Meet the 2019 Bay Area Art Stars
Lydia Nakashima Degarrod
Lydia Nakashima Degarrod, Ph.D. is a pioneer in combining visual art and cultural anthropology and creating works that blur the line between these disciplines. Her work has been shown nationally and internationally at museums and galleries. She has also published extensively in major art and anthropology journals. She has been an artist in residence at de Young Museum of Art, Harvard University, the Center for Art and Public Life, and Djerassi Resident Artists Program. She teaches at California College of the Arts.
Ester Hernandez
Ester Hernandez was born in California’s San Joaquin Valley to a Mexican/Yaqui farm worker family. The UC Berkeley graduate is an internationally acclaimed San Francisco-based visual artist. She is best known for her depiction of Latina/Native women through her pastels, prints and installations. Her work reflects social, political, ecological and spiritual themes.
Hernandez has had numerous national and international solo and group shows. Among others, her work is included in the permanent collections of the National Museum of American Art – Smithsonian; Library of Congress; Legion of Honor, San Francisco; National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago; Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo, Mexico City; Museum of Contemporary Native Art, Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, NM; Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Her artistic and personal archives are housed at Stanford University.
Deborah Munk
Under the leadership of Deborah Munk, who has worked for the Recology Artist in Residence Program since 2000 and served as the director since 2007, the art and education initiatives at Recology have received local, national, and international acclaim. Munk has brought an increased profile to the program within the Bay Area art community and has forged important relationships with local arts organizations. Numerous major exhibitions have taken place under her tenure, most notably a 2013 show at the SFO Museum and a 2017 show at SF Camerawork. She also manages the Recology Environmental Learning Center where the company provides educational tours about resource conservation to over 4,000 children and adults annually. Munk was instrumental in establishing the GLEAN Program in Portland and assisted in the implementation of similar AIR programs at Recology facilities in Astoria, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. Before joining Recology as AIR Program Coordinator in 2000, she was the assistant editor of Art/Women/California 1950-2000: Parallels and Intersection, published by UC Press. She is a graduate of San Francisco State University and holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Technology focusing on art and media.
Olivia Ongpin
Olivia Ongpin is curator and co-founder of Luna Rienne Gallery, which features visual artists working in contemporary mediums who integrate elements of urban culture with traditional techniques. Started as an online clothing boutique called fabric8 in 1995, they opened their current location in San Francisco’s Mission District in 2006 and shifted focus towards fine art. In their 24 years in business, Olivia has worked with hundreds of primarily local visual artists, clothing designers, musicians, and graphic designers.
Olivia also represents and manages artists, as well as offers art and small business consulting services. She graduated from Stanford University with a degree in American Studies. She received the SF Bay Guardian Small Business Award for Diversity in Business (2005) and was chosen as one of the Top 25 Women On The Web (2000). Olivia has served on the Hospitality House Art Auction Committee since 2015.
Donna Seager
A native of New Orleans, Donna Seager’s education was at the University of Texas, where she got her degree in Art History and English. She began in the art
business in 1978, working in galleries in New Orleans and she was the director of a gallery in Boston on Newbury Street before moving to California in 1989. She continued to work in galleries in the Bay Area until 2005 when she opened Donna Seager Gallery. In 2011, she partnered with Suzanne Gray to form Seager Gray Gallery and moved the gallery to Mill Valley where they are a cornerstone of the Marin arts community. Seager has distinguished herself for her discerning eye and commitment to the arts in her area. She has given lectures on the art of the book at international fairs in Miami and San Francisco and recently curated an exhibition at the Brooklyn Public Library entitled “Ten Years of Artists’ Books.” She has served on the board of the San Francisco Art Dealers Association and The San Francisco Center for the Book and is currently a member of the Marin County Cultural Commission.
Jen Tough
Jen is the owner of Jen Tough Gallery in the historic Benicia Arsenal in Benicia, CA. Her passion is curating, building exhibitions, discovering new talent, and exploring innovative ways to engage with artists. In her past life she was the Art Director for Urban Outfitters, Warner Bros Records, Hollywood Records, and numerous magazines. Her art direction client work included several years with Nike, various projects for comedian Drew Carey, and numerous publication and book design projects. She has a BFA in fine arts (honors) from Ohio State University, attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati and studied in West Africa with Parsons School of Design.
