about
27 March 2019
In my work, I use bits and parts of material no longer used for their original purpose. Through an act of unmaking, by my own hand or otherwise, the material I use is no longer a castoff, but speaks of potentiality and a remaking of the self. My works formally connect through repetition and the element of the line. My use of everyday material, such as bedding, clothing, and magazines, references domesticity and relationship. Using constraints of space, material or a predetermined rule, each work, built of multiple pieces, comes together to create a unified whole.
Leah Virsik is an Oakland-based visual artist whose work is primarily driven by materials and includes collage, sculptural fiber, and book arts. She has a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from California State University, East Bay, and a Master of Fine Arts in Art from San Francisco State University. Her work has been exhibited at Mercury 20 Gallery in Oakland, SOMArts, and the City College of San Francisco Art Gallery in San Francisco, and galleryFritz in Santa Fe, New Mexico, among others. She is a recipient of an SF State/Kala Art Institute MFA Fellowship (2014), Leo D. Stillwell Jr. Scholarship (2015), Jack K. and Gertrude Murphy Fellowship (2015), and a Sher-Right Scholarship (2016). Virsik gave her work away for free as an Artist-in-Residence at Free Oakland UP (2017). Leah teaches art to middle school and high school students and book arts at Feather River Art Camp. She also does freelance book design.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
| 2022 | Common Thread, Mercury 20 Gallery, Oakland, CA |
| 2020 | Above and Below, Mercury 20 Gallery, Oakland, CA |
| 2019 | You are Supported More Than You Know, Mercury 20 Gallery, Oakland, CA |
| 2018 | Pipe Dreams, City College Art Gallery, San Francisco, CA |
| 2014 | Remnants of Paris, Albany Community Center Foyer Art Gallery, Albany, CA |
| 2011 | Hungry: The Book Art of Leah Virsik, Pacific Pinball Museum, Alameda, CA |
| 2010 | Dichotomy, Kensington Library, Kensington, CA |
SELECT GROUP EXHIBITIONS
| 2023 | Frayed Stories of Life (January 14–February 18) Arc Gallery & Studios, San Francisco, CA |
| 2022 | In Tension (February 5–March 12) Incline Gallery, San Francisco, CA |
| 2019–2020 | Truth/Dare/2020, Mercury 20 Gallery, Oakland, CA |
| 2019 | Holiday Boutique featuring Feather River Art Camp Teachers and Students, Creative Framing & Gallery, Oakland, CA |
| Resonance, PhotoCentral, Hayward, CA | |
| Fiber as Metaphor, Española Valley Fiber Arts Center (EVFAC) with galleryFritz, Santa Fe, NM | |
| 10th Annual Altered Book Exhibit and Fundraiser, Marin MOCA, Novato, CA | |
| 2018 | Self-Portraits in the Age of Selfies, Mercury 20 Gallery, Oakland, CA |
| 20/20 Vision Mercury 20 Gallery Oakland, CA | |
| 2017 | Kintsugi: Healing Cracked Spaces PhotoCentral Gallery, Hayward, CA |
| 2016 | SCRAP, Reclaimed: Elevating the Art of Reuse SF Arts Education Project Gallery at Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco, CA |
| Meaning in Making MFA Exhibition, Fine Arts Gallery at San Francisco State, San Francisco, CA | |
| 2015 | The Annual Murphy & Cadogan Contemporary Art Awards Exhibition, SOMArts Cultural Center, San Francisco, CA |
| 2014 | SF State Stillwell Student Showcase Fine Arts Gallery at San Francisco State, San Francisco, CA |
| Kala Artists’ Annual Kala Gallery, Berkeley, CA | |
| In Other Words PopUp Gallery at Autobody Fine Art, Alameda, CA | |
| Unique Surfaces–A Collage Gary Francis Fine Art, Alameda, CA | |
| 2013 | 20th Annual Alameda Women Artists Group Exhibit Alameda Museum, Alameda, CA |
| The Art of Giving Art Gary Francis Fine Art, Alameda, CA | |
| Inspiration: Richmond Art Center Faculty Exhibition Richmond, CA | |
| 20th Annual Alameda Women Artists Group Exhibit Alameda, CA | |
| RISK Berkeley Art Center Berkeley, CA, jurors: Apsara DiQuinzio & Kimberly Johansson | |
| Narrative Threads Abecedarian Gallery Denver, CO | |
| Pro Arts East Bay Open Studios | |
| 4th Annual Altered Book and Book Arts Show Marin MOCA, Novato, CA | |
| All Types: Text & Type-Based Art Redux Studios & Gallery Alameda, CA | |
| 2012 | PlentyThe Gallery at Fibre Arts Design Palo Alto, CA |
| Pro Arts Box Art Benefit Auction Pro Arts Oakland, CA | |
| Convergence & Divergence: Two Artists Look at Memories with Deborah Griffin, Ken Cook Gallery at the Sun Gallery Hayward, CA | |
| The Elephant in the Room CK Gallery Oakland, CA | |
| Bay Area Women Artists O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley, CA, juror: Donna Seager | |
| A Thread Runs Through It Sun Gallery Hayward, CA | |
| Discardia CK Gallery Oakland, CA | |
| Pro Arts East Bay Open Studios | |
| A Sense of Place, CK Gallery Oakland, CA | |
| Influence: Art Can Change the World, CK Gallery Oakland, CA | |
| 2011 | Pro Arts Box Art Benefit Auction, Pro Arts Oakland, CA |
