BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Oakland Art Murmur - ECPv6.17.5.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Oakland Art Murmur X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Oakland Art Murmur REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Los_Angeles BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20250309T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20251102T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20260308T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20261101T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20270314T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20271107T090000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261024T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261024T170000 DTSTAMP:20261008T081207Z CREATED:20261002T115016Z LAST-MODIFIED:20261008T081207Z UID:10005889-1792854000-1792861200@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Opening Reception – Andrea Brewster: Draft DESCRIPTION:Andrea Brewster\, Draft 4\, 2026\, giclee print\, woven vellum. 12″ x 12″\, photo courtesy of the artist. \nAndrea Brewster’s new body of work\, Draft\, begins with the fundamental structure of weaving: warp and weft\, whose interlacing creates both fabric and an underlying grid. She approaches the grid not as a rigid system\, but as a living structure capable of variation\, interruption\, rhythm\, and ambiguity. The work draws from weaving drafts\, diagrams that function as instructions for generating complex patterns\, resembling a form of pre-digital code. The term “draft” also refers to an initial idea or work in progress\, connecting structure with imagination and instruction with image.This connection between weaving and digital systems is central to Brewster’s thinking. Although digitally constructed\, these pieces retain the appearance of hand-drawn marks\, creating a tension between material and virtual\, order and improvisation. Through line\, color\, repetition\, and interruption\, Brewster explores the relationship between visible patterns and the structures beneath them. \nBio:\nAndrea Brewster is a multidisciplinary artist who investigates the intersection of nature\, fiber art\, and technology through intricate forms and layered textures. Brewster earned a B.A. in Sculpture from Pomona College and an M.F.A. in New Genres from the San Francisco Art Institute. A 1993 NEA grant recipient\, she has exhibited widely in the San Francisco Bay Area\, with solo shows at Mercury 20\, The Lab\, and Southern Exposure\, as well as group exhibitions at Metal Haus Gallery\, Chandra Cerrito Contemporary\, The Oakland Museum\, and the Peninsula Museum. Her work has been featured in fiber art exhibitions in Ireland and the U.S. She has participated in the Djerassi Resident Artist Program\, and in 2025\, her AI work appeared at Load Gallery\, Barcelona\, and in the book Neo Botanica. She has been a member of Mercury 20 Gallery since 2020. \nGallery Hours: Friday and Saturday\, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: November 6\, 5 – 9 pm\nArtist Talks: Saturday\, November 7\, 3 – 5 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/opening-reception-andrea-brewster-draft/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Opening Reception ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/3_Brewster_Draft4.jpeg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261024T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261024T170000 DTSTAMP:20261002T093758Z CREATED:20261002T093758Z LAST-MODIFIED:20261002T093758Z UID:10005887-1792854000-1792861200@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Opening Reception – Jill McLennan: harm_less DESCRIPTION:Jill McLennan\, California Quails\, 2026\, Watercolor\, Collage\, Ink\, 22″x30″. photo by artist \nJill McLennan’s work gives voice to the harmless\, reflecting on the federal government’s decision to rescind the definition of harm (2026) as it applies to the protection of animals and their habitats\, listed under the Endangered Species Act (1975). In her art\, she depicts animals adapting\, inventing new ways to thrive amidst human impact. Using sumi ink\, a brush\, and mulberry paper\, she paints mammals\, birds\, amphibians\, plants\, trees\, and rivers. Then\, tearing the paper\, she applies these images to wood panels. Adding watercolor and handmade paper\, she creates a transformation from reality to wonder. McLennan states\, “The animals are here alongside us\, they have always been here\, and it is our duty to ensure that they remain\, that their habitat is here on earth for generations to come. May my art be a message to harm less\, a cry to the present and a hope for the future.” \nBio:\nJill McLennan creates paintings\, collages and prints inspired by her surroundings and the stories that she collects. She has been a member of Mercury 20 Gallery since 2007. She is an active member of her neighborhood\, Jingletown Arts\, Business + Community (JABC)\, organizing Open Studios as well as beautification projects. She recently printed a series of linoleum blocks with poems\, telling stories of migration and climate change\, through a residency at the Kala Art Institute in Berkeley\, CA. McLennan has 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 shoreline with birds\, designed by McLennan and executed by local metal fabricators. Her work was accepted to the deYoung Open in 2020 and 2023. As an artist and teacher\, she is deeply invested in protecting her environment\, inspiring the youth\, and spreading hope and joy into the world. \nOctober 23 – November 28\, 2026\nGallery Hours: Friday and Saturday\, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: November 6\, 5 – 9 pm\nArtist Talks: Saturday\, November 7\, 3 – 5 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/opening-reception-jill-mclennan-harm_less/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Opening Reception ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/McLennan3Quails-Jill-McLennan-scaled.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261024T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261024T170000 DTSTAMP:20261002T092935Z CREATED:20261002T092731Z LAST-MODIFIED:20261002T092935Z UID:10005885-1792854000-1792861200@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Opening Reception – Leah Korican: DOILoveYou Too DESCRIPTION:Leah Korican\, wholly blue\, 2026\, acrylic\, holes\, on card\, 4″ x 4″ photo courtesy of the artist \nLeah Korican’s installation is part of her ongoing DOILoveYou series and is a variation on a piece created for the Nashville International Airport\, which was installed 2020-2022. It celebrates anonymous women\, crocheting and creating\, making doilies and antimacassars\, and the meditative aspects of their repetitive gestures. This work says let’s not merely make decor — let’s take up space. The cut paper drapes across the ceiling and plays with light and shadow\, and brings the viewer into a place of both reverie and exhilaration. \nBio:\nLeah Korican is a visual artist and writer based in Oakland\, CA. She has a BA from UC Berkeley and an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. Her work has been exhibited nationally\, including at the Richmond Art Center\, Bedford Gallery\, and Triton Museum\, among others. Her public art commissions include a large-scale\, site-specific cutout at the Nashville International Airport and permanent artworks for Kehilla Community Synagogue in Piedmont\, California and Rumsey Engineers in Oakland. She is an award winner in the 2026 Guild of American Paper Cutters exhibition “Cutting East to West” at the Heritage Asian Art Museum in Chicago\, Illinois. This is her third solo exhibition at Mercury 20 Gallery. \nOctober 23 – November 28\, 2026\nGallery Hours: Friday and Saturday\, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: November 6\, 5 – 9 pm\nArtist Talks: Saturday\, November 7\, 3 – 5 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/opening-reception-leah-korican-doiloveyou-too/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Opening Reception ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/LKorican3-Leah-Korican-scaled.