Recology Retrospective — Opening Reception @ Heron Arts

Art Bae Event Link Recology Retrospective @ Heron Arts Heron Arts is pleased to present Recology Retrospective, a collaborative exhibition highlighting the following artists that participated in Recology’s Artist in Residence (AIR) program: Bryan Keith Thomas, Chad Hasegawa, Elizabeth Estrada, Ferris Plock, Hughen/Starkweather, Jake Shapiro, James Gouldthorpe, Jenny Odell, Julia Goodman, Laurel Roth Hope, Mansur Nurullah, Nasim Moghadam, Nemo Gould, and Susan Leibovitz Steinman. The opening reception is July 18th from 6-9 pm. It is free and open to the public. The exhibition will be on view by appointment only until August 21st. Recology Retrospective reflects the AIR Program’s commitment to environmental education, resource conservation, and supporting artists through collaborative engagement. Education has been central to the AIR Program since its founding over 35 years ago when artist and environmental activist Jo Hanson proposed the idea of an artist residency at Recology. The works featured in this exhibition span a wide range of media, including sculpture, textiles, painting, paper-based works, installation, research-driven projects, and more. Representing artists from across the program’s history, the exhibition includes both professional and student artists, from early residents to more recent participants. While resource conservation serves as the program’s underlying theme, each artist brings their own areas of inquiry to the residency, exploring subjects ranging from family narratives and social issues to personal reflection and identity. At its core, the AIR Program demonstrates that art can inspire us to look differently at the materials we discard, deepen our understanding of environmental responsibility, and imagine new possibilities for the future. Collaborations like this are essential to reaching more audiences and we are grateful for the opportunity to show work from AIR alumni at Heron Arts. – Deborah Munk, AIR Manager ARTIST BIOS Bryan Keith Thomas was born in Dyersburg, Tennessee, and received his Master of Fine Arts from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He lives in Oakland, California, and works as a Professor of Fine Art in Painting and Drawing and Critical Ethnic Studies at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. His works of art, through the lens of installation and mixed media, celebrate the Black experience through its historic symbols: cotton, roses, Church fans, Holy Bibles, and the African American image. He includes nuances of Asia, India, and Africa as a single community. The mirrors in my works, inspired by the Minkisi- Power figures and nail fetishes from central Africa, symbolize desire, mortality, and ancestral protection. The nails hold the energy of a prayer request. The small cloth bags (Heirloom Bags) adorning multiple paintings bear spiritual and physical memories. In addition, the bags contain seeds, money, crystals, hair, prayer cloths, and more. Thomas received the "White House Honor" as a guest of First Lady Laura Bush for his work with the Art in Embassies Program. His work has been exhibited locally, nationally, and internationally, including at Art Basel (Miami, FL), de Young Museum (San Francisco, CA), Oakland Museum of California, Gallery Guichard (Chicago, IL), ArtJaz Gallery (Philadelphia, PA), E&S Gallery (Louisville, KY), American Embassy (Dakar, Senegal), and Du Sable Museum (Chicago, IL). His paintings are in private and public collections worldwide. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Chad Hasegawa was enthralled with graffiti and the art of the Mission School. He moved to San Francisco in 2000 and received a BFA in advertising from the Academy of Art University. He worked for top agencies, including Venables Bell & Partners and Goodby Silverstein & Partners. After leaving advertising, he concentrated on creating murals on the streets, and painting canvases for both commercial and non-profit gallery exhibitions. He quickly gained recognition for his…