HYPER SOCAL CONTINUES IN SUMMER 2026 WITH NEW ARTS PROGRAMMING ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 5, 2026

Library, Arts & Culture Media: Maryl Fleisher
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (818) 937-7806

City Media Contact: Communications and Community Relations
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (818) 548-3342

HYPER SOCAL CONTINUES IN SUMMER 2026 WITH NEW ARTS PROGRAMMING ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
The regional initiative continues to include festivals, performances, and public programs across more than 40 partner spaces spanning five counties

GLENDALE, CA - Glendale Library, Arts & Culture and Brand Library & Art Center are pleased to announce the Summer 2026 season of Hyper SoCal, a dynamic regional arts initiative spotlighting the breadth of creative expression across Southern California. Building on its inaugural launch, Hyper SoCal's summer season highlights a new group of partner programming featuring cities spanning across Southern California, from Santa Barbara to Lancaster to San Pedro. In addition to exhibitions highlighting specific aspects of the SoCal cultural landscape, the summer season also features a vibrant series of music and art festivals, and interdisciplinary public programs presented across its network of more than forty partner spaces.

Originating at Glendale's Brand Library & Art Center, the initiative continues to extend its founding vision by amplifying the shared goals of its partner institutions. This summer season highlights the diversity of Southern California's cultural landscape through both indoor and outdoor experiences designed to engage broad audiences. Visitors can explore a wide range of programming, from live music performances and multi-day art festivals to rotating exhibitions, offering new ways to experience contemporary art in unique galleries and unexpected settings.

"Hyper SoCal's summer season reflects the energy and creativity that define our region," says Director of Glendale Library, Arts & Culture (GLAC) Lessa Pelayo-Lozada. "By highlighting festivals, performances and public programs, our partners are creating more opportunities for artists and audiences to connect in meaningful and accessible ways."

"Hyper SoCal is really about creating opportunities for discovery, whether that's encountering a new artist, visiting a space for the first time or experiencing arts and culture in a more interactive way," says GLAC's Exhibition Coordinator Stephanie Sherwood, who developed Hyper SoCal.

A sample list of featured exhibitions and programs opening summer 2026 is included below. A complete list of partner institutions and programs can be found at BrandLibrary.org/Hyper-SoCal.

• Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center
  Concrete Wave: 60 Years at Vans and the Birth of Anaheim's Skateboard Culture
  On view now through July 12, 2026

• Performance Art Museum
  Cover to Cover: A High Performance Reading Group
  Events on May 9, June 13, & July 11, 2026

• Lancaster Museum of Art and History
  Velvet Notes: Conversando con Pedro Guzmán by Eugene Rodriguez
  On view May 16 - August 30, 2026

• Torrance Art Museum
  Champions! - Sports in Contemporary Art
  On view June 6 - July 18, 2026

• Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
  Still Growing: 100 Years of California's Native Plants

On view June 6, 2026 - March 21, 2027

• Avenue 50 Studio on Fig
  Self Evident Truths
  On view June 13 - July 11, 2026

• Launch LA
  23rd Annual TARFEST: Beacon 250
  Event on June 27, 2026 | 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM

• Angels Gate Cultural Center
  Built on Water
  On view June 27 - August 8, 2026

Martial Arts History Museum
Dragonfest Expo
Event on August 1, 2026 | 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Eugene Rodriguez, Los Punks Barrocos, 2025, Oil and wax on linen on panel, 45 x 45 in. Courtesy of the Artist. Velvet Notes: Conversando con Pedro Guzmán by Eugene Rodriguez at Lancaster Museum of Art and History

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ABOUT BRAND LIBRARY & ART CENTER

Brand Library & Art Center has been a cornerstone for the arts in Southern California since 1956. This unique public library focuses on visual arts and music and provides free services and programs for a diverse community, including a collection of over 110,000 items, subject specialist librarians, exhibitions, concerts, lectures, dance performances, films, and hands-on craft programs for children and adults. Always evolving, Brand Library & Art Center continues to develop innovative programs, services, and collections to serve an ever-widening public interested in the arts. Brand Library & Art Center is a branch of the City of Glendale Library, Arts & Culture Department.

@ Brand Library #Brand Library

ABOUT LIBRARY, ARTS & CULTURE

Founded in 1907, the Glendale Library, Arts & Culture Department includes eight neighborhood libraries including the Brand Library & Art Center, a regional visual arts and music library and performance venue housed in the historic 1904 mansion of Glendale pioneer Leslie C. Brand, and the Central Library, a 93,000 square foot center for individuals and groups to convene, collaborate and create. The department also serves as the chief liaison to the Glendale Arts & Culture Commission, which works to continually transform Glendale into an ever-evolving arts destination. Glendale Library, Arts & Culture is supported in part through the efforts of the Glendale Library Arts & Culture Trust (GLACT). For more information visit GlendaleLAC.org, or contact Library, Arts & Culture at (818) 548-2021 or via email at [email protected] .

ABOUT GLENDALE

Known as the "Jewel City," Glendale is the fourth largest city of Los Angeles County. With a population of almost 200,000, Glendale is a thriving cosmopolitan city that is rich in history, culturally diverse, and offers nearly 50 public parks & facilities, with easy access to a municipal airport. It is the home to a vibrant business community, with major companies in healthcare, entertainment, manufacturing, retail, and banking. Visit GlendaleCA.gov for more information and follow us on social media @MyGlendale.