Upcoming Author Events, Image Shows, and LecturesThe Felton Branch of the "Marc Shargel Gets To The Bottom of Things" Marc Shargel has a habit of diving deeply into topics that interest him. While still a teenager, he began studying marine ecology. Forty-eight years later, his logbook records over 1,000 dives into chilly California kelp forests. He has photographed hundreds of different species, and spent years helping the state of California develop marine conservation policy. With experience in biology, policy and photography, Shargel is uniquely qualified to take you on a deep dive to explore the stunning recent changes in California’s nearshore ocean, and our state’s response.
Shargel has also gone “deep” into exploring the great scenery of America’s National Parks. Last spring he was over a mile deep in the Grand Canyon, rafting the Colorado River for two weeks. Wildlife, geology, history and environmentalism all play roles in Marc’s photographic narrative of travel through the canyon. With his cameras, Shargel produces stunning artwork that records vistas of his adventures. A selection of nearly two dozen photographic prints drawn from these expeditions will hang in the Felton branch of the Santa Cruz Public Libraries during January, February and March, 2027. On January 30, 2027, Shargel invites you to embark on an “immersion experience” through his photographic images, at the Santa Cruz Public Libraries’ Felton branch. As you enter you’ll have the opportunity to view his prints, hanging on the library’s walls. Starting at 2:30pm, he will present many more projected photos, describing how he captured them and interpreting their meaning.
As a scuba diver, Marc Shargel has been watching ecological shifts in the Central California Pacific since the 1970s. Recently, he has used his camera to document stunning changes to California’s kelp forests. On Saturday, January 30, 2027, he’ll share a lifetime of photographic images and marine observations with guests at the Felton Library. Shargel will highlight the most extreme, recent changes seen from Big Sur to Mendocino, and explain what science has revealed about recent declines in our kelp forests.
Since 1997 he has been a champion for marine reserves, which are no-take areas that function as refuges and nurseries for life in our ocean. He played an integral part in drawing the boundaries for new marine reserves along the Central Coast. Renowned marine biologist Sylvia Earle calls them “hope spots.” But in 2013, just six years after the new reserves went into effect, stunning changes in marine life presented a new threat. Shargel will reveal a photographic chronicle of the beautiful but now-threatened kelp forests found just beyond local shores. Shargel’s photos of California marine life were a unique contribution to the debate about creating marine reserves in Central California. After 2007, as processes to create “parks in the ocean” moved to other parts of the state, he created larger photo essays for each region. These became a series of three lavishly printed coffee-table volumes, his Wonders of the Sea books. Following that, he authored the soft cover Yesterday’s Ocean: A History of Marine Life on California’s Central Coast. The January 30 event highlights an exhibit of Shargel’s photography, which will be on view from January 6 to March 27, 2027 at the Felton Library, open to the public 10 to 6 every day except Sundays (10 to 5 on Fridays and Saturdays). In the last year, Marc Shargel has taken his cameras to the bottom of both the Grand Canyon and California’s Pacific Ocean. He’ll entertain the audience with images from two weeks of living on the banks of the Colorado River and rafting on it for over 200 miles. Wildlife, geology, history and environmentalism all play roles in Marc’s tale of travel through the canyon. This event is sponsored by the Felton Library Friends. Marc Shargel has been a frequent presenter at clubs and civic groups all over Northern and Central California. More than a dozen clubs, as well as civic and volunteer groups, have seen his talks "Islands of the Eastern Pacific" and "An Underwater Swim Across the Pacific." In 2001 he presented images of endangered Manatees from West Florida. In 2002 his presentations featured images from the South Pacific Islands of Palau, Yap, and Bali. If you'd like to arrange a date for a presentation to your group, send us an email. |
Current and Upcoming Shows of Fine-Art Photography
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| This image, captured in July of this year, resulted from a little skill being applied at a very lucky moment. |
Get ready! For the first three weekends in October, artists from the redwoods to the bay open their studios so that friends, neighbors, and strangers from near and far can discover art in this stunning county.
I will be showing new work from my two-week 2026 Grand Canyon expedition, marine mammal watching on Monterey Bay, and recent photo shoots under the surface of Monterey Bay.
Open Studios will be back at my location in Felton. You can just come to Felton and follow the bright signs with "Marc Shargel #219" on them. Or get yourself a free guide to all 300+ artists.
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| The Grand Canyon on May 5, 2026 about 3:30am. The canyon wall is lit only by the moon. |
A FREE, printed Open Studios Catalog and Guide will be available starting September 16 at over 700 locations where the Santa Cruz Good Times is found.
An app for your phone, containing the same Catalog and Guide information will also be available starting September 16, on the iTunes & Google Play stores (search for "Santa Cruz Open Studios").
This event is sponsored and organized by the Arts Council of Santa Cruz County. You can browse all 304 Artists right now on the Open Studios site. If you just want to know where our studio can be found, try this map link. | 
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Preview Exhibit, Opening Reception
Saturday, September 26, 3-6pm
MK Contemporary Art Gallery
703 Front St - Santa Cruz
Preview Exhibit Open September 25—Oct 25
MK Contemporary Art Gallery is open Thursays-Sundays, 11am-5pm
First Friday Reception
Friday, October 2, 3pm to 7pm
Santa Cruz Art League
526 Broadway - Santa Cruz
Preview Exhibit Open October 2 thru 18
The Art League is open Thursays-Sundays, 11am -5pm
The Open Studios (all-county) Preview Exhibit A reception with many artists will be held there on Sunday, October 1, 3-6pm. A First Friday reception will be at the Art League on Friday, October 6, 3-7pm.
The Open Studios north county Preview Exhibit, featuring one piece from each artist, will be held at the Santa Cruz Art League, 526 Broadway. The Preview opens on Friday, October 2 with the First Friday event and many artists on site. Hours here. Here's a map to their location.
January 2 thru March 27, 2027 at
The Felton Branch of the
Santa Cruz Public Library
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View Marc Shargel’s photos of California marine life, visions of solar and lunar eclipses, and the great landscapes of the American West. The show will have a kickoff event, free and open to the public, on January 30 at 2:30pm as Marc presents a show of projected images titled, "Marc Shargel Gets To The Bottom of Things." This will be a look back at his May, 2026 photo expedition to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and his recent experiences at the bottom of the nearshore edges of Monterey Bay.
Our Thanks to all the organizations
who have
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Our Thanks to all the organizations
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