REPAIR: An Exploration of Trauma & Healing, an exhibition that challenges our relationship with objects in a consumerist society. Featuring works by Bay Area artists, the exhibition explores repair's literal application, its symbolic connection to healing and trauma, and the blurred lines between utilitarian objects and artistic expression.

REPAIR will challenge visitors and collectors to reconsider the value we assign to objects. The exhibition encourages viewers to question the disposability of manufactured goods and rethink the value of visible mending and transformative repair. Artists such as Youngmi Pak and Mansur Nurullah incorporate discarded materials and textiles into their work, elevating once-disposable items into works of art, while Amanda Farrell’s mended and embroidered pieces exemplify the transformative power of repair, extending the lives of damaged goods.

The exhibition also explores repair as a metaphor for healing. Najee Strickland and Swilk use cultural objects like barbers' chairs and wedding china to explore the emotional and physical processes of mending. Reg Estrada's work uses tattoos to cover scars from gender-affirming surgeries, literally mending the body from both mental and physical trauma.

In addition to the artworks, the curators have planned a number of community engagement events. The opening and closing receptions will coincide with San Rafael's monthly art walks on the second Friday of October and November. Planned events include an artists' round table discussion, a curator tour, and a possible sashiko mending workshop led by East Bay artist Lena Wolff.

About the Curatorial Team

The exhibition is curated by Maria Tuttle and Kelly Dunagan. Maria is the founder and director of the Children's Art Studio Richmond, a local artist, curator, and educator with an extensive background in art history, museum studies, and fine art. Kelly is a local artist, painter, and photographer with a B.A. in studio art from Stanford University. Both are members of Gallery 2727 in Berkeley, CA, and have significant experience curating exhibitions at venues like the Richmond Museum of History & Culture.