On November 7th, 2020, we are opening a new show, “RECLAIMED” with local artists Jakub Kalousek and Sofia Carmi. Their show will be up thru January 7th, 2021.

JAKUB KALOUSEK

Standing in an unfamiliar bathroom, tired & naked & wet in a strange shower stall, reaching for the towel only to grab the empty towel rack & accidentally pull it from the moldy plaster wall, so it falls to the tile floor with a clatter. The broken half of cork that drops inside the bottle of wine. The sought-after object of desire trapped behind the thick glass window of a closed shop in a foreign city you are flying out of that night. The misplaced wallet. The loose hinge. The leaky faucet. Driving at night on a country road, suddenly noticing the gas gauge – how long has the needle been on empty? In Jakub Kalousek’s sculpture, the accident has either to yet happened – or it has just happened but the irrevocable consequences have only partially (not entirely) become clear. In the instant before total tragedy, comedy reigns supreme. Leona Shoustakis, “Pair&Thesis” #14, 2012.

SOFIA CARMI

CHAOS AND TRANSCENDENCE: Reclaimed Room Exhibit

Sofia Carmi’s Paintings are created from her impressions of our challenging times using art materials that have been reclaimed and repurposed. Her process of combining torn paper and torn canvas creates an atmosphere that is an excursion into a different realm for Miss Carmi. It captures a feeling of the chaos inherent in the world and her interpretation of it. This technique allows her to explore the intersection of chance and planning. This series utilizes torn paper and torn canvas and acrylic paint as the main medium.

IMAGINARY ARCHAEOLOGY: Dead Sea Scrolls & Global Warming

The Dead Sea Scrolls are painted and interpreted in creative ways, bringing back the past of the actual Dead Sea Scrolls and the memories of Sofia’s travels and her life in Israel, her birthplace. On her last trip in 2018 to the Dead Sea, she went with fellow artist Guy Campbell, who photographed the abandoned Dead Sea area. The Dead Sea remains a spiritual treasure to Miss Carmi and to many, for the beauty of its desert landscape, and for the healing in the mineral waters. Yet, the devastating effects of global warming are alarming. The Dead Sea is shrinking, experiencing both a general lack of rain and devastating floods, like the one which they experienced in the spring of 2018.

The imaginary Dead Sea Scrolls is a response to these beautiful memories and also to facing the harsh reality of global warming.

Please join us for an Opening Reception being held here at the gallery from 5 – 7pm inside Building REsources at 701 Amador Street, San Francisco 94124. The show will be on view thru January 7th 2021.

San Francisco artists Robin Dick and Sandoval explore and celebrate life, love, and loss through mixed media using discarded and found artifacts, reclaimed wood, paper, string, photographs, plastic, metal, and objects from nature. Am I Dead opens Friday, January 10th with refreshments from 5-7pm and will continue to be on view through Feb 21st, 2020.

Circle Study, by Robin Dick

Robin Dick

Using her subtle sense of art and design, Robin invokes complex feelings by blending ordinary and found objects. Motivating her work is a strong desire to work with her hands and communicate artistically in a non-digital medium.

In her constructions, she merges her passion for the aesthetic nature of objects with inspiration from travel, music, the beach, and the many people who’s lives have touched her own.

Robin was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and raised in the Midwest. After some formative years in Colorado, she headed farther west, landing in San Francisco where she’s resided since 1988.

She earned her Bachelors degree in Design from the University of Kansas, with minors in metal smithing and painting, as well as an Associate’s Degree in Design from the Art Institute of Colorado.

Artist Statement

I have always been drawn to the way objects and images make me feel. My process starts with my tendency toward accumulation – the gathering of the silent bits and pieces that occupy my world…clues that might someday speak to me as I search for links between myself and these precious, discarded raw materials.

Sorting through an arsenal of found treasures – mined everywhere from the street, and trash bins, to flea markets, estate sales, and antique stores – I decide which objects I want to use, always searching for an emotional and spiritual connection between myself and these materials.

As I begin to position objects together – adding and subtracting – I move forward, never feeling satisfied until I’ve reached what I feel is a visual absolute. The merging of my personal feelings with the alchemy of textures, color, and materials is key.

Over time, my compositions begin to reveal a nature behind my materials, enabling me to create works that mirror my own feelings and communicate my discoveries to others as well.

It’s rare that a piece is meticulously planned; it’s a very spontaneous process. Though these pieces are outwardly an assembly of visual elements, the work’s origin stems from my intuition and emotions.

Block art 2, by Rondoval

Rondoval

Ron Sandoval’s creative talents are inspired by his passion for paying attention to the the small details and artful beauty of nature, little structures and odd mediums. His childhood dreams of floating fantasies like lilies in a fountain are recreated in his work as an artist, landscape and floral designer, where his imagination and depth of vision are suspended in his works. His breakout was his LACMA installation in 1990, where his recycled use of rose stems as a crucifix, sphere and box, caught the attention of the LA art world and catapulted him onto the Hollywood scene where his pioneering work influenced the floral design industry internationally. Fleurish, his acclaimed Los Angeles design studio on Beverly Blvd, attracted regular clients such as Quincy Jones, Yves Saint Laurent and Judy Knapp.

Artist Statement

My work concentrates on the mythology of process and elements of nature. My installations’ emphasis is in the pockets of natural curiosities and the beauty of their materials. One can reflect, meditate and interact with the importance of recycling. Through this woven balance of mystery and ever changing nature, , we can hear the message of “conserving the life on earth.”