| 34th Area Artists’ Annual Juried Exhibit Adobe Art Gallery Castro Valley, CA, juror: Jacqueline Cooper, Merit Award for Snack | |
| Bibliophoria II Sebastopol Center for the Arts | |
| Art House Co-op Sketchbook Project | |
| Pro Arts East Bay Open Studios Oakland, CA | |
| 2010 | 17th Annual Alameda Women Artists Group Exhibit Alameda, CA |
| Artists Engaged LIFE: Expressions of Living Past & Present Castro Valley, CA | |
| Pro Arts Box Art Benefit Auction Pro Arts Oakland, CA | |
| Bay Area Book Arts Jam Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, CA | |
| Bay Area Women Artists O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley, CA, juror: Donna Seager | |
| Pro Arts East Bay Open Studios Oakland, CA | |
| BLAGE Collage and Assemblage O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley, CA | |
| 2009 | Pro Arts Box Art Benefit Auction Pro Arts Oakland, CA |
| Alameda Women Artists Group Show, Alameda Museum, Alameda, CA | |
| Bay Area Book Arts Jam Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, CA | |
| Cross Currents IAA, Alameda Free Library, Alameda, CA | |
| The Canvas Project Vol. 2 Art House Co-op, Atlanta Airport, Atlanta, GA | |
| Pro Arts East Bay Open Studios Oakland, CA | |
| Alameda on Camera Frank Bette Center for the Arts Alameda, CA | |
| Renew Alameda Women Artists Alameda Free Library, Alameda, CA | |
| 2008 | A Visual Word Alameda Women Artists Alameda Free Library, Alameda, CA |
| Alameda on Camera Frank Bette Center for the Arts, Alameda, CA | |
| Vision & Revision Frank Bette Center for the Arts, Alameda, CA | |
| 2007 | Alameda Literati Book Fair, Alameda, CA |
| Reading Between the Lines Frank Bette Center for the Arts, Alameda, CA | |
| Patterns, Portions and Pieces Frank Bette Center for the Arts, Alameda, CA |
EDUCATION
| 2013–16 | MFA in Fine Arts, SF State, San Francisco, CA |
| 2002–13 | Workshops with a variety of instructors including: Donna Watson, Taun Relihan, Lisa Kokin, Mari Andrews, Marsha Shaw, Nina Bagley, DJ Pettitt, Jody Alexander, Michael Burke,Carolee Gilligan Wheeler, Nick Bantock, Lisa Rappoport, Claudia Laub, and Takeshi Nakayoshi |
| 2010–11 | Victoria May, private mentoring, Santa Cruz, CA |
| 2010–13 | Lisa Kokin, critique group and private mentoring, El Sobrante, CA |
| 1996–00 | University of California, Berkeley Extension, San Francisco, CA, Graphic Design Certificate |
| 1990–94 | California State University, Hayward, CA, Bachelor of Science degree, Major: Marketing Management, Minor: Art Studio |
FELLOWSHIPS/AWARDS
| 2017 | Artist-in-Residence, Free Oakland UP, Oakland, CA |
| 2016 | Graduate Fellowship Alternate, Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, CA, jurors: Nicole J. Caruth, Jamil Hellu & Lisa Martin |
| Sher-Right Scholarship, administered by SF State | |
| 2015 | Jack K. and Gertrude Murphy Fellowship, administered by The San Francisco Foundation |
| Leo D. Stillwell Jr. Scholarship, administered by SF State | |
| 2014 | SF State/Kala Art Institute MFA Fellowship: Artist-in-Residence, Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, CA |
| SF State Fine Arts & Creative Arts, Printmaking Project Award, in collaboration with Sarah Heady, administered by SF State | |
| 2011 | Merit Award for Snack, 34th Area Artists’ Annual Juried Exhibit, Adobe Art Gallery, Castro Valley, CA, juried by Jacqueline Cooper |
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
| Helfand, Glen. XV Mercury 20 Gallery: 15 Years of Art and Community. Oakland: Mercury 20 Gallery, 2022. Print. | |
| Cheng, DeWitt. “Slices of Life: Two artists at Mercury Twenty transform reality with their art.” The Monthly. March 2019 | |
| Moriki, Darin. “Hayward art exhibit explores piecing beauty together: Works of Bay Area artists embody survival, loss, love and healing.” East Bay Times. 21 July 2017 | |
| Jordahl, Geir. Kintsugi: Healing Cracked Spaces. Hayward: True North Editions, 2017. Print. | |
| Lannin, Kelsey. “MFA Art Grads Showcase Latest Works.” Golden Gate Express. 21 April 2016 | |
| Chen, Julie. 500 Handmade Books: Volume II. New York: Lark, 2013. 70. Print. | |
| Barnes, Kaela. “Hayward Art Gallery Celebrates Local Artists” The Pioneer Online. 8 Nov 2012 | |
| Borgen, Susan. “Art Lives Here.” Cloth Paper Scissors Studios, Spring 2011: 34-35. |
COLLECTIONS
| Andrew Ong and George Robertson, New York, NY |
LIBRARY COLLECTIONS
| Alameda County Arts Commission, Oakland, CA | ||
| Bowes Art & Architecture Library, Stanford University | ||
| Department of Art Practice Library, UC Berkeley | ||
| F. W. Olin Library, Mills College at Northeastern University | ||
| J. Paul Leonard Library, Book Arts & Special Collections, San Francisco, CA | ||
| Oakland Public Library, Oakland, CA | ||
| Prelinger Library, San Francisco, CA | ||
| San Francisco Public Library, Book Arts & Special Collections, San Francisco, CA | ||
| SFMOMA Library, San Francisco, CA | ||
| The Library of Congress, Washington, DC | ||
| University at Buffalo, Special Collections, Buffalo, NY |