Reclaim, Repurpose, Reimagine

University Art Gallery
11:00 am – 4:00 pm

The University Art Gallery at Sonoma State University is proud to present Reclaim, Repurpose, Reimagine (RRR), a bold and timely exhibition on view from September 4 through October 18, 2025.

Curated by SSU faculty members Eileen Parent and Stefan Kiesbye, the exhibition features works by five acclaimed Bay Area artists— Mia Feuer, Bryan Keith Thomas, Arleene Correa Valencia, Richard Lang and Judith Selby Lang of One Beach Plastic. The exhibition also highlights selected works by emerging student artists—Ellie Bertling, Kendelle Lannert, Ace Noriega, Charlotte Ruiz, and Joseph Taylor—developed under the mentorship of artist Asherah Weiss, whose own work is also featured in the exhibition, through the Recology ArtStart Student Hub (TRASH) summer residency program.

Spanning sculpture, fiber arts, photography, painting, and mixed media, these artists transform discarded materials into works that are both visually striking and conceptually layered—engaging with urgent and often challenging themes. From the global impact of consumerism and climate change to deeply personal reflections on immigration, ancestry, spirituality, and cultural survival, each piece invites viewers to confront the realities of the Anthropocene and consider how waste and material culture are tied to systems of power, displacement, and resilience.

Together, the artists in RRR offer powerful reflections on how individuals and communities resist, adapt, and bear witness in the face of environmental and social struggle. Through the act of reclaiming discarded materials, their work surfaces narratives of vulnerability and survival, illuminating how histories—both inherited and erased—can be reassembled and reimagined through creative practice.

We invite you to consider discarded objects not as an endpoint, but as a beginning—a material rich with possibility. Each artwork challenges us to see beauty, agency, and meaning in what is often overlooked. Through this collective reimagining, the artists offer not only critique but a vision—a future shaped not by what we discard, but by what we choose to preserve, transform, and elevate.

In-kind support is generously provided by Recology.

Program Notes:

Opening Reception: Thursday, September 4th from 4:00 - 6:00 PM
Free and open to all!
Artist Talk and Art Activity: featuring Judith Selby Lang and Richard Lang,
Thursday, September 18th from 4:00–6:00 PM
Artist Talk: featuring Mia Feuer, Bryan Keith Thomas, and Arleene Correa Valencia,
Thursday, September 25th from 4:00–5:00 PM