David Brower Center

LET'S DO THIS. Voting is literally one of the few ways that we can truly make our voices heard, and this election couldn't be more important. Remember that even if your state has a predictable national-level outcome, there are some major state and county level ballot measures that will have a huge impact on you and your community! To make them easier to navigate we've collected a ton of voting resources for California's ballot at https://browercenter.org/voting2020/

In case you missed it, here's the recording of our virtual panel of local artists and community organizers for "Art/Act: Local Wild Places"! This was an enlightening conversation that dove into the artistic processes behind this exhibition, the role of connecting with nature within and beyond urban spaces, and our community's ongoing fight for access to nature. "Wild Places" officially closed on Wednesday, but thanks to the need for us to make it fully virtual due to COVID,... it now gets to live on forever at https://browercenter.org/exhibit/wild-places/ Thanks again to the artists Ellen Little, Hagit Cohen, Alan Sonneman, and Ann Holsberry for being the absolute highlight of this year with such powerful installations! It gave us the energy to get through the past six months with hope and beauty. And thank you to North Berkeley Wealth Management for funding the show and their own Kate Campbell King for moderating the panel, and to José Gonzales of Latino Outdoors and Eric Aaholm of YES Nature to Neighborhoods for bringing such depth to the conversation!

This Sunday! See our Executive Director Laurie Rich at Bay Area Book Fest's #UNBOUND - along with an avalanche of inspiring and incendiary voices in our community. Thought leaders and visionaries will be in conversation all day wrinkling our brains and we are SO EXCITED. It's free, it's this weekend, and registration is here: https://www.baybookfest.org/berkeleyunbound/

Ann Holsberry travels the west coast harvesting washed-up bull kelp in order to create mesmerizing blue cyanotypes that spread awareness of the delicacy and power of ocean ecosystems. Her artwork is a collaboration with nature. Not only does she go into wildlife to collect the subjects of her art, but the exposure process itself takes place in the outdoors where the sun and weather play a role in making each piece unique and unexpected. Ann's work is on view in "Art/Act: Loc...al Wild Places" and because of COVID-19, we are bringing her incredible work closer to our community with physically distant artist spotlights and a digital exhibition. See the virtual gallery at https://browercenter.org/exhibit/wild-places/ Tomorrow, join Ann and the other featured artists in our first virtual artist panel! North Berkeley Wealth Management will be moderating a discussion with artists Ann, Ellen Little, Hagit Cohen, and Alan Sonneman, plus community organizations Latino Outdoors and YES Nature to Neighborhoods The panel is free to attend, get the link at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wild-places-virtual-artist-pan

Alan Sonneman has been going backpacking in the Sierra Nevada every summer for decades. Based in San Francisco, he brings his experiences in the wilderness to life with extraordinary paintings that express the deep silence of time passing in nature. Alan's work is on view in our annual juried show "Art/Act: Local Wild Places," and in response to COVID-19, we are digitizing the exhibition with an online gallery and a physically distant artist spotlight series. View the enti...re exhibition at https://browercenter.org/exhibit/wild-places/ This Thursday, join Alan Sonneman and the other featured artists, as well as local community organizations, in our first virtual artist panel! North Berkeley Wealth Management will be moderating a discussion with artists Alan Sonneman, Ellen Little, Hagit Cohen, and Ann Holsberry, plus community organizations Latino Outdoors and YES Nature to Neighborhoods. Free to attend, reserve your seat at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wild-places-virtual-artist-pan

Berkeley-based artist Hagit Cohen creates larger-than-life images that showcase the power of nature in areas that are often overlooked. Her photography series on erodium seeds and seed pods remind us that we can find the origin of life itself within small, sacred spaces. Hagit's work is currently on view in our juried show "Art/Act: Local Wild Places," and we are bringing her work closer to our community with physically distant artist spotlights due to COVID-19. Wild Places... can be viewed online at browercenter.org/exhibit/wild-places and is now able to be viewed in-person by appointment (just reach out to [email protected] to arrange a time!). Next week, join us in our first virtual artist panel to hear from Hagit Cohen live! North Berkeley Wealth Management will be moderating a discussion with artists Hagit, Ellen Little, Ann Holsberry, and Alan Sonneman, as well as community organizations Latino Outdoors and YES Nature to Neighborhoods Free to attend, register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wild-places-virtual-artist-pan #artactlocal #wildplaces #berkeley #artgallery #artistpanel #sacredspaces

San Francisco-based artist Ellen Little showcases the wildlife right inside the city of San Francisco. Her towering watercolors make it feel like you are lying in the grass on a hillside, and that's just the feeling she hopes people will take away from her work. Ellen's art is currently on view in our juried show "Art/Act: Local Wild Places," and our physically distant artist spotlight lets you connect with her work virtually at a time when COVID-19 has made it difficult to... do so in person. Next week, join us in our first virtual artist panel to hear from Ellen and the other three featured artists! The panel is free to attend, reserve your seat to get access at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wild-places-virtual-artist-pan Wild Places is now able to be viewed in-person in our gallery by appointment only - just reach out to [email protected] to arrange a time. Or, view the entire exhibition online at browercenter.org/exhibit/wild-places/