For our next show, we will be featuring textile art by these fine artists: Dale Eastman, Rachel Leibman, Karin Lusnak, Stacey Shuster, Ileana Soto, Sharon Steuer and Ellen Weinstein. The show opens with its opening reception on Friday, September 13th and will run thru November 8th, 2019. We will also host an artist’s talk Sunday, October 6th, from 1 – 3pm. This group of artists was curated by Rachel Leibman and she had this to say of its inspiration: “I have long been enthralled by fiber art – the weavings of indigenous peoples around the world, the quilts of Gee’s Bend, Renaissance tapestries and oriental carpets. Textile work straddles the boundary between craft and art, frequently created for functional purposes, but still with a strong sense of design and imagination. Different regions and tribes have their own unique styles for creating fiber art, often passed down from generation to generation. With globalization and modernization, these traditions are sadly being forgotten. This has encouraged me to sew, weave and dye, and to seek out like-minded people.”

“This exhibit features textile artists who work with reclaimed or recycled materials in creative and surprising ways. These artists approach their artwork with a nod to long established crafts such as sewing, quilting, embroidery and dyeing, but each artist brings a singular and contemporary approach to a traditional, and overwhelmingly women’s, mètier. I have selected artists who work with different types of source materials and produce very different kinds of creations. Some use fabric and thread while others create textiles from non-traditional materials such as discarded moth cocoons or vintage watch parts. Some of the pieces are vibrant and colorful, while others are detailed and meticulous. All are interesting, original and innovative.”

Seeding the future, by Dale Eastman

Dale Eastman

Objects evoke an ambivalence in me. Even still, for more than a decade, I’ve spent half of my time making some sort of object, typically using natural, electronic or salvaged materials. Discarded moth cocoons have been my material of choice for the last several years. Like so many soft sculptures made from fibrous materials, these cocoon pieces constantly shape shift each time they’re moved. While sewing, I sometimes hold the pieces out in front of me, almost a gestational pose, and it’s true that the proliferating, generative nature of the material and the work is as mesmerizing to me as the second hand on a clock. As I sew, I periodically wonder about the point at which a particular artwork began, where it will end, or if it ever will. Isn’t each piece often, in some way, a continuation of another? Some of the cocoons are riddled with holes, allowing the viewer to see both the outside and the inside of the work. For me, though, the artwork’s hollow, lacy ephemerality has an additional focus: the space that arises around the work itself. Could it be that it is this space that I’m most in search of (even longing for?) when I’m creating artwork? Objects are necessary: they define cultural space and provide helpful boundaries that direct and delineate. But they can also circumscribe and calcify; they even risk fitting us with cataracts that blind us to what isn’t yet. That’s a shame because what I’m learning from making objects is that what isn’t is often just as important as what is.

I’m a multimedia artist and a fiction writer who originally trained as a seamstress. Frequently, I combine these practices in order to explore the subtle or overlooked connections between different aspects of our lives. My artwork has been in numerous group and solo shows the San Francisco Bay Area.

daleeastman.com

Temporal Tapestry, by Rachel Leibman

Rachel Leibman

I am a mixed media artist, living and working in San Francisco. After becoming enamored with textile arts during travels around the country and abroad, I taught myself to sew and dye with natural materials. My most recent project is the “Chrono”  series. I make quilts and weavings embroidered with vintage watch parts. I also create textiles by weaving together watch parts with wire and using this new textile to construct tapestries and hanging sculptures.

I love working with watch parts not only because they are beautiful and exquisite, but because they provide such a wonderful metaphor for so many aspects of life. Our stories are bound up in time. No matter what we do, time marches on, leaving us with memories and hopes.

rachelleibman.com

Stepping Out, by Karin Lusnak

Karin Lusnak

Originally from Pennsylvania, I worked as a Research Associate in genetics and molecular biology laboratories at the University of California in Berkeley until retiring in 1998. During this time, I developed an interest in textile arts as a student at Pacific Basin School of Textile Arts and eventually received my MFA from California College of Arts and Crafts, now CCA.

While at CCA I discovered how much I enjoy three-dimensional work. I created “Can’t Becomes Act” sometime after graduation. This piece speaks for itself.

Although my love of fiber art often takes me toward two dimensional pieces, my desire to create something sculptural again coincided with my desire to let things go.  This led me to build a house with thread spools that belonged to my mother, to another dear friend, and to myself.  “Stepping Out” is and will always be filled with memories. The image of the house is often described as a symbol of the self and the figure of the woman represents my effort to move forward.

Another of my pieces, also a house, is built with wine corks and recycled denim. It addresses many issues from politics to personal. A lovely and gentle song based on Paul Gauguin’s painting called “Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?” served as my inspiration.

“Getting THERE From HERE” describes a personal effort to move forward in life. The letters have an inner structure of sycamore branches covered with layers of fragile, pliable fabric sewn together and representing personal history and the multitude of experiences that compose a life. Bound with colorful silk fiber, the letters stand upright suggesting solidity, strength and perseverance.

KarinLusnak.com

Sanctuario, by Stacey Shuster

Stacey Shuster

My passion for machine quilting started in eighth grade home economics, I love the way you can create warmth and beauty for every day use, transforming old and new fabrics as women throughout the centuries have done. Quilting has largely been women’s work – from slaves in the south to immigrant women in northeast mill towns to plantation wives and pioneer women to contemporary art quilters – all with little recognition.

For this exhibit, I used donated quilts, fabric pieces and scraps to refashion them into entirely different creations. Inspired by traditional quilt patterns as well as the Gee’s Bend quilting collective of Alabama, I aim to demonstrate ways in which reclaimed fabrics focus on the current immigrant experience. As with the Underground Railroad, quilts can be used to guide endangered immigrants to safety and sanctuary. I want my quilts to tell stories that reflect and comment upon what is happening in the larger world.

Women’s Work: Creativity, by Ileana Soto

Ileana Soto

Art has always been a theme, from the use of thread and color under the guidance of my Romanian grandmother, to a degree in Art History, from a year’s study at the California College of Art and Craft (now California College of Art) to the use of art therapy as a communication tool in my previous work as a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I’ve created textile art in the forms of woven cloth, fiber sculptures, sewn collages, pieced quilts, and now “art quilts”.

