The Borrego Art Institute (The BAI) offers year-round visual arts programming and educational opportunities. Our core programs and services include:

CURATED EXHIBITIONS AND SPECIAL EVENTS: The BAI invites artists from Borrego Springs, the Southwest California desert, and Baja Mexico to create and display art that brings critical contemporary and regional issues to light, giving artists a platform to facilitate dialogue about issues that deeply affect our shared community. Our Gallery Opening Events showcase the work of these local and visiting artists and offer a welcoming environment for the community to connect and engage with the arts.

PLEIN AIR FESTIVAL: Through this annual invitational and week-long residency, we invite 16 established plein air artists to capture the unique landscapes of the Anza-Borrego Desert. This prestigious juried event draws in over 17,000 art enthusiasts and professionals each year, and elevates the careers of participating artists.

WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES: We offer a diverse range of artist-led workshops and classes across multiple artistic disciplines, including the visual arts (pottery, painting, and photography), the industrial arts (stone carving and woodworking), and nature-based arts (horticulture, landscaping, and floral arrangement). We also provide eco-friendly and health-focused classes on growing produce, nutrition, conservation, and maintaining environmental balance.

ARTPARK: Our outdoor ArtPark is a creative blend of community gardens, orchard, and stunning desertscape. Spanning 3-acres, the ArtPark features outdoor art installations, 65 orchard trees, 25 community garden beds where people can grow their own desert-healthy foods and plants, and a free compost community drop-off program that reduces food waste and provides organic compost for people to use at their homes.