Voice Out 2026 opening weekend events hosted at two iconic local venues:
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and San Diego Central Library, May 15 and 16

SAN DIEGO, CA – Outside The Lens (OTL), San Diego’s leading youth media arts organization, invites the community to Voice Out 2026, its third annual juried youth arts exhibition — and this year, there is even more to celebrate. Voice Out 2026 coincides with OTL’s 25th Anniversary, marking a quarter-century of empowering young people to tell their stories and shape their futures through the power of media arts.

This year’s theme, Wonder, encourages young artists to explore their curiosity, the joy of paying close attention, and the power of daydreaming—drawing from personal experiences, and the world around them. 

“I chose to pursue this idea of wonder because I believe that it really emphasizes what teenagers wonder—if they are enough—if they are pretty, smart, or good enough. I wanted to bring attention to what thoughts teenagers struggle with in everyday life.” — Iliana, 16. 

Founded 25 years ago, Outside The Lens has grown from a grassroots photography program into a leading youth media arts organization in San Diego County. Since its founding, 30,000+ young people across the region have participated in OTL’s school programs, teen studios, educator trainings, summer camps, and community workshops—shaping the culture of the community. 

“The ability to tell your own story—clearly, confidently, in a way that connects—may be the defining skill of this moment,” said Sarah Beckman, Executive Director for Outside The Lens. “For 25 years, Outside The Lens has been doing this work alongside young people across San Diego. Voice Out is what that investment looks like at scale— and a glimpse of the future we’re building together.”

Voice Out Opening Weekend Events

Friday, May 15 | Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD)
5 to 7 p.m. | 650 Coast S Blvd, La Jolla, CA 92037

The Voice Out 2026 opening exhibition will be hosted at MCASD, a premier art destination in San Diego. Thirty jury-selected honorable mentions were chosen from nearly 200 submissions by young artists across the region, to display steps away from the celebrated special exhibition Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys. This is a milestone moment for OTL: Voice Out youth artwork will hang near the landmark collection, giving emerging voices a stage the region has never offered them before.  

Featuring a live DJ, food, and drinks, the reception will include an awards presentation honoring the top young artists and a special acknowledgment for 25 years of youth storytelling in San Diego.  

Saturday, May 16 | San Diego Central Library
3 to 5 p.m. | 330 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA

The celebration continues the following afternoon at San Diego Central Library with a community event showcasing youth creativity. Indoors on the first-floor gallery, all 190 submitted works will be on display, offering a broader showcase of the breadth and talent across this year’s young artist pool. In the library’s courtyard, young artists, their families, and the community are invited to enjoy food, drinks, and artmaking. 

This free, family-friendly event is open to all.

Meet the 2026 Voice Out Jury

An inspiring panel of arts and cultural leaders selected this year’s standout pieces:

• Stacy Keck, San Diego-based commercial and editorial photographer with 15+ years of experience; former OTL media educator and APA San Diego board member
• Johnny Pham, Sony Electronics Business Planner for Digital Imaging; photographer with over 30 years of experience
• Cat Chiu Phillips, Public artist, educator, and doctoral candidate; Visual and Media Arts Resource Teacher for San Diego Unified and President-Elect of the California Art Education Association
• Israel Castillo, Southern California–based photographer working in editorial, commercial, and long-term personal series in both 35mm/120 film and digital
• Dennis Miller, Award-winning toy, product, and food photographer; work featured in juried shows including the San Diego County Fair
• Cristiana McCarther, Black-Chicana senior at Monarch School and current intern at OTL’s Teen Media Arts Studio

Artwork will remain on display at MCASD through June 14 and San Diego Central Library through June 28. For more information about Voice Out 2026, visit outsidethelens.org/voiceout.

###

About Outside the Lens
Outside The Lens (OTL) is a San Diego-based nonprofit that inspires young people to become storytellers and changemakers through media arts. The organization serves K-12 and transitional age (18-24) students, equipping them to learn technical skills in digital photography, graphic design, filmmaking, and emerging media as well as develop creative confidence and expertise in critical thinking, and visual literacy. Through its pioneering Media Makers program, OTL provides young people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) — including those who are autistic or neurodiverse — with technical, social, and economic opportunities that build creative agency, self-determination, and genuine belonging. For 25 years, OTL has brought arts-integrated programming to over 30,000 students through in-school classes, after-school programs, summer camps, workshops, and teacher training. Learn more at outsidethelens.org.

Media Contact:
Nickie Peña
nickie@nickiepena.com | 760-707-8169