I am passionate about bringing the themes of culture, community and Climate Change/Crisis to an “alert” stage for viewers of my pieces. I discover, inform, and encourage activism through a process of internal and external artistic expression.

My work is tied to a commitment to personal deepening and exploration. I strive to create a dialogue between myself and the cloth as I develop the piece. Layers are generated, reflected in the layering of dye, of paint, of cloth over cloth. Once the piece is completed, I listen to the viewer’s perspective and participate in that dialogue.

With my invitation to join the “Women’s Work” exhibit, I have become interested in the use of recycled materials. Each piece is done on an originally white vintage cotton or linen textile, adding fused elements that were given to me, or recycled from my own original printed fabrics, “left over” from other art pieces. I enjoyed the layering of history, known and unknown. There will be more of these pieces in my future!

My mentors include surface design artist Jane Dunnewold, Dutch batik artist Els Van Baarle, quilter and artist Angie Woolman (she has been my quilter for over 12 years), and educator/founder of Formative Psychology, Stanley Keleman, now deceased. They, coupled with my personal work in therapy, help me focus, articulate, and form an expression of the complexity of our actions as they influence our internal and external worlds.

ileanasoto.com

I Will Fly Away, by Sharon Steuer

Sharon Steuer

For more than thirty-five years I’ve explored techniques that allow me to move back and forth between traditional and digital tools to merge painting, drawing, printmaking and collage. In the two smaller works from my ongoing “Letters From My Father” series I recreate imaginary worlds of childhood from adult chaos. Objects and letters sent to me as a child by my estranged father form the metaphorical (and sometimes literal) background for these works. “Branded By Her Genetic Mutation” is from my “For Our Own Good” series that poses taboo questions surrounding medical privacy and genetic surveillance. In 2011, I was diagnosed with a BRCA1 genetic mutation through my Jewish ancestry. With an exponentially increased risk of developing ovarian and/or breast cancer, medical professionals advised significant surgery and genetic surveillance “for my own good.” “Branded” is a unique monoprint-transfer created by digitally collaging a watercolor-pencil drawing with a portion of my genetic code (downloaded from an unsuccessful attempt by Myriad Pharmaceuticals to patent my genetic mutation).

sharonsteuer.com

Over Under 1, by Ellen Weinstein

Ellen Weinstein 

My art is driven by my extensive interest in textiles. I sew, quilt, weave, dye, paint and print on fabrics. My ex-mother-in-law, Barbara Eiko (Hiura) Fukuchi shared her Japanese/Hawaiian culture and fabric, warm smile and oishii (tasty) tsukemono with me. She inspired my interest in Japanese art, specifically textiles. I fell in love with Shibori tie-dyeing after seeing an exhibit curated by Yoshiko Wada many years ago. Recently, I have been learning Japanese language and calligraphy, which enhances my artistic perspective and is incorporated into my art.

In this exhibit, I deconstructed vintage Japanese kimonos and textiles to create unique appliqué art and noren curtains. Noren are fabric dividers hung between rooms, on walls, in doorways, or in windows. I appreciate that they are functionally designed to serve as signs with store names and logo, protect store goods from the elements, be room dividers, and beautify homes. My art is not strictly traditional. I embrace an aesthetic of random surprise and create art that is imperfect, with elements of East and West cultures.

For the past 30 years, I have taught art to children of all ages at the de Young Museum, Legion of Honor, and Clarendon Elementary School in San Francisco. I have a degree in Drawing and Painting from the San Francisco Art Institute.

For the show Re-Visions, San Francisco based artists Danielle Satinover and Gregory Vernitsky bring a school of creative thought together. Both artists take a similar approach to the idea of found materials and come from a background where the financial ability to source materials for work was very limited. Vernitsky, originally from the Soviet Union with limited resources to artist materials, and Satinover by a lifetime restricted by socio-economic circumstances, have instilled in them the skills to see something in the ordinary and often discarded. Both artists have been able to see beyond the ordinary to discover new interpretations.

Tall Bird, by Gregory Vernitsky

Vernitsky combines carved and painted found wood, tossed metal, and plastic into a joyful play with time, scale, and narrative. Concepts and structures of public art, relativity of meaning, and reflection on human frailty and feelings, are realized through his innate ability to see possibilities in things as simple as a block of wood, or grace in a rusty scrap of metal.

Rattlesnake, by Danielle Satinover

Satinover also plays with concepts of the human condition but focuses more on the connection between humans and our environments and structures.  She often takes discarded man made items to create abstract forms. Her current work has been more descriptive, but still plays with the tensions between man’s creations and natures.

Both Vernitsky and Satinover often approach their subject matter with a sense of lightheartedness. This ease with which they come to their subject matter does not take away from the significance of the work, but rather adds a dimension to the story telling and gives the viewer a place to reflect on the history of the object as well as the new vision given to it by the artists. In the end, these two artists take discarded material and use it to bring us back to ourselves and reflect on our humanity and our connections to our surroundings and each other.

Join them in celebrating this journey at the opening reception Friday, July 12th from 5-7pm. For a more in-depth exploration of the artists’ processes, an artist talk will be held Saturday, July 27th from 1-3pm. Try your own hand at their process with an art making session August 10th from 1-3pm; finally, Re-Visions will end with a closing reception Saturday, September 7th from 1-3pm.

We don’t even see most of the stuff that’s thrown away – its on the periphery of our vision. All four of us picked up discarded items and gave them intention again. These items once had a purpose. We are now revitalizing them into forms that can be aesthetically appreciated. We hope that our intention will make an impression on viewers and help them see ways to consider and appreciate the potential of everyday throwaway bits and pieces.