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261024T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261024T170000 DTSTAMP:20261002T090312Z CREATED:20261002T090112Z LAST-MODIFIED:20261002T090312Z UID:10005884-1792854000-1792861200@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Opening Reception – Pat O’Connor\, K.C. Rosenberg\, Emily Shepard: Material Messages DESCRIPTION:Pat O’Connor\, “A Realignment\,” 2024\, Salvaged cardboard\, acrylic paint\, 22 in H x 120 in W x 12 in D\, Photo: Jeannie O’Connor \nMaterial Messages brings together three artists whose abstract practices are guided by a collaboration with their materials. Each follows a distinct pathway\, using stains\, layering\, repetition\, text fragments\, and evidence of the body as carriers of information. \nPat O’Connor considers the histories held in ordinary objects. Found and repurposed cardboard becomes a layered assemblage\, taking on new form while traces of its previous life remain. K.C. Rosenberg uses words and fragments of language as both material and meaning. Removed from conventional narrative\, words shift between language and form\, creating a space where recognition gives way to abstraction and interpretation remains open. Emily Shepard builds forms through mark-making and assembly\, emphasizing presence. Gestures and materials come together into surfaces that echo experience\, attention\, and movement. Together\, the artists invite viewers to slow down and consider what material can reveal through their surfaces\, histories\, and transformations. \nGallery Hours: Friday and Saturday\, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: November 6\, 5 – 9 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/opening-reception-pat-oconnor-k-c-rosenberg-emily-shepard-material-messages/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Opening Reception ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/3.Pat-OConnor_A-Realignment-The-Graphic-Distillery-scaled.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261010T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261010T170000 DTSTAMP:20260827T031954Z CREATED:20260827T031730Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260827T031954Z UID:10005844-1791644400-1791651600@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Artist Talks: Present Figures – Curated by Laura Malone DESCRIPTION:Laura Malone\, Carnivale\, Oil on Linen\, 60” x 48”\, 2021\, Photo courtesy of the artist \nPresent Figures brings together five California painters whose works exist within the figurative language of portraiture\, simultaneously expanding and disrupting it. Centered around themes of intimacy\, boundaries\, and embodied emotion\, each artist takes an individual approach to media\, scale\, and the capacity of the human form to be both a site of identity and a vessel of metaphor. Engaging in profound considerations of what it is to be human—our physicality\, sense of self\, relationships\, consciousness\, and creativity\, these artists invite us to engage with these shifting\, eternal questions and reflect on our own experiences—be they practical\, peaceful\, disturbing\, humorous\, fragmented\, spiritual\, or otherworldly. As individuals\, choices that begin with who and what to portray later manifest in stylistic and material communiquès that boldly and poetically reveal themselves to the world. Collectively\, the psychologically charged spectrum of the group reminds us of the myriad ways our sentience can be narrated. Like Anais Nin said\, “We don’t see things as they are\, we see them as we are.” \nBio:\nWith Present Figures\, Laura Malone expands her practice to curation. Malone invited four artists to show alongside her\, chosen for their unique and diverse approaches to representing the figure: two Southern California artists — Cindy Craig and Shannon Rae Fincke — and two from the Bay Area — Nina Katz and Heidi Brueckner. Collectively their work has been shown across the globe in Europe\, Asia\, and the United States. Malone’s artwork was featured in The Crocker Kingsley National Art Competition and included in “Disrupted Realism\,” juried by John Seed\, who wrote the book of the same name. Malone currently resides in Oakland\, CA and has been a member of Mercury 20 since 2023. \nGallery Hours: Friday and Saturday\, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)\nOpening Reception: Saturday\, September 12\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: October 2\, 5 – 9 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/artist-talks-present-figures-curated-by-laura-malone/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Artists Talk ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Laura_Malone_Carnivale_.Oil-on-Linen_60-X-48_2021-scaled.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261010T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261010T170000 DTSTAMP:20260825T191948Z CREATED:20260825T191948Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260825T191948Z UID:10005836-1791644400-1791651600@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Artist Talk – Tara Esperanza: Close to Home DESCRIPTION:Tara Esperanza\, Guardians\, 2026\, acrylic-on-panel\, 20” x 16”\, Photo courtesy of the artist \nWhether painted in California or Oaxaca\, the works in Close to Home begin with the same impulse: to slow down and look closely. Working on a more intimate scale than in her previous work\, Tara Esperanza found herself drawn to quiet moments of observation\, where familiar plants reveal unexpected beauty through color\, form\, and light.