For studio visits and information please contact Jerry Barrish (415) 641 8100 jerry.barrish at gmail.com
works & conversations interview with Richard Whittaker http://www.conversations.org/story.php?sid=591
Color catalogs available:
Jerry Ross Barrish, Assemblage Found Objects
Loveland Museum/Gallery & South Dakota Art Museum
June 2014 - February 2015
Art Drecko: Mad Asssemblage of Jerry Ross Barrish, Fresno Art Museum & Take Two: Jerry Ross Barrish, Museum of Art & History @ McPherson Center, Santa Cruz, CA November 2008 - April 2009
Foreward by Phil Linhares, with essays by Susan Hillhouse, Jacquelin Pilar
Dames
South Dakota Art Museum, 2002
Foreward by Fred Martin, San Francisco Art Institute
ARTIST STATEMENT
I collect found objects for assemblage/constructions on the beaches, bayshore, roadways, and recycling centers near San Francisco. I usually only pick up plastic objects—belonging to the lowest caste in the hierarchy of debris. I have become enthralled working with this material, and continue to be inspired by it, using a hot glue gun almost like a welding torch—allowing a spontaneity reminiscent of my experiences with copper and steel almost 50 years ago.
Sometimes I set out to make an image and actually search for the pieces to complete the idea, but more often it's the found object that dictates what I'm going to do. The completion of the preconceived vision is a much more structured way to work and gives me a sense of command over the materials. But inspiration and freedom come from letting this discarded stuff of our society provide the image itself.
My natural bent as a storyteller becomes obvious with the figurative nature of subjects. There's a sense of magic when a piece is completed—sometimes I don't understand how it happened. But, not unlike the editing process from my filmmaking days, it's just a question of the order of things.
Capturing gesture, form, and movement to bring life to this refuse is the essence of my art.
Jerry Ross Barrish
San Francisco, 2019
CHRONOLOGY
Residence: Pacifica, California
Born: San Francisco, California
Education: San Francisco Art Institute, B.F.A. 1974 & M.F.A. 1976
Studied with Charles B. Johnson, as apprentice sculptor
Public Art Commission
"Bay View Horn" Commissioned by San Francisco Redevelopment Agency (OCII) for Hunters Point Shipyard, 2015
Institutional Collections
Berkeley Art Museum, University of California, Berkeley, California
Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California
de Saisset Museum, University of Santa Clara, Santa Clara, California
di Rosa Preserve: Art & Nature, Napa, California
Fresno Art Museum, Fresno, California
Museum of Art & History @ McPherson Center, Santa Cruz, California
The Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, California
Saginaw Museum of Art, Saginaw, Michigan
San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, California
South Dakota Art Museum, Brookings, South Dakota
Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, California
University of Arizona Memorial Student Union, Tucson, Arizona
University of California Davis, Nelson Gallery, Davis, California
University of California Santa Cruz, Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery, Santa Cruz, California
Selected Solo Sculpture Exhibitions
2016-17 Transmission Gallery, Oakland, California
Selected Group Sculpture Exhibitions
2020 South Dakota Art Museum, "50 Works for 50 Years: Collections Retrospective"
2020 San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, "Under Our Covers: It's Not What It Seams"
2019 Veterans Show, "Honoring America's Veterans at TPG Global" curated by SFMOMA Artists Gallery
2019 Alumni Show, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, California, "ECHOES, From Here to There"
2018-19 Pacific Rim Sculptors, Peninsula Museum of Art, Burlingame, California, "Sculpture Now"
2017 San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, "California Sculpture Slam Biennial Exhibition"
2015-17 Studio Gallery, San Francisco, California
2006 Santa Cruz County Bank, Santa Cruz, California, “Unleased”
2006 Thomas Mann Gallery, New Orleans, Louisiana, “Martini Squared 2”
2006 Arizona Museum for Youth, Mesa, Arizona, “Purrrfection”
2005 Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, California, “Nature as Muse, Selections from the Permanent Collection”
2005 George Krevsky Gallery, San Francisco, “Sculpture”
2005 Museum of Contemporary Art, Santa Rosa, California, “Contemporary Expressions, RE-FUSED”,
2003 San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Artists Gallery, Fort Mason, San Francisco, “25th Anniversary Exhibition”
2003 Oakland Museum City Center Sculpture Court, Pacific Rim Sculpture Group Invitational, “Shaping Possibilities”
2003 d.p. Fong Galleries, San Jose, California, “The Narrative Figure”
2002 San Jose Museum of Art, “Is the Medium the Message? Contemporary Art from Permanent Collection”
2002 Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento, California, “A Portrait of My Father”
2001 Mesh Gallery, Sebastopol, California, “Trash”
2000 University of California Santa Cruz, Cowell College, Santa Cruz, CA, “The New Millennium Readymade, Even”
2000 Euphrat Museum of Art, De Anza College, Cupertino, California, “Animals”
2000 Koret Gallery, Palo Alto, California, “Environmental Perspectives: Beauty & the Beast”
1999 University Art Museum, Berkeley, California, “Fragments of the World, From Collage to Readymade”
1999 Zenith Gallery, Washington DC, group humor show
1999 di Rosa Preserve, Napa, California, “Angels & Apparitions: Masque for Millennium”
1998 Arizona Museum for Youth, Mesa, Arizona, "Stable Environment, Art of the Horse"
