For Immediate Release
June 1, 2012
Press Contact: Marilyn Langbehn
510.809.3290
510.910.3129 cell
CALIFORNIA SHAKESPEARE THEATER HOSTS
EIGHTH ANNUAL “WORKS IN NATURE”
ART INSTALLATION AT THE BRUNS AMPHITHEATER
CURATED EXHIBIT FEATURES THE CERAMICS WORK OF
12 NATIONALLY RENOWNED ARTISTS, INCLUDING
JOHN TOKI, LISA REINERTSON, AND WES HORN
Berkeley, CA – California Shakespeare Theater announces the return of its popular “Works in Nature” art installation at the Bruns Amphitheater to coincide with the company’s 2012 season. This eighth annual exhibit, the largest ever offered at Cal Shakes and featuring the works of a record 12 individual artists working in ceramics, was curated especially for Cal Shakes by Oakland-based artist John Toki, Cal Shakes board member Sharon Simpson, and Mission Clay’s Bryan Vansell.
“I know all of the artists personally, which has made the selection process rewarding, as they all share some common traits. They are all art professionals, who make poetic works of art with a passionate flair,” says Oakland resident John Toki. “I wanted a show with artwork that conveyed a range of aesthetics, such as figurative, social, political, environmental, abstract, and whimsical, etc. One important criterion was that I wanted works that had an ‘edge.’ There will be artworks of varying styles for all of the Cal Shakes audience to enjoy, ponder, and feel.”
The Works in Nature installation is available for viewing with a Cal Shakes performance ticket or grounds pass (obtained from the ticket booth) during Bruns open hours. Grounds open two hours prior to curtain time; go to for a complete performance schedule.
ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
The artists and works featured in this year’s “Works in Nature” exhibit include:
TomFranco
Giant
8 feet tall Ceramics & found metal
JonGariepy
Thou Art But Air
18”h x 33”w x 10”d
Clay with underglazes
Jon Gariepy
What Seems to be the Problem?
20”h x 53”w x 10”d
Clay with underglazes
MichelleGregor
The Oracle
44" x 22" x 32"
Ceramic with slips and glaze
WesHorn
Salmon
9"x24"x3"
Ceramic
SusannahIsrael
Channel
62”h x 29” x 15"
Terracotta
Mark Messenger
Praise of Folly
108”x32”x20”
Ceramic
LisaReinertson
Polar Bear/Slip Sliding Away
84”
Ceramic
Lisa Reinertson
Day at the Beach
7'6" tall
Ceramic
PatrickSiler
A Saxophone on the Sea Bed
90”
Ceramic
BarShacterman
Baal
50”x38”x20”
Ceramic
Al Sinerco
roadTiki
7.5 foot tall
High-fire clay, underglazes
JohnToki
Blue Memory
25” x 16” x 84”tall
stoneware & porcelain
WanxinZhang
Mask
26”x24”x72”
Fired clay with glaze
All sculptures are available for sale; contact for more information.
Photos are available from Cal Shakes in our onlinepressroom.
More information is available at
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ABOUT CAL SHAKES
Founded in 1974, now under the leadership of Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone and Managing Director Susie Falk, Cal Shakes is an award-winning regional theater, acclaimed as “one of the most beautiful outdoor performing spaces in America” by the Wall Street Journal. The recently renovated, architecturally stunning grounds surrounding the classic Bruns Amphitheater, are nestled in the Siesta Valley of the East Bay Hills between Berkeley and Orinda on a protected watershed. The grounds open two hours before curtain for picnicking in the lush eucalyptus and oak groves; the on-site café in the new, environmentally-sustainable Sharon Simpson Center offers gourmet meals on-site, or patrons may bring their own to enjoy. The Theater offers free shuttle service from the Orinda BART station, beginning ninety minutes before the performance, and plentiful free parking onsite. Picnicking audiences enjoy stunning works of California sculpture and can listen to enlightening pre-show talks by our resident dramaturgs before every performance. For more information on the entirety of Cal Shakes work on stage, in schools and in communities, go to
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