Beth Waldman
Artist and Artist Advisor Beth Waldman founded WaldmanArts in 2013 to works with visual artists to strategically launch their art careers by navigating the waters of today’s expansive art market, developing marketing strategies and increasing their outreach. Beth brings her professional experience of over 20 years as an artist, independent curator and art consultant to help visual artists achieve their individual goals for their art career.
www.waldmanarts.com and www.bethwaldman.com
Lydia Nakashima Degarrod, Ph.D. is a pioneer in combining visual art and cultural anthropology and creating works that blur the line between these disciplines. Her work has been shown nationally and internationally at museums and galleries. She has also published extensively in major art and anthropology journals. She has been an artist in residence at de Young Museum of Art, Harvard University, the Center for Art and Public Life, and Djerassi Resident Artists Program. She teaches at California College of the Arts.
Ester Hernandez
Ester Hernandez was born in California’s San Joaquin Valley to a Mexican/Yaqui farm worker family. The UC Berkeley graduate is an internationally acclaimed San Francisco-based visual artist. She is best known for her depiction of Latina/Native women through her pastels, prints and installations. Her work reflects social, political, ecological and spiritual themes.
Hernandez has had numerous national and international solo and group shows. Among others, her work is included in the permanent collections of the National Museum of American Art – Smithsonian; Library of Congress; Legion of Honor, San Francisco; National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago; Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo, Mexico City; Museum of Contemporary Native Art, Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, NM; Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Her artistic and personal archives are housed at Stanford University.
Deborah Munk
Under the leadership of Deborah Munk, who has worked for the Recology Artist in Residence Program since 2000 and served as the director since 2007, the art and education initiatives at Recology have received local, national, and international acclaim. Munk has brought an increased profile to the program within the Bay Area art community and has forged important relationships with local arts organizations. Numerous major exhibitions have taken place under her tenure, most notably a 2013 show at the SFO Museum and a 2017 show at SF Camerawork. She also manages the Recology Environmental Learning Center where the company provides educational tours about resource conservation to over 4,000 children and adults annually. Munk was instrumental in establishing the GLEAN Program in Portland and assisted in the implementation of similar AIR programs at Recology facilities in Astoria, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. Before joining Recology as AIR Program Coordinator in 2000, she was the assistant editor of Art/Women/California 1950-2000: Parallels and Intersection, published by UC Press. She is a graduate of San Francisco State University and holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Technology focusing on art and media.
Olivia Ongpin
Olivia Ongpin is curator and co-founder of Luna Rienne Gallery, which features visual artists working in contemporary mediums who integrate elements of urban culture with traditional techniques. Started as an online clothing boutique called fabric8 in 1995, they opened their current location in San Francisco’s Mission District in 2006 and shifted focus towards fine art. In their 24 years in business, Olivia has worked with hundreds of primarily local visual artists, clothing designers, musicians, and graphic designers.
Olivia also represents and manages artists, as well as offers art and small business consulting services. She graduated from Stanford University with a degree in American Studies. She received the SF Bay Guardian Small Business Award for Diversity in Business (2005) and was chosen as one of the Top 25 Women On The Web (2000). Olivia has served on the Hospitality House Art Auction Committee since 2015.
Donna Seager
A native of New Orleans, Donna Seager’s education was at the University of Texas, where she got her degree in Art History and English. She began in the art
business in 1978, working in galleries in New Orleans and she was the director of a gallery in Boston on Newbury Street before moving to California in 1989. She continued to work in galleries in the Bay Area until 2005 when she opened Donna Seager Gallery. In 2011, she partnered with Suzanne Gray to form Seager Gray Gallery and moved the gallery to Mill Valley where they are a cornerstone of the Marin arts community. Seager has distinguished herself for her discerning eye and commitment to the arts in her area. She has given lectures on the art of the book at international fairs in Miami and San Francisco and recently curated an exhibition at the Brooklyn Public Library entitled “Ten Years of Artists’ Books.” She has served on the board of the San Francisco Art Dealers Association and The San Francisco Center for the Book and is currently a member of the Marin County Cultural Commission.
Jen Tough
Jen is the owner of Jen Tough Gallery in the historic Benicia Arsenal in Benicia, CA. Her passion is curating, building exhibitions, discovering new talent, and exploring innovative ways to engage with artists. In her past life she was the Art Director for Urban Outfitters, Warner Bros Records, Hollywood Records, and numerous magazines. Her art direction client work included several years with Nike, various projects for comedian Drew Carey, and numerous publication and book design projects. She has a BFA in fine arts (honors) from Ohio State University, attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati and studied in West Africa with Parsons School of Design.
Beth Waldman
Artist and Artist Advisor Beth Waldman founded WaldmanArts in 2013 to works with visual artists to strategically launch their art careers by navigating the waters of today’s expansive art market, developing marketing strategies and increasing their outreach. Beth brings her professional experience of over 20 years as an artist, independent curator and art consultant to help visual artists achieve their individual goals for their art career.
www.waldmanarts.com and www.bethwaldman.com
