About the Selected Artists
1. Robert Ortbal
"I am working on an ongoing series of tiny, masked figures collectively titled Samaritans. They are part of a more expansive practice that involves creating custom traveling cases for them and wearable sculptures used in performative works that are exhibited in installations and portrayed in video, photography and drawing.”
2. Stella Kalaw
“Stella’s collage work draws from photography-based imagery, incorporating found materials, historical ephemera, and contemporary elements to construct layered visual narratives. Embracing an improvisational approach akin to jazz composition, she assembles disparate elements into cohesive, whimsical compositions that evoke nostalgia while offering a fresh perspective.” Attachment 1
About the Selected Artists Cont.
3. Carrie Hott
“I propose a series of four posters that depict speculative underground infrastructure and geological diagrams in the location of the bus shelters in Emeryville. These images will blend schematic, architectural, and organic forms to visualize layered histories. Rooted in research on Emeryville’s industrial past, ecological transformations, and contemporary urban infrastructure, each composition will weave together elements of reality and speculation, encouraging viewers to reconsider the unseen forces underground that mediate their daily lives.”
4. Mila Moldenhawer
“I have created four sketches of high contrast and high visual impact cellular structures, meant to be representations of biotechnology and renewal, speaking to how Emeryville has become a hub for contemporary creativity and biotechnology. I aim to integrate both graphic and natural forms in my work—symbolizing microscopic biological structures and the merging of art and biological advancements. The use of vibrant, organic colors point to themes of fertility and renewal to life in aesthetic and visually impactful ways that will catch the eye of anyone passing by. Incorporating fun and bright molecular structures evokes the technological and scientific aspects of the district’s biotech influence.”
About the Selected Artists Cont.
5. Ceci Bowman
"I’ve been exploring the idea of organic resistance —how nature refuses to be contained, breaking through layers of cement, bursting past barriers, demanding to be seen. I’ve been playing with gouache, pen and ink, and collage materials , layering them digitally to bring out textures and color in new, vibrant ways . My collages capture those spontaneous moments in urban spaces—where color, energy, and life find a way to shine through the density of the city. This "fertile resistance" is the heartbeat of my work—an explosion of vibrancy, movement, and human spirit.”
6. Jennifer Mazzucco
“My work explores color, light, and texture, using the wheel and placement of color into concentric circles or radiant spokes as a grounding symbol of stability. With the circle, chart, or graph as the foundation of each piece, I then can allow the layered hues and shifting tones of watercolor to do what they do best. Watercolor’s natural flow, blossom, overlay, and bleed juxtaposed with the underlayered outline creates an interplay between control and surrender, process and product.” About the Selected Artists (Continued)
he7. Terese Kalnoskas Selected Artists Cont.
“The concept I am proposing for City of Emeryville’s 2025 Bus Shelter Art Program is four portraits that honor and recognize local individuals who have become a part of local history. The original paintings, known as Portrait Project: Living Tributes, were begun in 2017 to celebrate the lives of individuals who have participated in the Emeryville Senior Center. The bus shelter portrait reproductions would be accompanied by a brief life story of the individuals, which was the culmination of casual interviews, sketching, and photographic sessions.”
8. Torreya Cummings
“My proposal is to tell the story of this small patch of earth at bus stops around the city — spaces that are undoubtedly very close to other small, interstitial wild spaces around Emeryville. I’ve included a selection of images of native and non-native plants that reflect the local landscape — California poppy, wild onion, coyote mint, mixed bouquets of various weed species, wild oat grass, nasturtium, and bedstraw. They have varying deep blue backgrounds and the leaves and flowers are seen in shades of light blue and white, a reverse shadow.” About the Selected Artists (Continued) Artists Cont.
9. Alla Agafonov
“For the last few years, I have been working primarily in watercolor medium and would like to propose a set of 4 watercolors that reflect the theme of Fertile Ground. I spend quite a bit of time walking and running around the Marina and this connection of Emeryville to the edge of the water and the bay is just absolutely stunning. I want to highlight this relationship of the city on the water through 4 large scale pieces that I would paint from a series of photographs that I have taken throughout the years at the Emeryville Marina. This relationship of the aquatic activity, from the flora and fauna to the boats and people give rise to the literal interpretation of Fertile Ground that the city is so deeply rooted in.”
Robert Ortbal, Samaritians
Media: Sculpture
– plastic, mixed
media
Prior Submittal: Yes
featured
Resident Affiliation: 45th Street
Artist’s
Cooperative/RCCD
Stella Kalaw, Emeryville Retrospect
Reimagined
Media: Digital Collage Prior Submittal: No
Resident Affiliation: RCCD
Carrie Hott, Unseen Infrastructure
Media: depicts speculative
underground infrastructure
and geological diagrams
digitally
Prior Submittal: No
Resident Affiliation: 45th Street
Artists’ Cooperative
Mila Moldenhawer, Micro Worlds, Macro
Visions
Media: Abstract
Paintings Prior Submittal: No
Resident Affiliation: Compound
Gallery /RCCD
Ceci Bowman, Sharon Wilchar Bus Shelter Art
Program
Media: Collage/Paint Prior Submittal: No
Employment
Affiliation: Business
Contract
Jennifer Mazzucco, Finding Sanctuary in Color
Media: Color Wheels Prior Submittal: No
Resident Affiliation: Compound
Gallery/RCCD
Teresa Kalnoskas, Portrait Project Living
Tributes
Media: Portraits
Prior Submittal: YES and
the works are Community
Promotion Grant
Resident Affiliation: 45th Street
Artists’ Cooperative
Torreya Cummings, Marginalia
Media: Cyanotypes Prior Submittal: No
Resident Affiliation: 45th Street
Artists’ Cooperative
Alla Agafonov, An Aquatic Perspective
Media: watercolor
paintings of
naturescapes
Prior Submittal:
None
Resident or
Employment: Resident
Affiliation: ECA
Alternates
Threse Lahaie,
Spinning Dervishes (Opt 1)
Lightbirds (Opt 2)
Media: Video stills
of reflected lights
Prior Submittal: Yes
Resident or
Employment: Resident
Affiliation: 45th Street
Artist’s Cooperative,
ECA
Ana Lisa Hedstrom
Media: Dyed Wool
Felt
Prior Submittal: Yes
in program in 2019
Resident or
Employment: Resident
Affiliation: 45th Street
Artist’s Cooperative,
ECA
Robin Bernstein
Contemporary Concerns
Media: Yarn
impressed in wax
Prior Submittal: No
Resident or
Employment: Resident
Affiliation: 45th Street
Artist’s Cooperative,
ECA