The Styrous® Viewfinder: The Orchard / Galleries on 25 ~ Bella Feldman

The first group exhibition at the The Orchard / Galleries on 25 (link below) had a remarkable number of attendees as well as favorable online reviews (links below).

In conjunction with the Gray Loft Gallery, The Orchard / Galleries on 25 is preparing for it's second round of amazing visual, sculptural and installation artists with the following announcement:

The Orchard is honored to present a solo retrospective of the 50-year international career of Bella Feldman. Bella Tabak Feldman (1930–2024) was an American sculptor and installation artist whose work merged steel, glass, and wood into psychologically charged, often surreal forms that probe themes of war, sexuality, vulnerability, and the anxieties of the industrial age. A pioneering woman in sculpture and a Professor Emerita at California College of the Arts in Oakland, she is widely recognized for innovating techniques that combine blown glass with fabricated metal, producing works that are at once physically imposing and emotionally fragile.
We present nationally recognized metal sculptor Joseph Slusky with a selection of recent and past work. He is best known for his whimsical painted metal sculptures made from recycled scrap metal. Influences include metal toys, LA car culture, Constructivism and other twentieth century art movements. The sculptures explore realms of the subconscious and are fossilizations of the imagination. Joe taught drawing and three-dimensional design at the UC Berkeley Architecture Department for thirty-two years.

Painting and Sculpture by Joseph Slusky

Curated by Gray Loft Gallery, we are delighted to present a satellite exhibition of the Art of the African Diaspora at the Richmond Art Center which is the longest running event of its kind in the Bay Area. It began in 1989 as a salon for African American artists known as Colors of Black, organized by artist and professor Marie Johnson Calloway. This exhibition features 19 artists selected from the Richmond Art Center AOTAD roster, all of whom live and work in the Bay Area.
Featured Artists:
Cynthia Brannvall, Stephen Bruce, Kim Champion, Cairo McCockran, Kelvin Curry, Anna W. Edwards, Jimi Evins, Eva Facey, Kin Folkz, Chuck Harlins, Raymond L. Haywood, Alexis Joseph, Gathoni Kamau-Devers, Ashlie Kego, Eric Murphy, Arthur Norcome, Malcolm Ryder, Xan Walker, Darrin Westmore

Show dates: February 28 through May 2, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 28, 2:00 - 5:00 pm
Closing Reception: Saturday, May 2, 1:00 – 5:00 pm

The Orchard /Galleries on 25
489 - 25th Street, Oakland CA 94612

When Feldman was thirteen, she visited her first art museum, the Museum of Modern Art. There, she saw Object (1936) by Meret Oppenheim, the fur-lined cup and saucer, and was struck by her strong psychological response to this work. Other early influences included The Palace at 4 am (1932) by Alberto Giacometti and the sculpture of David Smith. One of Feldman's earliest sculptures Warrior (1952) pays tribute to Giacometti. During the Holocaust, Feldman lost numerous family members who remained in Poland, an experience that helped shape her worldview. This includes her lifelong preoccupation with war, and the overwhelming effects of the military–industrial complex.

Each sculpture is a fictitious piece of weaponry educed from the sprawling gap between the reality of war and the average American’s mediated experience of it. Feldman critiques that area of ignorance by creating sadistic imaginings of aestheticized violence — alluding to a mythologized theater of war for which each of her sculptures acts as a prop. Feldman pastes together illustrations to compose a science-fiction-like depiction of a machine-filled reality evocative of the industrial revolution.

Feldman creates tension through her materials and expresses themes drawn from her own life experiences — including the Depression, the Holocaust, and many wars. Although she and her work appear tough as nails, neither is invincible. Her life (and ours), like the glass blown into her sculptures, is delicate.

Feldman Started working in glass in 1995 at the California College of Arts & Crafts. My favorite work by her is Alienist from her War Toys series. It is one of the most erotically charged image I have ever seen.

Bella Feldman - Alienist

date & photographer unknown

Installation photos by Styrous®

About The Orchard / Galleries on 25
The Orchard / Galleries on 25, is a vibrant arts venue located in the heart of the Oakland Art Murmur District and a new arts destination in Oakland’s thriving Art Murmur district, offering space for galleries and individual artists to present exhibitions, installations, and events. With its collaborative model and spacious layout, Galleries on 25 aims to foster community engagement and showcase the creative diversity that defines the Bay Area art scene.

About Gray Loft Gallery Uptown

Gray Loft Gallery Uptown is the satellite location of our Jingletown gallery, which has been inspiring art and enriching the local cultural landscape since 2012. Gray Loft Uptown continues this mission by providing exhibition opportunities in a space that offers an alternative to the traditional gallery model. We foster creativity, meaningful engagement, and celebration within our community and beyond. We proudly support emerging, mid-career, and established artists, with a special emphasis on those who live and work in the Bay Area.

The gallery was voted Best Art Gallery in 2016, 2017, and 2021, and ranked among the top five from 2022 to 2025 in the Oakland Magazine Readers’ Choice Awards. The gallery is a proud member of the San Francisco Art Dealers Association, Oakland Art Murmur and Jingletown Arts, Business and Community.

Viewfinder links:

Gray Loft Gallery

The Orchard / Galleries on 25

Joseph Slusky

Net links:

Artnet ~ Bella Feldman Artworks

Bay Area Woman Artists ~ Bella Feldman

Bella Feldman website ~ A Life of Art, Advocacy, and Critique

California Glass Exchange ~ 50 Years of Studio Glass

Gray Loft Gallery

Jack Fischer Gallery ~ Bella Feldman: Writ In Steel

The Orchard / Galleries on 25