Emily Cruz

Emily Cruz is an artist born and raised in Escondido, California but moved to the Bay Area in 2009 to pursue her degree in art at San Francisco State University. While she dabbles in sculptured fiber, you can find her perusing printmaking, photography and life.

Dierdre Weinberg

Dierdre Weinberg is a painter and muralist in San Francisco and uses recycled canvases to paint on. For this show, she scraped the bottom of paint cans and palletes  and attached them to used canvases, showing the colorful and and interesting patterns that the paint itself creates. The material is not seen at all, much less as a possible artistic venture, which is what she likes – to see the overlooked or unseen and it in a new way.

Andrea Allen

The insect invasion series combines technology, biology, and geography to stimulate an aerial view of the earth. The digital laser discs represent the ocean while the land is grid-like and abstract. This series reminds us of Pangea, how approximately 300 million years ago all land was one super continent. Maybe we need to be reminded that we all are one, and that everything was/is connected. Each piece is an island, similar yet different. The scale of the insects are much too large and invasive in comparison to their surroundings. Their wings are made from the internal programming of keyboards, both delicate and detailed. This body of work came about as a playful exploration inspired by Sci-Fi “B” movies. Technology has made insects mega powerful. We have underestimated them. Insects have bee on this planet way longer than we have and are taking it back!

My process begins with an object that intrigues me. I reconceptualize the intended purpose of that object by transforming it into another. Much could be said by the discovery of self by researching the materials we surround ourselves with. Growing up in the United States with its abundance of materials and tendencies toward wastefulness has influenced my fascination with being resourceful. Art is a part of my whole being, my raison d’être. Playful and conceptual sculptures take life.

I received my degree in Fiber Art and Combined Media Sculpture from the University of Arizona, which set the foundation for learning the importance evolving relationships. Like a tapestry, everything is connected to everything else. Patterns in nature, humanity, and technology inspire me. Color, line, form, and texture are prominent design elements in my creations. My bold and colorful sculptures incorporate many different materials and processes in order to get my ideas across.

Sophie Lee

Sophie Lee uses packaging and plastic and weaves them with the idea of using them as a canvas but they become works within themselves.

This show opens Friday, January 11th 2019 with an opening reception from 5-7pm and will be on view thru March 1st 2019.

Opening November 23rd, 2018, The Reclaimed Room Gallery presents Collage & FUSE, the art of Asher and Muse. It features the works of two Bayview based artists, Lani Asher and Jes Muse. Together, they bring the hard and soft in the juxtaposition of mediums. From paper to metal and vinyl to glass, Asher and Muse find whatever materials they can use and reuse to create two and three-dimensional works of art. The Opening Reception will be Thursday, November 29th from 5-7pm. This exhibit will be on view daily through January 4th with the exception of December 25th and New Year’s Day.

Untitled, by Lani Asher

Lani Asher lives and works in San Francisco. She maintains a studio in a San Francisco industrial park alongside motorcycle and classic car repair shops and Chinese food wholesalers. Born in Los Angeles, Lani Asher attended the University of California Santa Barbara where she studied with Charles Garabedian, John McCracken, and James Turrel at the College of Creative Studies. Afterwards she moved to New York City and taught art, worked at an erotic bakery, and attended film classes at NYU and Columbia. She spent a year studying video, photography, book making, and film at the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, New York. After living in Madrid, Spain, she landed at the San Francisco Art   Institute in the New Genres Department for graduate school. During her independent study project in Brazil she created a video examining the relationship of Brazilian Baroque art and architecture to the beauty of imperfect pearls, and transgendered Brazilian sex symbol Roberta Close. Over the years she has taught art for numerous Bay Area non profits, including teaching art to prisoners, elders, artists with disabilities, and is an online arts writer. Find her online thru laniasherart.com .

City, by Jes Muse

Jes Muse, a resident of the Bayview here in San Francisco, is a native New Yorker with BFA from the State University of New York at Purchase. Jes is a third generation artist following in the footsteps of her grandmother, Jean Cobean, and her mother, Lisa Muse. Having found a balance between the aspects of the mid-century modern shapes and forms of Jean’s sculptural stone work and the figurative forms of Lisa’s two-dimensional works, Jes creates work ranging from mid-century inspired, brutalist works to figurative three-dimensional constructions. Jes enjoys reclaiming industrial refuse like railroad spikes, horseshoes, horseshoe nails and live-edge wood from the forest floors and northern California rivers. Jes’s incorporation of railroad spikes is a tribute to her father’s work as a Track Supervisor for the commuter railroad in New York.

The main body of Jes’s work is in steel and glass. Having different cooling and heating points, steel and glass are not the most compatible mediums. The glass becomes marred by the sparks created in the act of welding and if heated too much will crack and split apart, so it is a challenge to secure the glass well enough without overheating it. Jes dabbles in many mediums and was recently inspired by the work of Bay Area duo, t.w. five, to create pieces with adhesive vinyl, in fact, you may have seen her cruising around in the Mondrian Volvo Recently.

Opening March 16th, 2018 The Reclaimed Room is excited to present WHAT IF? a group exhibition featuring the puzzling creations of three Bay Area artists whose process-based work draw attention to societal chaos and conflict. WHAT IF? artists Clint Imboden, James Shefik and Jamie Banes provoke viewers to question the reality and truths of the structures displayed before them. Although recognized for their use of everyday materials in unexpected and unusual ways, these artists’ sculptures and installations also stimulate and challenge their audiences’ preconceptions of material, purpose, and intent. This exhibition will be on view through May 11th 2018.

Crutches, by Clint Imboden

“I come to making art with the perspective of a therapist. Just as a good therapist can act as a catalyst for change in a client, good art should elicit a strong reaction from the audience, provoking them to explore the reasons why they’ve been affected.”

