Mercury Twenty Gallery

Mary Curtis Ratcliff showing at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley

2011-09-08T16:39:00.000-07:00

M20's Mary Curtis Ratcliff is exhibiting work at Berkeley's GTU

Gendered Images: The Feminine Divine

Exhibition dates: September 8 - December 16, 2011

Opening Reception : Thursday, September 8, 5-7pm.

Location : Doug Adams Gallery at the Graduate Theological Union
1798 Scenic Ave
Berkeley, CA
Hours: Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays 10 - 3pm

For those interested in learning more about her art-making process, please visit this link to watch some very well produced videos of Curtis discussing her work.

Margaret Chavigny feature on MAX ETERNITY

2011-06-06T15:33:00.000-07:00

There's a well written interview and discussion about her last show with Mercury Twenty artist Margaret Chavigny online at Max Eternity.

Photo Essay by Dorothy Brown on Mercury Twenty Artist Julianne Sterling

2011-06-02T23:21:00.000-07:00

Julianne Sterling, who will be exhibiting at M20 in June, was the subject of a nice photo feature by Dorothy Brown on the Albany Patch Site

Come check out the opening of her show Pushing Fairy Tales on Friday, June 3 from 6-9pm with special musical guest Echo Twin.

Images from Murmurama

2011-05-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

Mercury Twenty artist Charlie Milgrim discussing her work with a gallery-goer.

Milgrim's work from another perspective...

A selection of artists'multiples

Mercury Twenty Artist PK Frizzell shares her work...

Contemplating Meeker, King, and van Duren's eco-conscious installation "the Gyre"

all images copyright 2011 Paul Mueller Photography

Mary Curtis Ratcliff in 3 New Exhibitions

2011-04-21T14:22:00.000-07:00

Flow Patterns

April 13th - June 10, 2011
Reception: Thursday April 21, 2011 5 -7 pm

The Atrium
600 Townsend
San Francisco, CA
Atrium Hours: Monday - Friday 7-6pm

Pictured: Wake, 2007
mixed media on panel 20 x 20 x 1 3/4 in

Of Water

March 29 - April 30th, 2011

At Bay Model, Sausalito
2100 Bridgeway, Sausalito, CA

Pictured: Continental Drift, 2006
mixed media on panel 48 X 62 X 2 in.

Natural Vision/Dreams and Apparitions
March 11th - May 6th, 2011

Mythos Fine Arts and Artifacts
1747 Solano Ave
Berkeley, CA
Wednesday - Sunday 10-6pm

Pictured: Over Down Under (diptych), 2010
mixed media on canvas 37 x 55 1/2 in.

Mary Curtis Ratcliff exhibiting at Mythos Gallery on Solano Ave

2010-12-16T11:00:00.000-08:00

Mercury Twenty artist Mary Curtis Ratcliff will be showing work in Behind the Curtain: the Unseen which runs from December 17th 2010 through March 10th 2011 at a new gallery on Solano Ave.

Mythos Fine Art & Artifacts
1747 Solano Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94707

Please join Curtis at the opening reception on Friday, December 17th 2010
from 5 – 8:30 pm.

Great Opening!! One more to go on January 7th

2010-12-07T06:53:00.000-08:00

Chela Fielding opening this Friday at m20

2010-11-29T16:29:00.000-08:00

M20 invites you to the opening of an exhibiton of recent work by M20 artist Chela Fielding.

The opening is on Friday December 3rd from 6-9 pm and the show runs through the end of January.

Information is available online here.

In addition to Chela's work, Mercury 20 is proud to present a selection of limited edition Artist's Multiples created by current gallery members.
Some examples can be previewed online .

Jill McClennan participating in Jingletown Art Walk

2010-11-29T16:19:00.001-08:00

The annual holiday open studios in this thriving arts district will highlight the work of artists who live and/or work in the area known as Jingletown, which is situated between the Park and Fruitvale Street bridges adjacent to the Oakland Estuary.

The Jingletown Holiday Art Walk opens Dec 3rd and runs through the 5th.

Jill, who is a longtime resident in the area, will be exhibiting 11 AM - 6PM at the 420 Gallery on Peterson St. Over 30 artists will be exhibiting and selling original art work and gifts for the holidays.

link

Curtis Ratcliff exhibiting at the Berkeley Arts Center's "Green"

2010-11-17T23:33:00.000-08:00

Berkeley Art Center Members' Showcase

December 11, 2010 - January 23, 2011
Opening reception on Sunday December 11, 5:30 - 7:30 pm

1275 Walnut Street
Berkeley, CA 94709
510-644-6893

Mercury Twenty alumn David Seiler showing in Santa Barbara at Anderson Arts Collective

2010-11-17T23:16:00.001-08:00

David Seiler, one of the original founders of M20, is showing collaborative work with Randy Noborikawa at the Anderson Arts Collective in Santa Barbara.