Need a little hope and inspiration? Look this way! On September 10th at 7pm we will host our first ever virtual event focusing on art and activism. The exhibition "Art/Act: Local - Wild Places" features Bay Area artists exploring the importance and meaning of connecting to wilderness. Join the artists Ellen Little, Hagit Cohen, Alan Sonneman, and Ann Holsberry as well as community organizers working to increase access to wilderness: José González of Latino Outdoors, and Eric Aaholm of YES Nature to Neighborhoods. The panel will be moderated by Kate Campbell King from North Berkeley Wealth Management and will include a live Q&A. Free to attend, register for link! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wild-places-virtual-artist-pan

We've been gifted a delicious fundraising opportunity from @hughgromangroup to help offset the financial hit that COVID-19 has had on us! This week you can order groceries, prepared meals, even alcohol, from Greenleaf Provisions and 30% of the proceeds will go to out Arts & Education programming. Just put "Brower2020" in the notes section of the order. The orders have to be placed this week but delivery can be set for later. . Link in their bio to get shopping. Thanks already... for the support, and feed yourself something wonderful! . . . . #bayarea #feedyourself #fundraiser #browercenter #environmentalart See more

It's here, and it's digital! Our new exhibition "Art/Act: Local - Wild Places" features the work of four Bay Area artists examining the importance of connecting people to wilderness in order for them to appreciate, understand, and ultimately protect our natural environment. . The work of these artists varies greatly, from the microscopic seed images of Hagit Cohen (@hagitcoh) to the grandiose landscapes of Alan Sonneman to the evocative backyard paintings of Ellen Little (@el...lenlittle13) to the mesmerizing seaweed cyanotypes of Ann Holsberry (@annholsberry), but all is infused with the desire to celebrate nature her beauty and her resiliency. These sacred places have taken on even more importance during the global pandemic by providing a respite from fear, calm in the chaos, and inspiration in the face of so much unknown. . Because of the pandemic there is no telling if people will be able to see this exhibition in person, so for the first time we've made our entire gallery accessible online (link in bio). We will also be publishing special features on each of the four artists, and a livestreamed panel discussion with Q&A. Stay tuned! . Photos: @mattgaramy . . #wildplaces #exhibition #browercenter #artactlocal #quarantine #art #artgallerybayarea #environment @ David Brower Center See more

Art/Act: Local - Wild Places is now on view in our first online gallery! Take a look at the work of four Bay Area artists exploring the importance of connecting to wilderness, at a time when it offers us more respite from chaos than ever before. https://browercenter.org/exhibit/wild-places/... Photography by Matt Garamy.

Tomorrow we're staying open late with a sanity-restoring event full of fun and joy, because that's what we all need right now. It's the opening of the Museum of Tomorrow! Inspired by the current trend of popular pop-up museums and social media, the MoT sets the trend for sustainability movement. It has transformed our second floor into an interactive gallery in which visitors can play games, see sustainability issues brought to life, and equip themselves with the necessary to...ols to make change. By providing evidence-based statistics on personal change in relatable forms, creating games that illustrate the true costs of our consumption, and offering a carefully screened selection of sustainable products in one platform, they are transforming sustainability into a new positive social norm. What's the story behind this project? A group of committed UC Berkeley students came together to achieve this vision. After several rounds of competition, fundraising, designing and iteration, Museum of Tomorrow was born. Their first launch on campus attracted 500+ visitors in less than 4 days, and has increased the visitor’s commitment to change for sustainability by 35% points (p<.001!). Since its inception in 2018, Museum of Tomorrow - MoT has been gaining traction amongst local/state governments, sustainable goods partners, and of course, its visitors! MoT’s second large-scale appearance is located in David Brower Center and will be on view from , March-May, 2020. More details at www.museumofotomorrow.net! #sustainability #museumoftomorrow #browercenter #gallery #nowonview #ucberkeley #climateaction #exhibition

Thank you to everyone who came to the opening reception of Art/Act: Youth - Wild Places!! We couldn't be more excited about the artwork on our walls. From calling out political hypocrisy to spreading love for vulnerable species to meditating on the power of wilderness itself, high school students have set the tone for the next 10 weeks of the Hazel Wolf Gallery. There are so many people to thank for the incredible reception. Youth Speaks brought us to life with two youth poet...s speaking power to the state of the environment today. Swanky Catering and Events kept us full with their mouthwatering food. Dorien Blue kept us moving as the DJ no one could get enough of. Above all, thank you to the high school students and teachers who inspired all of us to come together in the first place. Deryk Hudson's class at Richmond High brought us stunning pieces that reflect on the relationship between artist and process. Rachel Kantor's class at Skyline High created whimsical explorations of endangered plant life. Jamie Treacy's classes at Skyline High made a stunning scratchboard series on vulnerable animal species AND acrylic paintings of wilderness great and small. Gabriel Berent's digital photography class at Berkeley High gave us a raw window into young minds staring down an urgent climate crisis. Kimberley Dadamo Green's class at Berkeley High crafted soft sculptures that challenge how humans commoditize the wild animals around us. Thank you once again for bringing these conversations into our walls. We aim to bring environmental issues to light with art that motivates and inspires our community and to amplify youth voices. These works are accomplishing all that and more. For those who haven't seen it yet, there are 128 (yes, really!) pieces on display until May 14th in our free, ADA-accessible gallery that's open six days per week. Come by! : Matt Garamy, www.mattgaramy.com #artactyouth #wildplaces #art #berkeley #environment #ecoartists #climate #browercenter