\nCreated between two places that have become part of her life\, these paintings are less about geography than about attention. Though rooted in different landscapes\, each painting is shaped by the same curiosity and sense of wonder inspired by the resilience and sculptural elegance of plants. For many years\, succulents have been Esperanza’s way of exploring themes of adaptation\, diversity\, and endurance. Through this body of work\, the smaller scale invites viewers to slow down\, look closely\, and discover that what is closest to us often has the most to reveal. \nBio:\nTara Esperanza resides in Oakland\, California\, where succulents thrive year-round. When she is not painting\, she enjoys running and capturing images that later inspire her work. Esperanza earned a BFA in Painting\, graduating cum laude from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth\, and studied plein air painting in Brittany\, France. A representational painter inspired by nature\, she has dedicated years to portraying the remarkable beauty and diversity of succulents. She has been a member of Mercury 20 Gallery in Oakland\, CA\, since 2020. Her work has been shown at the Women’s United Art Movement Virtual Gallery\, as well as numerous group exhibitions. In 2025\, Esperanza received Best of Show at the Annual National Juried Painting Exhibition at Emerald Springs Art Center in Oregon. Her paintings have been featured in Create! Magazine\, New Visionary Magazine\, and other publications\, and are held in private collections throughout the United States. \nGallery Hours: Friday and Saturday\, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)\nOpening Reception: Saturday\, September 12\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: October 2\, 5 – 9 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/artist-talk-tara-esperanza-close-to-home/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Artists Talk ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Esperanza-Tara-Guardians-20x16-acrylic-on-panel-2026--scaled.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261010T030000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261010T170000 DTSTAMP:20260825T192823Z CREATED:20260825T192823Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260825T192823Z UID:10005838-1791601200-1791651600@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Artist Talk – Patricia Guthrie: Get Up Stand Up DESCRIPTION:One purpose of art is to support and communicate political messages. Using color\, letters\, and shapes\, Patricia Guthrie’s abstract quilts deliver political messages relating to the government\, international relationships\, and global warming. She creates artwork using cotton fabric\, wool batting\, dyes\, and machine stitching. \nBio:\nAfter retiring as a professor and department chair of Human Development and Women’s Studies at California State University East Bay\, Patricia Guthrie decided to actively engage in the visual arts. She began taking community-based art classes: drawing\, photography\, quilt making\, and printing on fabric. Quilt making and all its aspects has become her passion. Guthrie hopes her quilts encourage viewers to move beyond art that is merely pleasing to the eye to seek a deeper meaning.\nHer work has been shown nationally and internationally including Schweinfurth Memorial\, Art Center\, Auburn\, New York; International Quilt Museum\, Lincoln\, Nebraska; Philadelphia Museum of Art\, Philadelphia\, Pennsylvania; and Tuch + Technik Museum\, Neumunster\, Germany. This is Guthrie’s second solo show at Mercury 20 Gallery. \nGallery Hours: Friday and Saturday\, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)\nOpening Reception: Saturday\, September 12\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: October 2\, 5 – 9 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/artist-talk-patricia-guthrie-get-up-stand-up/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Artists Talk ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Letters_78x52-Patricia-Guthrie.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260912T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260912T170000 DTSTAMP:20260827T031410Z CREATED:20260826T032249Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260827T031410Z UID:10005841-1789225200-1789232400@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Opening Reception: Present Figures – Curated by Laura Malone DESCRIPTION:Nina Kath\, Enigma in Shadow\, Oil on Canvas\, 56” x 40”\, Photo courtesy of the artist \nPresent Figures brings together five California painters whose works exist within the figurative language of portraiture\, simultaneously expanding and disrupting it. Centered around themes of intimacy\, boundaries\, and embodied emotion\, each artist takes an individual approach to media\, scale\, and the capacity of the human form to be both a site of identity and a vessel of metaphor. Engaging in profound considerations of what it is to be human—our physicality\, sense of self\, relationships\, consciousness\, and creativity\, these artists invite us to engage with these shifting\, eternal questions and reflect on our own experiences—be they practical\, peaceful\, disturbing\, humorous\, fragmented\, spiritual\, or otherworldly. As individuals\, choices that begin with who and what to portray later manifest in stylistic and material communiquès that boldly and poetically reveal themselves to the world. Collectively\, the psychologically charged spectrum of the group reminds us of the myriad ways our sentience can be narrated. Like Anais Nin said\, “We don’t see things as they are\, we see them as we are.” \nBio:\nWith Present Figures\, Laura Malone expands her practice to curation. Malone invited four artists to show alongside her\, chosen for their unique and diverse approaches to representing the figure: two Southern California artists — Cindy Craig and Shannon Rae Fincke — and two from the Bay Area — Nina Katz and Heidi Brueckner. Collectively their work has been shown across the globe in Europe\, Asia\, and the United States. Malone’s artwork was featured in The Crocker Kingsley National Art Competition and included in “Disrupted Realism\,” juried by John Seed\, who wrote the book of the same name. Malone currently resides in Oakland\, CA and has been a member of Mercury 20 since 2023. \nGallery Hours: Friday and Saturday\, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)\nArtist Talks: Saturday\, October 10\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: October 2\, 5 – 9 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/opening-reception-present-figures-curated-by-laura-malone/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Opening Reception ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Enigma-in-Shadow.png ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260912T030000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260912T170000 DTSTAMP:20260825T192419Z CREATED:20260825T192419Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260825T192419Z UID:10005837-1789182000-1789232400@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Opening Reception – Patricia Guthrie: Get Up Stand Up DESCRIPTION:One purpose of art is to support and communicate political messages. Using color\, letters\, and shapes\, Patricia Guthrie’s abstract quilts deliver political messages relating to the government\, international relationships\, and global warming. She creates artwork using cotton fabric\, wool batting\, dyes\, and machine stitching. \nBio:\nAfter retiring as a professor and department chair of Human Development and Women’s Studies at California State University East Bay\, Patricia Guthrie decided to actively engage in the visual arts. She began taking community-based art classes: drawing\, photography\, quilt making\, and printing on fabric. Quilt making and all its aspects has become her passion. Guthrie hopes her quilts encourage viewers to move beyond art that is merely pleasing to the eye to seek a deeper meaning.