Collection: "High Five," organized by Emma Spertus and Ember Avalos (online exhibition)

About the exhibition

High Five = A greeting, an Expression of joy, a friendly exchange, a celebration, a non-verbal confirmation of yeah, a sound experience, and quite simply friends connecting.

Emma and Ember or E and E met in 2017 when Emma started working at NIAD Art Center where Ember was already working.  

Upon meeting the two realized they had a lot of shared community and shared interest. 

Friendship was inevitable and so, too, more high fives.

Like a high five, this show brings together selections in conversation. Pairings of Art chosen by one Inspired the next. 

About the organizers

Ember Avalos (They/Them) is a mixed media textile artist, who lives and works in Richmond, CA. Avalos makes, curates, and supports art as a life practice. Avalos' current focus is on human relationships with other animals. The series, “The Hands of Death,” features dead or dying animals and human hands. Contrasting bright colored embroidery on dark fabric illustrates frank depictions of death. An interest in human relationships spills into Avalos’ curated spaces. It’s all right there waiting to be grabbed.

Emma Spertus (she/her) lives in Berkeley, works in Richmond, and has a studio in Oakland. Her sculptures and architectural interventions are inspired by her varied encounters in the Bay Area. She is interested in highlighting the humor and visual intrigue of banal subjects, from business parks to technology lingo. Spertus is an occasional curator and art event instigator. She enjoys supporting NIAD artists in being curators too.