California Unseen, Along the Hills of the Central Valley

The California Central Valley is more than the giant open fields we cross when driving down from San Francisco to Los Angeles via Interstate 5. It is a place of beauty and complexity, a land of contrast undergoing rapid changes: a housing frenzy, an alternance of droughts and floods, vibrant yet struggling migrant communities, immense fields producing half of the fruits and vegetables of the US, all surrounded by stunning natural beauty. This place has always fascinated artists (from Dorothea Lange to Jack Kerouac, Robert Dawson, and Stephen Johnson) and keeps doing so today. By featuring certain works done in the 1930s by Dorothea Lange and putting them into perspective with today’s works, this show will be an invitation to explore the Central Valley over a century. This East Bay Photo Collective exhibition, curated by Claire Maen, brings together 6 photographers from the East Bay, Fresno, and Los Angeles (Ryan McIntosh, Stephen Johnson, Noah Gottesman, Michael Behlen, Steve Molnar, and Claire Maen) who explore this land of extremes on film: Polaroid, small, medium and large format. In addition, William Peterson, from Sacramento, will show his 3D ceramics with aerial views of the agricultural landscape. The show will be visible from February to March 2026 at the EBPCO Gallery in Oakland, CA.