Bonita Museum and Cultural Center

10/20/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us this past Saturday for the opening reception of La Ruta de Nuestros Ancestros / The Path Traced by Our Ancestors at the Bonita Museum & Cultural Center!🌼

We are incredibly grateful to the participating artists, curators Nanzi Muros and Maricruz Alvarado, performers, vendors, volunteers, and community members who helped make this evening so special. It was a beautiful celebration of art, culture, remembrance, and the traditions that connect us across generations.

If you missed the reception, we invite you to experience the exhibition, on view through November 3, 2026.

Thank you for continuing to support local artists and community-centered arts programming! ❤️

10/16/2026

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/10/09/how-can-honor-our-ancestors-through-art-for-dia-de-los-muertos-this-artist-shows-us-the-way/

Monét Nyree Panza is a multidisciplinary artist leading a workshop on Oct. 10 as part of a new exhibition, “La Ruta de Nuestros Ancestros/The Path of our Ancestors.”

10/16/2026

🌼 Join us tomorrow, October 17, from 4–8 PM for the opening reception of La Ruta de Nuestros Ancestros at the Bonita Museum & Cultural Center!

Explore Chelsea Cook’s vibrant giant marigold puppets and community wish flowers, celebrating solidarity, connection, and the power of collective wishes. 🧡

Enjoy an evening of art, culture, live performances, and community as we celebrate Día de los Mu***os together!

10/14/2026

🗃️In honor of National and American Archives Month, we pop-interviewed Sarah Lewis, the Bonita Museum’s in-house archivist!

🗂️Sarah has made strides in our collection and developed a separate project website just for our collections that you can find on our website!

Sarah moved to Bonita as a high school student in 1995 and graduated from Bonita Vista High School in 1997. In 2020, she joined the Lemon Grove Historical Society board and wanted to organize their archives, which interested her in returning to school. Sarah received a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University. She interned at the San Diego County Clerk-Recorder Archives in Santee and in Sarasota, Florida, at the Ringling Circus archive.

Sarah works to preserve the material in our archive and make it more accessible to researchers. We are excited to have Sarah at the museum part-time.

If you are interested in Bonita history research, you can schedule appointments with Sarah through her email!

Visit the Archives Now, Wednesday to Saturday at 🏛️

10/14/2026

Looking for some Free Fall activities this Halloween season? 🎃

Whether you love vintage Halloween characters or colorful nature-inspired designs, there are so many creative ways to decorate your pumpkin!

Join us at the Bonita Museum & Cultural Center for our Creatures of the Night Market on Saturday, October 24, and put your creativity to the test in our Pumpkin Painting Contest! Prizes vary for Kids, Teens, and Adults.

Enjoy an evening of local art, vintage finds, handmade goods, live music, food, and a free clothing swap.

📅 Saturday, October 24 | 6–9 PM
📍 4355 Bonita Road, Bonita, CA 91902
🎟️ FREE admission!

Which pumpkin design inspires you the most? Let us know in the comments, and share this event with friends and family!

10/12/2026

Meet Jayla Scott, a San Diego-based multimedia painter whose work explores mental health, healing, faith, and the power of love and community. 💐

Drawing from her personal experiences and identity as a Black American, Jayla creates meaningful artwork that encourages viewers to extend compassion and grace to themselves and others.

Her featured piece, “I'll Always Love You All,” incorporates acrylic paint and fabric on canvas, bringing together personal photographs, vibrant colors, and heartfelt imagery to celebrate love and remembrance. ❤️

🌼 Experience Jayla's work in person at La Ruta de Nuestros Ancestros: The Path Traced by Our Ancestors!
📅 Opening Reception: Saturday, October 17 | 4–8 PM
📍 Bonita Museum & Cultural Center

Join us for an evening celebrating art, culture, community, and the memories that connect us across generations. We hope to see you there!

***os

10/10/2026

Artist Spotlight: Patricia Galceran-Coli
Meet Patricia Galceran-Coli, a Chicana multidisciplinary artist and creative director based in Chula Vista, California!

Rooted in a multigenerational family tradition of sign painting, Patricia's artistic practice explores themes of self-love, cultural memory, healing, and ancestral wisdom through handcrafted techniques and visual storytelling.
Her featured piece, Cúrate, Mijita (2024), reflects on the journey of healing and reconnecting with oneself. Inspired by the tender phrase “cúrate, mijita,” the artwork uses moon imagery to symbolize personal transformation, inner reflection, and finding light through darkness. Through traditional hand-painted lettering, Patricia also honors the creativity and resilience passed down through her family.

We invite you to experience Patricia's work in our upcoming exhibition, La Ruta de Nuestros Ancestros, on view October 10 through November 3 at the Bonita Museum & Cultural Center.
Join us for the opening reception on Saturday, October 17, from 4:00–8:00 PM! Patricia will also have artwork available for purchase during the celebration.
Come celebrate the stories, traditions, and artistic voices that connect us to our ancestors and communities!

***os

10/08/2026

More than an altar, an ofrenda is a celebration of memory, love, and connection.

Rooted in centuries of cultural traditions, ofrendas serve as a meaningful way to honor those who came before us.

Explore the history and symbolism of this Mexican tradition in our slides!

This Saturday, October 10, join us at the Bonita Museum & Cultural Center for Collaging & Commemorating, a community art workshop led by artist Monét Nyree Panza, and collaboration with Emerging Museum Professionals. Bring photographs of loved ones and create a personal collage celebrating their lives and memories.

Saturday, October 10 | 3:00–7:00 PM
Bonita Museum & Cultural Center

We invite you to join us for an afternoon of creativity, reflection, and community.

Visit our event calendar to learn more: https://bonitahistoricalsociety.org/event-calendar/

***os

10/07/2026

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Bryttney-Mischele
We are excited to highlight Bryttney-Mischele, a surreal expressionist artist whose work draws from Black arts and culture to explore femininity, embodiment, liberation, joy, pain, and emotional honesty.

Primarily working with oils and acrylics, as well as digital illustration, Bryttney-Mischele creates otherworldly and interdimensional beings that invite viewers into spaces of curiosity and possibility. Her self-study of art has also become a reflection on her experiences as a Black woman, creator, and community leader. Through her practice, she considers how Black culture, ancestry, color, technique, and imagination can intertwine to create work that moves beyond a single time or place.
Her 2024 work Mawu-Lisa, a 2 × 4 ft. acrylic painting on canvas, will be featured in La Ruta de Nuestros Ancestros / The Path Traced by Our Ancestors.
The work is inspired by Mawu-Lisa, a deity of the Dahomey tradition associated with fertility and creation and possessing both masculine and feminine traits. Through imagined forms, grounding symbols, and cultural references, Bryttney-Mischele explores duality and the multitude of possibilities for creation in this lifetime and beyond.

Visit the Bonita Museum & Cultural Center to experience Mawu-Lisa and the work of Bryttney-Mischele as part of La Ruta de Nuestros Ancestros.
Exhibition: October 10–November 3
Opening Reception: October 17, 4–8 PM

We hope you’ll join us in celebrating the artists and stories that make this exhibition possible!