\nHer work has been shown nationally and internationally including Schweinfurth Memorial\, Art Center\, Auburn\, New York; International Quilt Museum\, Lincoln\, Nebraska; Philadelphia Museum of Art\, Philadelphia\, Pennsylvania; and Tuch + Technik Museum\, Neumunster\, Germany. This is Guthrie’s second solo show at Mercury 20 Gallery. \nGallery Hours: Friday and Saturday\, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)\nArtist Talks: Saturday\, October 10\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: October 2\, 5 – 9 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/opening-reception-patricia-guthrie-get-up-stand-up/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Opening Reception ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/DSC3949-Patricia-Guthrie-scaled.jpeg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260911T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261017T170000 DTSTAMP:20260825T195104Z CREATED:20260825T195104Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260825T195104Z UID:10005840-1789128000-1792256400@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Mary Curtis Ratcliff | In The Backroom DESCRIPTION:Mary Curtis Ratcliff\, Drama Queen\, 2026\, mixed media\, 42 3/4 ” x 35 1/2 x 2 1/4 ” Photo courtesy of the artist \nInspired by traditional costumes of Greek village women\, Mary Curtis Ratcliff has constructed three large figurative fabric collages which draw together her family’s history and life as a sculptor. Many of the elements included in these works are antique objects inherited from Ratcliff’s mother\, from whom she learned sewing and three-dimensional design. \nGallery Hours: Friday and Saturday\, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)\nOpening Reception: Saturday\, September 12\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: October 2\, 5 – 9 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/mary-curtis-ratcliff-in-the-backroom/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Ongoing Exhibitions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/MCRatcliff_Drama-Queen_2026-1-Mary-Curtis-Ratcliff.jpeg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260911T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261017T170000 DTSTAMP:20260825T194702Z CREATED:20260825T194702Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260825T194702Z UID:10005839-1789128000-1792256400@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:CHARLIE MILGRIM | In The Backroom DESCRIPTION:Charlie Milgrim\, Fission Vision\, 2026\, acrylic on wood panel\, 10″ x 32″ x 1.5″\, Photo courtesy of the artist \nThe spiral grooves cut into vinyl records appear similar to the contour lines used in maps depicting radiating seismic patterns. These patterns inspired Milgrim’s Rotations series. In these works\, she cut radiating grooves into acrylic paint\, creating a labyrinth of circular terrains. \nGallery Hours: Friday and Saturday\, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)\nOpening Reception: Saturday\, September 12\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: October 2\, 5 – 9 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/charlie-milgrim-in-the-backroom/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Ongoing Exhibitions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8DBE9F45-17D1-4467-8F74-3A00EB169F71_1_102_a-Charlie-Milgrim-1.jpeg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260911T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261017T170000 DTSTAMP:20260825T031138Z CREATED:20260825T031138Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260825T031138Z UID:10005834-1789128000-1792256400@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Present Figures – Curated by Laura Malone DESCRIPTION:Clockwise from left: Nina Katz\, Heidi Brueckner\, Cindy Craig\, Shannon Rae Fincke\, Laura Malone \nPresent Figures brings together five California painters whose works exist within the figurative language of portraiture\, simultaneously expanding and disrupting it. Centered around themes of intimacy\, boundaries\, and embodied emotion\, each artist takes an individual approach to media\, scale\, and the capacity of the human form to be both a site of identity and a vessel of metaphor. Engaging in profound considerations of what it is to be human—our physicality\, sense of self\, relationships\, consciousness\, and creativity\, these artists invite us to engage with these shifting\, eternal questions and reflect on our own experiences—be they practical\, peaceful\, disturbing\, humorous\, fragmented\, spiritual\, or otherworldly. As individuals\, choices that begin with who and what to portray later manifest in stylistic and material communiquès that boldly and poetically reveal themselves to the world. Collectively\, the psychologically charged spectrum of the group reminds us of the myriad ways our sentience can be narrated. Like Anais Nin said\, “We don’t see things as they are\, we see them as we are.” \nBio:\nWith Present Figures\, Laura Malone expands her practice to curation. Malone invited four artists to show alongside her\, chosen for their unique and diverse approaches to representing the figure: two Southern California artists — Cindy Craig and Shannon Rae Fincke — and two from the Bay Area — Nina Katz and Heidi Brueckner. Collectively their work has been shown across the globe in Europe\, Asia\, and the United States. Malone’s artwork was featured in The Crocker Kingsley National Art Competition and included in “Disrupted Realism\,” juried by John Seed\, who wrote the book of the same name. Malone currently resides in Oakland\, CA and has been a member of Mercury 20 since 2023. \nGallery Hours: Friday and Saturday\, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)\nOpening Reception: Saturday\, September 12\, 3 – 5 pm\nArtist Talks: Saturday\, October 10\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: October 2\, 5 – 9 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/present-figures-curated-by-laura-malone/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Ongoing Exhibitions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/1.-Laura-Malone_-PresentFigures5-x-7_v.2-Laura-Malone.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260911T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261017T170000 DTSTAMP:20260825T030428Z CREATED:20260825T030428Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260825T030428Z UID:10005833-1789128000-1792256400@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Patricia Guthrie: Get Up Stand Up DESCRIPTION:Patricia Guthrie\, Flood\, 2021\, Hand Painted\, Machine Pieced\, Machine Quilted\, 72” wide x 69” high\, Photo Beverly Tucker \nOne purpose of art is to support and communicate political messages. Using color\, letters\, and shapes\, Patricia Guthrie’s abstract quilts deliver political messages relating to the government\, international relationships\, and global warming. She creates artwork using cotton fabric\, wool batting\, dyes\, and machine stitching. \nBio:\nAfter retiring as a professor and department chair of Human Development and Women’s Studies at California State University East Bay\, Patricia Guthrie decided to actively engage in the visual arts. She began taking community-based art classes: drawing\, photography\, quilt making\, and printing on fabric. Quilt making and all its aspects has become her passion. Guthrie hopes her quilts encourage viewers to move beyond art that is merely pleasing to the eye to seek a deeper meaning.