Beacons, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public benefit nonprofit
empowering adults with diverse intellectual abilities!
SIGN UPs & Upcoming Dates
July Summer Workshops - Click Here
7/7/25: Summer session begins!
7/12/25: Club- Theme: All Around the USA (5:30- 8:30 PM)
8/1/25: Studio Orientation, Explorer Begins, & Paint & Sip mini-fundraiser (5:30 pm)
8/15/25: FREE Art workshop for art fair artists: Sign up! (2 - 5 pm)
9/5/25: FREE Art workshop for art fair artists: Sign up! (2 - 5 pm)
9/19/25: Art Exhibition 5 - 7 pm "California Dreamin'"
9/26/25: Annual Fundraiser "Globetrotter Gala" 5 - 8:30 pm
FALL INTEREST LISTS: Spaces available in PathFinder • Voyager
Beacons
2025 Art Exhibits
2025 Art Exhibits
Click images below to see each exhibit's online program!
3/14/25
Theme: "DiscARTed"
6/6/25
Theme: "Color in Motion"
9/19/25
Theme: "California Dreamin'"
The 2025 Art Series was made possible through grants from the City of Carlsbad Cultural Arts division and The Foundation for Developmental Disabilities (FDD), program support from the San Diego Regional Center and donations and volunteer efforts of the Beacons Board and staff, and TVIA (Ch. 5) and the NCL Surf Cities. Thank you!

Important Dates for 9/19/25 Exhibit
Entry Form for next event
Click here
Art Session Dates:
8/15: 2 - 5 pm
9/5: 2 - 5 pm
Free: All materials and guidance provided
Sign up form
Entry Form Due
9/13
Art Drop offs
Time: 11 am - 1 pm
9/14 - Sunday
9/15 - Monday
Art Pick Up
Time: 12 - 2 pm (Saturday)
Artists may take their work home on the night of the event after 7 pm, or pick up their works on Saturday, 9/20.
Exhibit Nights
Exhibits are held on Fridays 5 - 7 pm. Light refreshments are provided
• 3/14 "DiscARTed"
• 6/14 "Color in Motion"
• 9/19 "California Dreamin'"



D E T A I L S
Entry Fee:
North County art exhibits hosted by Beacons are no-fee public events to promote the arts for the community and artists. All works must be framed or otherwise able to be hung or set on a flat surface.
Exhibits have two exhibit categories:
1. Open Category: Artist may choose to exhibit any works of their choosing.
2. Juried Category Themes: Works submitted for the juried category will be judged by a panel of artists unaffiliated with Beacons for non-monetary award recognition of 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.
3. Best in Show: This award recognition is the highest honor awarded to the work deemed most outstanding overall, regardless of category.
Themes of Exhibits & Juried Categories:
• 3/14/25: "DiscARTed": This category will showcase 1 art piece using recycled materials. Recycled materials must comprise at least 50% of the work.
• 6/6/25: "Color in Motion": This theme is designed to foster works that embody color and motion.
• 9/19/25: California Dreamin': Exhibit will showcase works that embody the spirit of our beautiful coastal state.
Artist Criteria
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Eligibility: Artist must be a consumer of the San Diego Regional Center to participate.
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Total Artists: Approximately 60 artists display their works. Space available on a first-come basis.
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Number of works: Up to six (6) different works can be submitted, but no more than three (3) can be submitted in the juried category. Additional works may be submitted if space permits in the discretion of the Art Committee. Please contact the Art committee to request the showcase of more than six (6) pieces.
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Original Works only: By submitting their work, artists are certifying that their works are their original work.
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Works showcased in a prior Beacons exhibit are not eligible.
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Sales of Works: Exhibits are to showcase works and to provide a forum for artists to meet guests to potentially sell their works. Transactions are solely between the artist and buyer, but will be facilitated as needed through a selling station (table). Artists must be present at the event or leave contact information for buyers to reach them directly. Arts exhibits are staffed by volunteers and cannot be responsible for sales on behalf of artists, or any sales-related transactions or communications. Beacons receives no commission and no portion of any sale.