1998 Melting Point, San Francisco, California, "Ensemble Modern: Barrish, Forakis, Honig”
1998 d.p. Fong Galleries, San Jose, California, "Toys in Contemporary Art II”
1997-98 Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, California, "Hello Again! A New Wave of Recycled Art & Design"
(traveling) Los Angeles Municipal Gallery, Barnsdall Park, Los Angeles, California
(traveling) McAllen International Museum, McAllen, Texas
(traveling) Vancouver Museum, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
1997 The Jewish Museum San Francisco, "L'Chaim: A Kiddish Cup Invitational"
1996-97 Oakland Museum of California Sculpture Court, "Bay Area Sculptors Group III: The Figure," Oakland, California
1996 San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Rental Gallery, "Refound," Fort Mason, San Francisco, California
1996 Oakland Museum of California Sculpture Court, Oakland, California "Re-in-CAR-Nation"
1996 State Capitol Conservation Fair, Sacramento, California, Recycled Art Exhibit
1995 Galeria Mesa, Mesa, Arizona, "Reassembly Required"
1995 Contract Design Center, San Francisco, Calif., Pacific Rim Sculpture Group Juried Exhibit
1995 State Capitol Conservation Fair, Sacramento, California, Recycled Art Exhibit
1994-95 Capp Street Project, San Francisco, California"Old Glory, New Story: Flagging the 21st Century" (traveling)
Santa Monica Museum of Art, Santa Monica, California
1994 Works/San Jose, San Jose, California, "Dancing on the Continuum: Survey of Bay Area Contemporary Sculpture"
1994 Claudia Chapline Gallery, Stinson Beach, California, "Jazz: JoeSam, George Frayne, Jerry Barrish"
1993 Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California, “68th Annual Crocker-Kingsley Exhibition”
1993 Associated Artists of Winston-Salem, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, "Earth Art”
1993 San Mateo County Arts Council, Belmont, California, "Assemblage & Collage"
1993 Wiseman Gallery, Rogue Community College, Grants Pass, Oregon, “Barrish & Shuey"
1993 Lewis-Clark Center for Arts & History, Lewiston, Idaho, "Earth Vision"
1992 Arizona Museum for Youth, Mesa, Arizona, "Déjà Vu: The Recycled Object in Art"
1992 California Museum of Art, Santa Rosa, California, "California Small Works"
1992 Long Beach Arts, Long Beach, California, "Found Object as Art"
1992 The University of Arizona, Student Union Gallery, Tucson, Arizona, "Earth Day"
1992 Arizona State University, Memorial Union Fine Arts Lounge, Tempe, AZ, "Transformations: Barrish & Grossman"
1992 Modesto Jr. College Art Gallery, Modesto, California, "Wolfe, Norman & Barrish"
1992 Grants Pass Museum of Art, Grants Pass, Oregon, "Barrish & Totman"
1991-94 Bolinas Museum, Bolinas, California, Miniature Invitationals
1991 Ohio State University at Mansfield, The Pearl Conard Gallery, Mansfield, Ohio
1991 Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, “The Florida National”
1991 The Jewish Community Museum, San Francisco, California, Purim Invitational
1990 Bolinas Museum, Bolinas, California, Small Works Annual Juried Exhibition
1990 San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, California
1990 Gallery Route One, Pt. Reyes Station, California, "Artists & Environmental Crisis"
1989 California Museum of Art, Santa Rosa, California, "California Small Works"
1989 The Arts Council of San Mateo County, Belmont, California, "Bay Arts"
1989 San Francisco City Hall Rotunda, San Francisco, California, "The Art of Recycling"
Sculpture Awards
2002 Argus Leader, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in Review, High Points: “Dames” exhibit at South Dakota Art Museum, Brookings, South Dakota
2000 Third Place Award, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, “The New Millennium Readymade, Even”
1999 Honorable Mention, Arts on Fire III, Sanchez Art Center, Pacifica, California
1993 Group Show Award, Art Bank, Foster City Art Gallery, Foster City, California
1993 Honorable Mention, Coastal Arts League Annual Juried Competition, Half Moon Bay, California
1989 Award Winner, "California Small Works," California Museum of Art, Luther Burbank Center, Santa Rosa, CA
Selected Lectures, Guest Presentations & Art Related Positions
2021 Conversation with Jerry Barrish and Lynn Verschoor (online), International Sculpture Center
2020 Plastic Man, mini-course (online) Osher Lifelong Learning Institute with San Francisco State University
2006 Eye on the Arts, That Man May See, de Young Museum, San Francisco, California
2006 Lincoln High School Alumni Wall of Fame, San Francisco, California
2004-present Artistic Director, Sanchez Art Center, Pacifica, California
2003-05 President, Art Guild of Pacifica, Pacifica, California
2002-05 Appointment to Cultural Arts Commission, Pacifica, California
2002 Guest Lecturer, Art Department, South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota
1998 Juror, Coastal Arts League 14th Annual Juried Competition, Half Moon Bay, California
1995 Juror, "New & Reused," San Francisco Women's Gallery, San Francisco
1990 Guest Lecturer, "Art & Artists of San Francisco," San Francisco State University, San Francisco
Subject of Documentary Film
2015 "Plastic Man, The Artful Life of Jerry Ross Barrish" Directed by William Farley, produced by Janis Plotkin 74 min.
2017 "Plastic Man, The Artful Life of Jerry Ross Barrish" 58 min. version
Selected Bibliography - Sculpture
Constantinou, Marianne. “After career springing others, bondsman sculpts himself a new life.” San Francisco Chronicle, November 23, 2004, illus.
Roukes, Nicholas. “Artful Jesters, Innovators of Visual Wit and Humor.” Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA, 2003, illus.
