salvaged wood from the LA wildfires becomes functional objects at marta exhibition

"Co-curated and co-organized by Vince Skelly, with material support from Angel City Lumber, the exhibition brings together 22 artists and designers working in and around greater Los Angeles, using reclaimed wood sourced from Altadena, the foothill region most profoundly impacted by the 2025 Eaton Fire. Marking one year since the devastating wildfires that reshaped vast portions of Los Angeles County, the show positions material as a carrier of memory, loss, and regeneration."

"At the center of the exhibition is wood, framed as a specific, sourced, and transformed substance. Each participating artist selected a section of lumber milled by Angel City Lumber, a Los Angeles-based operation that salvages fallen and removed trees for reuse in community projects. The wood originates from Altadena and includes species such as Aleppo pine, cedar, coastal live oak, and Shamel ash, a mix of native and naturalized trees that reflect the biome of the region."

"On January 7th, 2025, the Eaton Fire broke out in the San Gabriel Mountains, burning for twenty-five days before being contained on January 31st, 2025. It claimed nineteen lives and destroyed over nine thousand structures, becoming the second most destructive wildfire in California's history. At the same time, the Palisades Fire raged across the county, ultimately taking twelve lives and destroying nearly seven thousand structures, making it the most destructive wildfire in the history of the City of Los Angeles."

From the Upper Valley in the Foothills is a group exhibition at Marta in Los Angeles, on view through January 31st, 2026. Co-curated and co-organized by Vince Skelly, with material support from Angel City Lumber, the exhibition brings together 22 artists and designers working in and around greater Los Angeles, using reclaimed wood sourced from Altadena, the foothill region most profoundly impacted by the 2025 Eaton Fire. The wood species include Aleppo pine, cedar, coastal live oak, and Shamel ash. Works are shaped into functional objects—chairs, stools, benches, bowls, and containers—positioning function as a way to imagine how devastated spaces might support everyday life again. The exhibition marks one year since destructive wildfires, framing material as a carrier of memory, loss, and regeneration, and is installed throughout Marta's Silver Lake gallery.

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