\nHer work has been shown nationally and internationally including Schweinfurth Memorial\, Art Center\, Auburn\, New York; International Quilt Museum\, Lincoln\, Nebraska; Philadelphia Museum of Art\, Philadelphia\, Pennsylvania; and Tuch + Technik Museum\, Neumunster\, Germany. This is Guthrie’s second solo show at Mercury 20 Gallery. \nGallery Hours: Friday and Saturday\, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)\nOpening Reception: Saturday\, September 12\, 3 – 5 pm\nArtist Talks: Saturday\, October 10\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: October 2\, 5 – 9 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/patricia-guthrie-get-up-stand-up/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Ongoing Exhibitions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/DSC3939-Patricia-Guthrie-scaled.jpeg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260911T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261017T170000 DTSTAMP:20260825T030046Z CREATED:20260825T030027Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260825T030046Z UID:10005832-1789128000-1792256400@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Tara Esperanza: Close to Home DESCRIPTION:Tara Esperanza\, Protected Radiance\, 2026\, acrylic on panel\, 12″ x 12″\, Photo courtesy of the artist \nWhether painted in California or Oaxaca\, the works in Close to Home begin with the same impulse: to slow down and look closely. Working on a more intimate scale than in her previous work\, Tara Esperanza found herself drawn to quiet moments of observation\, where familiar plants reveal unexpected beauty through color\, form\, and light.\nCreated between two places that have become part of her life\, these paintings are less about geography than about attention. Though rooted in different landscapes\, each painting is shaped by the same curiosity and sense of wonder inspired by the resilience and sculptural elegance of plants.\nFor many years\, succulents have been Esperanza’s way of exploring themes of adaptation\, diversity\, and endurance. Through this body of work\, the smaller scale invites viewers to slow down\, look closely\, and discover that what is closest to us often has the most to reveal. \nBio:\nTara Esperanza resides in Oakland\, California\, where succulents thrive year-round. When she is not painting\, she enjoys running and capturing images that later inspire her work. Esperanza earned a BFA in Painting\, graduating cum laude from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth\, and studied plein air painting in Brittany\, France. A representational painter inspired by nature\, she has dedicated years to portraying the remarkable beauty and diversity of succulents. She has been a member of Mercury 20 Gallery in Oakland\, CA\, since 2020. Her work has been shown at the Women’s United Art Movement Virtual Gallery\, as well as numerous group exhibitions. In 2025\, Esperanza received Best of Show at the Annual National Juried Painting Exhibition at Emerald Springs Art Center in Oregon. Her paintings have been featured in Create! Magazine\, New Visionary Magazine\, and other publications\, and are held in private collections throughout the United States. \nGallery Hours: Friday and Saturday\, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)\nOpening Reception: Saturday\, September 12\, 3 – 5 pm\nArtist Talks: Saturday\, October 10\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: October 2\, 5 – 9 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/tara-esperanza-close-to-home/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Ongoing Exhibitions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Esperanza-Tara-Protected-Radiance-12x12-wood-panel-2026-Tara-Raciel-Esperanza-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260829T153000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260829T170000 DTSTAMP:20260709T191507Z CREATED:20260709T191507Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260709T191507Z UID:10005255-1788017400-1788022800@oaklandartmurmur.org 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 ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/4_RaineyStraus_Radicling-Rainey-Straus.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260829T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260829T170000 DTSTAMP:20260710T181415Z CREATED:20260710T181415Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260710T181415Z UID:10005259-1788015600-1788022800@oaklandartmurmur.org 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 ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/3_Monika-Mayer_Flow-61_Stretched_2025_Acrylic-coffee-and-ink-on-canvas_18x36.jpeg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260815T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260815T170000 DTSTAMP:20260710T181038Z CREATED:20260710T181038Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260710T181038Z UID:10005258-1786806000-1786813200@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Opening Reception – Monika Mayer: LINKED DESCRIPTION:Image: Monika Mayer_Flow # 60 – Entangled\, 2025 (detail)\, Acrylic\, coffee and ink on canvas\, 22” x 28”\, 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)\nArtist Talk: Saturday\, August 29\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: Friday\, August 7\, September 4\, 5 – 9 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/opening-reception-monika-mayer-linked/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Opening Reception ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/2_Monika-Mayer_Flow-60_Entangled_2025-detail-Acrylic-coffee-and-ink-on-canvas_22x28_Detail.jpeg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260815T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260815T170000 DTSTAMP:20260710T180120Z CREATED:20260710T180120Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260710T180120Z UID:10005257-1786806000-1786813200@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Opening Reception – Cade Salamanca: The Final Push DESCRIPTION:Image: Cade Salamanca\, The Clock is Ticking\, 2026\, Mixed media on canvas\, 24” x 36” \nThe Final Push marks a pivotal chapter in Cade Salamanca’s artistic and personal journey. In 2026\, Salamanca embraced a new name—an act of self-definition that became a powerful affirmation of identity and a catalyst for creative transformation. Freed from expectations that once constrained her\, her work has entered a period of greater clarity\, confidence\, and emotional depth.