Virtual Art Talk recording available here:

Happenstance is a dynamic exhibition of work that demonstrates how fortunate accidents, or unexpected events, often contribute to serendipitous results in the art-making process. Juried by Zoë Taleporos, the exhibition showcases the work of twenty artists from around the country. Taleporos states: "All the works selected demonstrate a reverence to process over outcome. These works all integrate unintended factors that surprisingly create harmonious, interesting forms and compositions." 

For example, Anna Rybat created her painting, Yellow Stripe, by manipulating fabric drenched in paint until the composition presented itself. The result is a wall relief with an energetic presence comprised of folds, ridges, and valleys of fabric. Also on view are monotype prints by Kristina Nobleman, who, while using a large-scale printing press, accidentally creased the paper. Nobleman considered these prints imperfect but ultimately, they became the impetus for an entire body of work, informed by the original mistake. We invite visitors to experience this engaging exhibition that highlights the positive outcomes of embracing the unexpected. The exhibition opens November 13 and runs through December 23. The exhibition is free to the public. Download the list of award-winners here.

Zoë Taleporos is a curator, arts administrator, and writer based in Oakland. She currently works as a Public Art Project Manager at the San Francisco Arts Commission where she is involved in commissioning a wide range of artworks for public spaces. She co-organizes Premiere Jr., an exhibition space that commissions new work by Bay Area artists on a 6-by-12-foot billboard in San Francisco’s Inner Sunset. Formerly, she was a co-director/curator of Royal NoneSuch Gallery in Oakland and Queen's Nails Projects in San Francisco. As an independent curator, she has implemented exhibitions and public programs for the California College of the Arts, San Francisco; Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito; Pro Arts, Oakland; among many others. Her writing has been published by KQED Arts, Art Practical, and MIT Press. She received her MA in curatorial practice from California College of the Arts.  

Download the list of accepted entries here

Image credit:

Anna Rybat, detail from Yellow Stripe, 2021, 3D sculpted colorfield painting, 24 x 4 in.

Kristina Nobleman, Fractured 4, 2021, monotype, 37.25 x 1.625 in.

Susan Zimmerman, detail from Grid Play, 2021, linen, natural dyes, acrylic medium paper, balsa wood, glue, 50 x 45 x 2 in.