“I find my materials at local flea markets and estate sales. I start with the artifacts of daily living, things that most people overlook: battered globes, worn shoes, and dilapidated tools. I’m drawn to old materials because they foster purposeful imperfection in my art, an attribute that’s connected to their previous lives. I use them for their connotative, associative or narrative possibilities. My installation work is tactile and handmade; as an artist, I focus on process and on topical, issue-based content.”

“Viewing my artwork is not meant to be a passive experience; it involves reading, deciphering, taking the initiative to engage physically and psychically with text and objects. I use materials that challenge my audience to consider multiple references in order to understand the full meaning of a piece. I want people to be caught up in the experience of my work, just as I am, in making it. My goal is to have them come away from an encounter with the work knowing something new about themselves.”

Insomnia, by James Shefik

Conceptual, multidisciplinary artist James Shefik lives in Oakland. Along with making art in his studio, he is a scenic artist and scenic foreman on movie and television sets (Sense8, Thirteen Reasons Why, Steve Jobs, Big Eyes, Chasing Mavericks, and Milk, to name a few).

Primarily a sculptor, Shefik creates artwork that reveals his strong concern for the environment, for the government’s tyranny of purposeful invasion of our privacy, and social political absurdity that often accompanies concentrations of power.

His latest work employs photographic prints to mutate small transient into an almost theatrical experience. His work has been exhibited at the Aqua Art Fair in Miami, the Richmond Art Center in Richmond, CA, Sanchez Art Center in Pacifica, CA, and Autobody Fine Art in Alameda, CA. Shefik was a recipient of a SF Weekly Mastermind Grant in 2011.

Nominative Determinant, by Jamie Banes

“Growing up in a blue-collar construction family, I connected with tools and materials at an early age. Exposure to the job site as a youth helped shape my interest in architecture and the ever-changing organism of the built environment. These early experiences continue to inform my work and contribute to my own sense of place and identity.”

“The built environment serves as a multilayered record of human activity, mirroring the effects of society’s needs and motives over time. The concept of structures as living entities is a natural starting point for my experiments, often stemming from themes of origin and decay within the urban landscape. The breakneck speed at which this life cycle revolves in the Bay Area underscores the socioeconomic and political issues of our time and further influences my work.”

“My process results in quirky assemblages reminiscent of childhood forts or tree house constructions in miniature. My most current work presents as a collection of eccentric architectural models and maps, wryly alluding to the seriousness of many ominous societal issues on our collective horizon. The materials I collect are typically found, bartered or bargained for in keeping with my inclination to reuse when possible.”

This upcoming show, opening Friday January 12th 2018, will feature puppets, sculpture, jewelry and furniture, all deeply crafted from 100% salvaged material. The three artists, Francesca Borgatta, Charles Foss, and Miles Epstein, each bring work with personality, humor, and a recognition that a long studio practice will always reveal new surprises. Especially when the work is assembled in a new context and new configurations.

Blue Monkey, by Francesca Borgotta

Francesca Borgotta has been building puppets since the 1970’s, having been apprenticed with Bread and Puppet Theater in New York.  Since then, she has lived a full life of dance, drama and puppetry.  She comes to the Reclaimed Room from the East Bay, where she works at the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse.

“To make my artwork, I look for recycled materials. I bind random things together, say a crab’s shell and an insect husk. Then I add new things until they appear as a single configuration, a form which needs completion. I like puppets because each one has a name and a story, and is meant to be manipulated.”

Wooden Tablet, by Francesca Borgata

“At the Reclaimed Room, I will present each puppet with bits of dialogue to indicate the story. The wall hangings include a set of tablets describing these five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. I started these in 2015 when I was studying Chinese traditional medicine where each element is assigned a color, a season, an emotion, and other qualities. To understand this interaction, I gathered objects in that material and arranged them on a plywood panel.”

“I am very happy to be showing my work in the Reclaimed Room. This wide open space celebrates both the aesthetic beauty and practical value of recycled materials. Artists are encouraged to work together to plan their show, and explore possibilities for collaboration, to generate a much-needed sense of community. Hopefully, through our artwork, we can encourage a sense of ecological awareness.”  fborgotta@puppetfigures.com

Crystalline Spheres, by Charles Foss, aka c.H.u.K.

Charles Foss, also known as c.H.u.K, brings to the gallery work from his “Landfill Interception Project”, specifically his “Fauna” series. From his website freektures.com: “..an exploration of inanimate evolutionary improbabilities, using common everyday items which have been deemed useless, cast aside, and abandoned.” Originally from Maine, Charles has been a toy maker, prop fabricator, performance artist, part of a circus crew, a magicians assistant and a scary clown pie maker (among other things!) Currently he is creating “Funky Found Flora” and “Decolletorations ~ talismans created with magical parts and pieces we step on every day.”

Miles Epstein

Miles Epstein uses salvage materials and simple tooling to design and build art and other useful objects. His work ranges from furniture, sculpture and installation and uses paper, metal, cork and concrete. By allowing the qualities of his materials to drive many design decisions, Miles’ work is sometimes unpredictable and often quirky. The work is often very labor intensive but strives to appear natural, even relaxed.

For this show he says: “I’m revisiting the west-facing windows in the gallery, working with two new materials for me: clear acrylic sheets and colored, tumbled glass. By gluing the glass to the sheets with two-part epoxy I hope to create a hybrid visual experience, combining elements of graphic design, stained glass and painting. The process is exacting and fussy but has great potential for beauty. I am also bringing to the floor of the gallery a new collection of cafe style tables built primarily from cardboard and cork. The cardboard comes from salvaged bicycle boxes, and the cork is a mixture of reused  rolled cork sheeting and recycled wine corks. These materials are very familiar to me and I’ve been using them in furniture work for over 12 years. But they still amaze me with their resilience, strength-to-weight ratio, and their subtle color palette.

