If you''ve been down to the aquarium end of Cannery Row this month, you will have noticed something a little different: The old Cannery Row murals have been replaced with fresher, brighter Cannery Row scenes.

The original 50-plus, 8-foot square paintings on plywood were installed in 1989 to mask yawning holes in the ground where a proposed hotel development crashed and burned. The project, with scenes painted by local artists, was masterminded by the late Bruce Ariss, who contributed two murals of his own. Originally intended to last only five years, the panels weathered--and were weathered by--nearly 10 years of sun, rain, fog and storm.

By the time they came down, late in April, they were so badly faded and cracked that the scenes in some panels were nearly indecipherable.

On May 2, the new panels were installed. Although it''s difficult to remember how the originals looked when they were new, the replacements seem to be brighter than their forebearers.

And, with 37 panels, there are definitely fewer of them.

"Last time there were at least 50," says Susan Klusmire, Monterey''s museum and cultural coordinator. "But since it was originally installed 10 years ago, the entrances to the construction sites have changed, there''s an ATM that''s gone in on one side and some newspaper racks have gone in on the other."

Budgetary concerns were also a consideration says Klusmire. She says the city budgeted $15,000 to pay for artists and for materials.

Of the 30 artists who contributed, more than 20 of them were artists from the original project."

Although these murals are also scheduled to last for only five years, the city has learned from experience that it''s better to be safe than faded.

"I don''t know what the status of the building is at this point," says Klusmire. "I keep hearing from time to time there''s something going to happen and then it falls through."

Their lesson learned, the city is trying to make the panels more durable. On one mural, painted by Paxton Mobley, they are trying a new kind of sealer that is supposed to block ultraviolet light and which can be resanded if it turns out the panel needs additional sealer. These murals are also painted on a marine-grade 1/2-inch plywood rather than the original 1/4-inch plywood.

And the old panels? Some, the ones in the best condition, were auctioned off, Ariss'' two panels have been preserved, and the others are being kept in city storage. cw

Opening Receptions

Cooper-Molera State Park

Third annual exhibit by members of the Pacific Rim Sculpture Group. Alvarado and Polk streets, Monterey. 625-1207. Reception: 5/22, 4:30pm. Through: 6/13.

Gallery Listings

A Woman''s Wellspring

"Quiet Spaces." Paintings and photographs by Suzanne Rambaugh. 575 Calle Principal, Monterey. 649-2320. Through: 5/29.

Carl Cherry Center for the Arts

"Three Point Perspective." Group exhibit by Tracey Adams, Marie-Louise Rouff and Jane Schneider surveying themes and techniques in painting. Guadalupe Street and 4th Avenue, Carmel. 624-7491. Through: 5/29.

Carmel Art Association

"Sculptors 13." Sculptural works by Eleen Auvil, Blaine Black, Wah Chang, Kathleen Crocetti, Micah Curtis, Douglas Downs, Beth Garcia, Dennis Handy, Eric Hitchcock, Randy Puckett, Suzanne Sable, William Schnute and Ken Wiese. Plus works in other media by Miguel Dominguez and Miguelin Dominguez, Ron Grauer, Joe Tanous and Diane Wolcott. Through: 5/31.

Center for Photographic Art

"Brad Cole: The Last Dream." Dreamlike images culled from Cole''s most recent works, described as "a visual sojourn moving between the land, sea and reality." At the Sunset Center, San Carlos Street and 9th Avenue, Carmel. 625-5181. Through: 6/26.

Chapman Gallery & Frame Shop

"Cat on a Top Ten Riff." "Dennis the Menace" cartoonist Hank Ketcham exhibits his fine-art paintings of jazz musicians and sports figures. 7th Avenue between San Carlos and Mission streets, Carmel. 626-1766. Through: 6/15.

Fireside Gallery

"Crossing the Mirror." Photographs from two bodies of work by Martha Casanave. One group features pinhole photographs of staged scenarios; the other, "Beware the Dog," includes close-up studies of peoples'' pooches. At the Highlands Inn, Highway 1, Carmel. 624-3801. Through: 7/27.

