The Center for the Arts is pleased to present a new exhibition by multidisciplinary visual artist Chris Dacre in the Granucci Gallery from August 6 through September 27, 2026. A free opening reception will be held on Friday, August 14, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Chris Dacre’s latest exhibition reflects three years of exploring painting as a medium, bringing together meticulously rendered, reference-based works with paintings created entirely from imagination. The resulting collection creates a fragmented and often humorous visual dialogue, exploring the unusual relationships between living beings and inanimate objects.
In addition to recent paintings, the exhibition includes selections from Dacre’s WAR is FUN! installation series, created between 2004 and 2017. Influenced by his time in the U.S. Air Force, these large-scale satirical environments transformed the heavy subject of war into immersive experiences that examine militarism, conflict, and the uneasy overlap between childhood play and adult warfare.
Dacre’s work balances humor and discomfort, inviting viewers to consider how imagination, memory, and reality shape the way we understand the world around us.
“I wanted to include some of that work in this exhibition because war continues to feel like a constant presence in our everyday lives,” says Dacre.
The exhibition will be on view through September 27, 2026, at The Center for the Arts in Grass Valley. The opening reception on August 14 provides an opportunity for guests to meet the artist, experience the exhibition, and celebrate contemporary art in the community.
Exhibition Details
Chris Dacre Exhibition
Dates: August 6 – September 27, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, August 14, 2026 | 5 – 7 p.m.
Location: Granucci Gallery at The Center for the Arts
Admission: Free
Since 2000, The Center for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization, has grown into a leading presenter of music, dance, theater, comedy, literary and visual art, and family programming, offering more than 150 events per year from its location in downtown Grass Valley. The Center recently completed a major renovation of its multiuse, 21,000-square-foot facility in downtown Grass Valley, making it a premier performing arts destination. The venue includes the Main Stage, which accommodates up to 492 guests in configurable theater seats and up to 700 patrons for dance shows, and a 90-seat studio theater.