Cork Cafe Tables, by Miles Epstein

This is a group show honoring the tradition of gathering around the table among friends and socially producing art for pleasure. It will feature multiple mosaic artists, metal sculptures, craft jewelry, knitted critters, crochet, cast paper, glass tableware and original lighting designs, all sourced from reused materials. We open this show on November 17th from 5-7pm and it will run through January 5th 2018.

Dana Albany

“From the very grandest scale to the very minute, my artwork is a medley of recycled and discarded materials. I enjoy working alone, as well as collaborating amongst many! Gathering together with fellow artists has been a meeting ground of genuine support and swirling creativity. It has taken me out of my darkest moments, inspired me, and brought depth to my art, that left alone would not have arisen.”

Haideen Anderson

Haideen Anderson works with a variety of materials in her sculptures but focuses mainly on paper-casting for mask-making and mild steel for nature and dream influenced sculptures. With both the masks and the metal, she is interested on exploring pairs of opposites and the healing potential in art.

The masks that she makes are from reused materials – paper grocery bags for the casting with the surface collaged on with out-of-date calendars, old magazines, cigarette packages, etc. Much of the metal she uses is also made from scraps. In a few sculptures this is obvious. They are constructed from car parts, door knobs, cake pans and other recognizable objects.

She is glad to be part of Reclaimed Room’s exhibit “for the LOVE of ART” with so many artists who are a part of the Art Nite gatherings. Making art is often such a solitary activity. Coming together, each person with their own project to work on, balances the lone time. Old friendships are strengthened and new ones are formed on Art Nite. The atmosphere is warm and supportive. Love of creativity is the unifying force.

Art Nite participants,clockwise starting from the top left corner: Angel Gurgovits, Chula Camp,         Haideen Anderson, Dana Albany, Aaron Harlan, Dave Hasse and his mother, Kathleen Hasse.

Chicken Wire-Glass Platter by Lauren Becker of Recycled Glassworks

Lauren Becker can occasionally be found at the yard (B R) sorting re-usable window glass and shelves for her work. The up cycling process involves cutting the glass to size and a kiln firing that softens the glass just enough to render it flexible. In this state it can be embossed with design from below, enhancing the aquatic virtues of glass and the natural aqua tint present in plate-glass. An extensive line of functional tableware with dishes, bowls and serving pieces has evolved in a wide variety of sizes. Currently working through a pile of glass display shelves from See’s Candy warehouse in Daly City, Recycled Glassworks has been diverting plate glass from Bay Area landfill since 1996. More info on her work can be found at recycledglassworks.com

Chula Camp

“I am a self-taught jewelry designer and work with traditional and uncommon materials. Every collection is designed and hand-made be me one at a time. I work in a tiny art studio in the historic Dogpatch District near the central waterfront in San Francisco. I have been designing wire and glass jewelry since 2003. In 2010 I entered my first competition in the recycled category and won. The excitement of winning inspired me to explore more options of designing jewelry with broken, found or discarded trash.”

“It’s been almost a decade since the recycling design challenge. Since then I have rescued over 48 different waste items and made many pieces into reclaimed and wearable art. Some of these rescued items have included chop stick rests, retired traffic signal lenses, key hole covers, chandelier crystals, bullet casings, champagne boxes, calendars, credit card tape cores, buttons, quilter’s scraps and vintage spools..”

“I love sketching new ideas and discovering the value in what others may consider junk. Creating new jewelry from broken, found and discarded objects fulfills my current creative instinct. There is no such thing as away. When we throw anything away it must go somewhere.”

Kat Pk Delurgio

“When I rediscovered crochet in 2013 there was an ‘A-ha’ moment. I was bed ridden in post-trauma-recovery, and this act of crocheting was Good Medicine. It tickles both sides of my brain as the process blends the sensual aspects (texture, color, visual aesthetics) and thinky-thinky (math & structural engineering.) The first hook I used was MacGuyver’ed from a chopstick, duct tape and a paper clip. About 95% of my materials are secondhand scores. I enjoy experimenting with non-conventional materials and find great inspiration while Crafternooning with friends!”

Sconce designed by Michael Donnelly

Mike was drawn to shadows and light, natural forms, and dumpster diving at an early age. These influences are ever present in his work with lamps and light fixtures.

Michael Donnelly with Dana Albany at Burning Man 2017

Angel Gurgovits

Angel Gurgovits has been a recycler her whole life.  She has worked at Building REsources for 13 years and counting, the last two years also curating the Reclaimed Room Gallery as well. She began to make mosaic art with Dana Albany back in 2010 and the advent of Art Nite was born. The duo was joined by others and they collaborated on many great projects together, including the Youth Educational Spacecraft which toured Maker’s Fair , Burning Man and Las Vegas in 2013.

Youth Educational Spacecraft, designed by Dana Albany

“Learning how to mosaic really changed and enriched my life. I feel like I can recycle anything into something beautiful with just a little glass and glue. My favorite projects now also include functional light fixtures,  and each day I am inspired to make more!”

Marble Lamp, by Angel Gurgovits

Anne Jatta

“I love knitting. Since I learned to knit in 1st grade (in Denmark), knitting has been a big part of my life. I can never just sit, must have needles in my hands. These creatures, composed of re-used materials, have been so much fun to make.”

Ady Larsen

“I think of mosaic as life! When life falls apart (and our dishes) we have the option to transform the results. We pick up the pieces and glue them back together, allowing the unlimited possibility of fun colors to reflect the beauty in our world.”

Pauline Tolman, adding some touches to Dana Albany’s Tara Mechani

Pauline Tolman is a San Francisco artist best known for her large scale sculpture and architectural installations. She has achieved three major public commissions as well as a number of site specific commissions. She also enjoys figurative bronze work. During the pour for one such sculpture she was fascinated by the “splash,” the over pour of bronze into the surrounding sand. The very raw, primal forms created by this splash are the core and inspiration for the wall charms displayed here.

