SONOMA, CA.- SVMA announced the upcoming Summer 2026 Exhibitions. John Paul Morabito: Dancing in the Night and Norma I. Quintana: Paradise of Memory / Paraíso de la Memoria will run from May 9 to September 6, 2026.

John Paul Morabito: Dancing in the Night
May 9 - September 6, 2026

Transdisciplinary weaver John Paul Morabito (they, them, their) is a master of improvisational handwork, transforming linen, cotton, gold-leaf threads, and beading into opulent, metaphoric weavings that bend and twist time. Each work stands as a radiant tribute to Queer life resistance and community, celebrating its bombastic, glittering glory with longing, reverence, and exuberance.

“We are thrilled to bring the masterful textile and beadwork of John Paul Morabito to SVMA,” said Margie Maynard, deputy director, engagement & exhibitions. “Dancing in the Night evokes the magic and drama of dreamlike disco clubs, moving in sync with a partner to music.”

Many of the works are named after hit songs by Sylvester, the African American icon of San Francisco’s gay community in the 1970s and ’80s. The result is a dazzling and resonant tribute to a pivotal moment in Bay Area history and, as Morabito describes it, “a quest for the promise of queer futurity.”

Norma I. Quintana: Paradise of Memory / Paraíso de la Memoria
May 9 - September 6, 2026

Norma I. Quintana’s compelling portrait series links memory with community identity. Inspired by portraits created by itinerant photographers in Puerto Rico, her images honor everyday lives as a vital part of cultural remembrance. Originating at the intersection of documentary photography and personal cultural and familial history, Quintana portrays remembering not as a passive act of recollection but as an intentional, creative process, one that connects storytelling to the continuous construction of identity.

Central to this work is her reconstruction of the hand-painted backdrop from her own family’s portraits. Images that once commemorated life’s most meaningful occasions are now reimagined as a space for honoring her present community. In this body of work, she reanimates that legacy with care and intention, creating portraits that reflect dignity, individuality, and presence.

“Each image becomes an act of recognition, an offering that allows her subjects to feel truly seen,” says Ann Trinca, guest curator. “At the same time, the work carries a quiet urgency, reminding us to hold fast to the faces of those we love, to commit them to memory so they are never lost.”