SWARM GALLERY OAKLAND

Art Hound crushin' on Jillian Ludwig this week

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:55:26 -0800

After mentioning Katy Horan’s featured work at Buy Some Damn Art earlier today, I noticed that Swarm’s Jillian Ludwig was mentioned earlier this week over at Art Hound, BSDA’s sister site. Head over there to scope Jillian’s work and to see a nicely curated selection of other great artists from all over!

Swarm featured in the EBX Insider's Guide!

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:32:21 -0800

Swarm is featured in the East Bay Express Insider’s Guide in this week’s issue! Pick up a guide for yourself and see where else you can experience the many great things happening this side of the bay.

Swarm studio artist Masako Miyazaki!

New Katy Horan works @ Buy Some Damn Art!

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:31:00 -0800

Photo courtesy of Buy Some Damn Art

Swarm’s Katy Horan is the featured artist this week over at Buy Some Damn Art, a site dedicated to affordable art run by Art Hound’s Kate Singleton. New works by Katy, priced between $400-$500 each, will be up for the next six weeks on the site. Also check out BSDA’s interview with Katy over at at their blog!

Of Course Not write up in East Bay Express!

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:24:11 -0800

Paul Morgan, I’m Lichen This! (2011), Screenprint, 20 x 26 inches

Head on over to the East Bay Express to check out Dewitt Cheng’s coverage our current show, Of Course Not. And make a point to stop by the gallery if you need another look (or a first look) at this show before the show ends Sunday February 26th!

Mayumi Hamanaka @ Middlesex County College Studio Theatre Gallery now through 3/8

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:00:05 -0800

Swarm’s Mayumi Hamanaka is in a group show that opened up February 2nd at Middlesex County College Studio Theatre Gallery in Edison, New Jersey. The show, entitled Self: Scape is an exhibition that “conceptually questions the metaphoric redefinition of the environment through the artist’s perspective,” according to curator and Drexel University professor Jen Blazina. “Whether it is a self-portrait or an occupied space, the artwork depicts a new viewpoint on how your surroundings effect how you see yourself. Media does not define the show but rather the artists’ take on what does Self: Scape mean to them.”

The exhibition also includes international and national artists Lena Lapschina, Ron Saunders, Tatana Kellner, Kim Owens and Anda Dubinskis and runs through March 8.

John Casey @ Galerie Polaris (Paris) 2/11 through 3/10!

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:00:06 -0800

To our French followers (or those lucky ones adventuring in Paris this month), Swarm’s John Casey has a solo show opening in the main gallery of Galerie Polaris today (or, yesterday, Paris time), Saturday February 11 from 2-9pm! The show, Big Idea, also features a group exhibition in the second gallery featuring the work of Claude Briand-Picard, Marine Joatton, Maëlle Labussière, Olivier Michel, Patrice Pantin and Antoine Perrot. The show runs through March 10.

Live KALX broadcast of Swarm Intelligence on 2/25 here @ Swarm!

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:40:00 -0800

We’re excited to announce a show—that will be broadcast live on KALX!—coming up later this month on Saturday 2/25 at the gallery! Swarm Intelligence, a new band featuring a few folks who have played here before (Grex + Jordan Glenn, Phillip Greenlief, Dan Seamans, Cory Wright), will be performing along with the Ross Hammond Quartet (w/Vinny Golia, Steuart Liebig, Alex Cline), who are celebrating the release of Ross’s new CD!

The sextet of Swarm Intelligence synthesizes the sounds of Grex with “the instrumentation and rhythmic concept of modern jazz (reeds/bass/drums), evoking the timbres and improvisational acumen of the likes of the Paul Motian Trio, Liberation Music Orchestra, Marion Brown, and Bennie Maupin while tethering itself to the multi-idiomatic sensibilities of contemporary chamber pop.”

The show starts at 9pm and will be broadcast live on KALX Berkeley, the Bay Area’s superb gem of a college radio station. More details about the show and broadcast to come!

Interview in SFAQ Magazine!

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:05:00 -0800

Photography by Bonnie Chan

Gregory Ito interviewed Swarm Gallery director, Svea Lin Soll, in the latest issue of the San Francisco Arts Quarterly (FEB/MAR/APR 2012). Click the link to download and read.

Jeff Eisenberg current and upcoming

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:26:46 -0800

Swarm’s Jeff Eisenberg is part of the Kala Artists’ Annual group show that’s currently up and running through this Saturday, February 4th. Go check out Jeff’s stunning new graphite drawings and other works from over 90 members of Kala’s artist community of Fellows, Artists-in-Residence, workshop instructors, and staff.

