Welcome to the gallery
Cricket Engine is a former military infirmary, utilised in the early part of this century. It is located in the 5th Avenue Marina, near Oakland's Jack London Square, among many other historic buildings, now artist work sites.
CRICKET ENGINE PRESENTS
Bay Area Now and Later
July 25-August 3, 2008
Opens Friday, July 25, 6-9pm
Gallery Hours: Sat. & Sun., July 26-27 & August 2-3, 12-4 p.m. and by appointment.
Bay Area Now and Later is a group show created by local artists in response to the Bay Area Now exhibition, going on simultaneously at YBCA. Our goal in staging this exhibition is to show that the bay areaʼs art scene is too diverse and vibrant to be summed up in one giant group show every three years. The aim of this exhibition is not to discredit or challenge our larger counterpart, but rather to present a supplement to Bay Area Now's survey of our contemporary art scene. We want to expose viewers to a cross section of artistic practice which might go unrepresented if we leave the definition of local artistic practice up to one institution.
AND
Ironing Things Out
New Works by Shalene Valenzuela
August 7-17
Opening reception on Thursday, August 7 from 6-9pm
Closing Bash/Reception on Sunday, August 17 from 1-8pm
Gallery hours: Sat. & Sun., Aug. 9-10, Noon-4 p.m., Sat. Aug. 16, Noon-4 p.m.
and by appointment.
In June 2007, Shalene Valenzuela moved from Oakland, CA to begin a long-term residency at The Clay Studio of Missoula, which has been extended through June 2009. The work showcased in this exhibit consists of pieces that have been created during her time in Montana.
Her body of ceramic work consists of quirky pieces that reflect upon a variety of issues with a thoughtful, yet humorous tone. Her narratives generally deal with topics ranging from fairytales, urban mythologies, societal expectations, etiquette, and coming-of-age issues. One could describe her building aesthetic as a form of trompe l’oeil with a twist: the preciousness of clay as a medium helps transform her depicted common household or everyday item into something magical. She cares about the object being referenced and recognizable while maintaining an illustrative, and almost “cartoonish” quality at times.
Shalene Valenzuela received her BA in Art Practice at the University of California at Berkeley and an MFA in Ceramics from California College of Arts and Crafts. She was a Cricket Engine Studio member from 1998-2007, in which she was the gallery manager for the majority of her tenure. She has taught classes and workshops at The Clay Studio of Missoula, Richmond Art Center (CA), ASUC Studios at UC Berkeley, and CCA Extended Education, and has been a guest artist speaker at numerous schools and centers. Her work has been shown in several venues in the San Francisco Bay Area and California, and she has been featured in numerous exhibitions nationally. In addition to the Clay Studio, she has participated in summer artist residencies at the Archie Bray Foundation (MT) and Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts (ME). Learn more about her work at her website: www.shalene.com
Upcoming 2008
TBA, August
Larnie & Bodil Fox. September
Michele Kern & Michael DeLeon. October 4-19
Jaime Lakatos. November 14-23
Namita Kapoor. November 28-Dec 7
visit our events page for details
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Directions to Cricket Engine from BART or highway
499 Embarcadero Ave., Bldg #3, Oakland, CA
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