SF Agenda: Design and Arts Events in the Bay Area
Author:Dara KerrKathryn M. Ireland, who is celebrated for her colorful and exquisitely patterned textiles, is giving a talk for “Designers’ Wednesday” at the San Francisco Design Center. Fresh off the launch of her new boutique collection for Scalamandre, Ireland will discuss her creative process, along with the inspiration for her decorating work. Ireland is known for adding a contemporary flair to her textiles, which borrow from 18th, 19th, and 20th century English, French, and Italian designs. The talk is on May 1 from 12:00pm to 2:00pm, San Francisco Design Center, 2 Henry Adams Street, Sloan Miyasato, Showplace #200.

Cylinder by Morten Løbner Espersen. Courtesy of Hedge gallery.
Danish ceramic artist Morten Løbner Espersen is known for his finely tuned skill of turning clay into provocative and vibrant pieces of art. And, now, people in the Bay Area can catch a glimpse of his work at a new exhibit titled Vertigo hosted by San Francisco’s Hedge gallery. Eighteen of Espersen’s colorful cylinders, containers, and sculptures are being highlighted in the show. “The vessel is my object of choice,” he says. “An archetypical form I’ve spent 20 years making variations on, from the functional and modest, to the aesthetic and sumptuous.” Vertigo runs through June 22, Hedge gallery, 501 Pacific Avenue.

Kinitos by Barbara Vaughn. Courtesy of Dolby Chadwick Gallery
Using close-up images of reflections on water, Barbara Vaughn creates her vivid abstract large-scale photographs. San Francisco’s Dolby Chadwick Gallery is now opening an exhibit of Vaughn’s most recent photographic series. This body of work focuses on harbors in the Aegean and Adriatic seas and the U.S. East Coast. Intense colors and shapes are formed from passing boats and buildings on the shore, which make the wavy ripples created by the water all the more captivating. Opens May 2 and runs through June 1, opening reception May 2 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm, Dolby Chadwick Gallery, 210 Post Street, Suite 205.

Cover of “Designers at Home” by Ronda Rice Carman
San Francisco’s Hudson Grace is hosting a book signing and release party for Ronda Rice Carman and her new book “Designers at Home.” Carman explores vastly different designed homes and chats with 50 famed designers in her book, including Nicky Haslam, Hutton Wilkinson, and Steven Gambrel. “Designers at Home” also gives readers tips from these decorating experts. Book signing and reception on May 2 from 2pm to 4pm, Hudson Grace, 3350 Sacramento Street. RSVP to info@hudsongracesf.com.