The show runs from November 20th to January 8th.

more info

Meeker/Morgan/Werby reviewed...

2010-11-17T23:12:00.000-08:00

Dewitt Cheng's write up about November's show with some great images of the artists and their work is online at ArtBusiness.com

Get a Peek of the Upcoming Show

2010-10-25T13:19:00.000-07:00

Please join us for a special event!

Collectors Preview

Thursday,November 4

6:00 - 8:00pm

Come share some bubbly and have the chance to meet the artists without the crowds of Friday night openings.

Dave Meeker will be showing his latest series called Beacons.

Jamie Morgan will be showing his urban and industrial landscapes.

Andrew Werby will be showing a selection of his sculptures

curated by Dewitt Cheng.

Murmur video "Just Come Out! 2.0"

2010-10-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

This video highlights the excitement of Oakland Art Murmur evenings. Come out to experience the latest cutting edge art. Our next show with Dave Meeker, Jamie Morgan and Andrew Werby will prove it!

Mary V. Marsh exhibiting at Sonoma State

2010-10-05T19:33:00.000-07:00

Mercury Twenty artist Mary V. Marsh
is showing work at a variety of venues including

The Message and the Medium: The Library Turns 10
Aug 17 - Oct 31,
Library Art Gallery
Sonoma State University

Banned & Recovered: artists intervention

Bookmarks VIII: Escaping the Library System 2010-2011

view more of Mary Marsh's work

Peter Honig's Vanitas at Firehouse North

2010-10-05T19:28:00.001-07:00

Mercury Twenty artist Peter Honig will be showing his series Vanitas at the Firehouse North Gallery on Shattuck Ave in Berkeley.

The exhibition opens October 8th (reception 7-9pm) and runs through the 31st.

more information here

P.K. Frizzell and Kathleen King opening this Friday at M20

2010-09-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

Polly Frizzell and Kathleen King's upcoming show at M20 got the thumbs up from the 96 hours folks over at the Chronicle...

write up here

Looks to be a great show...more info on our website

In the back gallery Jo Ann Biagini, Margaret Chavigny, Mary V. Marsh, and Julianne Sterling present Surface & Subtext.

Should be a great opening...please join us Friday the 1st from 6-9pm.

Kabat and Sterling -- critic's pick in the East Bay Express

2010-06-21T21:48:00.000-07:00

Come check out Maya Kabat and Julianne Sterling's shows at M20 ...up through Saturday the 26th of June.

They were featured as the critic's pick last week at the East Bay Express

Maya Kabat's website
Julianne Sterling's website

Peter Honig's Vanitas travels overseas...

2010-06-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

Mercury Twenty artist Peter Honig recently returned from Monaco where he mounted a solo exhibition entitled Vanitas at the Maison de l'Amérique Latine.

He was featured on Monte Carlo television. To view the interview click here...

Vanitas travels to Paris in July, where it will be exhibited at Galerie Nicolas Deman on the Left Bank.

Mercury Twenty welcomes Polly Frizell

2010-06-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

Mercury Twenty is settling in at our new location on 25th St.
and we are very excited about the addition of Polly Prizell to our roster of artists.

Polly will be participating in Summer Rising
in July at M20.

More of Polly's work can be viewed online at her website.

Mercury Twenty to reopen in May at 475 25th Street in Oakland

2010-03-21T16:27:00.000-07:00

In the late summer of 2006, the Mercury 20 collective formed and began to show the work of East Bay artists in a storefront gallery at 25 Grand Avenue in Oakland. For the next three and a half years, the gallery presented a wide range of work from local emerging and mid-career artists. The gallery presented its last show on Grand Ave. in February.

Taking a very short hiatus as it prepares a new, larger space at 475 25th St. at Telegraph, just 2 blocks from the Oakland Art Murmur’s hub at 23rd and Telegraph, the gallery plans to reopen in May of 2010.

The build-out is in progress: floors have been poured, sheetrock is being taped--we are very excited! The new Mercury 20 space is part of a nine-building complex on 24th and 25th streets that once housed the United Glass Company. Mercury 20 joins new gallery Vessel, along with longtime Art Murmur galleries Oakopolis and 21 Grand on 25th St.

Founded in 2006, Mercury 20 is a cooperative gallery established, supported and operated by East Bay artists. Mercury 20 maintains a venue for its member artists to exhibit, develop, and advance their work and is committed to exhibiting art of diverse media and content. Exhibitions rotate monthly and the gallery presents a well-attended opening event every first Friday in conjunction with the Oakland Art Murmur.

