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The best West Coast art

Each week, our regional CLIFF NOTES columnists pick the most exciting events and exhibitions on the West Coast. We send them straight to your inbox.

Cliff Notes Archive

Explore over two years of weekly columns with the best West Coast art from writers and artists in Southern California, Northern California, Oregon, and Washington.

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Mailchimp Archive

The Cliff Notes editions below are from 2020–2022 when we were using Mailchimp to send emails. (Editor’s note: this section is in progress and will be completed over time as we have capacity to finish it)

A close up of the hands of a person with a dark complexion wearing a bright red suit kneeling. The photo is overlaying a black and red print featuring a repeating circular pattern.

Washington picks from Sharon Arnold, Dec. 22, 2022

A colorful abstract painting featuring anthropomorphic forms of fish, eyes, birds, and floating faces.

Northern California picks from Christopher Alam, Dec. 8, 2022

A black background featuring highly abstracted neon yellow, blue, white, and purple line work in odd shapes.

Southern California picks from Gabrielle Lawrence, Dec. 1, 2022

A block print depictinga person walking down a road with two buckets on a stick slung over their left shoulder.

Washington picks from Sharon Arnold, Nov. 24, 2022

A gallery lit with orange and blue-purple light. The far back wall has a sunset over water projected onto it. There are white pedestals holding white geometric sculptures on the left and right.

Oregon picks from Demian DinéYazhi’, Nov. 18, 2022

Northern California picks from Christopher Alam, Nov. 11, 2022

A large circular sculpture featuring a red ceramic mask in the center surrounded by other ceramic masks, dominoes, cigarettes, and tiles in bright blues, yellows, and reds.

Southern California picks from Gabrielle Lawrence, Nov. 3, 2022

Washington picks from Sharon Arnold, Oct. 27, 2022

A chair made of gnarled and craftily carved pieces of light shaded wood.

Northern California picks from Christopher Alam, Oct. 20, 2022

Oregon picks from Demian DinéYazhi’, Oct. 14, 2022

An underpass covered in large murals of various art styles.

Southern California picks from Gabrielle Lawrence, Oct. 6, 2022

A series of interconnected red, green, and black wires drape from the ceiling.

Northern California picks from Theadora Walsh, Sept. 29, 2022

Oregon picks from May Maylisa Cat, Set. 22, 2022

Washington picks from Jasmine Jamillah Mahmoud, Sept. 15, 2022

A Person lays face-down on stone, colorful cloth swirls around them ⁠

Southern California picks from Angella d’Avignon, Sept. 1, 2022

Two figures handle cloth outdoors near a small waterfall

Oregon picks from May Maylisa Cat, Aug. 25, 2022

Washington picks from Jasmine Jamillah Mahmoud, Aug. 18, 2022

Northern California picks from Theadora Walsh, Aug. 11, 2022

A collage featuring a blue sky and an apple notification

Oregon picks from May Maylisa Cat, July 28, 2022

A woman in intricate red garb stares directly forward. She sits against a photographic background of an artificially lush landscape. She is surrounded by photo images of animal wildlife.

Washington picks from Jasmine Jamillah Mahmoud, July 21, 2022

Bicolored graphic for the San Francisco Art Book Fair

Northern California picks from Theadora Walsh, July 14, 2022

A still life photograph of pink flowers, books, and crystals against an electric blue background.

Southern California picks from Angella d’Avignon, July 7, 2022

Northern California picks from Theadora Walsh, June 30, 2022

Archival inkjet print, "Choke (Benardo & Will)"- two men wrestle on the floor, one is in a chokehold.

Oregon picks from May Maylisa Cat, June 23, 2022

Washington picks Jasmine Jamillah Mahmoud, June 16, 2022

A pink flyer with illegible purple text lays on a concrete background. The flyer has been burned and its ashes are falling onto the concrete. In the middle of the image, small white letters over a black bar read, “I’m here to dance on the ashes of Art.”

Southern California picks from Angella d’Avignon, June 2, 2022

Oregon picks from May Maylisa Cat, May 26, 2022

Stay tuned for more Cliff Notes archive!

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