’s astonishing plants, animals, and elements. New and returning regional artists will present their work in a variety of mediums in the main gallery.

In the North BAI Gallery, Heat Echoes: Infrared Landscapes and Other Works by photographer Jerry Berkstresser will feature scenes from the Eastern Sierra and the Sonoran and Mojave deserts. This exhibit includes traditional black and white and infrared photography. Without the distraction of color, Berkstresser urges the viewer to focus on other aspects—shapes, patterns, and the overall composition of the photograph. Infrared photography takes it a step further. Beyond the color red, the infrared spectrum extends outside the range of human perception. Heat Echoes opens a window into that spectrum.

The opening reception is October 7, 2023 from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m

Open Wednesday - Sunday  10 am - 4 pm.
Closed Monday and Tuesday

© Borrego Art institute 2021

Borrego Art Institute is a 501 (c) 3

not-for-profit corporation.

Fed. ID# 20-2491691