Artwork Criteria
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Exhibit Ready: Works must be able to be readily hung or set on a flat surface. Beacons is not responsible for framing or preparing works for hanging. Beacons reserves the right not to exhibit works not delivered in a manner ready for hanging or presentation. If a frame is provided by Beacons, it will remain the property of Beacons and retained after the exhibit is over.
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2D: Works larger than 48" in height or width need approval due to space considerations.
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3D: Works larger than 6.5' in height need approval due to safety and space considerations.
Juried Categories at Exhibits
Works submitted to juried categories will be judged for their creativity and alignment with the category theme for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place non-monetary recognition. Winners will be announced at the event.
How many? Up to 3 works may be submitted to the juried event, but only 1 will be selected for award consideration.
1) 3/14/25 Exhibit "DiscARTed": Entries for juried category must consist of 50% recycled materials. Recycled materials are human-created items that would end up in trash or recycling bins after use, expiration or lack of use. Natural materials (such as rocks, branches or dirt) do not constitute recyclable materials.
Click here to see the online program for the 3/14 event
2) 6/6/25 Exhibit "Color in Motion": Works for juried category consideration will be evaluated based on the artist's use of color, and actual or sense of motion in the creative work.
Click here to see the online program for the 6/6 event.
3) 9/19/25 "California Dreamin": Works for juror consideration will be evaluated based on the artist's capturing of the essence of California in the work through urban, rural or other California subjects.
Questions?
Contact Art Committee co-chairs:
Janet Schenker at: Jschenker@beaconsnorthcounty.com or
Lucile Lynch at: LLynch@beaconsnorthcounty.com
NEWS RELEASE - SEPTEMBER 19, 2025
EXHIBIT: "CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'"
(For Immediate Release)
Carlsbad, CA (September 2025) - Nonprofit Beacons, Inc. will celebrate the last of its 3-part 2025 art exhibit series with exhibit: "California Dreamin'" to showcase the works of approximately sixty (60) neurodiverse artists in San Diego County who are consumers of the San Diego Regional Center. Each exhibit will be open to the public as a no-fee exhibition for artists and guests alike. The 2025 Exhibits are made possible through grant funding from the Carlsbad Cultural Arts Center and The Foundation for Developmental Disabilities (FDD), as well as financial support of Beacons and its volunteers. Approximately 100 guests and artists attend.
The theme for the September exhibit encourages artists to celebrate the beauty of coastal California by capturing the essence of its rural and urban communities and subjects. Artists may showcase and/or sell their works at the event directly to buyers - commission-free!
To optimize access to materials and the exhibit, Beacons offers scholarships for materials and hosts free art sessions to help artists complete guided projects for inclusion in the open and juried categories. Group art sessions will provide materials and instruction to foster completion of projects onsite at Beacons. Artists may take home their work after the exhibit.
Beacons offers a variety of art-related postsecondary options for adults with disabilities including:
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a year-round creative and performing arts division (Studio Beacons),
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creative design and entrepreneurial vocational training through Explorer's 2-year program and PathFinder numerous workshops ranging from 4 days to 4 months,
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a wide array of creative workshops through its summer program, and
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1:1 and small group opportunities through its Voyager option.
Beacons hosted its first vocational workshop in January 2019 and now offers over 60 different workshops to support vocational exploration, training and fun for adults with Autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities. Most programs and services are made available at no cost to participants thanks to vendor agreements with the San Diego Regional Center and funding through the State of California's Self-Determination program.
For more information or to volunteer:
Please contact Art Committee Co-Chairs:
Janet Schenker: JSchenker@beaconsnorthcounty.com (Board President)
Lucile Lynch: LLynch@beaconsnorthcounty.com (Board of Directors)