ARTISTS REPRESENTED: JULIE ALVARADO, JO ANN BIAGINI, ERIC BOHR, MARGARET CHAVIGNY, CHELA FIELDING, PETER HONIG, MAYA KABAT, KATHLEEN KING, MARY V. MARSH, JILL MCLENNAN, DAVE MEEKER, CHARLIE MILGRIM, JAMIE MORGAN, MARY CURTIS RATCLIFF, JULIANNE STERLING, LAURA VAN DUREN, JOAN WEISS

Mary Curtis Ratcliff showing in Marin and at the Berkeley Art Center

2010-03-03T10:40:00.000-08:00

Mercury Twenty artist Mary Curtis Ratcliff will be participating in Journeys, an exhibit at the Marin Cheese Factory, curated by Claudia Chapline & Etta Deikman.
The exhibit runs from March 12 – May 31, with a reception on Sunday, March 14 from 2 –4 pm.

more information

Mary Curtis is also featured in the Berkeley Art Center's ongoing show
Process & Place: The Transformative Potential of Artist Residencies, which runs through March 28th.

She'll be participating in a panel discussion with the other artists talking about the benefits of artist residencies on Thursday, March 4th at 7pm.

more details here.

Mercury Twenty reopening in April on 25th St.

2010-03-03T10:30:00.000-08:00

Mercury Twenty has moved out of the space on Grand Avenue and we're excited to reopen at 471 25th St. in April.

Our new space is being renovated and we are hoping to have it set up in time for April's First Friday.

W
Check back later in the month for updates.

Last Opening on Grand Avenue

2010-02-10T15:08:00.000-08:00

A lot is happening in the community life of Mercury 20 Gallery! We just celebrated our last opening at our current space, 25 Grand Ave, Oakland, Ca. Mercury 20 was started three years ago by a group of artists that wanted to create community and have a gallery where we could experiment and exhibit our work. Well, it has been a fabulous ride that has included a lot of on the job training. Now we are on to our next adventure. Our new gallery will be on 25th Street, only 3 blocks away, but I will save all the details for a later post.

Now for the opening:

Dave Meeker exhibited his amazing circus of moving sculpture. This piece is titled "Dandy." It slowly inflates and deflates. It is positively mesmerizing to stand there and watch the gentleman's attire come to life.

Dave's work created a lot of smiles that night.

This collection of work has the electrifying feel of a science fair/fun house. Most of the pieces have buttons that you can press to inflate, light up or create a fake snow blizzard. This little beauty inflates inside her house when you press the button. Title:"Housewife"

I love to include these shots that give you the feel that you are pressed right up against the crowd. There is never a dull moment on first Fridays with artists, kids and dogs running around.

It's "Story Time" with Dave.

It is such a kick to hear Dave's explanations and wise cracks about his work. This particular sculpture has a motion sensor on it, so the boxes jump up out of one another as you walk by.

The shocking part about this inflatable piece on the right is that Dave made this when he was in 4th Grade! It collapses and then rises to the ceiling.

I would love to meet his parents!

I included a recent piece that I made in response to our move to a new space. It is an 8 ft ladder made of old maps and a small resin bird at the top. I purposefully used maps at the top from the east coast and the bottom are from the west coast. Migration has many rungs in this ladder.

The backroom show is titled, "Don't Look Back" Margaret Chavigny, Kathleen King, Jill McLennan, Charlie Milgrim.
Charlie filled the gallery with some of her biggest works, not an easy task!!
Looks like the photographer caught a few folks touching the balls!

This is such a great shot of Tony hanging out upstairs with the " Works on Paper" show.
Chela Fielding, Patricia Gillespie, Maya Kabat, Jamie Morgan, Joan Weiss and I exhibited our paper work together.

We did manage to sneak away for a quick peek at some of the new galleries opening in the Murmur. Alan Chin's towering mountain of plastic hangers was at the new Firehouse Collective South Gallery on 24th street.

Stay tuned for our announcement about the new Mercury 20 Gallery located on 25th Street in Oakland!

Peter Honig exhibiting in Los Angeles and Sebastopol

2010-02-04T13:01:00.000-08:00

Mercury Twenty artist Peter Honig will be showing work at Second City Art Council Gallery's Show Photography: Impact of a Medium, a group show exploring contemporary trends in photography, curated by renowned artist Robert Flick.

The exhibit runs Saturday, February 20th through Wednesday, March 24th, with a reception on Saturday, February 27th.

Details are available here...

Peter was also selected by Drew Johnson, Curator of Photography at the Oakland Museum, to be included at Sebastopol Center for the Arts' exhibit Through the Lens and Beyond .

The exhibit opens with a reception on Thursday, February 11, from 6-7.30 pm and runs through the 21st of March.

More information is available on the Sebastopol Center for the Arts website.

click here to view more of Peter's work.

