13th Biennial Ontario Open Art Exhibition 

May 1 – July 20, 2025

The Ontario Museum of History & Art presents the 13th Biennial Ontario Open Art Exhibition, a juried exhibition that features contemporary artists from across Southern California. The exhibition displays work from over 150 artists, offering visitors a chance to experience artwork in a variety of mediums, from oil paintings, ceramics and watercolor to photography, collage, encaustic, cyanotype, and woodcut prints. This exhibition is made possible by the Ontario Museum Associates and The Arts Area. 

Major support for the 13th Biennial Ontario Open Art Exhibition is provided by Ontario Elks Lodge #1419, with additional support from Donna Chadwick, in honor of her beloved husband Steven Craig Thomas, Paul J. Gomez, Cherry Dobbs, Sherry Glab, Debra Porada, Mike and Kathleen Fariss, Leslie Sherwood James, Joe and Nancy Blackstock, Erina Higa, Marissa Kucheck, and Loretha Nwosu.

First Place:
Andrew Bentson, Unincorporated, 2025, Oil paint.

Second Place:

Alexi Butts, Stand Your Ground, 2023, Porcelain paper clay and iron oxide wash.

Third Place:

Kalynn Vidaure, Still Life of My Late Grandpa’s Tool Cart, 2024, Color pencil.

Honorable Mention:

Bonnie Lambert, Top of the World, 2024, Oil paint on canvas.

Honorable Mention:

Edward L. Rubin, My Mannequin Moment-Gameday, 2024, Photography.

Honorable Mention:

Adrian Anguiano, Your Main Mission; Was Your Main Poison, 2024, Cyanotype on canvas.

Honorable Mention:

Christen Austin, Living Water, 2022, Acrylic paint and gold leaf on canvas.

City Council Liaison Award:

Holger Paetau, Over the Top, 2024, Polychromatic woodturning.

Steven Craig Thomas Photography Award: 

Andrew K. Thompson, Black and White Power Line with Orange Cables, 2024, Silver gelatin print and thread.

Built on Water

In 2017, the Ontario Museum of History & Art began developing a new permanent exhibition, which was inspired by efforts underway to redesign the Museum’s landscaping with native plants and water-saving features.  Curatorial staff realized there was a bigger story to tell about water and its importance in Ontario.   In 2018, the Museum was awarded a Museums for America grant from the Institute of Library and Museum Services for this new exhibit.   

Built on Water: Ontario and Inland Southern California focuses on the history, present and future of water in the Ontario region and the Chino Basin. Built on Water brings together the story of local water agencies, regional tribes, agriculture, water conservation, and the establishment of the City of Ontario.  Developed collaboratively with local archivists, water agencies, teachers, tribal members, college students and historians, the 1,200 square-foot exhibition also has educational programming and interactive components which allow for learning and discovery for all ages. 

Learn from artifacts and images of early water infrastructure, explore the future of water management in a new mobile app, listen to the voices of our community’s water guardians, and follow the life of a Monarch butterfly through a one-of-a-kind VR experience.