Join us for a special closing celebration of Stephen Winters: The Animal I Forgot I Was, featuring an immersive sound bath held within the exhibition on its final weekend.

Surrounded by Winters’s new body of work, guests are invited to slow down, breathe deeply, and experience the exhibition through sound, stillness, and reflection. Singing bowls, crystal bowls, gongs, voice, flute, and ambient soundscapes will transform the gallery into a contemplative space and offer a uniquely restorative way to engage with the artwork.

Whether you are returning for one final visit or discovering the exhibition for the first time, this event offers an opportunity to experience The Animal I Forgot I Was in the presence of the artist before it closes.

Following the sound bath, guests are invited to remain for a reception with light refreshments and spend one final afternoon with the exhibition.

Doors Open: 2 p.m.
Sound Bath: 2:30–3:30 p.m.
Closing Reception: 3:30–4:30 p.m.
Admission: $30*

Proceeds from sound bath ticket sales will benefit The Okihi Project.

*Winters’s limited-edition artist-designed vinyl album, featuring 40 minutes of original ambient music composed in conjunction with the exhibition, is also available for purchase. Each album purchase includes one complimentary ticket to the sound bath, a $30 value. Learn more and preorder the limited-edition vinyl.

Stephen Winters (b. 1982, Rome, NY) is a painter and sculptor based in Bakersfield, California. Living close to the Kern River on Okihi, Winters is interested in our symbiotic relationship with nature. Whether through pastoral, figurative paintings, gestural drawings, or non-objective metal sculptures that suggest the peaks and valleys of a mountain range, his work reflects his passion for the environment. Through each medium, Winters invites us to delve into the profound interconnectedness of all living beings. 

Winters received his BFA from the School at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2007, where he studied painting and sculpture. While working in Chicago, Winters was an apprentice to sculptor Evan Lewis in 2010 and artist/designer Brian Kerrigan in 2012. In 2009, Winters's work was featured at Lollapalooza. Winters plays a key role in leading the White Wolf Wellness Foundation at Okihi, a non-profit organization that provides yoga, meditation, sound baths, outdoor recreation, and educational classes for the Bakersfield community. In 2022, Winters was awarded a California Arts Council Grant for a public installation on the property.