SERIES OF HAND-ON SUNDAY WORKSHOPS AND L@TE PERFORMANCES FORM THE HEART OF BAM/PFA'S RADICAL NEW EXHIBITION THE POSSIBLE

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Berkeley, CA, January 29, 2014 - The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAM/PFA) presents The Possible (on view January 29 through May 25, 2014), a radical new type of exhibition. Featuring an active ceramics studio, dye lab, print shop, recording studio, library, display area, and children's art-making gallery, The Possible is an invitation for artistic creation and collaboration. Approximately one hundred artists will conceive and create new artworks, recorded sound and film works, publications, and performances over the course of the exhibition. BAM/PFA visitors will have the opportunity to participate in The Possible via a series of focused Sunday workshops that form the heart of this interactive exhibition. From ceramic and print work to dance classes, song sessions, and candle- and kite-making, The Possible Workshops run the gamut of craft-making and skills-building. Some works made during the Sunday workshops will be displayed in the galleries during the exhibition; creators can pick them up at the Garden Bazaar on May 25. Drop in during any Sunday workshop between the hours of 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to participate!

From Friday, January 29 through Sunday, February 2 fiber artist Ashley Helvey will host a rug-felting workshop that will leverage the creative talents of children and parents to make a big drawing rug for Kids Club, a newly created space in The Possible that is dedicated to involving elementary-school-age children in creative work.

Additionally, The Possible guest curator David Wilson programs a series of L@TE: Friday Nights @ BAM/PFA happenings related to the exhibition, some of which are culminations of work and preparation performed in the Sunday workshops. The Possible L@TE series is bookended by an Opening Ceremony on February 28 and a Closing Ceremony on May 23. Other performances include an all-style dance tournament, featuring hip-hop artists The Mekanix (March 7); a fashion show featuring designs by resident artists of the Creative Growth Art Center (April 4) to celebrate that institution's fortieth anniversary; a participatory concert by The Something, featuring works produced in The Possible sound studio and Sunday workshops; and a concert (May 9) featuring performances by Daniela Gesundheit and Karamo Susso inspired by some of the world's largest mammals.

To view The Possible public program schedule online visit: http://bampfa.berkeley.edu/events/education/possible

THE POSSIBLE WORKSHOPS SCHEDULE
*The Possible Workshops occur every Sunday from February 2 through May 25, 2014, 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. All workshops included with price of gallery admission unless otherwise noted.

February 2, 2014
The Possible Workshop: Make Rugs with Fritz Haeg and Ashley Helvey
At this inaugural public workshop, artists will be working in the ceramics, dye, print, and recording studios: drop in for the first stroke of wildness! Plus join artist Fritz Haeg in crocheting his giant Domestic Integrities rug and work with fiber artist Ashley Helvey to complete her large-scale felted rug.

February 9, 2014
The Possible Workshop: Carnatic Song Session, Ceramic Work, and Rug-Making with Fritz Haeg
Crochet additional rings for Fritz Haeg's rug while participating in bhajana, a Carnatic song session organized by Sangati Center founder and musician Gautam Tejas Ganeshan. Plus, work with the ceramics studio team on a handbuilding project.

February 16, 2014
The Possible Workshop: Electronic Instrument-Building, Print-and Flyer-Making, and Art-Gym
Join The Something in creating new electronic instruments for sound and video synthesis, work with the print shop team to make prints and street flyers on the Risograph machine, and get a workout with Drew Bennett in the first of a series of art-gym Sweat Sessions. Afterwards, check out Bennett's custom-built outdoor shower in the sculpture garden.

February 23, 2014
The Possible Workshops: Beeswax Candle-Making with Amy Franceschini; Mask-Making and Garment-Dying
Help us prepare for L@TE: The Possible Opening Ceremony on February 28: create adornments and masks, bring garments to dye in the dye lab's indigo vat, and make beeswax candles with Amy Franceschini and a team of beekeepers.

March 2, 2014
The Possible Workshop: Hike and Field Trip
The Sunday workshop goes on a field trip! One month into the experiment that is The Possible, artists and friends go on a hike to reflect and plan. Sign up at the BAM/PFA admissions desk.

March 9, 2014
The Possible Workshop: Hamamatsu Kite-Making, Carnatic Song Session, and Sweat Session
Make Hamamatsu kites using bamboo, rice paper, and indigo with members of the International Association of Tako Age (IATA), participate in the second Carnatic song session hosted by Sangati Center and in a songwriter session convened by Subterranean Art House, check out the dye lab, and get sweaty in the second art-gym Sweat Session.

