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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260717
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260830
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SUMMARY:Gestural Expressions
DESCRIPTION:SLATE Contemporary Gallery presents “Gestural Expressions”\, an exhibition which brings together five accomplished women artists working in gestural abstraction: Maria Burtis\, Amy Donaldson\, Nicole Mueller\, Karen Silve\, and Joanne Fox. This exhibition not only revisits the legacy of Abstract Expressionism\, but also reimagines its future through the work of five artists whose voices continue to broaden and enrich the field.  \nOpening Reception: Saturday\, August 8\, 4–6pm⁠\nJoin us with three of the exhibiting artists for an evening celebrating the show\, featuring specialty drinks from Rue de Rêve (@ruedereveaperitifs)\, a local women-owned apéritif producer.⁠\n⁠\nArtist Walkthrough: Saturday\, July 25\, 4–5pm⁠\nExplore the exhibition with artist Nicole Mueller for an intimate look into her process and perspective.⁠\n⁠\nGestural Expressions is on view at SLATE from July 15–August 29\, 2026.⁠
URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/gestural-expressions/2026-07-17/
LOCATION:Slate Contemporary Gallery\, 5510 College Ave\, Oakland\, 94618\, United States
CATEGORIES:Artists Talk,Ongoing Exhibitions,Opening Reception
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260718T110000
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SUMMARY:Urban Sketch Workshop with Cathy Raingarden
DESCRIPTION:We will meet at The Grand Gallery at 11am – Class is geared for all levels and is presented in easy bite sized lessons.\nArrive a few minutes earlier if you’d like to purchase a watercolor kit and pens. Wear comfortable clothing and walking shoes. Bring water and snacks. We will be sketching around Jack London. Sign up for class by clicking on the link below.\nClass Fee: $55\nOptional Materials Fee: $25\nhttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGoF1lm2sLXuyI41JCsCdK8f8uYmUz0RR5EqLA3-3swO-nRw/viewform?usp=dialog
URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/urban-sketch-workshop-with-cathy-raingarden/
LOCATION:The Grand Gallery\, 560 2nd Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94607\, United States
CATEGORIES:Artists Talk
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ORGANIZER;CN="The Grand Gallery":MAILTO:thegrandgalleryoakland@gmail.com
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260718T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260718T140000
DTSTAMP:20260712T084152
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SUMMARY:Artist's Talk - M. Mark Bauer: THE\, THE
DESCRIPTION:Artist’s Talk\nSaturday\, July 18th\, starting at 1 pm \nGallery Hours: Thursdays\, Fridays\, and Saturdays\, 12 – 5 pm \nGreat to see in person\, these paintings are not fast-read paintings. Check out a few details on our website\, come in for the full experience. For a complete explanation\, if that’s even possible\, please join us Saturday\, July 18th\, to hear from M. Mark Bauer about his work\, starting at 1 pm. \nWhat the ? \nWhat does it mean? Where DO we stand? \n​Mixed messages\, absurd scenarios\, improbable unrealities – M. Mark Bauer wades into dynamic narratives and an onslaught of incomprehensible untruths\, pervasive and invasive\, redirecting the course of events and outcome potentials at hand.  Mesmerizing rhythmic patterns groove in undulating serenity as wildly complex scenarios unfold in the eight canvases on view. Hybrid creatures and colorful characters cavort in a surreal concoction that speaks to the consequences of our collective insanity on each other and the natural world while sly humor entertains with bursts of sudden recognition. The Artist observes as Eye-hook\, Snake Tongue\, Bo Peep and a Sheep and The Big Bad Wolf join in this precisely executed spectacle of chaos.
URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/artists-talk-m-mark-bauer-the-the/
LOCATION:Transmission Gallery\, 770 West Grand Ave.\, Suite A\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States
CATEGORIES:Artists Talk
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260725T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260725T170000
DTSTAMP:20260712T084152
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SUMMARY:Pat O’Connor: Reclaimed | Closing Reception and Talk
DESCRIPTION:Pat O’Connor\, “Winter Sun and Shadow\,” 2026\, 48” x 36” x 2”\, salvaged cardboard\, acrylic paint\, birch board \nPat O’Connor’s work has long explored the intersection of object\, time\, and narrative. Beginning with paper pulp castings over structures at a former World War II naval base\, O’Connor developed a sustained interest in materials marked by history. In her exhibit\, Reclaimed\, she is drawn to surfaces shaped by wear\, weather\, and works with cardboard salvaged from the streets\, recycling bins\, and packaging. Through folding\, layering\, stitching\, printing\, and painting\, she transforms these fragments and other seemingly incongruent materials into richly layered assemblages. Guided by shifts in patina and form\, O’Connor builds surfaces dense with histories\, lush harmonies\, and active surfaces. Cardboard\, humble and impermanent\, originates from trees. O’Connor links the material back to the natural world. In some works\, she introduces imagery of branches and tree forms\, creating both calm and unsettling dialogues between the material’s fragile present and its living origin. In a culture shaped by disposability\, O’Connor elevates overlooked materials\, inviting viewers to sense the stories embedded in ordinary things as well as imagine ways the industrial and natural worlds might endure together. \nBio:\nPat O’Connor is an artist whose practice spans drawing\, painting\, assemblage\, and site-responsive sculpture. Her work has been exhibited widely\, most recently at the de Young Museum in San Francisco\, Transmission Gallery in Oakland\, the Sasse Museum of Art in Pomona\, California\, and O’Hanlon Center for the Arts in Mill Valley. Her pieces are held in public and private collections\, including a public commission at the University of California\, San Francisco Medical Center. Pat received her BA in Painting and Drawing from UC Davis and pursued graduate study in textile arts at San Francisco State University. Honors include a San Francisco Foundation Grant\, the Robert Rauschenberg-hosted Power of Art Award from the Lab School of Washington\, D.C.\, and the Arts Educator of the Year Award from the San Francisco Unified School District. O’Connor has taught widely at notable institutions\, including San Francisco State University\, UC Berkeley Extension\, and the de Young Museum. \nGallery Hours: Friday and Saturday\, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)\nArtists’ Opening Reception: Saturday\, June 27\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: Friday\, July 3\, 5 – 9 pm
URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/pat-oconnor-reclaimed-closing-reception-and-talk/
LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States
CATEGORIES:Artists Talk
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SUMMARY:Emily Shepard: In Flux  | Closing Reception and Talk
DESCRIPTION:Emily Shepard\, “Conversant\,” 2026\, 32” x 71”\, photo courtesy of the artist  \nEmily Shepard’s large-scale abstract paintings pull viewers into an immersive\, otherworldly space — one of shifting depths\, interacting layers\, and arched forms that float like portals above restless water. Working on unstretched canvas\, she builds richly textured surfaces through gestural mark-making\, watery drips\, and stitched canvas shapes. Indecipherable loops of script speak to rhythm\, breath\, and cycles.\nShepard’s work is mirrored by her practice as a year round swimmer in the San Francisco Bay: moving her body through cold water\, attuned to tides and currents\, releasing into the hypnotic push and pull. Her painting practice and bay swimming share the need for focused attention\, awareness of sensation\, and internal states. Each artwork\, like each swim\, is a search for wholeness\, presence\, and embodied learning. \nBio:\nEmily Shepard is a Bay Area painter\, born in Boston\, Massachusetts. She earned her MFA with distinction from the California College of the Arts where she received the Barclay Simpson Award. She has shown her work locally and nationally\, including the Crocker–Kingsley Exhibition at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento. Currently she has three pieces on exhibit in “Voices without Boundaries” at the Sasse Museum of Art in Pomona\, CA. Shepard is a Kipaipai Fellow and member of the artist-run gallery\, Mercury 20 in Oakland\, CA. Her work is included in private and corporate collections. Shepard swims year round without a wetsuit in the San Francisco Bay. The practice of cold-water swimming focuses her senses\, challenges her will\, and informs her art. \nGallery Hours: Friday and Saturday\, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)\nArtists’ Opening Reception: Saturday\, June 27\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: Friday\, July 3\, 5 – 9 pm
URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/emily-shepard-in-flux-closing-reception-and-talk/
LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States
CATEGORIES:Artists Talk
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260725
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260726
DTSTAMP:20260712T084152
