Please join us for the opening reception of the Spring 2026 Alumni Gallery exhibition titled Salt Canyon, featuring the work of Cornish alum Stefan Gonzales. 

Opening Reception:
January 23, 2026
4:30-7pm
Alumni Gallery - 3rd Floor MCC

Artist Statement:
Every object, from the road beneath our feet to the clothes we wear, has an origin story. My work often incorporates “raw” construction materials such as stones, dirt, lumber, and, recently, rock salt. These materials are typically considered “raw”, even though they have already been extracted and refined from their natural state. The work is not merely about observing a pile of salt and acknowledging that it comes from the earth. It’s about recognizing that the mining, transporting, and distributing that salt involves the land and its people at every step. I hope that by using these materials artistically, viewers will gain appreciation for the materials and resources that make up their own lives. 

About the Artist
Stefan Gonzales is an Indigenous, nonbinary artist, curator, and arts educator based in Seattle. Gonzales has worked as an adjunct professor at the University of Washington and Cornish College of the Arts. They received a BFA from Cornish in 2016 and their MFA from the University of Washington in 2020. In 2025, Gonzales received the Artists Trust: Lillian Miller Foundation Fellowship for Trans* and Indigiqueer Artists. Their recent exhibitions include simultaneous solo exhibitions at The Vestibule and Specialist Gallery in Seattle, WA, in 2025. Their work has also been exhibited throughout the region at the Frye Art Museum, Das Schaufenster Gallery, the Henry Art Gallery, Melanie Flood Projects in Portland, OR, and Well-Well Projects in Portland, OR. Additionally, in 2025, Gonzales was invited as a guest curator for The Vestibule gallery, where they invited New York-based artist Christoper M Tandy for their first Solo exhibition in Seattle. Stefan has participated in residencies at Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Vermont (’24), Signal Fire Arts, Portland, OR, and the Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle, WA.