Mary Curtis Ratcliff to show in PROCESS & PLACE at the Berkeley Arts Center

2010-01-17T22:36:00.000-08:00

Mary Curtis Ratcliff
"Mountain and Sea, Kerikeri"
2008 mixed media on panel
53 x 40 x 2 in.

M20's Mary Curtis Ratcliff is showing in:

PROCESS & PLACE
The Transformative Potential of Artist Residencies
February 6 – March 28, 2010

Opening Reception: Saturday, February 6, 5-8pm, Berkeley Art Center

Curtis, along with five other local artists (Amy Berk, Edith Hillinger, Brooke Holve, Anne Lamborn, and Elizabeth Sher) attended the same artist residency program in New Zealand (at different times). In this exhibition, they present work in a variety of media, demonstrating the ways the experience shaped their individual practices.

more info at the Berkeley Art Center's website...

You can see more of Curtis's work on her website.

Mary V. Marsh in Banned & Recovered: Artists Respond to Censorship

2010-01-15T10:18:00.000-08:00

Mary V. Marsh's work has been included alongside more than 60 other artists, including Emory Douglas, Enrique Chagoya, & Sandow Birk, in the recently published catalog of the 2008 exhibit "Banned and Recovered", curated by Hannah Regev.

Artists were invited to choose from a list of hundreds of banned and challenged books as a source for inspiration and create original works for this show.

"The artists' responses represent a spectacular range of emotion and a a celebration of creative outpouring utilizing numerous artistic disciplines and media, including music and video. They produced whimsical, witty, comical, stimulating and thought-provoking works in a free environment with no restrictions on their interpretations."
-Hannah Regev

The comprehensive exhibition catalog is available for purchase on Lulu.

Margaret Chavigny showing at Gallery Route One in Point Reyes

2010-01-12T20:06:00.000-08:00

Mercury Twenty's Margaret Chavigny will be exhibiting work at Gallery Route One's annual juried show.

The show is curated by Kenneth Baker and runs from January 15th through February 14th.

The opening reception is on Sunday January 17 from 3:00-5:00.

more information here.

Charlie Milgrim and the Seduction of Duchamp in SF at Artzone 461 Gallery

2010-01-12T17:15:00.000-08:00

M20 artist Charlie Milgrim is showing work at Artzone 461 Gallery's
Seduction of Duchamp exhibition.

Looks like a great show with an interesting panel discussion on Sunday, January 31 at 3 pm.

Artists Richard Berger, Bernie Lubell, Naomie Kremer and Jan Wurm will discuss how Marcel Duchamp’s interests, preoccupations, styles and media has influenced their art practices.
More info about the exhibit and discussion can be found on Artzone 461 Gallery's website .

Charlie's work can be viewed here.

Mercury Twent's Joan Weiss and Kathleen King to show at the Marin Moca

2010-01-12T17:04:00.000-08:00

Joan Weiss and Kathleen King have been selected to exhibit at Marin's Museum of Contemporary Art.

The show is curated by Cathy Coe, and opens February 13th, with a reception for the artists on February 20th from 4-7pm.

More information will be available at the Marin Moca website soon, so mark your calendars.

Open House and a Call for Artists

2010-01-10T20:17:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Please join Mercury 20 Gallery artists and friends on Saturday, January 16 from 12-3pm for a viewing of our group show Elemental which highlights work from all 20 members of the collective including a delightful show by new members Patricia Gillespie and Dave Meeker titled Special. Artists will be in attendance and refreshments served. The SF Chronicle called it a "Don't Miss" so you really shouldn't!

An artist-run gallery, Mercury 20 shows high quality, innovative work in all mediums. Twenty artists pay dues, staff the front desk, hang the shows, do the marketing and are currently recruiting new members. For artists interested in joining, the Open House is a great opportunity to meet the M20 artists, see their work, and find out more about how the gallery operates.

See you there!
Mercury 20 Gallery
25 Grand Ave. • Oakland, CA 94618 • 510 701 4620
www.mercurytwenty.com

THIS WEEKEND: Winter Art Fair

2009-12-09T12:52:00.000-08:00

Mercury 20 Artists & Friends present a holiday arts fair this weekend: December 12th and 13th.

Featuring affordable, artful, handmade goods. These items will make great gifts for art-loving friends.

Ceramics, jewelry, painting, prints, more...

Opening of Elemental 12/4/09

2009-12-07T15:57:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since we had the whole gallery to ourselves. It was a beautiful show with our newest members, Dave Meeker and Patricia Gillispie on the top level. I forgot my camera, but was determined to take shots with my phone, so the quality may be sketchy. It was a fun night with many sales and lots of friends stopping by. The red painting on the right is Eric Bohr's.

Dave had his storytelling hat on full throttle. It was engaging to hear him talk about his passion for making art that speaks volumes. The penny houses created a wonderful copper reflection on the wall.

