Thursday, February 26, 2026

Opening Reception of Three Shows at The Orchard!

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 Sculpture by Bella Feldman
 
You are cordially invited to the 
Opening Reception of THREE Exhibitions
at The Orchard / Galleries on 25
Saturday, February 28, 2:00 - 5:00 pm

The Orchard / Galleries on 25  and Gray Loft Gallery
are pleased to present three exhibitions:
  • The Orchard is honored to present a solo retrospective of the 50-year international career of Bella Feldman.  Bella Tabak Feldman (1930–2024) was an American sculptor and installation artist whose work merged steel, glass, and wood into psychologically charged, often surreal forms that probe themes of war, sexuality, vulnerability, and the anxieties of the industrial age. A pioneering woman in sculpture and a Professor Emerita at California College of the Arts in Oakland, she is widely recognized for innovating techniques that combine blown glass with fabricated metal, producing works that are at once physically imposing and emotionally fragile.
     
  • We present nationally recognized metal sculptor Joseph Slusky is showing a selection of recent and past work. He is best known for his whimsical painted metal sculptures made from recycled scrap metal. Influences include metal toys, LA car culture, Constructivism and other twentieth century art movements. The sculptures explore realms of the subconscious and are fossilizations of the imagination. Joe taught drawing and three-dimensional design UC Berkeley’s Architecture Department for thirty-two years.
     
  • Curated by Gray Loft Gallery, we are delighted to present a satellite exhibition of the Richmond Art Center’s Art of the African Diaspora.  Art of the African Diaspora is the longest running event of its kind in the Bay Area. It began in 1989 as a salon for African American artists known as Colors of Black, organized by artist and professor Marie Johnson Calloway.  This exhibition features 19 artists selected from the Richmond Art Center’s AOTAD roster, all of whom live and work in the Bay Area.  
    Featured Artists:
    Cynthia Brannvall, Stephen Bruce, Kim Champion, Cairo McCockran, Kelvin Curry, Anna W. Edwards, Jimi Evins, Eva Facey, Kin Folkz, Chuck Harlins, Raymond L. Haywood, Alexis Joseph,  Gathoni Kamau-Devers, Ashlie Kego, Eric Murphy, Arthur Norcome, Malcolm Ryder, Xan Walker, Darrin Westmore
 
Show dates:  February 28 through May 2, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 28, 2:00 - 5:00 pm
Closing Reception: Saturday, May 2, 1:00 – 5:00 pm

The Orchard /Galleries on 25
489 - 25th Street, Oakland CA  94612

About The Orchard / Galleries on 25
The Orchard / Galleries on 25, is a vibrant arts venue located in the heart of the Oakland Art Murmur District and a new arts destination in Oakland’s thriving Art Murmur district, offering space for galleries and individual artists to present exhibitions, installations, and events. With its collaborative model and spacious layout, Galleries on 25 aims to foster community engagement and showcase the creative diversity that defines the Bay Area art scene. 

About Gray Loft Gallery Uptown

Gray Loft Gallery Uptown is the satellite location of our Jingletown gallery, which has been inspiring art and enriching the local cultural landscape since 2012. Gray Loft Uptown continues this mission by providing exhibition opportunities in a space that offers an alternative to the traditional gallery model. We foster creativity, meaningful engagement, and celebration within our community and beyond. We proudly support emerging, mid-career, and established artists, with a special emphasis on those who live and work in the Bay Area.

The gallery was voted Best Art Gallery in 2016, 2017, and 2021, and ranked among the top five from 2022 to 2025 in the Oakland Magazine Readers’ Choice Awards.   The gallery is a proud member of the San Francisco Art Dealers Association, Oakland Art Murmur and Jingletown Arts, Business and Community.
 
 
 
    

 
Painting and Sculpture by Joseph Slusky
 
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
 Examples of pieces by the artists in the Art of the African Diaspora exhibit
 
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
    
    
 
 
 
 
 
 UPCOMING EVENT
 Gray Loft Gallery presents “Texts/Worlds,” two readings and a performance by renowned experimental poets Stephen Ratcliffe, Barrett Watten, Carla Harryman, and composer/improvisor Jon Raskin.

Sunday, March 15, 4:00 - 6:00 PM

Gray Loft Gallery @ The Orchard / Galleries on 25
489 - 25th Street, Oakland

 The event celebrates the West Coast book launch of Barrett Watten’s Zone: correlations (1973 2021), published by Chax Press, a collection of textual hybrid works that “correlate” disparate modes of writing.

Northern California poet Stephen Ratcliffe will read from his conceptually inflected poetry of time, space, and minute-by-minute cognition and perception from b r e a t h i n g , an on-going work, and his new chapbook onward walking on (Neo-Mimeo Press), accompanied by digital image projections. 

“Demonstrations: Gertrude Stein’s Do Let Us Go Away” is a text/musical performance continuing Carla Harryman and Jon Raskin’s work in word/sound compositions and improvisations.


READ MORE HERE
 
 
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The Orchard / Galleries on 25
489 – 25th Street, Oakland, CA
hello@orchardgalleries.com

www.orchardgalleries.com

Gallery Hours: 
Every First Friday: 5:00 - 8:00 pm 
Saturdays from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. and by appointment