Next up for Jeff is his residency at the Bemis Center in Omaha, Nebraska, from March 1st - May 25th. Keep up with Jeff’s residency work here and check out his most recent work on his site.

Jessalyn Aaland + Paul Morgan featured in Oakland Art Beat!

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:45:14 -0800

Wondering how current Swarm exhibiting artists Jessalyn Aaland and Paul Morgan make such crazy cool art? Oakland Art Beat recently spoke with the artists about their collaborative tendencies, the reason they love working in Oakland, and their current show at Swarm. Check it out to learn more of the interesting ways in which they work together.

Music friends in the news! As seen @ Swarm

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:00:05 -0800

Excited to see some great musician friends of the gallery get some coverage in this week’s East Bay Express!

Members of the featured band, Kapowski, are past (and future) performers at the gallery in our slowly-growing and ever-evolving series featuring talented people performing all kinds of sounds.

And on that note, a huge thanks to Lawson for a great performance last Friday. Those who didn’t make it out missed a great unintentional collaboration with the rainstorm and the ensemble’s great film score-ish sounds.

Jeff Eisenberg @ POVevolving Gallery till next weekend!

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:41:59 -0800

Swarm’s Jeff Eisenberg is in a solo exhibition that opened in December at POVevolving Gallery in LA. The show, Convergent De-evolution, features new graphite drawings that “suggest multiple readings of a single image; friend or foe; decay or past.” Check it out before it comes down next weekend! Click through for images from the show.

Images courtesy of POVevolving Gallery

Lawson Release Party TONIGHT @ Swarm!

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:24:55 -0800

TONIGHT at 8pm we will be hosting the release party for Oakland-based Lawson’s debut, Tales from the Land of Lawson!

Lawson is a project of local saxaphonist Jacob Zimmerman and an ensemble comprised of Theo Padouvas (trumpet), Cory Wright (tenor sax), Rob Ewing (trombone), Michael Coleman (keyboard), Dan VanHassel (keyboard), Dan Good (electronics, trumpet). The evening will open with a performance by Zunu, featuring Zeina Nast (voice/guitar) and Alex Vittum (drums/synth).

Come on down at 8 and make sure to bring a little cash ($10 suggested donation) to support the musicians!

Call & Response now available online!

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:40:48 -0800

In case you missed out on this book during John Casey’s Tall Tales show here back in the fall, you have another chance to score a copy of Call & Response at our shop!

Call & Response matches Mary’s writing with John’s drawing and vice versa. In some cases John goes first, drawing a character engaged in an activity. Mary responds to the drawing with a short story, poem, or essay, depending on how the drawing strikes her. This response is the first time John’s work is narrated in a format other than in the viewer’s mind. This limited edition (250) signed and numbered 44-page book features writing by Mary Kalin-Casey and drawings by John Casey is just $20. Check out this unique artist’s book and other hand-selected goods now at over at our shop.

OF COURSE NOT opens this weekend + upcoming events!

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:13:00 -0800

We’re really thrilled to present Of Course Not, a two person show by Oakland locals Jessalyn Aaland and Paul Morgan, opening this Saturday January 14th from 6-8! Jessalyn and Paul will be DJing some tunes of the dancehall/international/jazz variety. We will also have kettlecorn treats and handcrafted cocktails on hand!

Upcoming next week:

Release party for Oakland-based Lawson’s debut, Tales from the Land of Lawson. Lawson is a project of local saxaphonist Jacob Zimmerman. The evening will open with a performance by Zunu, featuring Zeina Nast (voice/guitar) and Alex Vittum (drums/synth). The show starts at 8pm and there is a $10 suggested donation at the door.

Swarm studio artist Jordan Essoe in De-Mobbing: Landscape, Structure, Bioform, a show opening at the Headlands Center for the Arts on Sunday, January 22 at 2pm. There is an earlier member preview reception at 1pm featuring a talk with Jordan, fellow exhibiting artist Whitney Lynna, and curator Brian Karl.

Jordan Essoe, Tuft Receiving Artefact (2011)

The new year's new show: Jessalyn Aaland + Paul Morgan two-person opens next week!

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:39:50 -0800

Happy new year, everyone! It certainly feels new with a brand-new show opening here next week. We are very excited to welcome Oakland artists Jessalyn Aaland and Paul Morgan for their first two-person show, opening next Saturday January 14th, 2012.