“Dames.” Catalogue. South Dakota Art Museum, Brookings, South Dakota, 2002, illus.
Roche, Harry. “Focus: Jerry Ross Barrish.” Sculpture Magazine, International Sculpture Center, New Jersey, Vol. 20, No. 4, May 2001, illus.
Shreve, Jenn. “One Man’s Treasure.” San Francisco Metropolitan, September 13, 1999.
Roche, Harry. "Jerry Ross Barrish." San Francisco Bay Guardian, September 2-8, 1998, illus.
Workman, Bill. "Picking Up Where Litterers Leave Off." San Francisco Chronicle Peninsula, March 14, 1997, illus.
Hunter, Chris. "Finding art in flotsam." Pacifica Tribune, January 29, 1997, illus. Huston, Johnny Ray. "Body Parts." SF Weekly, San Francisco, January 3-9, 1996, illus.
Warner, Sally. "Making Room for Making Art." Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 1994, illus.
Cohn, Terri. "The Gluers." Diablo Arts, Walnut Creek, March-May, 1994, illus. Alaks, Kathleen. "This Art‘s a Real Find." Daily Courier, Grants Pass, OR, January 9, 1992, illus.
Hunter, Chris. "Barrish Recycles Trash into Art." Pacifica Tribune, December 5, 1990, illus.
Independent Feature Films
"Shuttlecock" (1989) - World Premiere, Berlin International Film Festival, Forum, Berlin, Germany
"Recent Sorrows" (1984) - World Premiere, San Francisco International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, San Francisco, Caliifornia
"Dan's Motel" (1981) - World Premiere, New Directors/New Films, Lincoln Center, New York, New York
Retrospective Film Exhibitions
2007 Schleswig-Holstein-Haus, Schwerin, Germany
2004 Hof International Film Festival, Hof, Bavaria, Germany
2003 Festival Internacional de Cinema da Figueira da Foz, Portugal
2002 South Dakota Art Museum, SD State University, Brookings, South Dakota
1998 Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, California
1991 The Museum of Modern Art, Cineprobe, New York City, New York
1990 Roxie Cinema, San Francisco, California
1986 DAAD, Arsenal, Berlin, West Germany
Metropolis, Hamburg, West Germany
German Film Museum, Frankfurt, West Germany
1980 Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society, Half Moon Bay, California
1979 The Cinematheque, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, California
Selected International Film Festivals, Film Exhibitions & Theatrical Releases
2002 University of Minnesota Film Society, “Films with the Filmmaker,” Minneapolis, Minnesota
1998 Berliner Künstlerprogram des DAAD, Arsenal, Berlin, Germany
1992 Third Channel-TV, Munich, Frankfurt and Cologne, Germany
1991 Amerika Haus, Berlin, Germany
Arsenal, Berlin, Germany
The Museum of Modern Art, "Film Arts Foundation at Fifteen," New York, NY
Third Channel-TV, Munich, Frankfurt and Cologne, Germany
1990 Rotterdam International Film Festival, Rotterdam, Holland
Houston International Film Festival, Houston, Texas
Cinequest Film Festival, San Jose, California
Chicago Filmmakers, Chicago, Illinois
Cannon Art Houses, Rotterdam, The Hague & Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1989 Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin, West Germany
Florence Film Festival, Florence, Italy
Mill Valley Film Festival, Mill Valley, California
Film Arts Festival, Film Arts Foundation, San Francisco, California
Uppsala Film Festival, Uppsala, Sweden
Gottingen Film Festival, Gottingen, West Germany
Fifige Film Festival, Hamburg, West Germany
1987 WNET-TV, "Independent Focus," New York, New York
1985 Munich International Film Festival, Munich, West Germany
American Independent Film Festival, Amsterdam, Holland
German television in Munich and Cologne, West Germany
Antwerp International Film Festival, Antwerp, Belgium
1984 Hof International Film Festival, Hof, West Germany
International Film Exhibit, Taipei, Taiwan
San Francisco International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, San Francisco
1983 Agee Room at Bleecker Street Cinema, New York
"Film in the Cities," Minneapolis, Minnesota
Festival International de Cinema, Figueria da Foz, Portugal
Lisbon Cinematheque, Lisbon, Portugal
Florence Film Festival, Florence, Italy
Rotterdam International Film Festival, Rotterdam, Holland
Festival International du Nouveau Cinema, Montreal, Canada
1982 The Museum of Modern Art, "New Directors/New Films," New York City
Denver International Film Festival, Denver, Colorado
Mill Valley Film Festival, Mill Valley, California
Cinemateque, Athens, Greece
Hof International Film Festival, Hof, West Germany
Pacific Film Archives, "An Evening of Bay Area Film," Berkeley, California
1979 Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland
1978 Midwest Film Conference, Chicago, Illinois
1977 Palo Alto Filmmakers' Guild, Palo Alto Cultural Center, Palo Alto, California
Santa Clara Film Festival, Santa Clara, California
1976 Festival Internationale del Film Sull'arte e di Biografie d'artisti, Asolo, Italy
Film Awards & Residency
1990 Foreign Critics' Choice, Rotterdam Internatl. Film Festival, Rotterdam, Holland
1989 Jury's Choice, Cinequest Film Festival, San Jose, California
1986-87 DAAD Residency (Deutscher Akademischer Austanschdienst), Berlin, Germany
1976 Director's Choice, Sinking Creek Film Celebration, North Carolina
1976 Juror's Award, San Francisco Art Institute Student Exhibition, San Francisco
Selected Lectures, Guest Presentations & Art Related Positions
2002 “Films with the Filmmaker,” University of Minnesota Film Society, Minneapolis, MN
Guest Lecturer, “Film Narrative,” Department of Film, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD
1993 Guest Lecturer, "Film Directing," Department of Film, California College of Arts & Crafts, Oakland, California
1992 Guest Presenter, "Folklore," Dept of Anthropology, Univ, of California, Berkeley
1990 Guest Lecturer, "Art & Artists of San Francisco," San Francisco State University
1988 Script Consultant to William Farley's "Of Men and Angels"
Actor in Jon Jost's "Rembrandt Laughing"
1987 Actor in Wim Wender's "Wings of Desire"
1985 Panel Member, "Independent Filmmaking," Amsterdam, Holland
1977 Judge, Second Annual Palo Alto Film Festival, Palo Alto, California
1975 Cinematographer for Simon Edery's "Eloisa"
Cinematographer for George Berg's "Seth," "Ely Ain't My Name," "The Tribe is Broken" and "Good News"
1974 Lighting Design for George Berg's "Duet in Time"
1973 Opticals for George Berg's "Pit of Lost Souls: Report of A60817A"
Television & Radio Interviews - Film
Wahl, Jan. "Talkin' Pictures." San Francisco, BayTV: interview, August 29, 1998.
