Join monca's Junior Board for a night of critical thought and art exploration on Thursday, January 8, 2026 from 6-8PM. The Visual Analysis Party will be a semi-guided interpretation and conversation about the current exhibition on view, H2O. Using a set of guiding questions and prompts, you and your friends will explore the galleries with depth (water pun intended). This event is a great opportunity to connect with local artists, learn more about the artistic practice, and spark your imagination.
During the event, poet Samantha Wallen will perform a live poetry reading inspired by the artwork on view. Wallen will read from her forthcoming poetry book, Weight of Water (January 16, 2026, Finishing Line Press). Water serves as a guiding presence throughout the book, shaping how loss and memory are held. The poems move through personal and ecological grief while staying grounded in presence, clarity, and the possibility of restoration.
Secure tickets using this link online or purchase at the door on the day of the event.
The H2O exhibition is a juried exhibition featuring water as subject matter. Artists were encouraged to interpret water literally or metaphorically and in all its forms. Imagine waves, ice, mist, along with tranquility, strength, and clarity. This exhibition is very special: notice how you feel as you explore the gallery spaces and consider how water plays a role in your life.
The monca Junior Board consists of a group of local students committed to advancing the museum's mission to provide access to the arts for the sake of enjoyment, expression, social cohesion, innovation, and communication.
Samantha Wallen, MFA, is a Northern California–based poet and writing guide devoted to a literature of restoration. Her work explores grief, presence, and renewal, illuminating the living threads that connect humans to the more-than-human world. She holds an MFA from Naropa University’s Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics, and her poetry has appeared in The Dark Mountain Project, Lone Mountain Literary Society, and Toad Hall Editions, and more. Wallen approaches poetry as a practice of lucid living—one that bears witness, invites attention, and restores relationships. Follow Sam on Instagram here and Facebook here.
Pictured art:
Good Bones II by Jack Corbett