Patricia's work was the perfect companion to Dave's. The large scale orange upside down woman was eye popping. I loved the little copper pinwheels that looked like they had just fallen out of the woman's hand. The kid in me enjoyed spinning them when Patricia wasn't looking. She told me that this piece was originally hung outside on a building. Wish I could mount it on my house.

Here are a couple of folks taking in Patricia's "These Shoes Suck". I think the women in the group can relate. You can also see Dave's installation wheel barrow with money.

Dave's "YES" inspired a lot of conversation about the economy and money.

Kyle Milligan brought the "gorilla santa" over from his Christmas show at Studio Quercus. I think the gorilla head was way too hot for the evening.

My Bird Ballet had quite a few people wondering what they were made of. It looks like glass, but the birds are made of resin.

This guy had the most creative hat of the night. He spray paints them and sells them on the web. Here he is enjoying Kathy Kings painting. I thought they looked good together.

Mary Curtis Ratcliff showing with RISD Alumni at Fort Mason Center Holiday Sale

2009-12-04T19:25:00.000-08:00

Mercury Twenty Artist Mary Curtis Ratcliff will be participating in
the Rhode Island School of Design's fourteenth annual West Coast Holiday Sale.

The event takes place on Sunday, December 6th at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco between 9.30 am and 5 pm.

The sale is in Building A at the Fort Mason Center, which is located at Marina Boulevard and Buchanan St. Admission is free, and their will be a wide variety of work by RISD alumn at reasonable prices.

Come meet Curtis and other RISD artists...and get some unique gifts for the holidays.

2009-12-03T11:49:00.000-08:00

Mercury 20 is in the Chronicle today! You can find us in the 96 Hours section. Here is the link:

http://http//www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/03/NSST1AQND2.DTL

Don't forget to come by Friday, December 4 for a hoppin good time. We have our annual group show up with our two newest members featured, Dave Meeker and Patricia Gillispie.

Here are the details:
Opening reception, 12/4, 6-9pm
25 Grand Avenue, Oakland, CA
Duration of show 12/4/2009 - 1/30/2010

Charlie Milgrim in the Digital Bowling Limelight

2009-12-01T22:39:00.000-08:00

BowlingDigital.com republished our interview with Charlie Milgrim. Photo by Peter Honig

http://bowlingdigital.eu/bowl/node/6262

More interviews of M20 artists on our website:
http://www.mercurytwenty.com/honig/peter.html
http://www.mercurytwenty.com/anna/interview.html
http://www.mercurytwenty.com/morgan/mogan_interview.html

Jingletown Art Walk and Sale details

2009-11-23T11:32:00.000-08:00

Download pdf map of Jingletown Sale details.

Mercury Twenty Artist Jill McLennan is part of the vibrant art scene in Jingletown in Oakland. This loose alliance of artists is putting on an Art Walk that takes place on the weekends of Dec 5th and 6th and the 12th and 12th.

More info available on the Jingletown Website.

Kathy King's latest work currently on exhibit at M20 through the 28th of November

2009-11-21T19:05:00.000-08:00

preview here.

Kathleen King's vibrant paintings and sculpture will be on display until Saturday the 28th of November. Come check them out on Friday the 27th from 4-7 pm and Saturday the 28th from 12-3pm.

more work and biographical information are on the Mercury 20 website here.

Jill McLennan selected for ProArts Juried Annual Exhibition

2009-11-21T18:52:00.000-08:00

Mercury Twenty artist Jill McLennan is one of twenty-four artists who have been selected from many applicants to exhibit at ProArts highly prestigious Juried Annual Exhibition.

More information is available here.

It is curated by Sherman Sam, an independent curator from London.

Exhibiton dates are November 24, 2009 - January 15, 2010

Artists' Reception: Thursday, December 3, 6 - 8 pm
Artists' Talk: Thursday, January 14, 6 pm

ProArts is now located @ 150 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland.

Something SPECIAL this way comes...

2009-11-19T14:11:00.000-08:00

Dave Meeker and Patricia Gillespie debut at M20 on the First Friday of December.

More info soon...

Mary Curtis Ratcliff's images to be featured at the RISD Annual Holiday Sale

2009-11-19T10:36:00.001-08:00

Luxembourg Gardens, 2009, digital ink jet print, 12 x 12 in. ed. 20

Mary Curtis Ratcliff will be featured at the RISD Annual Holiday Sale
Sunday, Dec. 6, 9:30 am - 5 pm
Fort Mason, Bldg. A, San Francisco
Admission Free

additional information here

Extended Gallery hours this week...

2009-11-17T15:42:00.000-08:00

The Mercury Twenty Gallery will be open 3pm-6pm on Wednesday Nov. 18th and Thursday Nov.20th.

