Berkeley Art Center: Of Dreams and Reality

Berkeley Art Center features dreamily real photographs from longstanding Bay Area art collective.
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 15, 6-8 pm
Exhibition Dates: September 15 - October 25, 2018





Berkeley Art Center (BAC) is proud to present, Of Dreams and Reality, an exhibition of work from the Bay Area Photographers Collective (BAPC) curated by Ann Jastrab, editor-in-chief of All About Photo. Of Dreams and Reality features work by 17 of members of the Collective: Rose Borden, Adrienne Defendi, Anthony Delgado, Gene Dominique, Dan Fenstermacher, Linda Fitch, Steve Goldband & Ellen Konar, Ralf Hillebrand, Ken Hoffman, Tom Lavin, Mitch Nelles, Ari Salomon, Angelika Schilli, Cindy Stokes, Denise Tarantino and Nick Winkworth.

In this exhibition interweaving dreamscapes and documentary, soft and surreal images of photographers like Adrienne Defendi and Rose Borden blur the line between fantasy and reality, while images of artists like Dan Fenstermacher and Ralf Hildebrand offer astute yet sensitive journalistic portrayals of street life. The exhibition will also include a slideshow of images that reflect on the dreams and the reality of life in Puerto Rico this past summer, almost a year following the devastation of the 2017 Hurricane Maria.

Curator Ann Jastrab reflects on how she came to the exhibition theme Of Dreams and Reality. I often take my son to a nearby forest to climb on fallen tree trunks and build forts with branches and sticks. Or, we head to the Pacific to dig holes so deep the water seeps in through the bottom. We stay well past sunset, when there is a sense of utter peace and calm. Is this reality or a dream? The conflation of reality and dreams is as apparent in much of what we think of as fine art photography as in life itself. In this exhibit of the work of the Bay Area Photographers Collective, I explicitly juxtapose the two views. Whether dream-like or realistic, the images in Of Dreams and Reality offer keen observation with heart.

In addition to viewing the exhibition, there will be an opportunity for visitors to contribute to a stronger, self-sufficient and resilient Puerto Rico as the 2018 hurricane season approaches. The BAPC is hosting a raffle for a signed work by Frank Espada, the renowned documentary photographer and activist whose work on the Puerto Rican Diaspora is held by the Smithsonian Institution and other museums around the country. Espada also happens to be a founding member of the BAPC. Funds received from the raffle as well as a portion of exhibition print and catalogue sales will be donated to support the life-sustaining and rebuilding projects of the Foundation of Puerto Rico, in keeping with Espada's passion for social justice, equality and education in this country and the island of his birth.







About Bay Area Photographers Collective
The Bay Area Photographers Collective (BAPC), is a community of photographers dedicated to nurturing members' artistic and professional growth through activities including peer critiques, portfolio reviews, exhibitions, and programs. Members' photographic subjects and processes range widely and are rooted in several Bay Area hallmarks - from documentary and street photography informed by the area's social activism, to finely crafted prints a la Group f/64, to digital image-making empowered by Silicon Valley's high technology. BAPC engages professional curators to produce one or more exhibits of members' work each year. In 2018, BAPC made its international exhibition debut at the PHOTO YOKOHAMA Festival in Japan. BAPC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 1999 by a group of SF Bay Area photographers, led by documentary photographer, teacher and activist Frank Espada. It is wholly supported and run by its members. www.bapc.photo.


About Berkeley Art Center
Since 1967, Berkeley Art Center has been exhibiting advanced work by Bay Area artists in a range of disciplines and media, while hosting varied educational and public programs. From its inception, BAC's programs have reflected Berkeley's courageous stand for civil rights and powerful influence in our country's political and cultural movements. Today, Berkeley Art Center continues to inspire community and cultural change by supporting new artistic work and opportunities for self-expression. Berkeley Art Center's exhibitions and programs are supported by the City of Berkeley, Alameda County Arts Commission, the East Bay Fund for Artists and our members. Underwriting for the Opening Reception is courtesy of The Mechanics Bank.


BERKELEY ART CENTER
1275 Walnut Street
Berkeley, CA 94709