‘Light and Shadow’ at John O’Lague Galleria

“Dawn,” papercut artwork by Castro Valley artist Debra Collins on view at the "Light and Shadow" Exhibition at John O'Lague Galleria in Hayward City Hall. Meet and greet the artists on Friday, November 1 from 5:30 to 7:30pm.

Hayward Arts Council presents the highly anticipated exhibition "Light and Shadow" by the nationally and internationally acclaimed artists of the Guild of American Papercutters at John O'Lague Galleria in Hayward

City Hall. An open to the public reception will be held on Friday, November 1, 2024 from 5:30PM to 7:30PM in the City Hall Rotunda. 

“Light and Shadow” showcases forty-five unique artworks in the art form of papercutting from members of the Guild of American Papercutters from all over the United States, Canada and China. The GAP is a non profit membership organization that promotes awareness about, preserves the heritage of, and advances the art of papercutting.

Hayward Arts Council member and Castro Valley papercutting artist Debra Collins has been coordinating and curating this exhibition for a few months bringing her colleagues beautiful artworks to this diverse exhibition.

“I began working with paper due to its simplicity and recyclability. Over time, I grew to appreciate paper’s symbolic meaning. Made from once living plants, paper represents an afterlife that morphs to meet human needs. It serves as the soul beneath the lifeworks of artists, unseen yet carrying their marks of life. For papercut artists, it is a veil cut open to another reality, revealing the artist’s vision through the holes they create. For me paper cutting is a meditative process. I hope viewers of my work come to appreciate paper more. See it not as something to be covered up by another medium, but as a powerful medium in its own right. I hope my images help frame their own thoughts about our shared existence” said artist Debra Collins.

We invite you to visit and experience first hand the fantastic collection of artworks in the “Light and Shadow”

Exhibition from October 28 to January 8, 2025. John O'Lague Galleria in Hayward City Hall, 777 B Street in

downtown. Open to the public Monday-Friday, 9AM-5PM. Meet and greet the artists on Friday, November 1 from 5:30PM to 7:30PM.

Winda I. Shimizu is Hayward Arts Council Executive Director. Visit www.haywardartscouncil.org for more free exhibitions and programs.