Screenprint by Paul Morgan (2011), 26 x 20 inches

Rumor has it there just might be some early 70’s dancehall even perhaps some kettle corn making an appearance, in addition to the amazing installation and artwork that will be on hand (and some brand new prints for purchase!).

Jessalyn Aaland, Trying to Reach the Point of Largest Growth (2010), Collage on paper,
15 x 20.5 inches

Check out this recent press on Jessalyn and Paul and visit our exhibit page for more info about the show!

Holiday Hours + Current/Upcoming

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:44:00 -0800

Laura Ball, Charge (2011), Watercolor on paper, 22 x 30 inches

If you are looking for a place to bring your out-of-town visitors in the next few days, come check out the current show, Mystical Menagerie, before the gallery closes for the holidays from December 24th to January 3rd.

Jessalyn Aaland, Trying To Reach the Point of Largest Growth (2010), Collage on paper, 15 x 20.5 inches

We’re coming back after the new year with a two-person show, Of Course Not, featuring Jessalyn Aaland and Paul Morgan. Come check out the opening reception Saturday, January 14th, from 6-8pm.

Happiest of holidays to you all!

Make your holidays happier: Give an original piece of art this year!

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:39:41 -0800

Casey Jex Smith, Untitled (Colorful Pencil) (2008), Collage on paper, 7.5 x 5.5 inches. $150.

Do you want to give something meaningful to the folks on your list this year? Here are our picks for an affordable, memorable gift this holiday season…

Give a truly unique gift to a special person in your life and support a great artist by purchasing an original piece of artwork from Swarm! Email us at info@swarmgallery.com and let us help you find a great piece of art to fit your budget. See our picks below!

Jillian Ludwig, Spider I (2009), Graphite and gouache on paper, 13.5 x 10.5 inches. $70.

We have a variety of interesting works that fit every price range—all the pieces shown in this post range from $10-$150!

Ethan Worden in collaboration with Gina Tuzzi, Untitled (2010), Edition of 13, Photocopy on Rives BFK, 17 x 11 inches. $40.

Mark Warren Jacques - In the summer, I’m dreaming of you

Silkscreen on paper
12 x 12 inches
2010
$35

Andrea Wan, The Hunter (2009), Edition of 100, numbered & signed, Archival Giclee pigment print on paper, 9.5 x 7.5 inches. $30.

Tia Factor, Obsolete Nokia (2010), Carved Wood. $10.

John Casey, Negotiator (2009), Pen and ink on paper, 10 x 8 inches. $125.

Jake Watling, Dancing with the Devil (2009), Acrylic on wood. $80.

Grand opening for popuphood this Friday!

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:52:56 -0800

Photo courtesy of Oakland North
Oaklanders are hungry. For food, and drinks and what not, but also for just…more good stuff in to happen in the town. Well, something really innovative is upon us this Friday, December 9, with popuphood, a new urban initiative in Old Oakland offering six new retail shops in five previously vacant store fronts with six months free rent.

Local entrepreneurs Alfonso Dominguez and Sarah Filley founded popuphood in 2011 with the idea to create a dynamic neighborhood “where folks can stroll, dine, drink and shop, while exploring the neighborhood, discovering its historic charm and investing locally.” A goal of the project is to partner with the public and private sectors in supporting small, local businesses toward signing a long-term lease. Retailers include Manifesto Bicycles, Marion and Rose’s Workshop, Sticks + Stones, PIPER AND JOHN GENERAL GOODS, Turtle and Hare, and Crown Nine.

The grand opening for popuphood is Friday December 9th, from 12pm to 9pm in Old Oakland, near 9th and Broadway. The neighborhood’s Farmer’s Market will be going on from early morning until 3pm and 9th street will be closed to traffic from Broadway to Washington Street, some come down and enjoy a nice walk around the neighborhood.

College Track Oakland presents: Winter Showcase 2011

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:54:07 -0800

Come down to the gallery next Thursday, December 15 from 5-8pm to support the local students of College Track Oakland at their annual Winter Showcase 2011!

The event will feature student performances, music, dancing, and speakers to promote College Track Oakland and to raise funds for student leadership programming and donations for the Toys for Tots foundation. There will be raffles, local food vendors, dozens of prizes and many ways to give—simply donate online, bring in a toy for the Toys for Tots, or donate at the gallery. This is a community event to celebrate our youth, the belief in a brighter future, and the role of education and community to improve society for all.