\nThis body of work explores the liberation that emerges when authenticity is fully embraced. The introduction of wire mesh and draped chains began as formal material investigations but evolved into potent metaphors for the protective barriers Salamanca had constructed around herself over time. Fragmented mesh and suspended chains symbolize the dismantling of fear\, self-doubt\, and inherited expectations\, revealing a renewed sense of freedom and possibility. Alongside 12 paintings\, Salamanca will debut six double exposure self portraits that mark the beginning of a new practice with Film Photography on a Canon AE-1 Program. Both deeply personal and universally resonant\, The Final Push is a celebration of self-acceptance\, courage\, and transformation—a declaration of identity expressed without apology and an invitation to witness the power of becoming fully seen. \nBio:\nThe Final Push marks Cade Salamanca’s second solo exhibition with Mercury 20 Gallery. Throughout her artistic journey\, Salamanca has explored diverse mediums including ceramics and photography. After experimenting with different painting styles\, she developed a distinctive voice that combines techniques she has honed over the years—from smooth color transitions to rich textured layers.Salamanca’s work has been shown at the Blue Mountain Gallery in New York City; Made In California 2024\, Brea Gallery\, in La Brea\, CA; Reflections of Us (Juror Sergio Gomez)\, Warnes Contemporary\, in Brooklyn\, NY; Metal Haus Gallery\, in San Francisco\, CA; and others. \nGallery Hours: Friday and Saturday\, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)\nArtist Talk: Saturday\, August 29\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: Friday\, August 7\, September 4\, 5 – 9 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/opening-reception-cade-salamanca-the-final-push/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Opening Reception ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/2_Cade-Salamanca_The-Clock-is-Ticking_2026.jpeg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260815T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260815T170000 DTSTAMP:20260710T174733Z CREATED:20260710T174733Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260710T174733Z UID:10005256-1786806000-1786813200@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Opening Reception – Jessica Cadkin & Michael Lynch: The End DESCRIPTION:Image: Michael Lynch\, A Short Story of an Owl and the Rabbit\, 2026\, Gouache on Wood Panel\, 12” x 15” \nJessica Cadkin & Michael Lynch: The End \nA few days after her uncle’s death\, Jessica Cadkin was out walking when she noticed a crow cawing at her. It followed her for several blocks\, seeming to want her attention. Only when she stopped and looked up at it did the crow alight on a nearby light post. They quietly stared at one another for a few minutes before it flew away. Crows appear prominently in mythology across cultures. In Native American traditions they are not only tricksters and wise guys\, but protectors. In some Asian myths they represent the divine; while in Norse lore\, Huginn (thought) and Muninn (memory) serve as the eyes and ears of the god Odin. In Hindu belief\, crows act as messengers of the dead\, bridging the living and the spiritual worlds. Drawing on these associations as well as her own personal encounter with a crow shortly after a family member’s death\, Cadkin’s sculpture\, Eulogy\, reflects on memory\, loss\, and connection. \nMichael Lynch’s work often arises from his keen interest in art\, natural science\, and physics. The paintings of birds striking windows\, The Final Act 1\, 2\, and 3\, are based on photographs of the keratin and oil from powder down feathers transferred onto the glass at the moment of impact. They represent just three of the more than one billion fatal bird-window collisions in the United States each year. The Short Story of the Owl and the Rabbit is a reconstruction of a memory from a scene Lynch encountered over 50 years ago\, one he always wished he had a way to record. Lynch often seeks to bring to life the stories and events in nature that might otherwise go unnoticed. \nBios:\nJessica Cadkin was born in Phoenix\, Arizona\, and grew up in Napa\, California. She received a BA in Sculpture and Painting from San Francisco State University. Her work has appeared in group shows internationally and throughout Northern California including the de Young Museum\, Headlands Center for the Arts\, Southern Exposure\, di Rosa Preserve\, Bateman Foundation Gallery of Nature\, Bedford Gallery\, Root Division\, and the Berkeley Art Center. Cadkin joined Mercury Twenty Gallery in 2020\, this is her fifth show with the gallery. \nMichael Lynch is a self-described artistic engineer. Over the course of the last 55 years\, he has had several distinct careers. He began as a cabinet and furniture maker\, followed by 30 years in the film special effects industry\, most of which were in the Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) model shop. During this period\, he earned more than 30 film credits and worked on countless commercials. Lynch then shifted his focus for a decade\, contracting with the U.S. Department of Defense to design and fabricate prototype parachute systems and combat trauma trainers for the military and NATO. Retired since 2023\, Lynch now spends his workweek in the studio in Sausalito\, CA. Much of the work he produces lies at the intersection of art\, natural history\, and physics. His work often tells a story or records events that might otherwise go unnoticed. \nGallery Hours: Friday and Saturday\, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)\nArtist Talk: Saturday\, August 29\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: Friday\, August 7\, September 4\, 5 – 9 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/opening-reception-jessica-cadkin-michael-lynch-the-end/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Opening Reception ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/2_Michael-Lynch-A-Short-Story-of-an-Owl-and-the-Rabbit.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260815T143000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260815T170000 DTSTAMP:20260709T184257Z CREATED:20260709T184257Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260709T184257Z UID:10005251-1786804200-1786813200@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Opening Reception – Rainey Straus: re(COMPOSING) DESCRIPTION:Rainey Straus\, re(Composing)\, fragment\, 2026\, Cast Paper\, 13 H x 35 W x 26 D in\, 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)\nArtist Talk: Saturday\, August 29\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: Friday\, August 7\, September 4\, 5 – 9 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/opening-reception-rainey-straus-recomposing/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Opening Reception ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/2_RaineyStraus_reComposingFragment_V1-Rainey-Straus.