First Murphy House

Turn-of-the-century summer dresses from the Gallery of Historic Costumes. Lincoln Street and 6th Avenue, Carmel. 624-4447. Through: 7/31.

Galeria Tonantzin

"Lengua Madre: Mother Tongue." Exhibit by Latina artists. 115 Third St., San Juan Bautista. 623-2783. Through: 5/31.

Grove Homescapes

"May Day Series." Computer assemblages celebrating spring, enduring love and her upcoming marriage. 472 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove. 656-0864. Through: 5/31.

La Mirada

"Fragile Traditions: The Art of the Asmat." Traditional works by native people of New Guinea from the collection of Loet Vanderveen; "Armin Hansen and William Ritschel: California Paintings from the Permanent Collection," through 7/26; "Gardens as Art and Sacred Space," through 7/17. 720 Via Mirada, Monterey. 372-5477. Through: 7/17.

Monterey Conference Center

"Preservation Begins at Home." Photographs of familiar sites and locations in Monterey County by MPC students highlighting architectural details. #1 Portola Plaza, Monterey. Through: 6/1.

Monterey Museum of Art

"Marie Brummond: Recent Paintings;" through 8/16; Youth Arts Festival, through 5/25; California Art Scholars, through 5/25. 559 Pacific St., Monterey. 372-5477.

Pacific Grove Art Center

"Journey as Blessing." Multimedia exhibit by Juliet Wood; "Intersection-Interaction," monotypes by Gloria Shaw; "Open House," photographs by Nancy Sevier; "Flowers at Home and Abroad," by watercolorist Susan Jordan. 568 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove. 375-2208. Through: 6/5.

PG Museum of Natural History

"Kelp Forests and Coral Reefs." Underwater photography exploring some of the most complex ecosystems on earth. Forest and Central avenues, Pacific Grove. 648-3116. Through: 5/31.

Rox Arcana

Group show by members of Monterey Bay Metal Arts Guild featuring jewelry and other small metal works. Carmel Plaza, Ocean Avenue and Junipero Street, Carmel. 624-3122. Through: 7/31.

Searle Art

Members of "Go Figure," Douglas Loesing, David Wagner and Robert Hewitt exhibit figurative drawings; works by Karl Edwards. 639 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey. 373-0126. Through: 6/5.

Seaside City Hall

Works by members of the American Pen Women group, including paintings, woodcuts, and sculpture. 440 Harcourt Ave., Seaside. 899-6336. Through: 5/29.

Shallcross Gallery

Abstract oil paintings and prints by Mira Kamada. Inside Galerie Monterey, 499 Calle Principal, Monterey. 655-0642. Through: 7/31.

Stowitts Museum

"Stars of the Golden Age of Dance." An exhibit of performance paintings dancers Anne Pavlova, Michel Fokine, Tamara Karsavina, Adolph Bolm, Vera fokine, Isadora Duncan, Stowitts and Nijinsky. 591 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove. 655-4488. Through: 6/30.

Valley Art Gallery

"Portfolio." Watercolors and oils by Kioko Kojima. 218 Main St., Salinas. 422-4162. Through: 5/23.

Vehicle Gallery

Photographs of Central Coast wildflowers by Caroll Bernstein and Lou Bernstein. In Camera Exchange, 551 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove. 373-0448. Through: 6/30.

Venture Art Gallery

Stone and bronze sculptures, and ceramic vessels by Kristine Safford. 260 Alvarado Mall, Monterey. 372-6279. Through: 5/31.

Vest Pocket Gallery

"Still Life and Quiet Moments." Paintings, prints and drawings by Anita De Carlo. At Forest Hill Manor, 551 Gibson Ave., Pacific Grove. 657-5200. Through: 5/31.

William Giles Studio

"Children''s Art Fair." Exhibit features 624 works of art--one from each child attending Tularcitos Elementary School--co-ordinated by nationally known photographer William Giles. 12 Delfino Pl., Carmel Valley. 659-8058. Through: 6/12.

Zantman Art Galleries

New florals and landscapes by Marilyn Simandle. 6th Street and Mission Avenue, Carmel. 624-8314. Through: 6/12.