We will also be open during our regular hours 4-7pm on Friday and 12-3 on Saturday.

Come on down and take in the Last Waltz featuring Kathleen King and Peter Honig in the Front Gallery, and Swan Song (Charlie Milgrim, Joann Biagini, Tarra Lyons, and Chela Fielding) in the back.

Also take the opportunity to check out Thérese Lahaie upstairs at Chandra Cerrito Contemporary.

The image above is :
Jo Ann Biagini, Black & White, 2009, mixed media

DeWitt Cheng's Review of Peter Honig

2009-11-16T14:08:00.000-08:00

Peter Honig's recent exhibiton has been reviewed by DeWitt Cheng in the latest issue of Square Cylinder. See the article below!The striking, surreal large-format digital photographs of Berkeley’s Peter Honig employ the conventions of commercial photography — sharp focus, straightforward composition, shadow-less lighting and a white backdrops — to examine and subvert the consumer desires implanted by ads bombarding us from catalogues, newspapers, magazines, television and the internet.

You can read the rest of the article by clicking on the link below:

http://www.squarecylinder.com/category/top-stories/

Mary Marsh exhibiting in San Francisco and Denver

2009-11-11T15:34:00.000-08:00

The Shower Party Book

Gouache on found library checkout cards, linen thread, linen tape, found book covers. 24 pages. 5.5 x 4 x .75 inches closed. Unique book.

Mercury Twenty Artist Mary Marsh will be participating in The Big (Blue) Deal auction and party this Saturday, November 14th, from 4:00–9:00pm, at the SomArts Cultural Center, 934 Brannan Street in San Francisco. The event is a Visual Aid fundraiser for artists with HIV. Her work, along with that of other talented artists, is on on sale for $160 each.

more info

Mary is also showing in The Beautiful Book
Exploring the Allure of Artist Books
November 6 - December 19, 2009 at the Abecedarian Gallery in Denver.

The Beautiful Book has both an online catalog and print catalog available for purchase via Lulu as both print and PDF. Links to both are on the gallery's home page www.abecedariangallery.com

Abecedarian Gallery
www.abecedariangallery.com
910 Santa Fe, Unit #101 Denver, CO 80204
phone: 720.282.4052 or 303.340.2110 fax: 303.479.9556

From our files...Maya Kabat interview on KQED

2009-11-11T10:59:00.000-08:00

Mercury Twenty artists are preparing for our annual December and January group show, which will present work by all 20 of our co-op members.

Maya Kabat, who was one of the founding members of M20, has been producing a lot of great new work.

In this feature interview with KQED, Maya and Antonio Vigil talk about their work.

Antonio has since moved to LA where he's continuing to produce outstanding work...we wish him well.

KQED INTERVIEW

Maya's portfolio can be viewed here.

Dave Meeker and Patricia Gillespie join our adventure...

2009-11-10T13:59:00.000-08:00

M20 is excited to announce that artists Dave Meeker and Patricia Gillespie are joining us with exciting new bodies of contemporary work.

Both are very active exhibitors in the local scene, and we look forward to a preview of their work upstairs in December of 2009. Stay tuned for more details.

for those of you who are impatient...Patricia is showing at sweet(art) this month

and Dave has a highly developed and informative website that presents a great overview of his work here

Our artists get around....

2009-11-10T13:44:00.001-08:00

Laura Van Duren is showing her sculpture at

McCue Gallery 83
Curated by: Scott McCue
83 Orinda Way
Orinda, CA 94563

Opening:
November 12th 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

November 2nd - November 30th

info here

and at the Crucible's gallery show eARTh

and Charlie Milgrim recently participated in

the Seduction of Duchamp show at the aptly named Duchamp Winery.

Aaron Geman is displaying new work next door at the Front Gallery

Show and Tell this Friday!

2009-11-10T12:19:00.000-08:00

@ Mercury 20 Gallery
25 Grand Avenue (at Broadway) Oakland
Friday November 13th 7pm to 9pm

What to Show?
Bring something that inspires you: a found object,
something you’ve created, a work in progress…..

What to Tell?
A song, a poem, a story, a joke, a thought, a memory….

Just show up and plan to share why it inspires you.
We want to know!

See you there.

Just like the young folks....

2009-11-10T11:47:00.000-08:00

Hey we may be old---we're three!---but we are now embracing technology that allows you to know every little thought that crosses our minds!

Follow us on twitter to get even more up to date information, hot tips about the goings ons in the Murmur Corridor, and other good stuff.

http://twitter.com/mercury_20

The Last Waltz: Peter Honig & Kathleen King

2009-11-09T15:09:00.000-08:00

Our November Last Waltz, well almost last, was a fun evening with art lovers and a surprize marching band that showed up toward the end of the evening. The radiant Kathy King is below with her multi media installation that is electrifying!

