the awakening Gallery Archive
A collection of the gallery shows and events we have put together.
A record of when they happened, where they happened, and sometimes a little bit of what was going on behind them.
If you notice anything missing, please reach out. History has a way of leaving things out, and there is always room to get it right.
Volume 6 Gallery
August 1st, 2025
Open Door Studio 329 W 5th St, Oxnard, CA 93030
This show was a fucking party. Y’all had to be there. At an already iconic location, Open Door Studios, we had our one day pop up show for this volume 6. We handed out around 200 free mini-magazines, we had DJ SamuraiEddy spinning records, OmegaNova hoping on the mic, and another beautiful community board for everyone to paint. This is the one I remember the see and remembering the most people at. We know we’ve use this word a lot, but what else would you call something this beautiful. We even had a guest appearance for the Red guy himself. Busting it down on the dance floor. If summer could be bottled, I wish it tasted like this. The art was off the charts. The unique layout of the space lead to such an interesting curation. Thanks Juana for helping us curate this show! A new thing we could play with for this show is pinch points. How could we create a way for individuals to congregate at tight spaces to create this feeling of tightness. It was interesting to play with and now will stick with us. We also wanna come out and say thank you to the volunteers that helped us run the community board this round! we couldn’t have made it such as a seamless process how y’all did. For context, we made a 4ft by 16ft board, and it sure was fun to see everyone hopping on and paint. All lot of things have had to come together for us to get here. and we mean a lot. That’s why we appreciate all the support and questions we have received and will receive on this journey. If we stop innovating and get stale, give us a slap on the face and set us right. Peace! Talk to you real soon for volume 8’s gallery!
By the way, we are still trying to uncover photos from this night. If you have any, please send them over to us at magazinetheawakening@gmail.com or DM on instragram.
Photos
Volume 5 Gallery
(3/1/2024)
643 Project Space 643 N Ventura Ave, Ventura, CA 93001
This month long show was about a year in the making. We reserved the space over a year in advance and coming off the high that was our last show, we knew we had to push the idea of the participant observer in art. As introducing the public into the creative process not only made sense but was necessary in order for deeper conversations of art to developed. The internal question became how would we achieve this? Well the answer was at 643 Project Space. Who were gracious enough to let us have a month long exhibition. Where we not only showcased artwork from volume 5, but we were able to open up the gallery walls to the public to contribute to the Awakening. Then go back and hang the artwork back on the wall and see the specific conversations that the art had with their greater art.
March 1st: Opening day and drop of the magazine. This show felt very intimate. Especially since it was in all in a square room. In retrospect, we believe it was the calm before the storm. Before the walls were covered in paint. A celebration of dropping volume 5.
March 9th: The Big Day! We packed the studio space. A whole 6 hours of painting. Everything felt so fun and energetic. Some people stayed the whole time. It was so beautiful to be community with all these people creating.
March 15th: Bringing it all back together. It felt strange at first, to showcase others work that are now in conversation with a whole studio space. After sitting with it for awhile, new dialogues started to come forth. We hope you heard it too.
In conclusion, this idea finally felt it has completed its full circle. The work itself became one with the participants. A beautiful symbiosis. But hey, please tell us what you thought. Did you like this or did you prefer the work to speak by itself? We’d love to hear from YOU! hit us up.
P.S. It is hard to take paint off of walls. Thanks to everyone that helped out. We put at least 12 or more layers on the wall to get it back to white. Again thank you, thank you, thank you 643project space for letting us feature this show in your gallery.
By the way, we are still trying to uncover photos from this night. If you have any, please send them over to us at magazinetheawakening@gmail.com or DM on instragram.
Rough Drafts and photos
From star to finish:
Unveiling the Artistic Process
(9/23/2023)
All Kinds Studio 433 E. Main Street Ventura, CA 93001
I’ve been waiting to write about this one. This is one of the bigger jumps when looking at the trajectory of the magazine. Here was a two day exhibition. Day one paint. Day two But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Here is the artist statement for this event.
“At the heart of our artistic endeavor lies the vision of democratizing art, dismantling traditional boundaries, and redefining the concept of ownership. Our collaborative piece embodies the essence of performance art, where the act of creation becomes a shared experience, blurring the lines between artist and audience.
This vibrant work thrives on community engagement, inviting individuals of all backgrounds to join us in shaping its narrative. In embracing this collective journey, we aim to ignite conversations, inspire fresh ideas, and foster connections within the art world and beyond.
