Jill McLennan: Ancestral Pathways
October 10 @ 12:00 pm - November 15 @ 5:00 pm
Free
Jill McLennan’s prints and poems depict humans and animals moving along ancestral pathways of migration. McLennan created this series while working as an Artist in Residence at Kala Art Institute in Berkeley. She printed her linoleum block images with haiku poems using the letterpress technique and a Vanderhoop Press. The series began with the story of a man who had escaped from Yemen to Africa on a rowboat with a cow. Inspired by her friend, Collin, and his song, Every Step you Take is a Migration, she began to seek out other migration stories. She discovered animal migrations that have been altered by humans due to habitat destruction, such as giraffes being transported by truck. She read stories of the people risking their lives to travel across borders seeking new homes. When the Klamath river dams were taken down and salmon began to swim up the river again, she carved the story of the Salmon People. “I am processing the shadows we have cast on our beloved natural world and sharing the stories of those who wander searching for light.”
Bio:
Jill McLennan creates paintings and prints of her surroundings. Her recent work is a series of linoleum block prints with poems, telling stories of migration and climate change from around the world, printed during her residency at Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, California. She has been an active member of Mercury 20 Gallery for over 17 years. She is a founding member of her neighborhood organization, Jingletown Arts, Business + Community (JABC), working on various projects from East Bay Open Studios to neighborhood beautification projects. McLennan completed two public art projects — Jingletown Birds at 401 Derby and Emeryville Perspectives at 65th and Christie Streets. Both are cut steel fences depicting the local environment, shoreline, and birds, designed by McLennan and executed by local fabricators. As an artist and teacher, she is deeply invested in protecting her environment, inspiring youth and spreading hope and joy into the world.
Gallery Hours: Friday and Saturday, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)
Oakland Style Week Tour: Saturday, October 11, 11:30- 12 pm
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 18, 3 – 5 pm
Oakland Art Murmur / First Friday: Friday, November 7, 5 – 9 pm
Artists’ Talk: Saturday, November 15, 2 – 3:30 pm
Image: Jill McLennan, “Spring Salmon,” 18″ x 11″, 2025 linoleum block print with letter press poem, photo courtesy of the artist
