FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PEACEABLE KINGDOM: ANIMALS REAL AND IMAGINED AT THE BEDFORD GALLERY PRESENTS ON THE WING: RAPTOR QUICK-DRAW EVENT MAY 11, 2013, 2:00 – 5:00 P.M.

(Walnut Creek, CA) The Bedford Gallery, located in the Lesher Center for the Arts, is collaborating with Native Bird Connection to host a Raptor Quick-Draw event on Saturday, May 11th from 2-5pm. Visitors will have a rare opportunity to observe working artists as they draw, in real-time, from five elegant birds of prey. The Quick-Draw is being offered in conjunction with the Bedford’s current exhibition, Peaceable Kingdom: Animals Real and Imagined, which is on view through May 19th.

Native Bird Connection, an educational non-profit organization that introduces school children of all ages to the beauty of these wild birds, will assemble a group of stunning raptors for the event. In the past, Native Bird Connection has offered viewers an opportunity to interact with rare specimens, including the Eurasian Eagle Owl, Kestrel, Barn Owl, and Bald Eagle. During the Quick Draw visitors will have an opportunity to observe as locally acclaimed artists draw and paint from their raptor models. Some artists will also be working on an iPad and a monitor projecting the artist’s creation.

Featured Artists:

• Natalya Burd
• Guy Combes
• Deborah Lyn Day
• Andrew Denman
• John Denning
• Isabella Kirkland
• Matthew McConnell
• Molly Moore
• Crystal Morey
• Andrea Rich
• Lisa Reinertson
• Linda Darsow Sutton

Immediately following the event, all artworks will be available for sale at a silent auction. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Bedford Gallery’s exhibition program and Native Bird Connection’s educational programs.

Price of admission also offers patrons the opportunity to view Peaceable Kingdom an exhibition that explores the role animals have played in our cultural landscape. A juried show featuring 58 artists from around the United States, this exhibition investigates the way animals have influenced our artistic and social heritage. Represented artists were selected out of a pool of 400 applicants, and were chosen by Stephanie Cannizzo, Associate Curator at the Berkeley Art Museum and Cathy Kimball, Executive Director and Chief Curator at the San Jose Institute for Contemporary Art.

Come join us May 11th for this exceptional experience!

About Native Bird Connection:

Native Bird Connection is a 501 (c) (3) organization that promotes education and awareness of the environmental and demographic challenges faced by birds of prey around the globe. Working with live birds while sharing educational messages, Native Bird Connection was created in 2000 with the goal of filling a growing need for hands-on nature education. They are committed to building a sense of respect, responsibility, and reverence for their ornithological ambassadors.

About the Bedford Gallery:

The Bedford Gallery is a contemporary art space committed to serving the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Exhibiting the work of national and international contemporary artists, the Bedford serves an annual audience of over 30,000 visitors. By offering five exhibitions each year, it is the Bedford’s goal to stimulate an ongoing dialogue about the value of art in our daily lives, while pursuing projects that reflect the diversity of our contemporary art world and the interests of our audience. With over 165 volunteers, hundreds of rotating art works, and a host of collaborative and creative events, the Bedford has emerged as a premier arts venue in Northern California.

Location and Contact Information: Lesher Center for the Arts / 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 / 925.295.1417 / galleryinfo@bedfordgallery.org / www.bedfordgallery.org

Hours and Admission: The Gallery is open Tuesday-Sunday from 12pm-5pm. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for youths aged 13-17, and free for all children under 12. Free admission for all visitors the first Tuesday of every month.

INFINITELY BOUND

Closing: Thursday, March 28th, 5:00 to 7:00 pm

Michael McConnell

Masako Miki

Crystal Morey

Images from the Show:

Images from the Infinitly Bound project:

Interface Gallery is pleased to present, Infinitely Bound, a multi-media installation of new work by Michael McConnell, Masako Miki and Crystal Morey.

Deeply aware of the infinite ways that all living beings are interdependent, each of these artists imaginatively engages animal imagery to provoke thought about how we interact with other species and our environment and what implications this will have for the future of our planet. Works presented in this show touch on themes such as genetic mutation and evolution, the imbalance of the natural order due to human influence, and the psycho-spiritual impacts of our destructive relationship to nature.

In addition to new works created independently, the artists will present a collaborative, interactive sculpture that invites viewers to actively engage with the subject matter, making connections and stimulating new ideas.

Crystal Morey

Masako Miki

Michael McConnell

Crystal Morey

With Crystal Morey 
/ Tuesdays 7-9pm

crystalmorey@gmail.com crystalmorey.com

In this class we will focus on shape, form, contour, and color to sculpt alluring and beautiful sea creatures. We will build anemones, octopus, starfish, or any other sea creature that is interesting to the eye and fun to make. We will use a simple hand building techniques to create our sculptures and use underglaze and glazes as colorants. This class will consist of two projects, the first will be to make a small, singular, sea creature. In the second project we will sculpt sea creatures in their natural environment. Come with an excitement to learn and be ready to have fun!

Project 1: Make a sea creature of your choosing. Become comfortable with building in clay and using underglaze

Project 2: Make a sea creature of you choosing and the environment it lives in.

Or create a hybrid sea creature from you imagination: maybe half fish and half horse, or part lady and part octopus! This project can be freer and you can use you artistic freedom to make what you like.

Berkeley Art Studio Hours

Mon-Fri Noon-10pm,

Sat & Sun Noon-5pm.

Please be considerate of our Studio Assistants who are working late. They should be able to go through all their closing procedures and lock the doors by 10pm.

Supplies:

Peaceable Kingdom: Animals Real and Imagined

Opens Sunday, March 3

Peaceable Kingdom: Animals Real and Imagined will be on view March 3 through May 19. Bedford Gallery invites artists to investigate our storied and rich relationship with the animal world. The exhibition will explore the ways in which animals have been a presence in the visual arts as metaphors, totems, objects of fear, and sources of emotional attachment and affection through painting, photography, sculpture, and video.

Opening Reception on Sunday, March 3 from 3:00 – 5:00 pm.

Wine and hors d’oeuvres hosted by the Bedford Gallery Guild and sponsored by Diablo Regional Arts Association. General admission: $5. Free for Friends of the Bedford and members of DRAA.

Crystal Morey, Predator and Prey, 2012, ceramic

Marcos LaFarga, Make Magic, 2012, acrylic, ink, and graphite on wood panel

Upcoming exhibitions…