Knight, Michael. San Francisco, KNBR Radio: interview, November 11, 1989.
Braitman, Wendy. "Reel Talk." San Francisco, KALW radio: interview, November 5, 1989.
Sullivan, Monica. Berkeley, KALX Radio: interview, November 9, 1989.
Steiger, Bonnie. "Below San Francisco." San Francisco, Viacom Cablevision: interview, September 26, 1989.
Naefe, Vivian. "Hof Film Festival." Munich, Bavarian television: interview, October, 1982.
Strauven, Michael. "Interview from Hof." Berlin, Berlin television: interview October, 1982.
Larson, Larry. "Jerry Barrish, Independent Filmmaker." San Francisco, Viacom Cablevision: interview, August, 1979.
Selected Bibliography - Film
Hof 38th International Film Festival Catalogue, Hof, Germany, 27-31 October, 2004
Harvey, Dennis. "Jerry Barrish Retrospective." San Francisco Bay Guardian, September 2, 1998
Morris, Gary. "Second Time Around." SF Weekly, San Francisco, September 2, 1998.
Schmidt, Rick. "Feature Filmmaking at Used-Car Prices." New York: Penguin Books, 1995 (Revised edition)
Dodsworth, Fred. “Bonding with Barrish.” The City, San Francisco, Number 3, 1990.
Petrakis, John. "Shuttlecock." New City, Chicago, March 29, 1990.
Van Bueren, Peter. "People without a Place." De Volksrant, Amsterdam, January 29, 1990.
Winkler, Thomas. "Like a Hole in the Wall." AAZ, Berlin, December 15, 1989.
Sterneborg, Anke. "A Look at the Screen: Shuttlecock." Tagesspiegel, Berlin, Dec. 14, 1989.
Forst, Achim. "Sunny Neurosis." Tip, Berlin, December, 1989.
Schwahlen, Katrin. "Shuttlecock - Love Without Jealousy." Zitty, Berlin, December, 1989.
Armstrong, David. "Back and Forth in Pacifica." San Francisco Examiner, November 8, 1989.
Stack, Peter. "Love and Sex at Seashore." San Francisco Chronicle, November 8, 1989.
Bladen, Barbara. "Barrish: the Fellini of Pacifica." San Mateo Times, November 7, 1989.
Guthmann, Edward. "Bearish on Barrish." Datebook: San Francisco Chronicle, Nov. 5, 1989.
De Forest, Julie. "Barrish Enters ‘Mainstream’ with Third Film." Pacifica Tribune, Nov. 1, 1989.
Jansen, Peter W. "Movement of the Curve." Basler Zeitung, Berlin, March 1, 1989.
Metzner, Jochen. "Shuttlecock." Tagesspeigel, Berlin, February 23, 1989.
Schnelle, Josef. "Tonight or Always?." Kolner Stadtanzeiger, Cologne, February 23, 1989.
Lacher-Remy, Georg. "Funny Problems." Journal, Berlin, February 18, 1989.
Ranvaud, Don. "Emotional Rescue." Journal, Berlin, February 18, 1989.
Maerker, Christa. "Jerry Barrish." Internationales Forum Des Jugen Films, Berlin, February, 1989.
Alexander, Georg. "A European Perspective." The Off Hollywood Report, Los Angeles, October, 1988.
Ghent, Janet. "Subtitles Bailed Out Dyslexic Filmmaker." Oakland Tribune, August 23, 1988.
Stack, Peter. "A Real ‘San Francisco’ Story." San Francisco Chronicle, June 21, 1984.
Guthmann, Edward. "Gay, Straight Relationships." San Francisco Chronicle, June 17, 1984.
Ellis, Morgan. "Love Under the Rainbow." Bay Area Reporter, San Francisco, June 14, 1984.
Doohan, Brian. "Theme from the Motel." City Arts Monthly, San Francisco, October, 1982.
Stack, Peter. "A ‘Little’ Movie That Almost Got Away." San Francisco Chronicle, May 14, 1982.
Kuttna, Mari. "Report from Edinburgh." Film World, Bombay, November, 1979.
Ahlgren, Calvin. "Barrish: One-Man Show of Hand Crafted Films." San Francisco Chronicle, September 9, 1979.
Louter, King. "Barrish the Image Weaver." The Stanford Daily, Palo Alto, October 13, 1977.
