FEBRUARY 13 - APRIL 25 2025 

MEMBER PREVIEW: Friday, February 13, 5-6 PM

PUBLIC OPENING: Friday, February 13, 6-8 PM

The Stories We Tell exhibition features artists currently practicing at Creative Growth who all have a form of storytelling within their individual practices. Each artists work takes the viewer into intricate worlds both imagined and real.

The multi-media exhibition features several collaborative films made in Creative Growth’s digital media lab. The work brims with imagination, humor, and cinematic vision. Highlights include John Hiltunen's Jon Bon Trilogy, William Tyler's Robot and Son and Cat and Chicken, and Starquarius, which chronicles the last starship's mission to save planet Earth.

Together, these works reveal the transformative power of storytelling: its ability to challenge assumptions, inspire hope, and reshape our understanding of the world.
 

Curated by Nadia Ghani (Gallery Director)

Rosena Finister

Born 1944, Sicily Island, Louisiana
Practiced at Creative Growth since 2007

Rosena Finister makes work that is largely influenced by memories of her life growing up on a farm in Louisiana. A master storyteller, her vignettes depict daily activities, illustrated with rich interactions that often include speech bubbles to bring the narrative to life. Much of her work transposes human social commentary onto animal subjects. Both humorous and cutting, her anthropomorphized characters play out the harmonious and contentious dynamics of family, romance, and community. With an aesthetic nod to Southern folk art, Finister’s paintings are deeply rooted in personal history and African American culture.

Caesarion Shepard

Born October 21, 1993, Oakland, California

Has practiced at Creative Growth since 2024

Caesarion "Zar" Shepard experiments with various materials and mediums to enhance his distinctive visual style. Inspired by anime, he creates original works featuring playful text elements and motifs like lightbulbs, brains, and lightning bolts, symbolizing creativity and insight. His compositions are characterized by vibrant colors and clean, graphic lines. Shepard holds an Associate of Arts degree in Graphic Design from Berkeley City College. He aims to develop his skills within the Creative Growth community, and aspires to become an entrepreneurial and independent animator. To balance his artistic ambitions with employment outside of Creative Growth, Zar enjoys video games, movies, baseball, and drawing in his leisure time.