Berkeley art exhibition reimagines creative yet defensible space for wildfire safety

An art exhibition that opened Saturday in Berkeley shows how art could help residents create attractive outdoor spaces while preparing their homes for wildfires.

“Zone 0: New Opportunities for Art in the Garden” is at ACCI Gallery on Shattuck Avenue and features sculptures and functional objects made from materials such as metal, glass, ceramics, concrete, and tile. The gallery describes the materials as noncombustible or fire-resistant.

According to the city of Berkeley, Zone 0 refers to the first 5 feet around a structure. Removing combustible materials from that area can reduce the risk of ignition from embers, radiant heat or flames.

Berkeley’s current Zone 0 requirements apply in two high-risk areas: the Panoramic Mitigation Areas, which extend east from Piedmont Avenue to the city boundary, and the Grizzly Peak Mitigation Area, which extends east from Grizzly Peak Boulevard to the city boundary.

Curator Ruth Ehrenkrantz said a friend suggested organizing a show about art suitable for defensible space.

“I was inspired by a friend who thought that doing a Zone 0 show with art in the garden would be a good idea, and I agreed with him,” Ehrenkrantz said. “Then word went out looking for artists. And, I mean, we got amazing work to be able to select for the show.”

The exhibition includes garden sculptures, mosaics, birdbaths, stepping stones, fountains, furniture, mobiles and wall pieces. A digital presentation displays some outdoor works that are too large for the gallery.

Ehrenkrantz said the exhibition offers alternatives for people who might otherwise imagine the area around a home covered only with pebbles.

“What can you put in that space besides gravel that will bring you joy when you are coming to enter your own home?” she said.

Ehrenkrantz said the exhibition also prompted her to think about changes she needs to make in her own garden.

“I’m hoping that other people will see the show and look at the positive options that they can make to their own spaces,” she said.

Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii connected the exhibition to the broader need for wildfire preparation.

“What we saw in 2025, how horrible the fires were down in the LA area, we want to make sure that that doesn’t happen in the city of Berkeley,” Ishii said. “It’s so important that people are preparing for a wildfire by preparing their homes and making sure that we’re able to keep our community safe.”

The show includes a ceramic sculpture by participating artist Stuart Hellman. Hellman, a former dentist, said the precision required in his earlier profession influences his larger sculptures.

“Since I was a dentist and everything I did was small, I was determined when I became a sculptor to make things bigger,” he said.

Hellman said the fired-clay sculpture is suitable for the exhibition’s theme because it will not burn.

“It’s fire clay, and it’s basically like brick,” he said. “It’s not going to burn.”

Oakland Councilmember Janani Ramachandran said art can help people think differently about wildfire preparation.

“I think there’s the power of art that gets through to people in a way that sometimes writing and statistics and speeches can’t,” Ramachandran said.

She said the works challenge the belief that making a property safer from wildfire must leave it unattractive.

“There are so many materials that can be used that are not flammable and beautiful,” Ramachandran said. “I think sometimes people think that, oh, if we have to move to fire-safe things, it’s all going to be ugly.”

The free exhibition runs through Sept. 27 at ACCI Gallery, 1652 Shattuck Ave. The gallery will hold an artist talk titled “Placing Art Outside” at 2 p.m. Aug. 29.

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