Artist Talk: Family Shows: Rachel Kaye and Jay Nelson

Artist Talk:
Sunday, March 31, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Exhibition Dates:
* March 9 – April 20, 2024

Join us at the gallery for an artist talk about Family Shows: Rachel Kaye and Jay Nelson.

San Francisco-based independent curator Devon Bella will moderate a conversation with Rachel Kaye and Jay Nelson discussing their work for Family Shows, their relationship to JB Blunk, and their intertwined creative lives.

Blunk Space is pleased to present Family Shows: Rachel Kaye and Jay Nelson, the first in a series of exhibitions at Blunk Space that presents artwork made by all the members of one family.

The concept is inspired by the family shows that JB Blunk organized at his home in the 1980s. For several weeks each spring, Blunk’s family would open the home to their community and present weavings made by his wife Christine Nielson, sculptures and paintings made by his sons, Bruno and Rufus Blunk, drawings by his daughter Mariah Nielson, and his own ceramics, sculptures, and paintings.

During these shows, the Blunk house and studio transformed into a gallery. Now staged at Blunk Space, the first exhibition in this series presents work by San Francisco-based artists Rachel Kaye and Jay Nelson, and their daughters, Romy (9) and Zinnia (6).

In 2010, Rachel and Jay spent two months living and working in the Blunk House, JB Blunk’s home and studio in Inverness, as part of the JB Blunk Residency program. The holistic integration of JB’s artwork and his home had a major impact on Rachel’s and Jay’s practices and their lifestyle.

Following the residency, the couple worked together to completely transform and customize their Victorian home in the Sunset District of San Francisco; Jay has reworked every detail, from the doorknobs to furniture. The couple recently converted a large industrial space just around the corner into a creative workspace for themselves and their daughters.

Having children also infused their creative processes and the renovation of their home with new considerations, restrictions, and inspirations. Like the Blunk House, spaces for living can also be spaces of creation, and creative time and family time can be interwoven.

The exhibition will feature new paintings and drawings by Rachel, Jay, Romy, and Zinnia, as well as a large-scale exhibition display structure built by Jay.