Architectural forms carry an immense weight in our lives—on the most basic level they provide us with a safe place to rest and think but they also determine the way we interact with each other and create a frame for the outside world. Artist and builder Jay Nelson knows that the pieces of a structure can be arranged an infinite number of ways and believes those arrangements make us who we are. Jay has brought one of his mobile camping structures, and, along with a slideshow of his work, will be discussing how he considers the different pieces of a structure—how these parts are arranged and what they represent. A window, for instance, is a way of directing a person’s gaze toward a view or an idea. Furniture can be used to influence interaction with a space, an artwork, or another person. A roof and walls encourage privacy, intimacy, and inwardness. Lighting draws the gaze. Jay uses structures to direct an experience.

Jay Nelson is an artist and builder whose work has been featured in exhibitions at Bolinas Art Museum, the Berkeley Art Museum, the Oakland Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design, and various galleries around the country and world. He has commissioned work for the Oakland Airport, Mollusk Surf Shop, Patagonia, and Vissla. Jay has been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times Style Magazine, Surfer’s Journal, Juxtapose, and San Francisco Bay Guardian. He received his MFA from Bard College in 2008 and his BFA from California College of the Arts in 2004.

jaynelsonart.com @jay

SATURDAY — 1 – 2:45PM