Charlie Milgrim – Nests

Artists’ Reception: Saturday, May 18, 3 – 5 pm
Oakland Art Murmur / First Friday: June 7, 5 – 9 pm
Gallery Hours: Fri + Sat, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)

Charlie Milgrim’s oversized nests are made of discarded materials, such as old bicycle tires or shredded sheet music, that mimic the diversity of nests found in the wild. Milgrim’s nests highlight the ingenuity of birds and other nest builders and inspire viewers to reflect on the material practices of our built environment. Milgrim and the nest builders share the common practice of collecting materials to assemble their creations, linking the artist with the natural world. Viewers are invited to consider the parallels between the shelters created by animals and our human habitats.

Charlie Milgrim is a multimedia artist from New York City. She moved to the Bay Area in her 20s to attend the California College of the Arts and later received her MFA from the University of California, Berkeley. Since then, she has been an active participant in the Bay Area arts community through exhibition and curation and has been a member of the Mercury 20 Gallery for the past 15 years. She works with a wide range of materials: bowling balls, folded tar paper, and, most recently, has included photography and painting in her practice.

Image: Charlie Milgrim, Road Bill Nest, 2024, bicycle tires, bowling balls 3’ x 4’, photo courtesy of the artist