PRESS Information for there once were millions oct 3 - 18, 2

The city of Santa Monica and Community Arts Resources (CARS) present There Once Were Millions, an Art & Ecology Exhibition

Honoring the Western Monarch Butterfly Exhibition opens Oct.3 at Santa Monica Studios 3026 at the Airport Arts Center, with an

opening reception, film screening, and panel discussion on protecting the western monarch’s migration.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — The city of Santa Monica and CARS, in partnership with Santa

Monica Mountains Fund and the West Marin Monarch Sanctuary, will present There Once Were Millions, an art and ecology exhibition highlighting Elizabeth Weber’s photography work honoring the western monarch butterfly and its migration. The exhibition opens with a public reception on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM at Santa Monica Studios 3026 at the Airport Arts Center, and remains on view through Oct. 18. Weber's images, printed in black and white on vellum with gold leaf, use experimental photographic processes combined with documentary storytelling to explore the fragility of the western monarch, whose population has declined 95% since the 1980s due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change. By removing the butterflies' signature color, Weber asks viewers to look at them in a new way and to consider what it would mean to lose the species entirely.

"I am asking the viewer to look at monarch butterflies in a new way, and to think about what it would mean to lose this species entirely.” - Elizabeth Weber

The exhibition also features an original selection of work from current Studios 3026 residents and guest artists, a screening of filmmaker Ole Schell's short film on restoring the monarch habitat, Creating The West Marin Monarch Sanctuary, an art workshop, and educational information on how the public can help protect the western monarch.

The opening reception on Oct. 3 is free and open to the public, and will include light

refreshments, a drop-in butterfly art workshop, film screening, and Return of the Western

Monarch Butterfly panel discussion featuring Joey Algiers of the National Park Service, Isaac Yelchin of the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, Rachel Ray of Ventura County Resource Conservation District and filmmaker Ole Schell. RSVP through Eventbrite.

There Once Were Millions exhibition is on view Oct. 3–18, 2026, in the Propeller Gallery at

Santa Monica Studios 3026 at the Airport Arts Center, 3026 Airport Ave, Santa Monica, CA

90405. Gallery hours are Thursday - Sunday 12:00pm - 5:00pm. The gallery is free and open to the public.

Programming at the Santa Monica Airport Arts Center is made possible by the City of Santa

Monica Cultural Affairs, a division of the Recreation and Arts Department.

About Santa Monica Studios 3026 at the Airport Arts Center and CARS

Santa Monica Studios 3026 at the Airport Arts Center is the destination to explore fine art and

meet working artists in Santa Monica. It is home to 34 resident artists working in painting,

sculpture, textiles, photography, ceramics, and mixed media, making it the largest concentration

of artist studios in Santa Monica and a vital part of LA’s creative ecosystem for over 25 years.

Santa Monica Studios 3026 at the Airport Arts Center is managed by Community Arts

Resources (CARS), which partners with the city of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs, a division

of the Recreation and Arts Department to bring free public workshops, exhibitions, and

events to the space. They support resident artists in professional development and

welcome non-resident artists and the public to explore, experience, and participate in

meaningful art and culture experiences at Santa Monica Studios 3026 at the Airport Arts

Center. About SaMo Mountain Fund

Santa Monica Mountains Fund (SAMO Fund) is the official nonprofit partner to the National Park

Service and California State Parks, working since 1988 to preserve and restore the Santa

Monica Mountains through habitat restoration, wildlife research, environmental education, and

community engagement. SAMO Fund's Field Institute conducts field-based courses, lectures,

workshops, and hands-on experience, bringing together community members to learn from both research and real-world conservation work. www.samofund.org. About West Marin Monarch Sanctuary: On our changing and warming planet, the Western Monarch is suddenly on the verge of extinction...Ole Schell has partnered with the Xerces Society to create a Monarch sanctuary.

The plan includes planting thousands of native nectar plants to restore habitat for the dwindling and beautiful Monarch Butterflies.