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: Kristian Cheek, Meyshe Shapiro-Nygren, John Martin, William Tyler, Larry Randolph, and George Wilson. Together, these artists all have a form of storytelling within their individual practices that takes the viewer into worlds both imagined and real.
The exhibition will also feature several films made in Creative Growth’s digital media lab, which often highlight the talent of various artists coming together to create films with incredible imagination, humor, and vision. Highlights include John Hiltunen’s Jon Bon Trilogy, William Tyler’s two films, Robot and Son and Cat and Chicken, and Starquarius, which tells the story of the last starship Starquarius on a mission to save planet Earth.
Together, these artists and their work represent the power of how stories can change how people see the world. They can challenge assumptions, inspire hope, or motivate action.
Curated by Nadia Ghani (Gallery Director),
Meet the Artists Featured in Our Window Installations
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.