You are here

If A Tree Falls: Art Of The Boundary Oak

Country:

Categories:

Exhibition Type:

How many artists: 
64

How many exhibition works:

Date: 
Saturday, 30 October 2021 to Sunday, 13 February 2022
Opening: 
Saturday, 30 October 2021 - 3:00pm to 5:00pm

If a Tree Falls: Art of the Boundary Oak memorializes the City of Walnut Creek’s signature Valley Oak, which tragically fell during a massive windstorm in October 2019. As a tribute to the tree’s long life and rich history, which spanned 325 years, sixty-four emerging, midcareer, and established Bay Area artists have created artworks from its wood, offering this monumental being a second life.

Indigenous to California, Valley Oaks are among the largest of North American oaks and can live up to 600 years. Their trunks and limbs have thick, ridged bark similar to alligator hide and their leaves are covered with a soft fuzz that is velvety to the touch. Due to their structure, size, and long lifespans, they are vital to California’s ecosystem, hosting and providing sustenance for a variety of animals and insects. 

This particular Valley Oak was the centerpiece at Boundary Oak Golf Course, approximately five miles north of Mount Diablo. Having survived 325 years, the old oak not only experienced dramatic ecological changes in the area, but also witnessed the colonization of the native Bay Miwok peoples and the modernization of what is now considered the City of Walnut Creek. The tree was alive for the signing of the US Constitution, the Gold Rush Era, the Civil Rights Movement, and countless other historic events that have shaped our country. Symbolizing strength and perseverance, the grand tree captured the hearts of the local community and became the iconic logo for the City of Walnut Creek.

This timely community show provides a much-needed celebration of local artists and highlights the unifying forces of nature. If a Tree Falls includes Bay Area artists who work across disciplines from painting and drawing to woodturning and carving. Each artwork—made exclusively for the show—incorporates pieces of Walnut Creek’s beloved Boundary Oak, providing visitors a rare opportunity to see how artists interpret the same base material in diverse ways. The beauty of this exhibition is that the Boundary Oak tree will continue to exist through the thoughtful reimagining of the Bay Area artistic community.

Curator :

Telephone: 
925-295-1417
Other Info: 

Bedford Gallery hours: Thursday - Sunday, 12 pm - 5 pm.

Ticket Price: General (ages +13 and up) $5, Free for 12 years and younger.

Please visit website for information.

Venue ( Address ): 

Bedford Gallery, Inside the Lesher Center for the Arts

1601 Civic Dr, Walnut Creek, CA 94596

Bedford Gallery , Walnut Creek

Other events from Bedford Gallery

view
Sight Unseen Opening Reception
07/08/2023 to 09/17/2023
view
About Face Opening Reception
03/21/2023
view
Erin Fong | The Sensation of Color: Opening Reception
01/14/2023
view
If A Tree Falls: Art Of The Boundary Oak
10/30/2021 to 02/13/2022

Pages

 

Related Shows This Week

view
Five Elements: Bill Pangburn's Rivers
03/01/2024 to 03/30/2024
view
Zhang Zhaohui: Rethinking Ink
03/22/2024 to 04/05/2024
view
CAROLINE GRAY: Undercurrents
03/16/2024 to 05/11/2024
view
JUNE EDMONDS: Meditations on African Resilience
02/24/2024 to 04/13/2024
view
Expoziție de pictură Ioan Avrămuț
03/28/2024 to 04/14/2024
view
Monty Montgomery Opening Reception: “Intersection”
03/10/2024 to 04/28/2024
view
"Floating World: The Light the Bird Sees"
02/24/2024 to 04/06/2024
view
What Was Once Familiar: The Vision & Art Project's Tenth Anniversary Benefit Exhibition
03/20/2024 to 04/26/2024

Pages