March 16, 2014
The Possible Workshop: DIY Club Meet-Up, Sound and Video Synthesis, and Mail Art-Making
Calling all kid creators! Bring your creative projects to BAM/PFA and share your work as part of a DIY Club meet-up (diy.org). Plus you can experiment with sound and video synthesis with The Something. The print shop will also be open for making mail art.

March 23, 2014
The Possible Workshop: Dance Class with Anna Halprin and Dohee Lee
Legendary choreographer Anna Halprin and dancer Dohee Lee lead a dance workshop. Plus the ceramics studio will be open for creating new work.

March 30, 2014
The Possible Workshop: Fashion Design with Creative Growth, plus Flyer- and Jewelry-Making
The dye lab hosts a day of art-adornment experiments as we join the artists and staff of Creative Growth in preparing for the L@TE: Creative Growth Beyond Trend Runway Event at BAM/PFA on Friday, April 4. Bring garments to customize with fabric markers and paint, stamps, and dye. Plus make flyers in the print shop and beads and jewelry in the ceramics studio.

April 6, 2014
The Possible Workshop: Dye-Making with Mariano Sosa Martinez, plus Ceramic Work
Textile artists Mariano Sosa Martinez and Rafaela Ruiz visit from Oaxaca, Mexico to lead a dye workshop. Plus join the team of artists in the ceramics studio as they prepare for the April 20 wood-firing event at Richard Carter's anagama kiln in Pope Valley.

April 13, 2014
The Possible Workshop: Perfume Lesson with Mandy Aftel, plus Carnatic Song Session
Renowned natural perfumer Mandy Aftel leads a lesson in scent, based on her contribution to The Possible library. The Sangati Center presents its third South Indian music gathering. Get a workout in the third Sweat Session.

April 20, 2014
The Possible Workshop: Analog Video and Sound Manipulation
Join The Something as they create the final round of instruments for analog video and sound manipulations in preparation for their massive L@TE: Friday Nights @ BAM/PFA participatory jam on April 25.

April 27, 2014
The Possible Workshop: Artist Publication Day
The print shop hosts an artist publication day! With Publication Studio, Colpa Press, and art historian Gwen Allen.

May 4, 2014
The Possible Workshop: John Toki on Ceramics and Printmaking with Chris Duncan
Join The Possible ceramics team and a host of special guests, including John Toki of Leslie Ceramics, to talk ceramics and view the results of the Pope Valley firing event. Artist Chris Duncan leads a wall-rubbing printmaking session to explore the patterns of the BAM/PFA building's past. Plus the dye lab and print shop will be open.

May 11, 2014
The Possible Workshop: Field Day Event, Carnatic Song Session, and Songwriting
For Mother's Day, artist Drew Bennett hosts a field day event as a culmination to the Sweat Sessions, inspired by the tradition of New Games Tournaments. Plus the Sangati Center presents its last bhajana, followed by the final installment of Story of This Place: Songwriter Sessions.

May 18, 2014
The Possible Workshop: Closing Ceremony Preparations and Artist Book Production
All studios will be active for this final workshop. We'll be making materials for the L@TE: Friday Night Closing Ceremony on May 23 and the print shop will be buzzing as we start the assembly-line production of The Possible Artist Book.

May 25, 2014
The Possible Garden Bazaar
Sculpture garden
All work displayed during The Possible will be unpacked from the shelving structure and presented to each artist and workshop participant. Join us as we ceremonially empty the gallery. We will be honoring each person who contributed time and effort in shaping this exhibition with a copy of the limited-edition artist book.

L@TE: FRIDAY NIGHTS @ BAM/PFA EVENT SCHEDULE
*The following L@TE events are programmed by David Wilson. Performances start at 7:30 p.m., with doors at 5 p.m. Admission to L@TE is $7 unless otherwise noted; free for BAM/PFA members and Cal students, faculty, and staff.

February 28, 2014
L@TE: The Possible Opening Ceremony
As both a culmination of the first wave of The Possible actions and a moment to draw together the potential for what's to come, the artists of The Possible orchestrate a ceremony that incorporates studio production, sound, and movement. Make beeswax candles and masks, accompanied by a live soundtrack of work songs. Then join us as we head off on a “night parade”. Admission is free.

March 7, 2014
L@TE: TURF Inc. Presents Turf Dance Battle, featuring The Mekanix
Join an all-style dance tournament featuring the best of Bay Area turf dancing, hosted by Johnny5 of Oakland-based dance crew TurF FeinZ and founder of Turf Inc., which focuses on building community through dance battles as an act of unity. After a week-long residency in The Possible recording studio, Oakland godfathers of hip-hop production The Mekanix, known for their work with E40, J Stalin, and Mac Dre, share the resulting sounds. The night ends with an all-out open-circle dance-off, so get ready to get wild.

