Want some art but don’t have money to buy it? Maybe you have something to trade.
The Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery at Cuesta College is currently hosting an exhibition by artists offering their work in trade in Not for Sale: Barter Exchange, which continues through Friday, Aug. 28.
“This summer, the gallery becomes a marketplace where nothing has a price, and everything has a value,” organizers announced. “More than 30 artists from across California offer their work in trade, naming what they want and need, and patrons answer with what they have to give. Visitors transform into patrons, and sales become trades and stories of connection.
“The exhibition is inspired by Ed Kienholz’s 1969 exhibition Watercolors, in which each painting featured text describing the exchange the artist was after: a chainsaw, a fur coat, nine screwdrivers,” organizers continued. “Not for Sale carries the tradition forward, asking what value looks like when it’s decided by people rather than set by a market’s bottom line. Each artwork label lists the artist’s barter terms. When a patron wants to make an exchange, the gallery connects the artist and patron directly. Completed trades are documented, and all work remains on view through the close of the exhibition.”
Admission is free. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Δ
This article appears in Education Today 2026.
