Evan B. Harris At Rare Device

  Posted by Lisa & Rena

Hi! We are Rena Tom and Lisa Congdon. We own a design and clothing shop and art gallery in San Francisco called Rare Device. We are thrilled to be part contributors to Bluelines!

We met in New York when Lisa had a show of her collage work at Rena’s very small shop in Park Slope, Brooklyn (also called Rare Device) in 2007. We instantly became friends and decided within a few weeks to open a larger Rare Device together in San Francisco, where Lisa has lived for 18 years (and where Rena lived before moving to New York). A few months later, Rena and her husband moved back to San Francisco and the adventure began. We opened our doors in October of 2007, just seven months after we met!

We love what we do everyday because each of us has a passion for art and design. Rena began her design career as a graphic designer and jewelry maker and Lisa is a mixed media artist and illustrator. Owning a retail shop and art gallery allows us to connect with other makers and designers on a regular basis. We feature functional experiments and original ideas in art, design, craft and fabrication, so we are constantly seeking objects and clothing that are beautiful, evocative, well constructed, and thoughtful. This quest leads us to many amazing discoveries -- and we hope to share them with you here! Each week we will be writing about what is inspiring us -- and what we are learning in our retail adventure together.

Lady Bee by Evan B. Harris

This week we are really excited because artist Evan B. Harris will be showing a new collection of work in our gallery. Lisa first met Evan last year through friends in Portland (where her parents and sister also live). They became friends and she fell instantly in love with his work. Evan’s installation at Rare Device entitled Garden at Eichstatt opened last week.

Garden at Eichstatt is Harris' interpretation of the illustrated plates of Basilius Besler, a 17th century horticulturist and illustrator. Harris uses Besler’s illustrations as inspiration for the backdrop for his characters to play out his narratives. If you live in San Francisco or are visiting, we hope you will come by to see this wonderful show that will be at Rare Device through April 2.

We’ll be back next week with something new!

Comments

[Nousha]

Hey there, I'll check your store out, sounds interesting..
good luck;)

[jennifer]

I was lucky enough to visit your shop on my first trip to SF two weeks ago. My sister never got to your Park Slope shop when she lived there but loved our visit to the west coast location and she's looking forward to more shopping in the future as a new local. I can't wait 'til my next visit in September!

[Jeanette]

Yeah! Lisa and Rena are awesome - can't wait to see more!

[Laura]

These are a couple of my favorite ladies who are cute, sweet, and have great taste. Looking forward to reading more posts!