Fashion is the Sunshine that Spotlights Everyone
September 26–November 15, 2025
Group Exhibition
Curated by Amy Keefer and Quinn Dukes
Image: Lizzy Rangel Window Display for Fashion is the Sunshine that Spotlights Everyone. Creative Growth, Oakland.
Creative Growth
355 24th Street
Oakland, CA 94612
+1 (510) 836-2340
Creative Growth Website
Creative Growth Instagram
Creative Growth Hours
| Monday | Closed |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | Closed |
| Wednesday | 10:00 am – 4:00 pm |
| Thursday | 10:00 am – 4:00 pm |
| Friday | 10:00 am – 4:00 pm |
| Saturday | 10:00 am – 4:00 pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Overview
Today’s LOVE LETTER TO ART features Fashion is the Sunshine That Spotlights Everyone at Creative Growth which celebrates the transformative power of fashion as both inspiration and artistic medium. Curated by Amy Keefer and Quinn Dukes, the exhibition showcases how Creative Growth artists reinterpret fashion beyond the runway—through textiles, garment design, painting, drawing, and sculpture. The show reflects the studio’s signature blend of individual expression and collective creativity, positioning fashion as a language through which identity, imagination, and community shine.
Highlights include Casey Byrne’s SAORI loom weavings, Lulu Sotelo’s whimsical embroidered textiles and handmade dolls, and Juan Aguilera’s floral mixed-media works that explore themes of femininity and form. Ying Ge Zhou’s watercolor couture portraits and Ron Veasey’s paintings inspired by fashion photography offer unique reflections on style and self-image, while Tony Pedemonte’s hand-painted jumpsuit anchors the exhibition, surrounded by his distinctive wrapped textile sculptures.
A communal weaving project led by Anne Meade Paden, Fiber Arts Facilitator, underscores the collaborative spirit that defines Creative Growth. The exhibition also extends beyond the gallery walls with two striking street-facing window displays: Lizzy Rangel’s garments and sketches inspired by her Mexican heritage, and Malia Ramsey’s dynamic wearable art created through painting, draping, appliqué, and textile manipulation. Together, these works illuminate how fashion—at once personal and universal—serves as a radiant medium for visibility, empowerment, and artistic dialogue.
Preview of Fashion is the Sunshine That Spotlights Everyone. Creative Growth, Oakland.
Shown here:
1) Creative Growth Artist Jorge Gomez
2) Fashion is the Sunshine That Spotlights Everyone highlights how Creative Growth artists explore fashion as both inspiration and artistic medium—through textiles, garment design, painting, and sculpture.
3) Creative Growth Artist Lizzy Rangel
4) Lizzy Rangel Display Window
5) Dress and Dolls by Lulu Sotelo
6) Creative Growth’s Quinn Dukes, Amy Keefer, Anna Fairbend, and Nadia Philomena Ghani with Dresses by Juan Aguilera, Dinah Shapiro, and Natascha Haehlen.
7) Tony Pedemonte Fiber Sculptures + Jumpsuit and Dress by Jade Saren
8) Creative Growth’s Gallery Director Nadia Philomena Ghani and Executive Director Sunny A. Smith
9) Works by John Hiltunen
10) Work by Ron Veasey
11) Work by Ying Ge Zhou
12) Works by Juan Aguilera
13) Casey Byrne’s SAORI Loom Weavings
14) Communal Weaving Loom by Creative Growth’s Anne Meade Paden
15) Creative Growth Artist Jorge Gomez
16) Jorge Gomez Jacket
17) Work by John Martin
18) Work by Rickie Algarva
19) Works by Aurie Ramirez
20) Creative Growth Artist James Freid in James Freid
21) Akasha Canonizado Skirt
22) Lulu Sotelo Skirt
Creative Growth holds a special place in my heart as my cousin, Anthony Eng, was an artist there for many years. Programs like this provide individuals with disabilities not only a source of income but also a sense of pride, purpose, and structure in their daily lives, which their families appreciate as well.
Fashion is the Sunshine That Spotlights Everyone is an absolutely FANTASTIC show that really sets the stage for CG’s future fashion events, which will include their Beyond Trend 2026 fashion show coming this spring (one my FAVORITE events of the year!). See looks from the last Beyond Trend fashion show HERE.