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260731T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260905T170000 DTSTAMP:20260709T184442Z CREATED:20260709T010026Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260709T184442Z UID:10005248-1785499200-1788627600@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Rainey Straus: re(COMPOSING) DESCRIPTION:Rainey Straus\, re(Composing)\, 2026\, site specific Installation: cast paper and bioplastic\, dimensions 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\nArtist Talks: Saturday\, August 29\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: Friday\, August 7\, September 4\, 5 – 9 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/rainey-strauss-recomposing/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Ongoing Exhibitions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/1_RaineyStraus_reComposing-Rainey-Straus.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260731T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260905T170000 DTSTAMP:20260709T010110Z CREATED:20260709T005554Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260709T010110Z UID:10005247-1785499200-1788627600@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Cade Salamanca: The Final Push DESCRIPTION:Cade Salamanca\, Come As You Are\, 2026\, mixed media\, 36″ x 36″ x 2″\, photo courtesy of the artist \nThe Final Push marks a pivotal chapter in Cade Salamanca’s artistic and personal journey. In 2026\, Salamanca embraced a new name—an act of self-definition that became a powerful affirmation of identity and a catalyst for creative transformation. Freed from expectations that once constrained her\, her work has entered a period of greater clarity\, confidence\, and emotional depth. \nThis body of work explores the liberation that emerges when authenticity is fully embraced. The introduction of wire mesh and draped chains began as formal material investigations but evolved into potent metaphors for the protective barriers Salamanca had constructed around herself over time. Fragmented mesh and suspended chains symbolize the dismantling of fear\, self-doubt\, and inherited expectations\, revealing a renewed sense of freedom and possibility. Alongside 12 paintings\, Salamanca will debut six double exposure self portraits that mark the beginning of a new practice with Film Photography on a Canon AE-1 Program. Both deeply personal and universally resonant\, The Final Push is a celebration of self-acceptance\, courage\, and transformation—a declaration of identity expressed without apology and an invitation to witness the power of becoming fully seen. \nBio:\nThe Final Push marks Cade Salamanca’s second solo exhibition with Mercury 20 Gallery. Throughout her artistic journey\, Salamanca has explored diverse mediums including ceramics and photography. After experimenting with different painting styles\, she developed a distinctive voice that combines techniques she has honed over the years—from smooth color transitions to rich textured layers.Salamanca’s work has been shown at the Blue Mountain Gallery in New York City; Made In California 2024\, Brea Gallery\, in La Brea\, CA; Reflections of Us (Juror Sergio Gomez)\, Warnes Contemporary\, in Brooklyn\, NY; Metal Haus Gallery\, in San Francisco\, CA; and others. \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/cade-salamanca-the-final-push/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Ongoing Exhibitions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/1CadeSalamanca-Cade-Salamanca.jpeg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260731T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260905T170000 DTSTAMP:20260709T005131Z CREATED:20260709T005021Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260709T005131Z UID:10005246-1785499200-1788627600@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Monika Mayer: LINKED DESCRIPTION:Monika Mayer\, Flow # 60 – Entangled\, 2025\, acrylic\, coffee and ink on canvas\, 22″ x 28″\, 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\nArtist Talks: Saturday\, August 29\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: Friday\, August 7\, September 4\, 5 – 9 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/monika-mayer-linked/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Ongoing Exhibitions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/1_Monika-Mayer_Flow-60_Entangled_2025_Acrylic-coffee-and-ink-on-canvas_22x28-scaled.jpeg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260731T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260905T170000 DTSTAMP:20260709T005654Z CREATED:20260709T003651Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260709T005654Z UID:10005245-1785499200-1788627600@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Jessica Cadkin & Michael Lynch: The End DESCRIPTION:Michael Lynch\, The Final Act 1\, 2026\, 12″ x 15″ gouache on wood panel\, photo courtesy of the artist \nA few days after her uncle’s death\, Jessica Cadkin was out walking when she noticed a crow cawing at her. It followed her for several blocks\, seeming to want her attention. Only when she stopped and looked up at it did the crow alight on a nearby light post. They quietly stared at one another for a few minutes before it flew away. Crows appear prominently in mythology across cultures. In Native American traditions they are not only tricksters and wise guys\, but protectors. In some Asian myths they represent the divine; while in Norse lore\, Huginn (thought) and Muninn (memory) serve as the eyes and ears of the god Odin. In Hindu belief\, crows act as messengers of the dead\, bridging the living and the spiritual worlds. Drawing on these associations as well as her own personal encounter with a crow shortly after a family member’s death\, Cadkin’s sculpture\, Eulogy\, reflects on memory\, loss\, and connection. \nMichael Lynch’s work often arises from his keen interest in art\, natural science\, and physics. The paintings of birds striking windows\, The Final Act 1\, 2\, and 3\, are based on photographs of the keratin and oil from powder down feathers transferred onto the glass at the moment of impact. They represent just three of the more than one billion fatal bird-window collisions in the United States each year. The Short Story of the Owl and the Rabbit is a reconstruction of a memory from a scene Lynch encountered over 50 years ago\, one he always wished he had a way to record. Lynch often seeks to bring to life the stories and events in nature that might otherwise go unnoticed. \nBios:\nJessica Cadkin was born in Phoenix\, Arizona\, and grew up in Napa\, California. She received a BA in Sculpture and Painting from San Francisco State University. Her work has appeared in group shows internationally and throughout Northern California including the de Young Museum\, Headlands Center for the Arts\, Southern Exposure\, di Rosa Preserve\, Bateman Foundation Gallery of Nature\, Bedford Gallery\, Root Division\, and the Berkeley Art Center. Cadkin joined Mercury Twenty Gallery in 2020\, this is her fifth show with the gallery. \nMichael Lynch is a self-described artistic engineer. Over the course of the last 55 years\, he has had several distinct careers. He began as a cabinet and furniture maker\, followed by 30 years in the film special effects industry\, most of which were in the Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) model shop. During this period\, he earned more than 30 film credits and worked on countless commercials. Lynch then shifted