Artist Leilah Babirye frequently incorporates discarded materials into her sculptures to construct artworks that highlight the beauty and complexity of queer life. In this discussion, join alumni of the Recology San Francisco Artist in Residence Program for a discussion exploring the intersections of queerness and sustainability within and beyond artistic production.

Moderated by Terry Berlier, with featured artists Craig Calderwood, Cybele Lyle, and Ramekon O’Arwisters. The discussion highlights practices that center reclamation, resistance, and queer imagination.

About the speakers

Craig Calderwood is a predominately self-taught artist living and working in San Francisco for 15 years. Though they studied printmaking at Fresno City College, they flunked out and continued their arts education through binge watching of PBS art documentaries and a rigorous studio practice. Calderwood has been the recipient of several awards including the Eureka Fellowship, and was an artist in residence at Recology. Calderwood completed a large-scale mural commission in San Francisco International Airport’s Terminal 1 with the San Francisco Arts Commission and Precita Eyes Muralists in 2024.

Cybele Lyle is a Los Angeles-based artist whose installation and 2D works explore place and identity by reconstructing surrounding architecture, interior space, and natural environment. Lyle received a BA in environmental studies from Oberlin College, a BFA in printmaking from California College of Arts, and an MFA in painting from Hunter College. Her works have been shown at institutions, including Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Oakland Museum of California, and Orange County Museum of Art. Cybele is represented by Et al. in San Francisco.

Rooted in traditional textile and craft practices, sculptor Ramekon O’Arwisters reflects his experiences as a Black and queer male in the United States. Growing up in the de facto segregated South of the 1960s–70s and later moving to San Francisco during the pivotal 1990s — a transformative era for LGBTQ rights — O’Arwisters anchors his complex sculpture and socially engaged work in material and object politics, drawing from cultural, familial, and personal histories. Through found objects and craft techniques, O’Arwisters investigates gender, race, and queer identity.

Terry Berlier is an interdisciplinary artist exploring the evolution of human interaction with queerness and ecologies. She has exhibited internationally, including at the Marc Chagall National Museum, France, and EMPAC at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Her work has received grants including the Creative Work Fund and is featured in Seeing Gertrude Stein (UC Press) and the Slant Step Book. Berlier is a Professor of Art and Director of Graduate Studies at Stanford University and has served on the Recology Artist in Residence Advisory Board since 2012.

Ticket info

Free program. Theater doors will open 30 minutes before the start of the program. Seating is limited and unassigned and on a first-come-first-served basis. Admission to the theater program does not include admission to the special exhibition or other galleries in the museum. 

Contact info

Public Programs
publicprograms@famsf.org
415.750.7694