The Art of Jerry Garcia & Wavy Gravy -- 

Opening Monday, October 17, 2005 from 5pm-7:30pm. Exhibits runs through December 10th.

MicroCoSM Gallery is proud to announce an exhibition of the paintings, drawings, and prints by Jerry Garcia and the collages of Wavy Gravy.  The exhibit will be held Monday, October 17th through Saturday, December 10th.

Free Cherry Garcia & Wavy Gravy flavor Ben & Jerry's ice cream at the opening.

Born in San Francisco in 1942, Jerry Garcia is best known as the lead guitarist and vocalist for the legendary San Francisco rock band The Grateful Dead.  At age fifteen, Garcia received his first guitar, the same year he was introduced to marijuana. As a young man, Jerry found his artistic interests divided between music and visual art.

Garcia dropped out of high school in 1960 and enlisted in the Army. He was soon discharged after accruing two court marshals and eight AWOLs.  Back at home Garcia played in "hootenannies" at Stanford and attended San Francisco Art Institute studying with Wally Hedrick and Elmer Bischoff.  While music became his main focus, he never stopped drawing and painting.

Young people attracted to Garcia because of his talent and general goodwill, embraced also his intelligence, libertarian attitude, and willingness to speak his mind.  Widely regarded as a guru of the San Francisco psychedelic scene, Jerry Garcia developed an epic family of "devotees" who traveled the globe with one of the best loved bands in history.  Jerry died in his sleep at a drug rehabilitation center in 1995 leaving a legacy of love, music, and a Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor.

Wavy Gravy (born Hugh Romney) is a poet, improvisational humorist, Merry Prankster, Hog Farmer, Voice of Woodstock, humanitarian, environmentalist, political activist, clown, philosopher, Seva co-founder, friend of the Grateful Dead, Ben and Jerry's ice cream flavor, in short, a folk legend of American counter-culture.  As an artist, Wavy was early inspired by a quote from the celebrated collage artist of the 20's, Kurt Schwitters, "My palette is the wastebasket of the world."  Wavy's own excursions into collage draw upon a rich palette of cultural and spiritual experience.

Living in Greenwich Village and later in San Francisco in the 60's, Wavy received his nickname from B.B. King.  As an improvisational comic managed by Lenny Bruce, Wavy was the opening act for Peter, Paul, and Mary and Thelonius Monk.  He loaned his typewriter to Bob Dylan to write his music, and collaged the refrigerator of Peter Fonda.  In his earliest collage work, Gravy cooked Life Magazine pictures in the oven to give the art an aged quality. Inspiration for his subject matter comes from the numerous geniuses he has loved and befriended, such as poet, Allen Ginsberg, and Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia.     

Wavy Gravy has devoted his life to humanitarian service, working tirelessly for Seva Foundation and running his circus and performing arts camp, Camp Winnarainbow.  Espousing his own brand of wisdom which he calls "Clown Dharma", Wavy's gives advice to all: "Life is short.  Eat dessert first."