Mary Curtis Ratcliff | In The Backroom
September 11, 2026 12:00 pm
Mary Curtis Ratcliff brings fabric, memory, and family history to Mercury 20 Gallery
Mercury 20 Gallery on 25th Street has the kind of calm, close up feel that works well for art you want to spend time with. For this show, Mary Curtis Ratcliff fills the back room with large fabric collages shaped by Greek village dress, inherited objects, sewing, and sculpture.
The pieces pull from Ratcliff’s own family story, including antique items passed down from her mother, who taught her sewing and three dimensional design. That personal thread gives the work a lived in feeling. You can see the hand, the memory, and the care in the materials.
If you like art that sits between textile, sculpture, and portrait, this is worth a stop. The gallery is easygoing, the room is intimate, and the work invites slower looking.
Where: Mercury 20 Gallery, 475 25th St, Oakland
When: September 11 through October 17, 2026
Gallery hours are Friday and Saturday, 12 to 5 pm, with appointments available.
Opening reception: Saturday, September 12, 3 to 5 pm
Oakland Art Murmur and First Friday: October 2, 5 to 9 pm
Make it part of an Uptown gallery walk, or drop in on a Friday or Saturday afternoon when the neighborhood is a little quieter.
Mary Curtis Ratcliff, Drama Queen, 2026, mixed media, 42 3/4 ” x 35 1/2 x 2 1/4 ” Photo courtesy of the artist
Inspired by traditional costumes of Greek village women, Mary Curtis Ratcliff has constructed three large figurative fabric collages which draw together her family’s history and life as a sculptor. Many of the elements included in these works are antique objects inherited from Ratcliff’s mother, from whom she learned sewing and three-dimensional design.
Gallery Hours: Friday and Saturday, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment)
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 12, 3 – 5 pm
Oakland Art Murmur / First Friday: October 2, 5 – 9 pm