Borrego Art Institute

Beautiful new art gallery in my favorite small town. Borrego Springs is completely surrounded by the Anza Borrego State Park. This lively town has dozens of organizations with classes, trips, hikes, talks, a educational programs. The art institute has pottery classes and workshops. The monthly shows feature both local and regional art. Their March Plein Air Invitational attracts highly skilled artists who come for a week and complete a painting each day of the competition. Artists move here and work here for the dramatic vistas. Their art is often for sale at the gallery shows. Check their website for dates. There is a gift shop with handmade items at a variety of price points.

The Borrego Art Institute opened earlier this year and it replaced the food market that sat here for years on the edge of Christmas Circle.
This mid-​century building looks better than its bones would have otherwise suggested and the minimalist landscaping and fountain complement it very well. The art for sale on my visit was a welcome surprise, too. The paintings and sculpture are certainly not the kitsch often found in small-​town galleries.
If you’ve seen Ricardo Breceda’s collection of hulking, rusting metal sculptures that dot the outskirts of Borrego Springs — and how could you not? — you’re in luck: a few much smaller pieces are available here for purchase.
This town is one of my favorite places in California and the Borrego Art Institute gives me a reason to like it a lot more.