Curating an exhibition at Creativity Explored is all about that sense of discovery. Anyone who has shopped the bursting portfolios in the CE studio knows the wondrous moment when you find a piece of art that speaks to you. Guest curators Sophie Appel and Cole Solinger of Delaplane experienced this magical moment when they came across a unique body of work by former artist Walter Kresnik – these drawings shared compositional elements with other artists’ work.

Tucked away in our collection was a series created by Kresnik inspired by music. In 2015, former Executive Director Amy Taub curated Forte, an exhibition of artwork that used sheet music as a visual reference. As with many experimental practices in the studio, lots of artists participated in the exercise, Kresnik included.

Following the discovery of Kresnik’s musical drawings, the duo also found a unique instrument created by teaching artist Victor Cartegena. The percussive instrument was created from a cymbal on a stand with extra arms donning bells, chimes, springs, and other noise-making objects. Cartagena and artists play the instrument during Thursday music hour – a joyful and chaotic studio jam session.

Suddenly, for Appel and Solinger, all the pieces fell into place. The duo scoured the collections for art that evoked song and rhythm, looking for artwork to accompany Kresnik’s delicate drawings. Frome CE, "Join us to experience SONG, an instrumental exhibition featuring eclectic sculptures, melodic drawings, and a cacophonous musical instrument created by teaching artist Victor Cartagena."

Creativity Explored & Online
3245 16th Street
San Francisco, CA, 94103


Abour the curators
Cole Solinger is a poet and curator living in San Francisco, an alumnus of SFAI class of 2016, and co-founder of Delaplane. Sophie Appel is a poet, curator, and archivist based in Oakland and co-founder of Delaplane.

Delaplane was founded by Sophie Appel and Cole Solinger in Summer of 2019, and recently closed its doors in March 2022. During its tenure, the gallery exhibited 57 artists from the Bay Area and abroad, established a rotating flag residency, and hosted a variety of performances and live events. Delaplane is honored to be welcomed as guest curators at Creativity Explored, and present SONG for the public's enjoyment.

Featured Artists: Walter Kresnik, Andrew Bixler, Elana Cooper, Ricardo Estella, Claus Groeger, Delia Liu, Michael Bernard Loggins, Hiroshi Onodera, Yolanda Ramirez, Miyuki Tsurukawa, Evelyn Reyes, Andrew Wong, and teaching artist Victor Cartagena