FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 2025
René Romero Schuler Headlines as Guest Speaker at the 18th Annual Women’s Fund Luncheon
of the Community Foundation for Monterey County
Schuler’s participation will help raise funds for grants and scholarships supporting women’s leadership and education
René Romero Schuler. Photo: Rick Pharaoh
Monterey, CA – Artist René Romero Schuler will be the headline speaker of the 18th Annual Women’s Fund Luncheon on May 16, 2025, joined by Christine Dawson, Senior VP Philanthropic Services at the Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC). The luncheon gathers nearly 600 people to raise funds for grantmaking and scholarships
Schuler will be engaging in an intimate conversation with a focus on “Strength, Resiliency and Hope,” mirroring her artistic practice championing the lives of women and her own life overcoming challenges.
Schuler was just a teenager when she was homeless and hot-wiring cars. Today she can barely keep up with the demand for her art with a packed year of exhibitions and collectors around the world. After high school, René would reach out to businesses using the Yellow Pages for odd art jobs. She went on to bartend in nightclubs until 4:00 am and then work on her own artwork the rest of the morning, which led to her collaborating on projects with an artist and nightclub designer who became her mentor. She began learning more techniques and how to improvise with materials and in her personal life worked with a trauma specialist to address the PTSD she had been experiencing from the years prior. All of this led to her current art practice and studio exploring resiliency and creating works for the soul, especially the ways women navigate the world.
Schuler is best known for her textured oil paintings, where feminine figures emerge from rich, tactile surfaces in monochromatic tones. Blending abstraction and figuration, her work examines themes of imperfection, interpretation, and intimacy while challenging societal expectations, particularly those placed on women.
Schuler will be joined by Senior VP of Philanthropic Services, Christine Dawson, to reflect on her unconventional, determined journey to success. The proceeds from the luncheon will benefit the Women’s Fund of the CFMC which invests in women and girls in Monterey County, where Schuler resides.
Since 2003, the Women’s Fund has awarded more than $2.7 million in grants supporting the future of girls and women’s economic opportunity. The luncheon will take place at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Conference Center with wine donated by Scheid Family Wines. Over the years, it has become one of the largest fundraisers for women and girls in Monterey County.
“We want to support local women and girls in leadership and education. This not only impacts their families but will also improve the quality of life for our entire community,” says Christine Dawson. She points to the impact of investing in women and girls, quoting Melinda Gates, “When we lift up women, we lift up humanity.”
Limited tickets remain: http://give.cfmco.org/WomensFund2025
For more information or to donate, visit www.cfmco.org/womensfund or call (831) 375-9712.
About René Romero Schuler
René Romero Schuler is an American painter and sculptor who creates powerful images that speak to the complexities of the human condition and the spirit that connects all human beings.
Feminine figures are a constant in Schuler’s art, which she claims is equal parts self-portraiture and depictions of the range of emotions she has experienced. Her challenging childhood imbues her work with an appreciation for the universal yet essentially intimate struggles and triumphs of human existence. In her quest for a feeling of connection, Schuler speaks to global and societal issues that impact us all.
Schuler’s paintings and sculptures are purposely semi-abstract and textured, rendering them open to interpretation by the viewer. Their power lies in the layers of applied materials scraped, carved and incised by hand and the elusive quality of the figures – wholistically beautiful but symbolic of the scars and flaws that shape individuals.
Currently represented by galleries across the U.S., Canada and Europe, Schuler has had major exhibitions throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia, and has work included in the permanent collections of numerous museums and institutions.
Schuler’s art and selected essays and poetry are collected into published works: René Romero Schuler: Life and Works, 2013; René Romero Schuler, 2016 and René Romero Schuler, 2019, now available in its second edition. A fourth book, Ladies, was published in 2023.
Website: https://www.reneromeroschuler.com
Instagram: @reneromeroschuler
About the Community Foundation for Monterey County & the Women’s Fund
The mission of the CFMC is to inspire philanthropy and be a catalyst for strengthening communities throughout Monterey County. Thanks to generous community members who have created charitable funds in their lifetimes or through their estates, the CFMC has granted more than $380 million since 1981 to nonprofits working towards healthy, safe, vibrant communities. For more information visit cfmco.org, call 831.375.9712.
The annual Women’s Fund Luncheon brings together nearly 600 professional women and men for an inspiring program to benefit the Women’s Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County, dedicated to investing in local women and girls. Their vision is that every woman and girl has what she needs to be healthy, confident and able to fulfill her dreams. When a woman thrives, her family thrives. When a family thrives, the community thrives. The Women’s Fund invests in women and girls now to create a better future for us all. Learn more at cfmco.org/WomensFund.