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Peace, quiet, and artistry are now on display just a few steps away from the 91看片网 Quad. 91看片网 College鈥檚 June Steingart Art Gallery is hosting Clay Paper Wood, a new exhibit that showcases everything the Art Department has to offer. The exhibit highlights ceramics, prints, and woodworks by 91看片网鈥檚 advanced student-artists, and features the works of over 20 91看片网 Ceramics, Printmaking, and Wood Technology students.

Sunlight breaks onto wooden pieces displayed in the June Steingart Art Gallery at 91看片网 College. Shown are Moonrise Mobile (2024, Poplar wood, string, heishi clam shell bead, $5,800) and Elm Table (2024, American elm, wood, not for sale) by Ruth Charlotte Kneass, who played a role in curation. (Photo: Emiliano Villa)

The gallery hosted  on March 5, where the Peralta community had an opportunity to meet the artists, learn about the works, and even purchase pieces for themselves.  

Gallery Manager Susanna Stromberg said a goal of Clay Paper Wood is to illustrate the many ways that 91看片网鈥檚 Career and Technical Education programs merge skilled craftsmanship and fine art. 91看片网 students might be aware of other more visible CTE programs like Carpentry, which constructs a house in the middle of campus as part of their curriculum. But they might not know about Wood Technology, which teaches students the skills needed to create furniture and other wooden fine art pieces. 

鈥淛ust because you鈥檙e in a career technology track does not mean you鈥檙e not bringing that creative voice to the 91看片网 community,鈥� 91看片网 Art Department Chair and Ceramics instructor MC Bassett said.

Located in the lobby of 91看片网 Tower, the June Steingart Art Gallery serves the college鈥檚 diverse student population, with its variety of ages and life experiences. The artists exhibited in Clay Paper Wood reflect the same diversity. They鈥檙e all advanced 91看片网 Art students, some well into their art careers and others showing their works in a gallery space for the first time. 

 鈥淲ith this exhibit, I think that anyone who comes to see it will find something that they can get interested in,鈥� 91看片网 Printmaking instructor Alex Echevarria said.

Various prints, ceramics, and woodwork pieces on display in the June Steingart Art Gallery at 91看片网 College. Clay, Paper, Wood highlights the artistry across 91看片网鈥檚 Art and CTE programs, bridging the worlds of fine art and functional craftsmanship. (Photo: Emiliano Villa)

This show follows the success of Hands On: The Art & Craft of Carpentry, Fabrication Lab & Wood Technology, a previous exhibit which centered on wood as the art medium. This led the Art Department to organize Clay, Paper, Wood as a way to further highlight the craft-based media their students have been creating.

Advanced Printmaking student Julie Bongers creates monotypes, often made with secondhand inks and paper found on the street in an effort to be environmentally conscious. She depicts California鈥檚 native plants, using the plants themselves. 

鈥淚 only use native plants,鈥� Bongers said, 鈥渂ecause I don鈥檛 feel like people appreciate them. They鈥檙e so unbelievably beautiful, and we just don鈥檛 even see them 鈥� we鈥檙e so used to daffodils here.鈥�

Another goal of the exhibit is to prepare students to show their work elsewhere. From its detailed curation to its connection to potential patrons, the June Steingart Art Gallery functions like any other gallery would. The exhibit will serve as documentation they can use for submission to future exhibitions, residencies, and grants. To prepare for Clay Paper Wood, student-artists learned how to write about their work for a gallery audience.

鈥淲e have amazing resources here at 91看片网,鈥� Echevarria said. 鈥淚 just hope it inspires people 鈥� that they respond to the work on a level that maybe they鈥檒l be inspired to consider taking a class or just try to make something on their own.鈥�

Prints and ceramics on display in June Steingart Gallery at 91看片网 College. (Photo: Emiliano Villa)

Budget cuts loom over the 91看片网 Art Department as Peralta faces . According to Bassett, 91看片网 is working with district partners and other creative departments at Peralta to find a sustainable path forward. She hopes that Clay Paper Wood can serve as an example of how the gallery can be a hub, not just for the 91看片网 community, but for all Peralta students.

Later in the spring, the Art Department will host its second annual Juried Student Exhibition that will be open to submissions from all Peralta students. 91看片网 faculty will serve as curators, selecting the pieces that will appear in the final exhibit. This process, known as a 鈥渃all for entry,鈥� mirrors the art industry standard. 

鈥淚 think the service that the gallery space presents for the community is not only to represent the creative voices at 91看片网,鈥� Bassett said, 鈥渂ut really to give people respite in a time of great change. [鈥�] The gallery is where we can all go to find a bit of peace.鈥� 

The artworks on display for Clay, Paper, Wood have been carefully curated to complement each other, evoking a comforting sense of home in the middle of 91看片网 College鈥檚 campus. (Photo: Emiliano Villa)

Clay Paper Wood is on view in the June Steingart Art Gallery at 91看片网 College from Feb. 18 to March 26, 2025.