BLOG SECTIONS
For studio visits and information please contact Jerry Barrish (415) 641 8100 jerry.barrish at gmail.com
works & conversations interview with Richard Whittaker http://www.conversations.org/story.php?sid=591
Color catalogs available:
Jerry Ross Barrish, Assemblage Found Objects
Loveland Museum/Gallery & South Dakota Art Museum
June 2014 - February 2015
Art Drecko: Mad Asssemblage of Jerry Ross Barrish, Fresno Art Museum & Take Two: Jerry Ross Barrish, Museum of Art & History @ McPherson Center, Santa Cruz, CA November 2008 - April 2009
Foreward by Phil Linhares, with essays by Susan Hillhouse, Jacquelin Pilar
Dames
South Dakota Art Museum, 2002
Foreward by Fred Martin, San Francisco Art Institute
ARTIST STATEMENT
I collect found objects for assemblage/constructions on the beaches, bayshore, roadways, and recycling centers near San Francisco. I usually only pick up plastic objects—belonging to the lowest caste in the hierarchy of debris. I have become enthralled working with this material, and continue to be inspired by it, using a hot glue gun almost like a welding torch—allowing a spontaneity reminiscent of my experiences with copper and steel almost 50 years ago.
Sometimes I set out to make an image and actually search for the pieces to complete the idea, but more often it's the found object that dictates what I'm going to do. The completion of the preconceived vision is a much more structured way to work and gives me a sense of command over the materials. But inspiration and freedom come from letting this discarded stuff of our society provide the image itself.
My natural bent as a storyteller becomes obvious with the figurative nature of subjects. There's a sense of magic when a piece is completed—sometimes I don't understand how it happened. But, not unlike the editing process from my filmmaking days, it's just a question of the order of things.
Capturing gesture, form, and movement to bring life to this refuse is the essence of my art.
Jerry Ross Barrish
San Francisco, 2019
CHRONOLOGY
Residence: Pacifica, California
Born: San Francisco, California
Education: San Francisco Art Institute, B.F.A. 1974 & M.F.A. 1976
Studied with Charles B. Johnson, as apprentice sculptor
Public Art Commission
"Bay View Horn" Commissioned by San Francisco Redevelopment Agency (OCII) for Hunters Point Shipyard, 2015
Institutional Collections
Berkeley Art Museum, University of California, Berkeley, California
Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California
de Saisset Museum, University of Santa Clara, Santa Clara, California
di Rosa Preserve: Art & Nature, Napa, California
Fresno Art Museum, Fresno, California
Museum of Art & History @ McPherson Center, Santa Cruz, California
The Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, California
Saginaw Museum of Art, Saginaw, Michigan
San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, California
South Dakota Art Museum, Brookings, South Dakota
Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, California
University of Arizona Memorial Student Union, Tucson, Arizona
University of California Davis, Nelson Gallery, Davis, California
University of California Santa Cruz, Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery, Santa Cruz, California
Selected Solo Sculpture Exhibitions
2016-17 Transmission Gallery, Oakland, California
Selected Group Sculpture Exhibitions
2020 South Dakota Art Museum, "50 Works for 50 Years: Collections Retrospective"
2020 San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, "Under Our Covers: It's Not What It Seams"
2019 Veterans Show, "Honoring America's Veterans at TPG Global" curated by SFMOMA Artists Gallery
2019 Alumni Show, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, California, "ECHOES, From Here to There"
2018-19 Pacific Rim Sculptors, Peninsula Museum of Art, Burlingame, California, "Sculpture Now"
2017 San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, "California Sculpture Slam Biennial Exhibition"
2015-17 Studio Gallery, San Francisco, California
2006 Santa Cruz County Bank, Santa Cruz, California, “Unleased”
2006 Thomas Mann Gallery, New Orleans, Louisiana, “Martini Squared 2”
2006 Arizona Museum for Youth, Mesa, Arizona, “Purrrfection”
2005 Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, California, “Nature as Muse, Selections from the Permanent Collection”
2005 George Krevsky Gallery, San Francisco, “Sculpture”
2005 Museum of Contemporary Art, Santa Rosa, California, “Contemporary Expressions, RE-FUSED”,
2003 San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Artists Gallery, Fort Mason, San Francisco, “25th Anniversary Exhibition”
2003 Oakland Museum City Center Sculpture Court, Pacific Rim Sculpture Group Invitational, “Shaping Possibilities”
2003 d.p. Fong Galleries, San Jose, California, “The Narrative Figure”
2002 San Jose Museum of Art, “Is the Medium the Message? Contemporary Art from Permanent Collection”
2002 Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento, California, “A Portrait of My Father”
2001 Mesh Gallery, Sebastopol, California, “Trash”
2000 University of California Santa Cruz, Cowell College, Santa Cruz, CA, “The New Millennium Readymade, Even”
2000 Euphrat Museum of Art, De Anza College, Cupertino, California, “Animals”
2000 Koret Gallery, Palo Alto, California, “Environmental Perspectives: Beauty & the Beast”
1999 University Art Museum, Berkeley, California, “Fragments of the World, From Collage to Readymade”
1999 Zenith Gallery, Washington DC, group humor show
1999 di Rosa Preserve, Napa, California, “Angels & Apparitions: Masque for Millennium”
1998 Arizona Museum for Youth, Mesa, Arizona, "Stable Environment, Art of the Horse"
