Art at the Dump May 15, 2009

Reception for Artists-in-Residence at the San Francisco Dump
Bill Basquin, The Way of all Flesh
Jane Kim, Walls Inlaid

Friday, May 15, from 5-9 pm
Saturday, May 16, from 1-5 pm

Art Studio located at 503 Tunnel Ave. San Francisco, CA 94134

SF Recycling & Disposal, Inc. (a subsidiary of Norcal Waste Systems) will hold an art exhibition and reception for local artists Bill Basquin and Jane Kim. Both artists will exhibit works created during their four-month art residencies at San Francisco’s city dump.

In conjunction with this event, there will be a special art exhibition by City College student artist Diane Glazman, on display in the Environmental Learning Center located at 401 Tunnel Ave.

Admission is free and open to the public, all ages welcome, wheelchair accessible

Program information: http://www.sfrecycling.com/AIR
Photos: http://www.flickr.com/artatthedump
Phone: 415 330 1415

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Bill Basquin, The Way of all Flesh

Bill Basquin, a still photographer and filmmaker, is knee-deep in dirt and decomposition and he invites you to join him; he promises it’ll be a lot more fun than it sounds.

In searching for the fusion between urban and rural in his own life, Bill Basquin’s residency at the dump seems a natural. Basquin’s interest in gardening and the composting process brings awareness through combined use of recycled materials and food scraps. His work documents the decaying aspects of foodstuffs; molding oranges and rotting avocado skins conjure up alchemical relationships between beauty and function, hope and activism, art and agriculture.

Basquin’s work at SF Recycling and Disposal, Inc. consists of a photographic series called “Fruits Uneaten and Now Past Their Prime”. He utilizes recycled windows for viewing his composting processes as well as creating handmade frames for viewing his photo documentation.

This show represents some of the results of Basquin’s long-standing inquiry into how to integrate physical experiences into his artwork. Basquin's previous work consists of ten short films (including "Range," that screened at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival) and photographs (including the series "Soiled," which was awarded a 2007 San Francisco Individual Artists' Commission).

Jane Kim, Walls Inlaid

Prior to her residency at the dump, Jane Kim salvaged sheetrock and latex house paints from scrap piles and construction sites to create her paintings. Her work is reminiscent of artifacts from once-standing walls that catalogue an existence taken out of its context.
Painter and media artist Kim explores the sociological relevance of walls by using a variety of construction materials collected at the Public Disposal Area including lumber, brick, plywood, sheetrock and paint. It is the raw beauty of these discards that inspire her and by building walls inlaid with the found materials, her work challenges the conventional notion that these remnants—once intended to build the skeletons of society—lack function. She endeavors to bridge the discord brought through environmental waste by redefining the walls that divide us culturally and the decorative elements that can bring us together.
At the final exhibition, the audience will enter an environment constructed of wall units and wall-like paintings. It will be a place to reflect on the purpose of walls as more than protective structures. Walls have divided, encompassed and defined societies. They are vehicles for personalization, canvasses to decorate, and palettes to tell the stories of our existence.
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The artist-in-residence program at San Francisco’s dump is a one-of-a-kind program started in 1990 to encourage people to conserve natural resources and instill in children and adults an increased appreciation for the environment as well as art. Over 75 professional Bay Area artists and 50 student artists have completed residencies since 1990. Applications are accepted annually from professional Bay Area artists.

Directions:
From the Bay Bridge/ Downtown San Francisco
Take 101 South, exit at Candlestick Park/Tunnel Ave. Continue straight on Beatty until it dead ends onto Tunnel Ave. Take a right on Tunnel Rd. The art studio is located at 503 Tunnel Ave. (the grey building with a red dot). Park on the street or in the parking lot in front of the studio.

From the Peninsula
Take 101 North and take the first Candlestick Park Exit, take a sharp left onto Alanna Way, go under the bridge. When you come to the next stop sign, turn right onto Beatty St. and continue until it dead-ends onto Tunnel Ave. Turn right on Tunnel. The art studio is located 503 Tunnel Ave. (the grey building with red dot). Park on the street or in the parking lot in front of the studio.

Official Website: http://www.sfrecycling.com/AIR