his focus for a decade\, contracting with the U.S. Department of Defense to design and fabricate prototype parachute systems and combat trauma trainers for the military and NATO. Retired since 2023\, Lynch now spends his workweek in the studio in Sausalito\, CA. Much of the work he produces lies at the intersection of art\, natural history\, and physics. His work often tells a story or records events that might otherwise go unnoticed. \nGallery Hours: Friday and Saturday\, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)\nArtists’ Opening Reception: Saturday\, August 15\, 3 – 5 pm\nArtist Talks: Saturday\, August 29\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: Friday\, August 7\, September 4\, 5 – 9 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/jessica-cadkin-michael-lynch-the-end/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Ongoing Exhibitions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/MLynch-image-for-announcements-The-Final-Act-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260725T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260725T170000 DTSTAMP:20260529T002950Z CREATED:20260529T002950Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260529T002950Z UID:10005007-1784991600-1784998800@oaklandartmurmur.org 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 ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/3.-Emily-Shepard_Conversant_32_-x-71_-2026_sml_The-Graphic-Distillery-scaled.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260725T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260725T170000 DTSTAMP:20260529T000745Z CREATED:20260529T000745Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260529T000745Z UID:10005004-1784991600-1784998800@oaklandartmurmur.org 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 ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/3.-O_Connor_Pat__Winter-Sun-and-Shadow__48_-H-x-36_-W-x-2_-D_salvaged-cardboard-acrylic-paint-birch-board_2026_3000_high-res.jpeg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260627T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260627T170000 DTSTAMP:20260529T002446Z CREATED:20260529T002446Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260529T002446Z UID:10005006-1782572400-1782579600@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Emily Shepard: In Flux | Opening Reception DESCRIPTION:Emily Shepard\, “Pouring In\,” 2026\, 71” x 79”\, photo by Sibila Savage \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)\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: Friday\, July 3\, 5 – 9 pm\nArtists’ Closing Reception and Talk: Saturday\, July 25\, 3 – 5 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/emily-shepard-in-flux-opening-reception/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Opening Reception ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2.-Emily-Shepard_Pouring-In_71_-x-79_-2026_sml_The-Graphic-Distillery.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260627T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260627T170000 DTSTAMP:20260529T000831Z CREATED:20260528T234855Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260529T000831Z UID:10005003-1782572400-1782579600@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Pat O’Connor: Reclaimed | Opening Reception DESCRIPTION:Pat O’Connor\, “Entanglements\,” 2026\, 4′ x 3′ x 2″\, salvaged cardboard acrylic paint \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)\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: Friday\, July 3\, 5 – 9 pm\nArtists’ Closing Reception and Talk: Saturday\, July 25\, 3 – 5 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/opening-reception-pat-oconnor-reclaimed/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Opening Reception ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2.-Pat-OConnor_Entanglements_2026_4-x-3-x-222_salvaged-cardboard-acrylic-paint-scaled.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260619T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260725T170000 DTSTAMP:20260529T004018Z CREATED:20260529T003556Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260529T004018Z UID:10005008-1781870400-1784998800@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Thresholds | Gustave Carlson\, Leah Korican & Alec Marin in The Backroom Gallery DESCRIPTION:Left to right: Gustave Carlson\, “Rustic Cabin Interior No. 2\,” 2026\, acrylic and graphite on wood panel\, 24″ x 30”; Leah Korican\, “Mediterranean\,” 2026\, acrylic on paper\, 12″ x 9″; Alec Marin\,” A Scene from Indian Hills TX\,” 2020\, oil on canvas\, 18″ x 24″\, Photos courtesy of the artists. \nGustave Carlson’s paintings explore the threshold between observation and abstraction through architecture\, color\, and stillness. Ordinary spaces become contemplative sites suspended between memory and presence\, inside and outside. Using simplified forms and atmospheric light\, the work reflects on home\, nostalgia\, and the emotional resonance embedded within the contemporary American landscape. \nLeah Korican’s works on paper reside on the threshold of memory. She uses images from childhood stories and ancient glass bottles to express the way memories endure—elusive yet persistent. \nIn this series of paintings\, Alec Marin reimagines scenes from his native South Texas. He centers the people\, who\, in reshaping themselves and their environment\, confront the economic and political forces that seek to control their lives. \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/gustave-carlson-leah-korican-alec-marin-thresholds-the-backroom-gallery/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Ongoing Exhibitions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/1.-Backroom-Show_Composite-Image_Screenshot_Leah-Korican.png ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260619T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260725T170000 DTSTAMP:20260529T002046Z CREATED:20260529T002046Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260529T002046Z UID:10005005-1781870400-1784998800@oaklandartmurmur.org SUMMARY:Emily Shepard: In Flux DESCRIPTION:Emily Shepard\, “Boundless\,” 2026\, acrylic\, ink\, graphite\, thread\, on unstretched canvas\, 72″ x 84″\, photo by Sibila Savage \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\nArtists’ Closing Reception and Talk: Saturday\, July 25\, 3 – 5 pm\nOakland Art Murmur / First Friday: Friday\, July 3\, 5 – 9 pm URL:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/event/emily-shepard-in-flux/ LOCATION:Mercury 20 Gallery\, 475 25th Street\, Oakland\, CA\, 94612\, United States CATEGORIES:Ongoing Exhibitions ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oaklandartmurmur.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/1.-Emily-Shepard_Boundless__72-x-84_2026_sml-The-Graphic-Distillery.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Mercury 20 Gallery":MAILTO:mercurytwenty@gmail.com GEO:37.804829;-122.272476 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Mercury 20 Gallery 475 25th Street Oakland CA 94612 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=475 25th Street:geo:-122.272476,37.804829 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR