EMERYVILLE CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS ANNOUNCES
37th ANNUAL EMERYVILLE ART EXHIBITION
OCTOBER 7 – 29, 2023
11am-6pm, Wednesdays - Sundays
Opening Reception, 6-9pm, Friday, October 6, 2023
Public Market Emeryville, 5905 Shellmound Street, Emeryville, CA

(EMERYVILLE, CA, AUGUST 31, 2023) Emeryville Celebration of the Arts, Inc. is proud to announce the 37th Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition, a juried show featuring nearly 200 artworks created by 126 Emeryville artists. The exhibition is open October 7 – 29, 2023, from 11am to 6 pm, Wednesdays through Sundays at 5905 Shellmound Street, Emeryville, CA. The opening night reception at 6 pm, Friday, October 6, offers the opportunity to meet the artists and get the first look at the artwork on display, with music by The doRiaN Mode: Vintage Jazz & Blues; no-host bar raises funds for the Emeryville Youth Art Program. Admission to the reception and exhibition is free. For details, directions, and Emery-go-round stop information, log onto www.emeryarts.org or call 510/652-6122.

Celebrating Emeryville’s thriving collective creativity, the Annual Art Exhibition showcases the vast and varied talents of new and established artists that live or work in Emeryville. Selected as one of Califorina’s fourteen state-designated Cultural Districts, Emeryville represents an innovative enclave devoted to art and creative production. The sheer number and array of Emeryville artists illustrates the city's cultural vibrancy and provides an impressive creative pool that continues to produce new and exciting works. The artwork for the exhibition is selected by a jury of Bay Area art professionals. After a three-year hiatus due to covid protocols, the jurors resumed in-person visits to art studios and work spaces to meet the artists and view their work. The result is an exciting, diverse and carefully curated show featuring 180 works from 126 artists, representing the largest group show in its 37-year history, with an influx of new artists participating for the first time.

“Our Emeryville Celebration of the Arts voicemail message always ends with ‘thanks for calling Emeryville where the arts are alive and well’ and truly they are,” said Sharon Wilchar, exhibition coordinator. "In this year’s enormous show, there are over 40 artists new to the exhibition which translates to an infusion of new artwork in addition to the work of artists who have made Emeryville their home for decades. We look forward to getting to know these new names and talents as our arts’ community extends a welcome. In tandem with all of this creative energy are exciting developments underway for our Cultural Arts District. Stay tuned. The arts are flourishing in Emeryville and you can experience that at this year’s exhibition.”

Each year the exhibition space is donated by a local Emeryville business. For the second year in a row, Public Market Emeryville, owned by Oxford Properties in partnership with City Center Realty Partners, has generously offered space for the Annual Exhibition, located at the south end of this lively artisan food eateries destination.

The exhibition is open to artists of all media and includes paintings, sculpture, photographs, prints, ceramics, textiles, and furniture. This year’s exhibition includes contributions of poetry and dance, featuring a site-specific dance performance by Nancy Karp + Dancers, and an ekphrastic poetry workshop and readings with former Emeryville Poet Laureate Sarah Kobrinsky.

The 2023 contributing artists include painters Teresa Kalnoskas, M. Louise Stanley, Natalie Friedman, Sansu (Sungyeon) Joh, and Waldemar Dynerman; clay artists Ciera Christin Martinez, Cuong Ta, and Leticia Menchaca; photographers John Lund, Ruth Gilmore, Michael Teresko, Richard Greenstone, and Jeannie O'Connor; printmakers Mari Andrews, James Stahlman, and Kazuko Watanabe; Michele Théberge, Mike Farruggia, Jerry Jezowski, and Erin Fong working in mixed media; sculptors John Whitehead, Scott Donahue, Ken Kalman, and Roger Bash; textile artists Rachel Dosh and LaRae Schneider; and furniture makers Alison J. McLennan and Roberto Gastelumendi. The works in the 37th Annual Art Exhibition are for sale.

Independent curator and exhibition designer Kathleen Hanna is curator and juror. In her 12th year with the Exhibition, she shared her perspective. "Secure, affordable live/work spaces that support the artistic community were first made possible in Emeryville in 1986 when the city played an important role in facilitating the 45th Street Artists’ Cooperative's purchase of its first building. To call attention to this important collaboration, the city convened a committee of civic leaders, including artists, who proposed an annual juried exhibition that quickly grew to include all artists who live or work in the community. Thirty-seven years later, the Emeryville Celebration of the Arts remains an important example of community cooperation engaging artists, community members and city government."

