Features

Close to 200 Berkeley artists will display their work as part of the Pro Arts gallery’s East Bay Open Studios beginning this weekend. 

More than 500 East Bay artists, who work in media ranging from painting and metal sculpture to prints, glasswork and furniture, will open their studios on May 31 and June 1, 7 and 8, marking the largest participation in the event’s 29-year history. Coordinators said the number of artists has increased by 15 percent during each of the last several years. 

“The word has gotten out about this opportunity,” said Svea Lin Vezzone, exhibition and program manager for Pro Arts and the coordinator of Open Studios. “We’ve been able to give the event as a whole more visibility.” 

Each artist displayed a sample of his or her work in the Pro Arts gallery in Oakland throughout May, giving visitors a preview of the studios they could visit during the two weekends of the exhibition. 

“It sets it up as a self-guided tour,” Vezzone said. “People see a sample of this completely unique art in the gallery and then decide that they want to see more of it.” 

Artist Jim Rosenau, for example, constructs bookshelves made of recycled books rather than wood. He designs the shelves to have themes, using for material old murder mysteries, humorous books or cookbooks. 

Rosenau, who will display and sell his work from his studio at 2612 Benvenue Ave., first displayed his art publicly at last year’s event, and partially attributed his decision to continue his project to the positive feedback he received from visitors. 

Though Rosenau will show pieces out of his own studio, several larger sites will host multiple displays. The Sawtooth Building at Dwight Way and 8th Street will feature the largest exhibition in Berkeley, with 18 artists showcasing their work. Another large Berkeley display will be at The Magazine furniture store at 1823 Eastshore Highway. There, seven local artists have planned an artistic showcase featuring a 1987 Airstream motor home remodeled using contemporary design and modern furniture.  

Artists participating in The Magazine open studio said the collaboration enables them to attract a larger number of visitors than each would receive at individual studios. Participant Max Geiser, who operates his own bedding company, Fold, said the turnout at the store last year was larger than the participants had expected. 

“We were giving people champagne and truffles, and by the end of the day we had gone through hundreds of truffles,” Geiser said. “It was incredible to see that kind of interest in our work.” 

A trend in this year’s Open Studios is the increased number of pieces that focus on current events, including the economic downturn, the war in Iraq and the heightened terror alerts in the United States. One piece called “Confiscation” shows a collection of sewing scissors seized at airports since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. 

“The art on a whole is more charged this year,” Vezzone said. “Artists are always the barometer of the political climate, and it’s been interesting to see how artists respond to the recent politically aggressive climate.” 

The East Bay Open Studios will take place May 31 and June 1, 7, and 8 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The preview exhibition will continue through June 8 at the Pro Arts gallery at 461 9th St. in Oakland, Wednesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Maps of open studio locations can be found at www.proartsgallery.org.