Diana Pumpelly Bates: Unity Revolution January 28- April 18, 2025
The Natalie and James Thompson Art Gallery is pleased to present Diana Pumpelly Bates: Unity Revolution curated by Bridget R. Cooks. Known for her bronze sculptures and metal public art visible throughout Northern California, Diana Pumpelly Bates, (MA 1987, MFA 1989) began her career as a painter and printmaker. In the 1960s, she explored themes of unity, beauty, and family in large-scale canvases and small prints. Bates’ curious forms express movement and energy. The unique, two-toned, chromatic pairing in each composition offers vibrations of color. From a distance, the silhouetted shapes appear as single forms. A closer look shows multiple elements united to make a whole. Based in her experiences of family formations and interpersonal relationships, Bates considers each painting a combination of codes and secrets, and nonsense and beauty that give her life.
The Hammer2 Gallery features a rotating display of artwork by San José State University alumni. The current exhibition brings together the work of five alumni artists: Carlo Ricafort, Dani Torvik, Peter Moen, Josie Lepe, Tovah Cheng, and Ian Fabre. These artists explore work in a variety of media, including watercolor, oil paint and mixed media, and diverse subject matter, including personal identities, cultural symbols, family history and abstract forms.
