Join us for an artist talk with Jennifer Rabin

Jennifer Rabin is a mixed-media sculptor who works with objects that have been discarded and forgotten, having outlived their intended purpose. She finds them in junkyards, along train tracks, piled high in dumping sites, and scattered across remote trails. These objects mirror the structures in our lives—our bodies, our families, our social fabric—that have broken down so badly that we no longer know what to do with them. They embody the artist’s experience with chronic illness, disability, and familial estrangement.

Using needle-felting techniques and a broad range of plant and animal fibers, Rabin reimagines these unwanted objects as shelters, places of safety that can once again support life. This act of reclamation is a testament to rebuilding a resiliency—a small, ongoing practice of radical optimism. By making something whole out of something broken, she creates refuge from ruin. Rabin has been an artist in residence at Caldera, Jentel Artist Residency, The Rensing Center, Pine Meadow Ranch, and The Oregon Historical Society. She has received a Career Opportunity Grant from the Oregon Arts Commission, three project grants from the Regional Arts and Culture Council, and a Creative Heights Grant from the Oregon Community Foundation. She lives and works in Portland, Oregon.

During the artist talk, Jennifer invites attendees to participate in a collaborative project exploring our collective sense of home. Guests are welcome to use materials provided at the gallery or bring personal items—like a twist tie from a loaf of bread that sparks a happy memory, a strip of paper from a journal, or a scrap of yarn from a loved one’s sweater. Anything that can be tied into a knot can become part of this evolving, shared artwork.

Scalehouse Gallery
550 NW Franklin Avenue, Suite 138 Bend, OR
May 2, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM PDT