Yet, it's essential to remember that this piece is temporal, a fleeting moment in time. As the studio walls transform and evolve, so too does the art itself. It's a reminder that art is not static; it's a living entity that speaks to the ever- changing nature of our creative expressions. Join us in this unique exploration, where art is owned by all and cherished for its transient beauty.”
This idea of bringing in the audience to become participant into the art started some time ago. When we had, what we internally called, a community art board. A 4ft by 8 ft, board where people could paint on with their own supplies or the ones we provided. We encouraged as much creative expression and overlapping of painting to occur. This board was brought out to community events or when we were selling magazines. Although the location of said board is still unknown, but the idea that it sparked lives on.
By the way, we are still trying to uncover photos from this night. If you have any, please send them over to us at magazinetheawakening@gmail.com or DM on instragram.
Rough Drafts and photos
Volume 4 Gallery
(4/15/2023)
All Kinds Studio 433 E. Main Street Ventura, CA 93001
This Gallery was too much fun. From the art to the attendees. It was a magically time. It's like getting all greens on your way to work. Waking up just before your alarm. Getting the last pink polvoron before your bitch ass cousin grabs their third one. Well you get the point.
Again we were working with the amazing AB from All Kinds Studio. The walls were still a perfect white from our last show together. We felt confident in the amount of work we had for this show. We were figuring out how we would curate as a team. We still needed a good amount of time talking, discussing, and trying to adjust to get it perfect. One thing we loved to see now from hosting gallery shows, was how much the work changed from online submission to in person. It’s beautiful how our preception of art changes depending on how we consume it. A rather mundane conclusion, but when experiencing art for the first time in this way, it feels like a revelation.
Again, we cannot stress this enough, but thank you to everyone that attends these event. It’s not all the time we all get to congregate around art. They are mostly set up for these types of events. Art is magnificent.
By the way, we are still trying to uncover photos from this night. If you have any, please send them over to us at magazinetheawakening@gmail.com or DM on instragram.
Rough Drafts and photos
Sacred Spaces:
Reflections Unseen
(Date)
Studio Channel Island 2222 Ventura Blvd, Camarillo, CA 93010
A gallery exihibtion hosted by Studio Channel Island in collaboration with The Awakening Magazine, curated by Carlo Heredia.
(HEY CARLOS WRITE HERE MAN!!!!!)
By the way, we are still trying to uncover photos from this event. If you have any, please send them over to us at magazinetheawakening@gmail.com or DM on instragram.
Rough Drafts and photos
Volume 3 Gallery
(November 12, 2022)
All Kinds Studio 433 E. Main Street Ventura, CA 93001
The Awakening’s First Gallery
Another amazing milestone and learning experience. This one could not have happened without AB over at All Kinds Studio, so we want to give them our biggest thank you. All Kinds Studio was open and welcoming to every idea we brought in. They even let us paint all the walls white, which became a multi-day process, but it was completely worth it.
Once the walls were freshly painted, it was time to hang the work. Thankfully, some of the team had experience installing art, so that part went pretty smoothly. The curation, on the other hand, was a different story. It came down to the wire. Looking back, the team can laugh about it now, but we were definitely cutting it close. We were changing into our show outfits right before opening.
There was something brewing in the background that we could not fully name yet. We were finding ourselves in the art world without completely understanding its rules, its language, or its rationale. Even now, we can look back and understand the steps that led us to that point, but the bigger picture is still something we are unraveling.
Overall, this gallery was a magical experience. Thank you to everyone who showed up and supported not only us, but the amazing artists featured that night. You all helped us fly a little higher, with a new sense of appreciation, confidence, and possibility.
Oh yeah, almost forgot. Before the gallery, we had this “rogue” table set up at Oxnard Harbor Park. It was more or less just some grass, benches, and us figuring it out. We brought boards for people to paint on, refreshments, and copies of Volume 3 so we could celebrate the release. It was also the birth of an idea we would continue to expand on later.
We almost got shut down because we did not have a permit, but the security guy was cool once we told him it was a birthday party. Which, in a way, it kind of was.
Either way, this was one of the magazine’s early steps toward bridging the digital and physical world. That is still something we believe in, and something we are still trying to get better at.
By the way, we are still trying to uncover photos from this night. If you have any, please send them over to us at magazinetheawakening@gmail.com or DM on instragram.
Rough Drafts and photos