1998 Melting Point, San Francisco, California, "Ensemble Modern: Barrish, Forakis, Honig”
1998 d.p. Fong Galleries, San Jose, California, "Toys in Contemporary Art II”
1997-98 Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, California, "Hello Again! A New Wave of Recycled Art & Design"
(traveling) Los Angeles Municipal Gallery, Barnsdall Park, Los Angeles, California
(traveling) McAllen International Museum, McAllen, Texas
(traveling) Vancouver Museum, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
1997 The Jewish Museum San Francisco, "L'Chaim: A Kiddish Cup Invitational"
1996-97 Oakland Museum of California Sculpture Court, "Bay Area Sculptors Group III: The Figure," Oakland, California
1996 San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Rental Gallery, "Refound," Fort Mason, San Francisco, California
1996 Oakland Museum of California Sculpture Court, Oakland, California "Re-in-CAR-Nation"
1996 State Capitol Conservation Fair, Sacramento, California, Recycled Art Exhibit
1995 Galeria Mesa, Mesa, Arizona, "Reassembly Required"
1995 Contract Design Center, San Francisco, Calif., Pacific Rim Sculpture Group Juried Exhibit
1995 State Capitol Conservation Fair, Sacramento, California, Recycled Art Exhibit
1994-95 Capp Street Project, San Francisco, California"Old Glory, New Story: Flagging the 21st Century" (traveling)
Santa Monica Museum of Art, Santa Monica, California
1994 Works/San Jose, San Jose, California, "Dancing on the Continuum: Survey of Bay Area Contemporary Sculpture"
1994 Claudia Chapline Gallery, Stinson Beach, California, "Jazz: JoeSam, George Frayne, Jerry Barrish"
1993 Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California, “68th Annual Crocker-Kingsley Exhibition”
1993 Associated Artists of Winston-Salem, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, "Earth Art”
1993 San Mateo County Arts Council, Belmont, California, "Assemblage & Collage"
1993 Wiseman Gallery, Rogue Community College, Grants Pass, Oregon, “Barrish & Shuey"
1993 Lewis-Clark Center for Arts & History, Lewiston, Idaho, "Earth Vision"
1992 Arizona Museum for Youth, Mesa, Arizona, "Déjà Vu: The Recycled Object in Art"
1992 California Museum of Art, Santa Rosa, California, "California Small Works"
1992 Long Beach Arts, Long Beach, California, "Found Object as Art"
1992 The University of Arizona, Student Union Gallery, Tucson, Arizona, "Earth Day"
1992 Arizona State University, Memorial Union Fine Arts Lounge, Tempe, AZ, "Transformations: Barrish & Grossman"
1992 Modesto Jr. College Art Gallery, Modesto, California, "Wolfe, Norman & Barrish"
1992 Grants Pass Museum of Art, Grants Pass, Oregon, "Barrish & Totman"
1991-94 Bolinas Museum, Bolinas, California, Miniature Invitationals
1991 Ohio State University at Mansfield, The Pearl Conard Gallery, Mansfield, Ohio
1991 Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, “The Florida National”
1991 The Jewish Community Museum, San Francisco, California, Purim Invitational
1990 Bolinas Museum, Bolinas, California, Small Works Annual Juried Exhibition
1990 San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, California
1990 Gallery Route One, Pt. Reyes Station, California, "Artists & Environmental Crisis"
1989 California Museum of Art, Santa Rosa, California, "California Small Works"
1989 The Arts Council of San Mateo County, Belmont, California, "Bay Arts"
1989 San Francisco City Hall Rotunda, San Francisco, California, "The Art of Recycling"
Sculpture Awards
2002 Argus Leader, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in Review, High Points: “Dames” exhibit at South Dakota Art Museum, Brookings, South Dakota
2000 Third Place Award, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, “The New Millennium Readymade, Even”
1999 Honorable Mention, Arts on Fire III, Sanchez Art Center, Pacifica, California
1993 Group Show Award, Art Bank, Foster City Art Gallery, Foster City, California
1993 Honorable Mention, Coastal Arts League Annual Juried Competition, Half Moon Bay, California
1989 Award Winner, "California Small Works," California Museum of Art, Luther Burbank Center, Santa Rosa, CA
Selected Lectures, Guest Presentations & Art Related Positions
2021 Conversation with Jerry Barrish and Lynn Verschoor (online), International Sculpture Center
2020 Plastic Man, mini-course (online) Osher Lifelong Learning Institute with San Francisco State University
2006 Eye on the Arts, That Man May See, de Young Museum, San Francisco, California
2006 Lincoln High School Alumni Wall of Fame, San Francisco, California
2004-present Artistic Director, Sanchez Art Center, Pacifica, California
2003-05 President, Art Guild of Pacifica, Pacifica, California
2002-05 Appointment to Cultural Arts Commission, Pacifica, California
2002 Guest Lecturer, Art Department, South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota
1998 Juror, Coastal Arts League 14th Annual Juried Competition, Half Moon Bay, California
1995 Juror, "New & Reused," San Francisco Women's Gallery, San Francisco
1990 Guest Lecturer, "Art & Artists of San Francisco," San Francisco State University, San Francisco
Subject of Documentary Film
2015 "Plastic Man, The Artful Life of Jerry Ross Barrish" Directed by William Farley, produced by Janis Plotkin 74 min.
2017 "Plastic Man, The Artful Life of Jerry Ross Barrish" 58 min. version
Selected Bibliography - Sculpture
Constantinou, Marianne. “After career springing others, bondsman sculpts himself a new life.” San Francisco Chronicle, November 23, 2004, illus.
Roukes, Nicholas. “Artful Jesters, Innovators of Visual Wit and Humor.” Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA, 2003, illus.