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SUMMARY:Gestural Expressions
DESCRIPTION:SLATE Contemporary Gallery presents “Gestural Expressions”\, an exhibition which brings together five accomplished women artists working in gestural abstraction: Maria Burtis\, Amy Donaldson\, Nicole Mueller\, Karen Silve\, and Joanne Fox. This exhibition not only revisits the legacy of Abstract Expressionism\, but also reimagines its future through the work of five artists whose voices continue to broaden and enrich the field.  \nOpening Reception: Saturday\, August 8\, 4–6pm⁠\nJoin us with three of the exhibiting artists for an evening celebrating the show\, featuring specialty drinks from Rue de Rêve (@ruedereveaperitifs)\, a local women-owned apéritif producer.⁠\n⁠\nArtist Walkthrough: Saturday\, July 25\, 4–5pm⁠\nExplore the exhibition with artist Nicole Mueller for an intimate look into her process and perspective.⁠\n⁠\nGestural Expressions is on view at SLATE from July 15–August 29\, 2026.⁠
URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/gestural-expressions/2026-07-25/
LOCATION:Slate Contemporary Gallery\, 5510 College Ave\, Oakland\, 94618\, United States
CATEGORIES:Artists Talk,Ongoing Exhibitions,Opening Reception
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260808T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260808T170000
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SUMMARY:Everything Must Go - Closing Event\, Juror Talk & Awards
DESCRIPTION:Join acclaimed Bay Area artist\, educator\, author\, and curator Lisa Solomon for a special closing event celebrating Everything Must Go Juried Group Show. Known for her mixed-media works and large-scale installations that explore themes of identity\, craft\, domesticity\, and personal history\, Solomon has exhibited nationally and internationally and is the author of several books on art and creativity\, including the forthcoming Art/Craft/Color. During this brief presentation\, she will share insights into her selection process\, discuss the exhibition’s themes\, and highlight works that resonated with her vision as juror. Following the talk\, she will present two exhibition awards that extend opportunities beyond the exhibition itself. The Juror Award includes a featured hallway exhibition at Manna Gallery during the 2026–27 exhibition season\, while the Manna Gallery Award includes an invitation to the gallery’s annual year-end group exhibition. As Manna Gallery’s first juried exhibition\, Everything Must Go reflects our commitment to building new relationships with artists throughout the Bay Area and creating meaningful opportunities for future exhibition\, visibility\, and community engagement within our gallery program. \nEverything Must Go Juried Group Show Artists\nNorman Aragones\, Malachi Arthur\, Jordan Benton\, Laurie Caird\, Madelyn Covey\, Dana DeKalb\, Eden Evans\, Elizabeth Evans\, Shelley Gardner\, Elena Godina\, Monica Guillory\, Corrine Hatt\, Rachel Katz\, Kathryn Kenworth\, Sarah Klein\, Suzy Kopf\, Faridah Laffan\, Jenifer Lake\, Patricia Liverman\, Heath Massey\, Colin McAllister\, Erin McCluskey Wheeler\, Manuel Rodriguez\, John Rogers\, Tammi Salas\, John Sheridan\, Maureen Shields\, Renetta Sitoy\, Jamie Smith\, Hannah Claire Somerville\, Jennifer Sturgill\, Michelle Sweeney-Fillmore\, Sarah Travis Buck\, Yana Verba\, Amy Vidra\, Bill Ward\, Martin Webb\, Jia Wilson\, and Alexander Yoshikawa \nJuly 11 – August 8\, 2026\nClosing Event / Exhibition Awards: Saturday\, August 8\, 3-5 pm\nGallery Hours: Saturdays\, 12-5 pm\, First Fridays\, 5-8 pm & by appt
URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/everything-must-go-closing-event-juror-talk-awards/
LOCATION:Manna Gallery\, 473 25th St.\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States
CATEGORIES:Artists Talk
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260808
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260809
DTSTAMP:20260712T084152
CREATED:20260709T190900Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260709T190900Z
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SUMMARY:Gestural Expressions
DESCRIPTION:SLATE Contemporary Gallery presents “Gestural Expressions”\, an exhibition which brings together five accomplished women artists working in gestural abstraction: Maria Burtis\, Amy Donaldson\, Nicole Mueller\, Karen Silve\, and Joanne Fox. This exhibition not only revisits the legacy of Abstract Expressionism\, but also reimagines its future through the work of five artists whose voices continue to broaden and enrich the field.  \nOpening Reception: Saturday\, August 8\, 4–6pm⁠\nJoin us with three of the exhibiting artists for an evening celebrating the show\, featuring specialty drinks from Rue de Rêve (@ruedereveaperitifs)\, a local women-owned apéritif producer.⁠\n⁠\nArtist Walkthrough: Saturday\, July 25\, 4–5pm⁠\nExplore the exhibition with artist Nicole Mueller for an intimate look into her process and perspective.⁠\n⁠\nGestural Expressions is on view at SLATE from July 15–August 29\, 2026.⁠
URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/gestural-expressions/2026-08-08/
LOCATION:Slate Contemporary Gallery\, 5510 College Ave\, Oakland\, 94618\, United States
CATEGORIES:Artists Talk,Ongoing Exhibitions,Opening Reception
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260829T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260829T170000
DTSTAMP:20260712T084152
CREATED:20260710T181415Z
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SUMMARY:Artist Talk – Monika Mayer: LINKED