The 2023 guest jurors are Emilee Enders, curator of exhibitions and programs at Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek and Jan Watten, founder and curator, at Gray Loft Gallery, Oakland.

“I had a wonderful experience meeting the artists who applied to this year’s Exhibition.” said juror Emilee Enders. “The process reminded me of the incredible community of artists we have in the Bay Area - specifically Emeryville, and left me inspired and grateful.”

"The talent, artistic visions, breadth of artistic expression and creativity in Emeryville is truly inspiring. I was thoroughly impressed by the remarkable caliber of the diverse range of artworks we viewed,” said fellow juror Jan Watten. “It was an absolute pleasure to conduct in-person studio visits with the artists which added an enriching layer to the selection process, allowing for deeper insights into the inspirations and techniques behind the works. The Emeryville Art Exhibition continues to be a platform of artistic excellence, and I am honored to have been part of this experience.“

Along with the impressive collection of visual art, the 37th Annual Exhibition also recognizes the contributions of Emeryville’s performance and literary artists. Nancy Karp + Dancers will perform a new site-specific work in the exhibition gallery. Emeryville’s former Poet Laureate Sarah Kobrinsky will lead an ekphrastic poetry writing workshop and reading, with poems inspired by the collection of works on display. The dance performance, poetry workshop (limited number) and reading are open to the public, for dates and details visit www.emaryarts.org.

The Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition is sponsored by Emeryville Celebration of the Arts, Inc. The mission of the non-profit Emeryville Celebration of the Arts, Inc. is to foster an appreciation of the arts and artists of Emeryville, to promote the city as a culturally vital and progressive center for living and working, and, most recently, to partner with the City of Emeryville in the Rotten City Emeryville Cultural Arts District, a program of the California Arts Council. The Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition continues to support this mission by providing a free public venue, open to all, to experience the rich diversity of artistic expression of those who live and work within the city of Emeryville.

CALENDAR LISTING - ART EXHIBITS:
What:    37th Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition
Celebrating the art and artists of Emeryville, this juried group show features nearly 200 pieces of artwork by 126 Emeryville artists. The exhibition is open to artists of all media and includes paintings, sculpture, photographs, prints, drawings, ceramics, textiles, and furniture, along with a site-specific dance performance and poetry workshop and reading. The East Bay enclave of Emeryville is well known for its active and diverse arts community and this exhibition serves as the city’s annual celebration of its thriving collective creativity. Each year a panel of Bay Area art professionals selects the pieces for the annual exhibition. The result is a carefully curated group show offering a sampling of the vast and varied works of local artists and craftspeople.

The Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition is sponsored by Emeryville Celebration of the Arts, Inc.. Independent curator and exhibition designer Kathleen Hanna is curator and juror. The other 2023 jurors are Emilee Enders, curator of exhibitions and programs at Bedford Gallery and Jan Watten, founder and curator of Gray Loft Gallery, Oakland.


When:     37th Annual Art Exhibition is Open
     Wednesdays through Sundays
         11 am – 6 pm, October 7–29, 2023

Where:    Opening Night Reception
    6 pm, Friday, October 6, 2023

Cost:    FREE - donations encouraged

Where:     Public Market Emeryville, 5905 Shellmound Street, Emeryville, CA


CALENDAR LISTING – ART EVENT / DANCE PERFORMANCE

What:    Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition Dance Performance                    
         NANCY KARP + DANCERS
NANCY KARP+ DANCERS perform a new site-specific work at the 37th Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition amidst the artwork of 126 artists and craftspeople who live or work in Emeryville.

When:     2 pm, Saturday, October 28, 2023

Cost:    FREE - donations encouraged

Where:     Public Market Emeryville, 5905 Shellmound Street, Emeryville, CA


CALENDAR LISTING – ART EVENT/ POETRY READING WITH MUSIC


What:     Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition
        Poetry Reading with Sarah Kobrinsky Sarah Kobrinsky, Emeryville’s former Poet Laureate, hosts a reading of poetry amidst the artwork of 126 artists and         craftspeople who live or work in Emeryville. Sarah will be joined by local musicians with poets reading works inspired by the art on display.

When:     2 - 4pm, Sunday, October 29, 2023

Cost:    FREE - donations encouraged

Where:     Public Market Emeryville, 5905 Shellmound Street, Emeryville, CA