Not sure who this is but I could not resist posting this guy with a baby strapped to his chest looking as if he is going to steal Peter's work.

Peter Honig engaged in conversation and probably sharing his wonderfully dry and funny humor.

In the back room gallery we had "Swan Song" a four person show with JoAnn Biagini, Chela Fielding, Charlie Milgram & Tarra Lyons.

Peter's work definately draws the audience in.

As I was leaving the gallery late into the evening I heard what sounded like a full marching band coming up from Telegraph Avenue.

Sure enough a group of musicians was headed right for our gallery. They marched in and filled the gallery with their performance.

Much to the delight of everyone around!

October 2009 Opening

2009-10-10T10:38:00.000-07:00

October proved to be another busy opening for Mercury 20. Tarra Lyons and Joan Weiss are exhibiting paintings in the front of the gallery. While Eric Bohr, Margaret Chavigny, Maya Kabat and Laura van Duren installed a four person show in the back of the gallery. Here is a brief sample of the evening.

Joan's paintings are bursting with a peaceful color palate.

Openings always seem to begin with joyful little people skipping and hugging through the gallery.

There is much to discover in Tarra's delicately painted landscapes.

Joan with a few art murmur friends.

Margaret discussing her work with a friend.

Laura used 180 pounds of rock salt with ladders made of sugar for her first installation piece.

Maya showed some new drawings in the back of the gallery.

Thanks to Michael and Tony the bar was taken care of all evening!

July 2009 Opening

2009-07-13T10:33:00.001-07:00

Here are a few photos of our July 09 opening. The two person show in the front is titled "Wood and Water" featuring the work of Mary Curtis Ratcliff and Anna Vaughan.

We enjoyed having a local choclate company called Tortoise and Hare Chocolates donate a sampling of their art work!

Anna Vaughan with her sculpture

One of Anna Vaughan's installation pieces.

Mary Curtis Ratcliff's work

Mary Curtis Ratcliff with her work

Joan Weiss' painting

In the back of the gallery we are introducing a new format showing 4 members each month. This month we are featuring Julie Alvarado, Aaron Geman, Kathy King and Joan Weiss.

Kathy King's Paintings

Julie Alvarado's installation

View of the show in the back gallery

Show and Tell Photos

2009-04-27T07:48:00.000-07:00

Our Show and Tell event turned out to be quite a success. Every chair was filled and people brought all kinds of interesting ideas and items. Here Tony is sharing his fly fishing bugs and a sonnet that he wrote.

An improvisational dance performance was shared .

Dave shared his core beliefs with the group and his latest penny sculpture.

Julia showed us what she has been creating from her findings on the shore line.

Maya holding up Peter's collection of antique matches found at Urban Ore.

April 2009 Opening

2009-04-23T14:09:00.000-07:00

Check out the photos taken at the opening of Margaret Chavigny and Laura van Duren. It was a packed evening of friends, family and experimental music provided by Vanessa Beggs.

View of Laura's sugar ladders

Margaret and Jo Ann in front of Margaret's work

Margaret's paintings and Laura's mixed media sculptures seemed to flow together transforming the gallery into a forest of wood, paint, wax, metal, sugar ladders and clay.

Analog Facebook

2009-04-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

Just can't deal with the digital?

Do you miss Face-Time with other creative people?

Come to an old fashioned Show and Tell!

Friday April 17, 6:00-8:00

Hosted by artist Dave Meeker who is asking "What inspires you?"

And hey, no uploading!

Great images of March Art Murmur on John Casey's blog

2009-03-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

John Casey provides some great coverage of the March ArtMurmur on his blog If you can't make it good, make it big .

Our own Charlie Milgrim makes an appearance, smiling radiantly under a ladder...I thought that was supposed to be bad luck...

But Charlie is a trained art professional...don't try this at home!

check it out here

Charlie Milgrim and Eric Bohr reviewed in the East Bay Express

2009-03-18T14:12:00.001-07:00

Mary Curtis Ratcliff to show at the Hess Gallery in Boston

2009-03-05T09:34:00.000-08:00

Mercury Twenty artist Mary Curtis Ratcliff will be having a solo exhibition of her work at the Hess Gallery in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Patterns of Emergence
Hess Gallery, 400 Heath Street, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467
March 30 - April 28, 2009
Artist's Gallery Talk and Reception
Wednesday, April 1, 11:30 - 1 p.m.

link to Hess Gallery

link to Curtis' website

February Art Murmur Opening (First Friday)

2009-02-28T13:41:00.000-08:00

Evidence of Love, collages by Ce Ce Iandoli

Collections from Within, mixed media by Chela Fielding

Crowd

painting by Kathleen King, sculpture by Charlie Milgrim

Crowd, refreshments

Sculpture by Mary V. Marsh

Painting by David Seiler

Sculpture by Aaron Geman

Mercury 20's Jill McLennan exhibiting in ProArts' Juried Annual

2009-02-26T18:46:00.000-08:00

Juried Annual 2009

Selections by Ali Subotnick
Curator, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles

February 17 - March 22

Artists' Reception: Thursday, February 26, 6 - 8 pm
Artists' Talk: Saturday, March 14, 1 - 3 pm

The critically acclaimed Juried Annual is an exhibition of member artists that consistently showcases the best new work in the region. Original works are juried by digital submissions by a national or international curator. Hundreds of artists submit work digitally in a variety of media (including painting, photography, sculpture, textile, glass, installation, digital, installation and performance art) for consideration, and over 1,000 pieces are reviewed for exhibition inclusion by an esteemed member of the Bay Area art world.

Selected artists include:

Stephen Albair, Peter Andrea, Alexis Babayan, Jenny E. Balisle, Robert Blackburn, Louis DeLuco, Pamela Merory Dernham, Adam Friedman, Richard Gilles, Julia Goodman, Ira Hawkins, John Hundt, Harley Jensen, Bill Lo, Seth Lower, Mary Alison Lucas, Katie McCann, Jill McLennan, Emily McLeod, Glenna Mills, Kate Moore, Mary Mortimer, Laura Sackett, Sanjit Sethi, Amy Todd, Susan Tuttle, Holly Wach, Jan Wattan, and Susan Wolf.

more info

Maya Kabat at SFMOMA rental gallery Fort Mason...

2009-02-26T13:21:00.000-08:00

Maya Kabat, Ari Salomon, Mari Andrews

February 04 - March 13, 2009
Main gallery

The SFMOMA Artists Gallery will feature the work of Bay Area artists Mari Andrews, Ari Salomon, Maya Kabat in a show that runs from February 4 through March 13, 2009. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

more info

Charlie Milgrim and Eric Bohr's "Vexing History" to open Friday, March 6th

2009-02-26T12:19:00.000-08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For additional information, or high resolution images, please contact mercurytwenty@gmail.com or call Kathleen at 510.701.4620

Eric Bohr & Charlie Milgrim
Vexing History

Mercury 20 Gallery
25 Grand Ave. (at Broadway)
Oakland, CA 94612

Exhibition dates: March 6 – March 28, 2009

Opening Reception: Friday, March 6 from 6-9pm (in conjunction with Oakland Art Murmur)
Afternoon After: Saturday, March 7 from 12-4pm (in conjunction with Oakland Art Murmur)

East Bay artist Charlie Milgrim sees the future through a lens of the shaken up past, beyond the precipice of the present. Milgrim's work in sculpture, installation and drawing embodies the interplay of art, science, and fate, as she works with materials that harness gravity as an active element. Using materials that would otherwise become landfill, such as discarded bowling balls, the artist re-contextualizes them to function as conceptual reminders of delicately balanced or potentially destructive forces both natural and political.

Charlie Milgrim was born in New York City. She received a BFA from California College of the Arts and an MFA from UC Berkeley. She has exhibited her work at the Oakland Museum, the Haines Gallery in San Francisco, Gallery 16 in San Francisco, OK Harris in New York City, and has work in many private collections including the Di Rosa Collection in Napa, CA. Her studio is in Berkeley, next to the railroad tracks.

The mixed media paintings of Eric Bohr probe the lasting effects of history and the artist's search for meaning under a close and often blank grey sky. Growing up in a family of recently urbanized farmers, the bleak horizons and nearly monochromatic palette of the Michigan landscape inspire Bohr's memories and imagination. Bohr's work chronicles the loss of open, working farmland as well as the subsequent closing of automobile factories that drew many from the farm to the cities, and the migration and dispersion of families as social and economic systems collapse and regenerate.

Eric Bohr was born and raised in Lansing, Michigan and apprenticed with Michael Jacobs in Venice, California. He has shown in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City. He currently lives and works in Emeryville.

Chela Fielding and Ce Ce Iandoli featured in the East Bay Express

2009-02-26T12:00:00.000-08:00

Chela Fielding and Ce Ce Iandoli were written up in the
East Bay Express...

Welcome to the Mercury Twenty Blog...

2009-02-26T11:48:00.000-08:00

Mercury Twenty is an artist-run cooperative gallery located at 25 Grand Avenue in Oakland, CA.

We are comprised of twenty contemporary artists residing in the Bay Area.
Our gallery promotes monthly exhibits in conjunction with the Oakland Art Murmur's First Friday gallery walk.

Our gallery's website at

http://www.mercurytwenty.com

features portfolios of our artist's work and information about our exhibtions.

We'll be using this blog to update you about the work of our artist's, events at the gallery, and other stuff of interest.