Bronze “Splash” Wall Charm by Pauline Tolman

“All of us who are in this show have spent time at the table, collaborating on something together and enjoying each others company whilst doing so. We have formed a strong bond with one another and continue to work together as often as we can. It is with great pleasure that we present this show, for the LOVE of ART.”

On Sunday, July 2nd, we will host a closing reception for our current show, departure. New works have been installed by Miles Epstein and Tim Armstrong, in place of ones that were sold.

Miles Epstein with his sold tissue painting; nicely framed by Rachel Leibman’s “Daily Dose”.

Tim Armstrong ‘s new art; made from branches, flour, instant coffee, burlap and elastomeric paint.

The celebration will be held July 2nd, 4:30 – 7pm. The show closes a week later, on Friday, July 7th.

Opening Saturday, January 14th from 5-7pm in the Reclaimed Room.

Dreamare is a showcase of wearable art, couture costumes and upcycled fashion that illustrates the process and dichotomy of dreams becoming nightmares, and the space that exists in the shifting grey area between those two worlds. The heart of this particular showcase revolves around the existence of the artist in the modern day world, and explores the fine line that can easily become blurred in the shift between beautification and gentrification — or rather anti-gentrification, in this case. Many of the works and installations in this show will convey the fragility of artist created realities, which can easily crumble to demolishment, becoming lost in the constraints of our capitalist driven cultural and political climate.

Artist Bio

Papusza Couture artist and designer, Kaytee Papusza, currently resides in Los Angeles where she works as a couturier, costume designer and fabric archivist. She enjoys traveling  with her work and frequently visits NYC and The Bay Area, both places where she previously resided. She creates clothing, couture and costumes of all kinds, and is best known for her one of a kind conceptual fine art couture collections, made using unconventional materials, hand crafted textiles and artisan techniques. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The New York Post, Vogue Italia, Sang Blue and Belle Armoire.

Also featured in this show will be accessories by Mad Elegance.

Cover image “It Will Be Ours” by Ransom and Mitchell.

For more images and information, please visit http://www.papuszacouture.com and also http://www.madelegance.com.

Dreamare will be available to view January 14th – March 4th 2017.

Michelle Echenique, in her studio, with “Jerome”.

Michelle Echenique is a mixed media artist living and working in San Francisco, CA. She is known for use of found and cast off materials in her 2 -and 3 – dimensional work.

Sourcing and collecting a wide range of paper, wood, and metal and any eye catching scraps is an ongoing practice and integral to the artistic process. Making use of the innate histories and forms of found material, she works to create something wholly new that hints at the familiar. The richly layered, textured results exude both joy and mystery inviting scrutiny.

In the Reclaimed Room she’ll be showing a mix of furniture and assemblage. This 3 – dimensional work provides an exciting challenge in figuring how to assemble the piece in a visually interesting way while keeping it structurally sound. It’s a puzzle requiring both physical and mental reflection.

Also on view will be several pieces from the Cats I’ve Known Series. These cats incorporate “fur-like” corrugated cardboard, reclaimed window frames with cat “ears” on top, and copper whiskers.

Outside the studio, Michelle is a Teaching Artist for ArtSpan participating in Art for City Youth and Community Engagement Projects. She is also involved with the temporary art space, Hayes Valley Art Works.

We are excited to have Michelle to be loading in next week!!

Opening Reception will be held on November 4th from 4:30 – 7pm and will also feature live music from the Big Band Surfers Polka Trio!!

Also tune into our page on FaceBook!

Link up for more information here:

http://www.michelleechenique.com

Present Ground: October 1 – November 5, 2016

Special Event this Saturday: https://www.facebook.com/events/1325815630783225/

This Saturday, October 8th, 2016 we will have a closing reception for our “Lost and Found Beatles” show. If you missed the opening, then this show is for YOU!

From 5:00 thru 8:00 pm, fearturing a TRIUMPHANT return performance of J. Raoul Brody, playing his fave Fab Four songs, and YOU on lead vocals!

We will have special “last chance” deals on Lost & Found Beatles Merchandise Prints, Posters, T-Shirts and Postcards!

The show will remain open for viewing up until October 20th.

Opening  at 6pm August 29th 2016 we present an exhibition of RARE previously unpublished photos of the Beatles!
Dave Seabury is back in our room with photos from the Beatles last concert at Candlestick Park. 30 years ago he discovered a contact sheet of amazing images of the Beatles by an as yet unidentified photographer. The images have been digitized, restored and enlarged to commemorate the 50th anniversary of that last Beatles concert. The Opening Reception will also feature live music by The Chuckleberries and J. Raoul Brody on keyboard. The show will be up through October 20th 2016. Reclaimed Room is open 8 Days a week for this exhibit 9am-4:30pm, excluding major holidays. More details can be found in this article published by SF Gate/San Francisco Chronicle.  Click onto the link below to read the article.

http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Mystery-photos-of-the-Beatles-last-concert-on-8393320.php

For our next show we have teamed up with the Recology Artist in Residence program and will feature works from a dozen local artists who participated as residents. The lineup of artists as it reads on the postcard is Mike Farruggia (’05), Michael Kerbow (’04), Linda Raynsford (’00), Karrie Hovey (’12), Dana Albany (’03), Jim Growden (’91), Barbara Holmes (’08), Ed Clapp (’06), Andrew Junge (’05), Mark Feigenbaum (’05), Viviana Paredes (’05) and Paul Cesewski (’08).  During their residency, each artist was granted scavenging rights in “the dump” and had 24 hour access to the company’s well equipped art studio. Our exhibition will have one or more pieces from each artist and will be shown through August 18th. The opening reception will be held Friday, June 17th from 4:30-7pm.

Another solo show is on the horizon, featuring work by Al Honig.

