Potluck and Artists in Conversation —2026 Juried Members' Exhibition

Berkeley Art Center warmly invites you to a joyful afternoon in nature, as part of our 2026 Juried Members' Exhibition: I have considered the lilies, or, Everything is fine and alright forever.

Potluck in the park | 1 - 2 pm
We’ll kick things off with a community potluck— bring your favorite dish or drink to share! We encourage vegan and low-allergen options so everyone can enjoy. Surrounded by trees and friends, it’s the perfect way to connect and celebrate!
Just be sure to gather your plate, utensils, and any leftovers before you head out — we’d love to leave the park as lovely as we found it!

Artist conversation | 2 - 3 pm
Join us in the gallery for an artist conversation between curators Jackie Im and Aaron Harbour and the 2 Jurors' Awardees: Alimatu Amabebe & Sun Parks. Together, they’ll dive into their creative process, the vision behind I have considered the lilies, or, Everything is fine and alright forever, exploring both process and vision. Live oak trees, great company, delicious food, and inspiring conversation — what more could you want?

Free and open to all — we’d love to see you there (RSVP encouraged but not required)

ABOUT I HAVE CONSIDERED THE LILIES, OR, EVERYTHING IS FINE AND ALRIGHT FOREVER

Drawing inspiration from a phrase borrowed and reinterpreted across time, I have considered the lilies brings together 58 local artists whose works explore moments of connection, resilience, and wonder. Selected from more than 300 submissions, the exhibition considers artworks as points of encounter—small but meaningful gestures that bridge distances between people, places, and experiences. Together, these works create a constellation of voices, reminding us that even in uncertain times, moments of beauty and connection can endure.

Participating artists: Christine Aiko Beck · Cherisse Alcantara · Salimatu Amabebe · Nadja Eulee · Emilie Boras · Heather Brown · Jackie Sarah Brown · Angela Chu · Jacob Clark · Paquerette · Anjelica Colliard · James Corbett · Sofia Criswell · Alex Ehmer · Laurence Elias · Carol Elkovich · Eden Evans · Anna Feldman · Sneha Gindodiya · Kate Goka · Kris Goodie · Jennifer Boyuan Han · Yang Hu · Elizabeth Kendall · Emily Kenyon · Suzy Kopf · Shay Lari-Hosain · Kate Laster · Nagi Lee · Carey Lin · Nico Lown Heitz · Yuki Maruyama · Christine Meuris · Claudia Morales · Firouzeh Nourzad · Mokhtar Paki · Sun Park · Moonji Pickering · Adriana Ramirez · Leah Rosenberg · Sanaz Safanasab · Erik Schmitt · Julia Schwartz · Gabby Severson · Meghna Sharma · Rene Smith · Siana Smith · Dobee Snowber · Sam Soon · Salix Staley · Beatrice Thornton · Ali Vaughan · Jane Whitley · Sharon Yan · Jes Young · Elena Yu · Abby Zhang · Stella Zhang

related programs:

• Opening Reception: Saturday, June 13, 3 - 5 pm. Free and Open to the Public. RSVP encouraged but not required.
• Potluck and Artists in Conversation: Saturday, July 11, 1 - 3 pm. Curators in conversation with Salimatu Amabebe & Sun Parks (Jurors’ Awardees).
• Closing Reception & Announcement of Public Awardee: Saturday, August 15, 3 - 5 pm.

ABOUT THE CURATOR

Jackie Im is a curator based in Oakland, CA. She is the co-founder and Director of Et al., San Francisco, alongside Aaron Harbour. She also currently serves as the Acting Director of Galleries and Public Programs at the San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) Galleries. She has organized exhibitions at the Wattis Institute of Contemporary Art, Queens Nails, The Lab, Important Projects, MacArthur B Arthur, and SFAC Galleries. Im was the co-curator of the 2024 Oregon Contemporary Artists’ Biennial at Oregon Contemporary in Portland. Her writing has appeared in Fillip Magazine, Variable West, Art Practical, and San Francisco Arts Quarterly, among others. She holds a BA in Art History from Mills College and an MA in Curatorial Practice from California College of the Arts.

Aaron Harbour is a writer, curator, and DJ living in Oakland, CA, who received some education at the San Francisco Art Institute. Alongside Jackie Im, he directs the exhibition and event space Et al. in San Francisco. He has curated and exhibited shows locally and elsewhere, and produces a music podcast called 'Timber!'.

ABOUT ET AL.
Et al. is a gallery directed by Jackie Im and Aaron Harbour. The gallery serves as a site for exhibitions and events, working with its select roster as well as other local and international artists, performers, writers, publishers, and curators. Et al. was founded in 2013 by Im, Harbour, and Facundo Argañaraz, in the basement of Union Cleaners in San Francisco's Chinatown as a continuation of Im and Harbour’s curatorial project. In 2017, Et al. opened its second location, Et al. etc., a storefront gallery in the Mission, and worked closely with Kevin Krueger, who continues to assist now and then. In 2024, the Chinatown location closed after 11 years in operation. https://etaletc.com/

Et al. books is a new and used bookstore that operates out of Et al.’s Mission location. Open in 2021, it continues to expand its scope, with high-quality books in many genres. Et al./Et al. books hosts all manner of readings and events in the space.

ABOUT BERKELEY ART CENTER

Berkeley Art Center (BAC) is a hub for artistic exploration and community building that champions work by Bay Area artists and curators. Located in Live Oak Park in North Berkeley, we make contemporary art approachable at an intimate scale while serving diverse communities through exhibitions and artist-conceived events, workshops, and programs. Since its founding in 1967, BAC has exhibited work by important local figures such as Enrique Chagoya, Mildred Howard, Hung Liu, Jim Melchert, Taraneh Hemami, Lava Thomas, and David Huffman and Carrie Mae Weems, among others.

Berkeley Art Center contact: Marthe Benoit, Gallery Manager, info@berkeleyartcenter.org, office: (510) 644-6893