Ann Tracy founded Asylum Gallery in March of 2005, as one of the original groups which formed HQ: Headquarters for the Arts located at 25^th & R Sts., in midtown Sacramento, California.  She was joined by original members Cherie Hacker & Terri Ramirez  and other member artists now include Linda Katzdorn, William Obernesser and Marguerite Schaffron.

While being a membership gallery, Asylum also offers exhibition space to other artists in the community with its bi-annual International Mail Art shows (in which a portion of  proceeds go to different charitable groups) and the Juried Shows in November and December. 

Artist Bios

Ann Tracy Ann Tracy has only been exhibiting work since 1997, but while she's pursued other artistic endeavors - writing, acting, directing and making video - she's been making art. It was the illness and death of a sister artist and friend in 1994 that spurred her to begin to get her work out into the public eye, in the form of poster design and graphic arts. And it was the encouragement of artists like Esteban Villa (member of the RCAF-Royal Chicano Air Force) and Art Luna that pushed her even further into making more art and getting it out there.

"I consider my self a bit of an idiot savant as an artist", Tracy said. "I had a few art classes in high school, in the 1970s I took a drawing class at the Milwaukee Museum of Art and in 1998 took a class in mixed media at the San Francisco School of Art as well as a class in digital video at SF State. I do have a BA in liberal arts, but the emphasis is in theatre and communications."

Ann's fine art has been exhibited from Japan to Maui to New York City. In 2003 her work, "Stop" was included in the catalog of the "Violence Against Women", Group 78 Amnesty International, Tokyo, Japan.

Her work is also included in the following web projects: "Me & My Shadow" http://www.selfshadows.com/ open project created by Javier A. Bedrina, Madrid, Spain; "The Bile Rose in Her Throat" - The Art Project: Artists Respond to Terrorism http://www.theartproject.net/ and "Merce Would be Proud" - Digital Pocket Gallery http://www.ikatun.com/digitalpocketgallery/june_pocket_list.html#Ann_Tracy

Ann spent 10 years as a radio and print journalist in Denver, Milwaukee, San Jose and Sacramento. She was the first female voice to grace the airwaves of KTLK, Denver in 1977, in her first job as a radio news announcer. She is also a director, actor, writer and video artist.

Cherie Hacker Cherie Hacker holds a MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art and a BA cum laude in Studio Art from University of California at Davis. She is the recipient of a Graduate Level Internship at the SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM, Washington, D C, as well as the Maryland State Fellowship for the American Association of Museums Conference in St. Louis, MO. She has also received fellowships for the Western Museums Association in Palm Springs and for the NEA Sacramento Summer Arts Institute.

Her artwork can also be seen on the CD cover for the Kairos Quartet, a jazz ensemble and the 3rd edition of Descant, published by the Sacramento City College Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. In addition, Hacker is included in the 2005 edition of American Art Collector published by Alcove Books.

She has participated in many group and solo shows here in Northern California as well as in Baltimore, MD; New York City and Denali National Park, Alaska

Hacker has had solo shows at the American Institute of Architects, Baltimore, MD; UC-Davis and Luna's Caf� in Sacramento.

She has exhibited in group shows at the Denali National Park Foundation, Alaska; Locus Media Gallery, Equality Now Show, New York; The Face of Courage, which traveled to galleries in New York, Boston, Washington, DC, Baltimore, MD and Florida; the Inverness Park Gallery, Point Reyes National Seashore; Sacramento Women Artists Open Studio Tour and at the Berkeley Art Center.

Terry Ramirez With an MFA in painting from Western Michigan University and a BA from UC-Davis, Terry Ramirez was formerly on the faculty of the Natomas Charter School Performing and Fine Arts Academy. She has also taught at Folsom Lake Community College. She has received awards from the Placer County Fair in Roseville and in El Dorado County.

Ramirez has received solo shows at Art Wall in Kalamazoo and University Art Gallery in Kalamazoo, MI. She was also half of a 2-person show at Matrix Gallery. Her work has been show at 20th Street Gallery and Matrix Gallery in Sacramento, as well as the Auburn Art Gallery and the Auburn Art Walk in Auburn as well as in several galleries and exhibits in Michigan.

Linda Katzdorn Linda Katzdorn is a printmaker with a MA in Art and a BA in Studio Art from Sacramento State University. In addition to being the Printmaking Studio Manager at UC-Davis, Katzdorn has been a guest lecturer at most of the colleges in the Sacramento area. She has received solo exhibitions at Pence Gallery (Davis), the Sac State Library Gallery, The SMUD Gallery and the Original Works Gallery (Sacramento).

Among selected group exhibitions, her work was featured in the catalog of the Janet Turner 6th National Print Competition & Exhibition at Chico State University; Center for the Book, San Francisco, CA; Center for Contemporary Art Sacramento; Exploding Head Gallery, Sacramento; Sun Gallery, Hayward, CA; Barton Gallery, Sacramento, CA and Solomon Dubnick Gallery, Sacramento, CA.

Katzdorn is the recipient of the Increase Robinson Graduate Fellowship at Sacramento State University and Honorable Mention awards for her work exhibited at Sun Gallery in Hayward, CA and the Annual American Association of University Women in Auburn, CA.

She has served on the board of directors for the Center for Contemporary Art Sacramento and Matrix Gallery. Katzdorn has been invited to lecture at Exploding Head Gallery and the Crocker-Kingsley Club at the Crocker Museum in Sacramento, as well as at the San Francisco Fine Art Museums' Docent Education Series.

She has developed art programs and projects for the Women's Wisdom Project and the WIND Youth Center, both social service nonprofits in Sacramento.

William Obernesser William Obernesseris a photographer specializing in black & white photos, who began to use digital image capture in 2004. He took the first place award in the Black & White category at the Central California Art Association & Mistlin Gallery; Perspectives Photography Show. His work has also been shown at the Coastal Arts League, Half Moon Bay, 2006 National Juried Photo Competition; the Central Sierra Arts Council, InFocus Photography Exhibition (Judges Special Mention) and at the Pink Week Show.

He is a former member of the Artists' Collaborative Gallery, Sacramento and his work is also available at Appel Gallery, Sacramento. He has a special interest in the geysers of Yellowstone National Park and urban architecture.

Marguerite Schaffron
Marguerite Schaffron has been showing her photographs and art and winning awards since 1999 in the Sacramento Region. It was that year that she received an honorable mention in photography at the California State Fair. With a BA in studio art from UCD in 2001, she was the featured photographer at the Yolo County Fair in 2002 and received the honor of being named photographer of the year. Schaffron began using a 35 mm camera but now uses digital capture for most of her photography. She is an unusual photographer in that she rarely re-prints any of her photos. Her other visual art is comprised of acrylic and mixed media paintings.

She has had solo shows at the UCD Silo Craft Center in 2005 entitled "Astro Cabin" and at the Davis Community Clinic in 2004 called "Imagination". Her group shows include exhibits at the Omega Gallery, All That Jazz Hair Salon and the Candy House all in Davis.

Her images are created using a variety of objects, most often nature based. In an instant the whole composition can change depending on the sun, the wind, the rain, her imagination and the human hand. The images can be turned 90 to180 degrees and a whole new image emerges. Her photos have not been enhanced nor manipulated digitally. Her hope is that the viewer takes a moment, looks at the picture and lets their imaginations roam.

Asylum Gallery

1719 25th St. (25th & R Sts-behind the gray fence)

Sacramento  CA  95816

info@asylumgallery.net                  www.asylumgallery.net