Friday, January 9, 2026 at 12:00 AM to Sunday, January 25, 2026 at 11:59 PM
18th Street Arts Center, Santa Monica
**Atrium Gallery** The 2025 Palisades Fire was a devastating event that brought destruction and heartbreak to thousands of people. These people are still living with the aftermath of that tragedy. Nelson and his family are some of those people—they lost their house and their community. “The pain of that loss lingers in our hearts and may never totally leave. Grief has a gravity to it. It pulls at us and holds us close. Just when I feel like I’m okay, I’m not. So many worse things can happen to a person, a family, a community. It’s hard not to try to diminish our loss by comparing it to other people or other events. Still, it’s here and it hurts. We’ve managed to bounce back and get settled in a new home remarkably fast. That is all thanks to my incredible wife, Meredith Kaplan Nelson. She tirelessly worked to get a house, furnish it, and make it feel like a home for our family and, most importantly, our son, Levy. We all seem okay on the surface, but this is something that will always be with us. “Before the Fires ” is a common phrase that has worked its way into our normal conversation. Before the fires, Meredith had a career as a photographer, a jewelry artist, and a real estate entrepreneur. All of the physical evidence of that part of her is gone. It’s just stuff, right? Yes, it is just stuff, but it holds meaning, energy, and personal value. While “stuff” doesn’t define who we are, it is the anchor of memory. We are, to a certain extent, our memories. The images that you see today are images that I personally have taken to process the fires. We have all seen the images of destruction. I have juxtaposed simple personal statements with the images to give them context.” 18th Street Arts Center is proud to showcase resident artist [Josh Nelson](https://18thstreet.org/artists/josh-nelson/) in our Atrium Gallery. This exhibit will be up January 9-25, 2026. Please visit 18th Street Arts Center at 1639 18th street, Santa Monica, 90404, in order to view this exhibition. [](https://18thstreet.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Nelson-02.jpg" class="wpex-lightbox-group-item)[](https://18thstreet.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Nelson-01.jpg" class="wpex-lightbox-group-item) **Artist Bio** Josh Nelson got his B.A. in Studio Art at Cal State Bakersfield with interests in a variety of mediums from ceramics to painting. Soon thereafter, he started a career as an art director for a fine art publishing company, putting his own art on the backburner. After more than 15 years in that industry, he went to Santa Monica College to study photography. Inspired by a print, Perspective II by Ruth Bernhard, hanging in the bathroom of his in-laws’ house, Nelson’s studio work pays homage to Bernhard as his main inspiration. Nelson is wrapping up a years-long project of nudes in nature based primarily in the Angeles National Forest. His photography strives to honor the human form in relationship to nature. Having lost his home in the Palisades fire, he is very grateful to have a studio and be a part of the 18th Street Art Center. Currently, Nelson is working on a project dealing with this great loss. He sees this time as an opportunity to use art to heal and connect. His biggest inspirations are his wife, Meredith (a talented artist in her own right), and his athletic and precocious son, Levy, who both inspire him everyday to be a better husband and father.