Forced to Flee
Open for Calls
(925) 943-7469
Wednesday – Sunday: Noon – 6:00pm
Monday – Tuesday: Closed
Open for Walk Up
Proof of full vaccination against
COVID-19 is required for all guests
age 12 and over, and face coverings
are required to be worn by all guests
age two and over when visiting the
Lesher Center for the Arts.
1601 Civic Drive
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Wednesday – Sunday: Noon – 6:00pm
Monday – Tuesday: Closed
*In addition to the hours noted, the Ticket Office is also open one hour prior and thirty minutes after curtain for ticketed performances, including performances on Mondays, Tuesdays, and most City holidays.
Presented by Bedford Gallery
February 26, 2022 - June 19, 2022
Throughout history, people have been forced to flee from their homes for their own safety and survival due to war, oppression, natural disasters, and atrocious human rights violations. The refugee crisis has imposed severe impacts on the social, economic, and political structures of host countries, especially poor and developing nations. This powerful and timely exhibition illustrates the global challenges arising from the current refugee crisis affecting communities across the world. Forced to Flee was organized by Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc.
February 26, 2022 - June 19, 2022
Throughout history, people have been forced to flee from their homes for their own safety and survival due to war, oppression, natural disasters, and atrocious human rights violations. The refugee crisis has imposed severe impacts on the social, economic, and political structures of host countries, especially poor and developing nations. This powerful and timely exhibition illustrates the global challenges arising from the current refugee crisis affecting communities across the world. Forced to Flee was organized by Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc.
The artists featured in this exhibition consider the plight of the displaced from many points of view and use a range of methods – including raw edge appliqué, burning, mark making, and photo and screen-printing – to tell powerful stories. Others stitch and appliqué words and messages directly onto the quilts. These bold techniques also remind the viewer that quilts are much more than a domestic or practical craft. Here, they carry heavy imagery, messages and, in certain instances, incorporate dense materials to convey the magnitude of our global refugee crisis. “These are not pretty pieces,” Marks says. “The contrast between the sense of physical comfort normally associated with textiles is at odds with the harsh imagery, creating visual tension.”
Artwork Credit (above): Carol J. Vinick, Amnesty, 2008, cotton, wool yarn, raw-edge appliquéd, couched, machine quilted, 41 x 45 inches.
Artwork Credit (below): Yu-Wen Wu, Leavings/Belongings, ongoing, mixed media, dimensions variable.
In addition to Forced to Flee, Bedford Gallery presents two works in a solo installation by Boston-based artist Yu-Wen Wu, Leavings/Belongings and Tell Me, that amplify the immigrant experience through storytelling.
In Leavings/Belongings, bundles made by the artist and U.S. immigrants inhabit the gallery's ArtSite space. These bundles of imagined possessions wrapped in globally culled fabric represent all that is left behind and hopes and dreams for a new life.
Featured in the gallery's alcove, Tell Me is a single-channel video that includes voice overs from participants in Leavings/Belongings, who tell their stories, often in their native language. By intertwining these narratives with abstract imagery and music composed by Beau Kenyon, Wu presents both literal and abstract elements to emphasize the complexity of the migration experience.
Proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 is required for all guests age 12 and over, and face coverings are required to be worn by all guests age two and over when visiting the Lesher Center for the Arts and Bedford Gallery.
Read more about Bedford Gallery's safety guidlines here.
Be part of something special!
Consider becoming a member of Bedford Gallery.
Read more about Bedford Gallery's Memberships here.
Please note the following special hours or closures:
* Sunday, June 5, 2022 - closing from 2:30 PM PST through 3:30 PM PST.
* Sunday, June 12, 2022 - closing early at 3:00 PM PST.
Artwork Credit (above): Carol J. Vinick, Amnesty, 2008, cotton, wool yarn, raw-edge appliquéd, couched, machine quilted, 41 x 45 inches.
Artwork Credit (below): Yu-Wen Wu, Leavings/Belongings, ongoing, mixed media, dimensions variable.
In addition to Forced to Flee, Bedford Gallery presents two works in a solo installation by Boston-based artist Yu-Wen Wu, Leavings/Belongings and Tell Me, that amplify the immigrant experience through storytelling.
In Leavings/Belongings, bundles made by the artist and U.S. immigrants inhabit the gallery's ArtSite space. These bundles of imagined possessions wrapped in globally culled fabric represent all that is left behind and hopes and dreams for a new life.
Featured in the gallery's alcove, Tell Me is a single-channel video that includes voice overs from participants in Leavings/Belongings, who tell their stories, often in their native language. By intertwining these narratives with abstract imagery and music composed by Beau Kenyon, Wu presents both literal and abstract elements to emphasize the complexity of the migration experience.
Proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 is required for all guests age 12 and over, and face coverings are required to be worn by all guests age two and over when visiting the Lesher Center for the Arts and Bedford Gallery.
Read more about Bedford Gallery's safety guidlines here.
Be part of something special!
Consider becoming a member of Bedford Gallery.
Read more about Bedford Gallery's Memberships here.
Please note the following special hours or closures:
* Sunday, June 5, 2022 - closing from 2:30 PM PST through 3:30 PM PST.
* Sunday, June 12, 2022 - closing early at 3:00 PM PST.