“Dames.” Catalogue. South Dakota Art Museum, Brookings, South Dakota, 2002, illus.
Roche, Harry. “Focus: Jerry Ross Barrish.” Sculpture Magazine, International Sculpture Center, New Jersey, Vol. 20, No. 4, May 2001, illus.
Shreve, Jenn. “One Man’s Treasure.” San Francisco Metropolitan, September 13, 1999.
Roche, Harry. "Jerry Ross Barrish." San Francisco Bay Guardian, September 2-8, 1998, illus.
Workman, Bill. "Picking Up Where Litterers Leave Off." San Francisco Chronicle Peninsula, March 14, 1997, illus.
Hunter, Chris. "Finding art in flotsam." Pacifica Tribune, January 29, 1997, illus. Huston, Johnny Ray. "Body Parts." SF Weekly, San Francisco, January 3-9, 1996, illus.
Warner, Sally. "Making Room for Making Art." Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 1994, illus.
Cohn, Terri. "The Gluers." Diablo Arts, Walnut Creek, March-May, 1994, illus. Alaks, Kathleen. "This Art‘s a Real Find." Daily Courier, Grants Pass, OR, January 9, 1992, illus.
Hunter, Chris. "Barrish Recycles Trash into Art." Pacifica Tribune, December 5, 1990, illus.
Independent Feature Films
"Shuttlecock" (1989) - World Premiere, Berlin International Film Festival, Forum, Berlin, Germany
"Recent Sorrows" (1984) - World Premiere, San Francisco International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, San Francisco, Caliifornia
"Dan's Motel" (1981) - World Premiere, New Directors/New Films, Lincoln Center, New York, New York
Retrospective Film Exhibitions
2007 Schleswig-Holstein-Haus, Schwerin, Germany
2004 Hof International Film Festival, Hof, Bavaria, Germany
2003 Festival Internacional de Cinema da Figueira da Foz, Portugal
2002 South Dakota Art Museum, SD State University, Brookings, South Dakota
1998 Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, California
1991 The Museum of Modern Art, Cineprobe, New York City, New York
1990 Roxie Cinema, San Francisco, California
1986 DAAD, Arsenal, Berlin, West Germany
Metropolis, Hamburg, West Germany
German Film Museum, Frankfurt, West Germany
1980 Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society, Half Moon Bay, California
1979 The Cinematheque, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, California
Selected International Film Festivals, Film Exhibitions & Theatrical Releases
2002 University of Minnesota Film Society, “Films with the Filmmaker,” Minneapolis, Minnesota
1998 Berliner Künstlerprogram des DAAD, Arsenal, Berlin, Germany
1992 Third Channel-TV, Munich, Frankfurt and Cologne, Germany
1991 Amerika Haus, Berlin, Germany
Arsenal, Berlin, Germany
The Museum of Modern Art, "Film Arts Foundation at Fifteen," New York, NY
Third Channel-TV, Munich, Frankfurt and Cologne, Germany
1990 Rotterdam International Film Festival, Rotterdam, Holland
Houston International Film Festival, Houston, Texas
Cinequest Film Festival, San Jose, California
Chicago Filmmakers, Chicago, Illinois
Cannon Art Houses, Rotterdam, The Hague & Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1989 Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin, West Germany
Florence Film Festival, Florence, Italy
Mill Valley Film Festival, Mill Valley, California
Film Arts Festival, Film Arts Foundation, San Francisco, California
Uppsala Film Festival, Uppsala, Sweden
Gottingen Film Festival, Gottingen, West Germany
Fifige Film Festival, Hamburg, West Germany
1987 WNET-TV, "Independent Focus," New York, New York
1985 Munich International Film Festival, Munich, West Germany
American Independent Film Festival, Amsterdam, Holland
German television in Munich and Cologne, West Germany
Antwerp International Film Festival, Antwerp, Belgium
1984 Hof International Film Festival, Hof, West Germany
International Film Exhibit, Taipei, Taiwan
San Francisco International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, San Francisco
1983 Agee Room at Bleecker Street Cinema, New York
"Film in the Cities," Minneapolis, Minnesota
Festival International de Cinema, Figueria da Foz, Portugal
Lisbon Cinematheque, Lisbon, Portugal
Florence Film Festival, Florence, Italy
Rotterdam International Film Festival, Rotterdam, Holland
Festival International du Nouveau Cinema, Montreal, Canada
1982 The Museum of Modern Art, "New Directors/New Films," New York City
Denver International Film Festival, Denver, Colorado
Mill Valley Film Festival, Mill Valley, California
Cinemateque, Athens, Greece
Hof International Film Festival, Hof, West Germany
Pacific Film Archives, "An Evening of Bay Area Film," Berkeley, California
1979 Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland
1978 Midwest Film Conference, Chicago, Illinois
1977 Palo Alto Filmmakers' Guild, Palo Alto Cultural Center, Palo Alto, California
Santa Clara Film Festival, Santa Clara, California
1976 Festival Internationale del Film Sull'arte e di Biografie d'artisti, Asolo, Italy
Film Awards & Residency
1990 Foreign Critics' Choice, Rotterdam Internatl. Film Festival, Rotterdam, Holland
1989 Jury's Choice, Cinequest Film Festival, San Jose, California
1986-87 DAAD Residency (Deutscher Akademischer Austanschdienst), Berlin, Germany
1976 Director's Choice, Sinking Creek Film Celebration, North Carolina
1976 Juror's Award, San Francisco Art Institute Student Exhibition, San Francisco
Selected Lectures, Guest Presentations & Art Related Positions
2002 “Films with the Filmmaker,” University of Minnesota Film Society, Minneapolis, MN
Guest Lecturer, “Film Narrative,” Department of Film, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD
1993 Guest Lecturer, "Film Directing," Department of Film, California College of Arts & Crafts, Oakland, California
1992 Guest Presenter, "Folklore," Dept of Anthropology, Univ, of California, Berkeley
1990 Guest Lecturer, "Art & Artists of San Francisco," San Francisco State University
1988 Script Consultant to William Farley's "Of Men and Angels"
Actor in Jon Jost's "Rembrandt Laughing"
1987 Actor in Wim Wender's "Wings of Desire"
1985 Panel Member, "Independent Filmmaking," Amsterdam, Holland
1977 Judge, Second Annual Palo Alto Film Festival, Palo Alto, California
1975 Cinematographer for Simon Edery's "Eloisa"
Cinematographer for George Berg's "Seth," "Ely Ain't My Name," "The Tribe is Broken" and "Good News"
1974 Lighting Design for George Berg's "Duet in Time"
1973 Opticals for George Berg's "Pit of Lost Souls: Report of A60817A"
Television & Radio Interviews - Film
Wahl, Jan. "Talkin' Pictures." San Francisco, BayTV: interview, August 29, 1998.