DESCRIPTION:Image: Monika Mayer\, Flow # 61 – Stretched\, 2025\, Acrylic\, coffee and ink on canvas\, 18” x 36” x 1.5”\, Photo: Dana Davis \nMonika Mayer’s new body of work is inspired by the rocky shoreline along the California coast\, shaped by the tides. At low tide\, hidden worlds are revealed: clusters of mussels and barnacles clinging together\, surviving by holding on to each other. By gathering together\, they create shared conditions that protect them from crashing waves and harsh weather. Their strength comes from connection.\nWorking with gathered and repurposed materials including inner tubes and deconstructed soccer balls\, Mayer builds sculptural forms through layering and accumulation. Discarded and overlooked\, these pieces grow into organism-like clusters linked with zip ties and staples and are given new life. Her paintings extend this language through layered coffee\, paint\, and ink\, echoing the coastal environment’s organic patterns and rhythms. By presenting familiar objects in unfamiliar ways\, Mayer invites viewers into a space of ambiguity\, encouraging them to pause\, look closely\, and consider what lies beneath the surface. These works reflect on resilience\, not as something we achieve alone\, but as something we build together. \nBio:\nMonika Mayer is a multidisciplinary artist born in Germany and based in Berkeley\, CA. Largely self-taught\, she began developing a daily art practice during the COVID-19 lockdown\, allowing her to deepen her focus and commitment. She holds a BA in Social Education from the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne\, Germany and a MA in Educational Leadership from the University of the Pacific in Stockton\, CA. Mayer has been a member of Mercury 20 Gallery since 2023\, and is an alumna of the Kala Artist-in-Residency program in Berkeley\, CA. Her work is held in private collections in the U.S. and Germany and has been exhibited nationally and internationally\, including at Tryst International Art Fair in Los Angeles\, Kala Art Gallery\, and in the UK as a shortlisted artist for the International Football Art Prize. \nGallery Hours: Friday and Saturday\, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)\nArtists’ Opening Reception: Saturday\, August 15\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: Friday\, August 7\, September 4\, 5 – 9 pm
URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/artist-talk-monika-mayer-linked/
LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States
CATEGORIES:Artists Talk
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DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260829T170000
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SUMMARY:Artist Talk – Rainey Straus: re(COMPOSING)
DESCRIPTION:Rainey Straus\, Radicling\, 2026\, Bioplastic and Papier-mâché\, 9 H x 38 W x 42 D in\, size variable\,  Photo Courtesy of the Artist \nRainey Straus’s work begins with walking\, listening\, and close attention to the living world. Created for Mercury 20\, re(Composing) turns that attention toward fungi\, following the ways matter breaks down\, gathers\, and becomes something else. The installation takes decomposers as a starting point: organisms that are also composers\, transforming one kind of matter into another. Straus’s materials follow this logic. Paper is shredded\, pulped\, and cast over found\, downed wood\, echoing the way paper wasps chew wood fiber into shelter. Lacing through these casts are bioplastic forms\, spun like spider silk until gesture becomes structure. By working with already fallen wood\, Straus treats the tree not as an ending but as part of an ongoing cycle of transformation. The work invites attention to other intelligences: the pathfinding of slime molds\, mycelial networks\, and forms of sensing beyond human perception. Rather than representing ecological change\, re(Composing) takes part in it: paper returns to pulp\, pulp takes the impression of wood\, and matter reorganizes itself into temporary form: fragile\, provisional\, and alive to what comes next. \nBio:\nRainey Straus is the award winner from Mercury 20’s 2026 exhibition\, Mapping Time\, awarded by juror Minoosh Zomorodinia. Straus is a Bay Area interdisciplinary artist whose work grows from fieldwork into sculpture\, installation\, painting\, and cyanotype. After working as a Bay Area tech designer\, she returned to artmaking in response to ecological urgency. Solo exhibitions include Spinning Time into Form\, Gallery Route One\, Point Reyes Station\, CA and The Old Growth Project at MarinMOCA. Her work has appeared in Bodies and Borders: Ecologies of Consent with Women Eco Artists Dialog\, Forest Unseen at Petaluma Arts Center\, The New Geologic Epoch with Ecoartspace\, and exhibitions at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts\, San Francisco\, and the San Jose Museum of Art. Straus has held residencies at BigCi Residence in Australia\, Lucid Art Foundation\, and Morris Graves Foundation. Her work has been featured in Dark Mountain Journal\, Sculpture Magazine\, Rhizome\, San Francisco Chronicle\, and Point Reyes National Seashore Association. She holds a BFA from State University of New York (SUNY) Purchase and an MFA from California College of the Arts. \nGallery Hours: Friday and Saturday\, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)\nArtists’ Opening Reception: Saturday\, August 15\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: Friday\, August 7\, September 4\, 5 – 9 pm
URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/artist-talk-rainey-straus-recomposing/
LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States
CATEGORIES:Artists Talk
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