I love visiting Creative Growth not just for its incredible and affordable contemporary artworks, but because it’s an authentic, inclusive space brimming with good vibes and creative and energy. If ever there were a gallery that felt warm like a hug, it would be Creative Growth—a place whose spirit embraces the artists and the community it supports and celebrates.
🗓 Fashion is the Sunshine that Spotlights Everyone runs until Nov. 15, 2025 at Creative Growth in Oakland’s Uptown neighborhood.
Creative Growth also has an ONLINE STORE with a terrific selection of works by its artists, including pieces from this show.
💌 Did you see the show or try any of our recommendations? What did you think? Let us know in the comments (in the Reviews section located on the second tab at the top of the page).
QUICK GUIDE: CREATIVE GROWTH
⭐ ON VIEW: Fashion is the Sunshine That Spotlights Everyone runs from Sept. 26–Nov. 15, 2025
⭐ LOCATION: Creative Growth is located at 355 24th Street between Valdez and Webster streets in Oakland’s Uptown neighborhood.
⭐ HOURS: The gallery is open Wednesday–Saturday 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
⭐ EVENTS: Creative Growth’s Beyond Trend fashion show returns in 2026. Date TBA. See last year’s show HERE.
⭐ NEARBY ART :
- GALLERY: Johansson Projects | UPCOMING: Feast (Nov. 7–Dec. 31, 2025) | 7 min walk // 2 min drive *Walkable from CG
- GALLERY: Rock Paper Scissors Collective | ON VIEW: Creatures, Cryptids & Creepies (Oct. 3–Nov. 22, 2025) OPEN CALL: Small But Mighty due Nov. 14, 2025 | 4 min drive // 14 min walk
- GALLERY: Pt.2 | ON VIEW: Domestic Demo Group Exhibition and Muzae Sesay Solo Show curated by Muzae Sesay (Nov. 8–Dec. 20) | 4 min drive // 15 min walk
- GALLERY: Transmission Gallery | UPCOMING: NOT HEAVY: Selected work from Pacific Rim Sculptors (Nov. 13–Jan. 6, 2025) *Opening reception is Nov. 15, 2025 from 1:00–4:00 p.m. | 5 min drive // 17 min. walk
- GALLERY: Pacific Saw Works | UPCOMING: TBA | 7 min drive // 27 min walk
- GALLERY: CULT Bureau | UPCOMING: TBA | 9 min drive // 40 min walk
- MUSEUM: Oakland Museum of California | ON VIEW: Good Fire: Tending Native Lands. Closes May 31, 2026; Black Spaces: Reclaim & Remain. Closes March 1, 2026; Ancestral Visions: An Installation by Chelsea Ryoko Wong. Closes Feb. 1, 2026; Students on Strike. Closes May 31, 2025; Fairyland @ 75: A Legacy of Magic (Post to follow soon!) Closes Dec. 7, 2025; Collecting a Moment. Ongoing. | 6 min drive // 27 min walk
- PUBLIC ART: Oakland Palestine Solidarity Mural located at 400 26th Street (between Telegraph and Broadway) | 6 min walk // 2 min drive *Walkable from CG
⭐ NEARBY DINING:
- Limón | Peruvian cuisine | 1 min walk // 1 min drive
- Drake’s Dealership | Beer garden w/pizzas, sandwiches. | 5 min walk // 2 min drive
- Sweet Bar Bakery | 2 min walk // 2 min drive
A LOVE LETTER TO ART’S CHEAP & CHEERFUL PICKS
- Two Pitchers Brewing | Beer garden serving Lovely’s burgers, sandwiches, fish & chips! | 2 min walk // 1 min drive
- Beeryland | Beer garden + full bar w/slushies, burgers. Dog and child friendly. | 7 min walk // 2 min drive
💌 More nearby suggestions are always welcome. Feel free to add in the comments!
A LOVE LETTER TO ART RECOMMENDS
NEARBY ART
shows primarily fìgurative and socially engaged art and unconventional work with a point of view.
NEARBY FOOD/DRINK
Since 2012 2318 Telegraph Ave
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Author: ALoveLettertoArt