He is a master of recycled assemblage, and has been working in this current vein for 35 years! In his experience, he has been a photographer, a sculptor of bronze, stone and wood, and a painter as well. He worked many years repairing printing presses and other machinery, refining the skill set required to make his pieces. He draws inspiration from metal sculptor David Smith, whose book also helped Al through a creative block. Al has influenced and worked with many local artists, including Dana Albany, Pepe Ozan, and Brian Goggin.

The majority of the pieces are from his series of Allegories, sculptures based on his observations and suppositions of human behavior and events. One of his favorite pieces, “Look Outs” is from that series, and will be part of what will be displayed for our show. All of his finished work is available to view online, at alhonig.com. Be sure to check out his videos while looking on his site.

Join us for Al Honig’s opening reception, Sunday April 24th from 4:30pm until 6:30 pm. You can also shop from the many wares of Building REsources at that time as well. Hope to see you there !

Just announced !

Closing PARTY For Dave Seabury’s solo show, “Re-Trospective” to be held Sunday, April 10th, 2016 at 4:30pm.            There will be refreshments and LIVE music by the Chuckleberries! Event is FREE.

There is currently a contest going on within the show, and the winners will be announced during the event. The contest revolves around the manikin sculpture, previously known as “Homeland Security”. Dave is asking contestants to “Title, and describe this piece”,  to write  “…the most pretentious, art speak laden title, and descriptive paragraph about this piece.” Interested persons then fill out a form with their title and description, and add it to the pot, entries are being sent to Dave and viewed now. “Extra Points” are rewarded  for citing “psych/social/political significance”.

The chosen entry will be announced during the event on Sunday, April 10th and will include the following options as a prize: 1) Dave will apply a painted design to a pair of VANS (or similar) tennies, or on a garment that you provide.

2) Choose 1 piece from a selection of original art by Dave. Painting, photograph, or small assemblage/sculpture.

3) Long term loan of the piece in question (provided it is displayed in a relatively public place)

Good Luck Everyone!!

Music and art are the driving forces of my life. I paint and assemble my sculpture in much the same way that I write music: beginning with no set goal, I improvise and let the piece emerge. The inspiration for my art comes from musicians, artists, friends.

I began painting in the 1980’s, using discarded paint and canvases from the Berkeley Dump, where I worked as a salvager. Shortly thereafter, I began assembling sculptures. Like my painting, my sculptures use materials primarily gathered from the dump, local recycling centers, flea markets, garage sales, and just about anywhere things are left behind. I started welding in 2005.

I have received no formal instruction. Most of my “education” comes from reading art books and visiting museums and galleries. I consider my lack of formal training as an advantage. No one has been around to tell me, “You can’t do that” or “Its done this way.” My aim is to create visual stimulation that asks, “What the hell is going on here?”

I have been involved in the local Rock & Roll music scene since the mid ’70’s; performing with acts as Jonathan Richman and Little Roger & the Goosebumps, Dick Bright’s SRO, and Berkeley’s infamous Psychotic Pineapple. Currently I perform with Psychotic Pineapple, The Chuckleberries, The Rock & Roll Adventure Kids, The Pointing Wranglers, The RaveUps, The Feztones, The Presidiots, and numerous other musical aggregations.

I am a lifetime East Bay resident and work full time as the Waste Reduction Coordinator for the Presidio Trust in San Francisco.

Connect with me here:

234daves@gmail.com

…And on the Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FBk-DaveSeabury-Art-Music

Homeland Security

Save the date ! Our next opening is Sunday, February 21st from 4:30-6:30pm. We will be featuring sculpture, painting and assemblage from Dave Seabury. There will be live music, and free refreshments. Come join us!!

Mariana Nelson was born and raised in Newport Beach, California. She moved to San Francisco in her early 20’s and became involved in a thriving and inspired art community where she found her focus on reusing existing materials.

She began wrapping discarded materials found at reuse centers and also from the street. Using an age old Japanese wrapping technique called Temari, she soon developed a pattern that was unique to her alone. Anything from lint, dog hair and found plastic was wrapped with bright and colorful fiber, transforming trash into treasure.

As Mariana’s collection of small Temari grew, she began to find ways of assembling them together to create large pieces. Her current body of work involves using hundreds of wrapped forms to create one unified piece. Some of her work explores the idea of dark matter, while other compositions focus mostly on color and shape. She is also using a large collection of  plastic coffee cup lids, melting them into flower like sculptures.

MELT will open December 18th from 4:30-6:30pm and run thru February 12th.

Here is Mariana preparing her Temari piece featured in the S.C.R.A.P show.

Warm up with our winter show, “MELT”; a solo show featuring recent works by Mariana Nelson. Opening Reception is next Friday, December 18th from 4:30-6:30 pm. There will be refreshments available and live music provided by the artist’s brother, Joe Robinson. Come join us and view the result of trash transformed into treasure.

melted coffee cup lid by Mariana Nelson

Warm up with our newest show, “MELT”. A solo show featuring Mariana Nelson’s latest work making use of recycled plastic coffee cup lids, straws and other items like you would never expect.

Our current show is on display until December 10th. There is still time to enjoy all it has to offer.

Dear Friends,

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are cancelling the artists party on September 26th.

Please do join us for the Opening Reception of PLAY on October 10th

We look forward to connecting with you all then!

Best,

Reclaimed Room

Join us September 26th at 4:30 pm to celebrate artists of the Reclaimed Room featuring work by Clint Imboden.

And October 10th for a new exhibit PLAY

All events start at 4:30pm

701 Amador Street

Food, Drinks, Music, FUN, Free

Please take note that our holiday shin-dig is cancelled December 11th due to inclement weather!!  Please join us next week, December 18th for the holiday shin-dig from 5-7pm.  Stay warm and dry everyone!!

December 11th CANCELLED!!