In 1925, when Pasadena was still perfumed by orange groves and the Rose Bowl was barely three years old, a small group of artists formed a society that would outlive most of them by decades. This Sunday, the Pasadena Society of Artists’ centennial exhibition—”100 Years — 100 Images”—closes at the Pasadena Museum of History, ending a rare conversation between the artists who documented the city’s agricultural past and those capturing its technological present.
The exhibition, which opened February 28, represents an unusual collaboration between the museum and the society. Rather than a static retrospective, organizers created a two-part structure that emphasizes continuity over nostalgia.
Part I featured historic works by society members across ten decades. In June, the North Gallery was completely rehung with Part II—an entirely new selection of contemporary works by current members, juried specifically for this anniversary.
This dual presentation reveals how artistic preoccupations persist even as the landscape transforms. Where early society members painted eucalyptus windbreaks and Craftsman bungalows, current artists document drought-adapted gardens and mid-century modernist structures. The medium has expanded from oils and watercolors to include digital photography and mixed media installations, yet the impulse to record Pasadena’s particular quality of light and shadow remains constant.
The Pasadena Society of Artists stands as one of Southern California’s longest continuously operating artist organizations—a feat of institutional survival that parallels the city’s own evolution from winter resort to scientific research hub. The exhibition in the History Center Galleries captures both trajectories, suggesting that cultural institutions, like cities themselves, survive not through preservation alone but through constant reinterpretation.
The exhibition closes at 5 p.m. Sunday, September 14, at the Pasadena Museum of History.
Historic highlights in the South Gallery include works by the society’s founding artists, such as Benjamin Brown, Marion Wachtel and Orrin White, as well as pieces by early members, including Walther Askin, Jae Carmichael and Jirayr Zorthian.
“100 Years — 100 Images” is made possible in part by The Paloheimo Foundation and Susan Stevens and Family.
Founded in 1925 by fifteen charter members, the Pasadena Society of Artists is a distinguished organization of professional artists that has been showcasing its members’ artwork for more than a century.
Today, the society continues to thrive, representing a dynamic community of 125 artists and presenting several juried exhibitions annually.
Visitors can view “100 Years — 100 Images” in the History Center Galleries at Pasadena Museum of History from noon to 5 p.m., Thursdays through Sundays, through September 14.
The museum is located at 470 W. Walnut St. (corner Walnut and Orange Grove) in Pasadena, CA 91103.
Free parking is available in the museum lot and on Walnut Street.
For additional information, visit the Pasadena Museum of History website at pasadenahistory.org or the Pasadena Society of Artists website at pasadenasocietyofartists.org.
A printed catalog is available for purchase.
Tickets are $9 for adults and $7 for seniors (62+).
Admission is free for Pasadena Museum of History and Pasadena Society of Artists members, students, and all visitors under 18.
Tickets should be purchased in the Museum Store upon arrival; advance reservations are not necessary.
The 2025 James Ackley McBride Landscape Award winner, “Deukmajian Shoji” by Roger Dolin, is also featured in the exhibition.
For press inquiries, contact Jeannette Bovard at 626.710.8639.
Pasadena Museum of History, 470 W. Walnut St. (corner Walnut and Orange Grove), in Pasadena. For more call 626.710.8639 or visit pasadenahistory.org or pasadenasocietyofartists.org. Tickets: $9 adults, $7 seniors (62+), free for members, students, and all visitors under 18.