Knight, Michael. San Francisco, KNBR Radio: interview, November 11, 1989.
Braitman, Wendy. "Reel Talk." San Francisco, KALW radio: interview, November 5, 1989.
Sullivan, Monica. Berkeley, KALX Radio: interview, November 9, 1989.
Steiger, Bonnie. "Below San Francisco." San Francisco, Viacom Cablevision: interview, September 26, 1989.
Naefe, Vivian. "Hof Film Festival." Munich, Bavarian television: interview, October, 1982.
Strauven, Michael. "Interview from Hof." Berlin, Berlin television: interview October, 1982.
Larson, Larry. "Jerry Barrish, Independent Filmmaker." San Francisco, Viacom Cablevision: interview, August, 1979.
Selected Bibliography - Film
Hof 38th International Film Festival Catalogue, Hof, Germany, 27-31 October, 2004
Harvey, Dennis. "Jerry Barrish Retrospective." San Francisco Bay Guardian, September 2, 1998
Morris, Gary. "Second Time Around." SF Weekly, San Francisco, September 2, 1998.
Schmidt, Rick. "Feature Filmmaking at Used-Car Prices." New York: Penguin Books, 1995 (Revised edition)
Dodsworth, Fred. “Bonding with Barrish.” The City, San Francisco, Number 3, 1990.
Petrakis, John. "Shuttlecock." New City, Chicago, March 29, 1990.
Van Bueren, Peter. "People without a Place." De Volksrant, Amsterdam, January 29, 1990.
Winkler, Thomas. "Like a Hole in the Wall." AAZ, Berlin, December 15, 1989.
Sterneborg, Anke. "A Look at the Screen: Shuttlecock." Tagesspiegel, Berlin, Dec. 14, 1989.
Forst, Achim. "Sunny Neurosis." Tip, Berlin, December, 1989.
Schwahlen, Katrin. "Shuttlecock - Love Without Jealousy." Zitty, Berlin, December, 1989.
Armstrong, David. "Back and Forth in Pacifica." San Francisco Examiner, November 8, 1989.
Stack, Peter. "Love and Sex at Seashore." San Francisco Chronicle, November 8, 1989.
Bladen, Barbara. "Barrish: the Fellini of Pacifica." San Mateo Times, November 7, 1989.
Guthmann, Edward. "Bearish on Barrish." Datebook: San Francisco Chronicle, Nov. 5, 1989.
De Forest, Julie. "Barrish Enters ‘Mainstream’ with Third Film." Pacifica Tribune, Nov. 1, 1989.
Jansen, Peter W. "Movement of the Curve." Basler Zeitung, Berlin, March 1, 1989.
Metzner, Jochen. "Shuttlecock." Tagesspeigel, Berlin, February 23, 1989.
Schnelle, Josef. "Tonight or Always?." Kolner Stadtanzeiger, Cologne, February 23, 1989.
Lacher-Remy, Georg. "Funny Problems." Journal, Berlin, February 18, 1989.
Ranvaud, Don. "Emotional Rescue." Journal, Berlin, February 18, 1989.
Maerker, Christa. "Jerry Barrish." Internationales Forum Des Jugen Films, Berlin, February, 1989.
Alexander, Georg. "A European Perspective." The Off Hollywood Report, Los Angeles, October, 1988.
Ghent, Janet. "Subtitles Bailed Out Dyslexic Filmmaker." Oakland Tribune, August 23, 1988.
Stack, Peter. "A Real ‘San Francisco’ Story." San Francisco Chronicle, June 21, 1984.
Guthmann, Edward. "Gay, Straight Relationships." San Francisco Chronicle, June 17, 1984.
Ellis, Morgan. "Love Under the Rainbow." Bay Area Reporter, San Francisco, June 14, 1984.
Doohan, Brian. "Theme from the Motel." City Arts Monthly, San Francisco, October, 1982.
Stack, Peter. "A ‘Little’ Movie That Almost Got Away." San Francisco Chronicle, May 14, 1982.
Kuttna, Mari. "Report from Edinburgh." Film World, Bombay, November, 1979.
Ahlgren, Calvin. "Barrish: One-Man Show of Hand Crafted Films." San Francisco Chronicle, September 9, 1979.
Louter, King. "Barrish the Image Weaver." The Stanford Daily, Palo Alto, October 13, 1977.
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