Union Hall Gallery Opens With Inaugural Exhibition: “The Art of Experience”

Union Hall Gallery, a new community arts space in Golden Hill is thrilled to announce the inaugural exhibition, “The Art of Experience,” in partnership with Santa Ysabel Art Gallery, featuring the evocative works of sculptor Ted Berryman and his late wife, abstract painter Martha Moramay Cuevas.

Ted Berryman works with natural artifacts including reclaimed wood and stone, as well as glass and iron, to create arge-scale sculptural pieces that explore the call and response of the artist and work evolving in tandem.

Berryman’s work, which also includes written elements, invites you into a dynamic interaction where your engagement—through touch and exploration—brings each piece to life.

“A sculpture is just an object until you interact with it,” explains Berryman. “Your experience is what brings art to life. It’s real because you interact with it.”

As an artist in residence at the Santa Ysabel Art Gallery in its Garage Gallery, Berryman has earned a reputation as a local wonder in the backcountry of San Diego County for his unique pieces and willingness to explore each work of art with his patrons.

Martha Moramay Cuevas, a Tijuana native and Berryman’s late wife, was celebrated for her abstract paintings that utilized finely ground marble, pigments, and ink on various surfaces to create atmospheric compositions with incised ethereal figures.

Her textural technique, Materica, allowed her to engage in a performative dialogue with her materials, inviting you to participate in the emergent narrative.

Together, Berryman and Cuevas shared a life and studio on a quiet ranch in Santa Ysabel, dedicating their lives to the creation of art that speaks to the human experience.

“The Art of Experience” is not only a tribute to Cuevas’ memory, but also a celebration of the couple’s artistic journey together. Their story, marked by a shared commitment to exploring all aspects of the human condition through art, is a testament to their belief in art’s experiential nature.

Berryman’s reflections on the necessity of interaction and engagement with art highlight the exhibition’s core philosophy—that art is enlivened through experience, inviting you to break free from traditional constraints and immerse yourself fully in experiencing each piece.

“We’re finally having the show that we were meant to have,” reflects Berryman.

This show is the inaugural long-term gallery installation of the Union Hall Gallery, located at 2323 Broadway in Golden Hill. Built in the 1940s, the building was the former headquarters of the San Diego Carpenters Union, and during its life, it has been used as a concert venue, meeting space, and movie set.

Recently rehabilitated by the owners of Santa Ysabel Art Gallery, Union Hall Gallery is set to become a community space that supports and showcases local and bi-national artists.

See you there!

“The Art of Experience” runs from May 4 through June 16 at Union Hall Gallery and invites the public to engage deeply with art that explores, questions, and celebrates all dimensions of human experience.

With a history that spans decades and includes a variety of uses, the gallery is poised to become a key cultural venue in San Diego. For more information, visit here.

Gallery Hours are Fridays, 2 PM to 6 PM; Saturdays & Sundays, 11 AM to 5 PM; and by appointment. For further information or to book an appointment, please contact info@unionhallgallery.org or call 619 202 0711.

See you there, San Diego!