April 4, 2014
L@TE: Creative Growth Beyond Trend Runway Event
As part of their fortieth anniversary weekend extravaganza, Creative Growth Art Center collaborates with The Possible to present the Beyond Trend Runway Event, featuring one-of-a-kind textile designs from the Creative Growth studio and The Possible dye lab. Models include Creative Growth artists and friends-styled by Karen Anderson, Liz Baca, Rachel Cubra, and Anne Hartford. Come celebrate this inspiring institution-and don't forget to bring your fashion A-game.

April 25, 2014
L@TE: The Something
After three months of developing new instruments for manipulating video and sound in a series of The Possible Workshops, artists' collective The Something hosts a culminating sound/video jam with a dynamic range of guest artists, performers, and theorists. The project seeks to stimulate intersubjective creative production and emancipated collaboration. Join in this fully participatory happening.

May 9, 2014
L@TE: Returning Current with Daniela Gesundheit and Katy Payne
This special collaboration places pre-eminent acoustic biologist Katy Payne's stirring lecture about her research on humpback whales and African elephants within an original musical context. Under Payne's tutelage, Daniela Gesundheit (of the indie pop duo Snowblink) and a choir of Bay Area–based singers and instrumentalists examine and illuminate the vocalizations of the largest living mammals to see what we might discover about group identity, distance, competition, innovation, and empathy. The night opens with a solo performance by Karamo Susso on the kora, the twenty-one-stringed harp lute of West Africa.

May 23, 2014
L@TE: The Possible Closing Ceremony
Join us as The Possible draws together all of its participants for one final celebration. Artists will converge on BAM/PFA from points all around the Bay Area, including a group of students carrying in the harvest from the Edible Schoolyard. There will be songs, there will be dancing, there will be the orchestrated production of The Possible artist book, and there will be the presentation of honor-objects to those who made The Possible actual.

PUBLIC PROGRAM
January 31 - February 2, 2014, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Drop-In Rug Felting with Ashley Helvey
Stop by BAM/PFA during a three-day workshop with artist Ashley Helvey to make a big felted drawing rug for Kids Club. On Saturday, you can also join artist Fritz Haeg in adding braided extensions to his giant Domestic Integrities rug, which will become the central gathering space for the exhibition The Possible. The braiding will continue on Sunday in The Possible Workshop. Included with museum admission. Museum admission is free for children twelve and under

Support
The Possible is organized by guest curator David Wilson, with Director Lawrence Rinder. The project is supported in part by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts; Carla and David Crane; the National Endowment for the Arts; a Craft Research Fund grant from The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design, Inc; and Joachim and Nancy Hellman Bechtle. Kids Club, part of The Possible, is organized by Director of Engagement Aimee Chang and supported by Donna and Gary Freedman.

L@TE is made possible by the continued support of the BAM/PFA Trustees.

L@TE: The Possible Opening Ceremony is sponsored by Pyramid Breweries.

About BAM/PFA
Founded in 1963, the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAM/PFA) is UC Berkeley's primary visual arts venue and among the largest university art museums in terms of size and audience in the United States. Internationally recognized for its art and film programming, BAM/PFA is a platform for cultural experiences that transform individuals, engage communities, and advance the local, national and global discourse on art and ideas. BAM/PFA's mission is “to inspire the imagination and ignite critical dialogue through art and film.”

BAM/PFA presents approximately fifteen art exhibitions and 380 film programs each year. The museum's collection of over 16,000 works of art includes important holdings of Neolithic Chinese ceramics, Ming and Qing Dynasty Chinese painting, Old Master works on paper, Italian Baroque painting, early American painting, Abstract Expressionist painting, contemporary photography, and video art. Its film archive of over 14,000 films and videos includes the largest collection of Japanese cinema outside of Japan, Hollywood classics, and silent film, as well hundreds of thousands of articles, reviews, posters, and other ephemera related to the history of film, many of which are digitally scanned and accessible online.

Museum Information
BAM/PFA Galleries: 2626 Bancroft Way, just below College Avenue across from the UC Berkeley campus.

Gallery and Museum Store Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Open until 9 p.m on Fridays with scheduled L@TE performances. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

Gallery admission: $10 adults (18-64); $7 non-UC Berkeley students, seniors (65+), disabled persons, and young adults (13-17); free for BAM/PFA members, UC Berkeley students/faculty/staff/retires, and children (12 & under).

Galleries are open for free to the public on the first Thursday of each month.

Information: 24-hour recorded message (510) 642-0808; fax (510) 642-4889; TDD (510) 642-8734.

Website: bampfa.berkeley.edu

For more information about The Possible public programs please contact Peter Cavagnaro at (510) 642-0365 or pcavagnaro@berkeley.edu.

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