About
Ūd Artist-run Gallery In San Francisco
At the Ūd gallery,
we love to savor our coffee while taking in the incredible views of San Francisco's coastline. The gardens of the Outer Richmond and Sunset neighborhoods are a particular delight, with locals adorning their plants with sand dollars and other quirky items, like the miniature dinosaur toys, that have populated most of the landscaping. Additionally, the colorful surfboards painted in bold pink and avocado green and creative garden sculptures made out of found objects are intriguing sights in these neighborhoods. There’s always something captivating to see.
If you happen to be in the neighborhood, we suggest meandering along Judah and Irving streets, starting from 44th Ave and heading towards the beach. These streets boast numerous vibrant locales to explore, such as charming cafes and eateries, as well as a serene bookstore featuring a tranquil garden that provides an ideal spot for reading and unwinding. You might also stumble upon a hidden gem boutique called The Last Straw, which has been a beloved part of the neighborhood for 44 years. The store is still owned by Marge, who, at 88 years old, is as vibrant as ever. We are grateful that she also carries some of our ceramics and wearable arts at the store.
But while we draw
inspiration from the beauty of our surroundings, we also grapple with the harsh realities of the world around us. Injustice, war, and social struggles are all too prevalent, and it can be challenging to find a sense of balance amidst it all. To help us cope, we look to the agar trees. These trees, when infected by certain types of fungus, protect their tissues by producing a rich aromatic resin called Ūd (pronounced “ood” as in food).
To us, this resin, is a symbol of resilience and creativity — a captivating example of encountering the raw, untamed forces of life's forest and harnessing them to create a dynamic, novel force capable of sparking change and summoning forth boundless inspiration. Ūd reminds us that even in the face of adversity, we can tap into our inner resources to create something beautiful and inspiring.
And that's what we strive to do at the Ūd gallery-
to capture the essence of life's moments, whether gentle or harsh, and infuse them with our unique individual flavors, cultural memories, and ancestral pulses to create an expression that, like Ūd resin, could bring beauty, inspiration and comfort.
Through our creative expressions, we strive to offer ourselves and our community a new way of seeing the world. Our artistic expressions, or as we call them affectionately at the Ūd Gallery, “art tokens,” are wordless, but we hope that they can offer a glimpse into the resilience and creativity that are at the heart of our shared human experience.
*In addition, Ūd (often spelled Oud) is the name used for a short-necked, lute-type musical instrument that has been played in Asia, North Africa, and Balkan countries of Southern Europe for thousands of years. The instrument is favored for its versatility and deep rich tones.
Oud instrument owned and played by Mary Goshtigian, a prominent Armenian oud player and singer. Photo © 1939 Sidney Robertson Cowell.
A video clip of Mary Goshtigian’s performance in Fresno, California in 1939. Video credit © 1939 Sidney Robertson Cowell.