The History of Branches
Branches Mobile Gallery was created by Luke Holden and Jordon Quintero in winter of 2010. Branches was conceptualized as an opportunity to combine their building skills, imagination, and backgrounds in fine art to create a magical and sensory stimulating space for audiences to feel welcome and inspired within. In July 2011, Branches welcomed Tuffy Luffaguss to the team. Together they brought Branches Mobile Gallery to its inaugural event – The Sunset Campout held in Belden, Ca.
In Belden, Branches presented a gallery showcasing the works of 12 artists, provided three performance painting stations, and offered an inclusive and interactive painting space encouraging attendees to get involved. Natural materials harvested from the forest were used for the gallery decor. The forest provides a wide array of materials to work with. By using tree arboring techniques, branches and live plants were harvested and brought back to be incorporated into the gallery design.
We take the utmost care to use as many reusable and sustainable materials as possible so as to have the most positive effect on the planet and our viewer. Due to the diverse landscapes found in California we have the pleasure of designing a new layout and overall texture for each incarnation of the Branches fine art environment.
Our branches have grown with every event. Ever since our first event in Belden Town California we have grown exponentially, doubling our size with every event. Our second event, in Santa Barbara was called “A.M.A.S.S.” which stands for Artists Making A Street Scene. There we expanded our footprint, incorporating bamboo skeletal elements, with lycra skin to add shade, shape, and personality, to exhibit the fine art inside the gallery in a really beautiful way. This new structural element also allowed for us to include projection artistry for the first time, with great success.
For our next event, Branches grew further. The Santa Barbara SOL food festival requested we build shade structures and integrate our style into the aesthetic of the main stage, as well as build and curate a gallery showcasing works from local artists. Drawing from our past event experiences and implementing fresh designs Branches Mobile Gallery became integral in creating the intendended festival experience for over 7000 attendees in a single day.
As with every event we hope to grow our Branches a little bit more!
In Belden, Branches presented a gallery showcasing the works of 12 artists, provided three performance painting stations, and offered an inclusive and interactive painting space encouraging attendees to get involved. Natural materials harvested from the forest were used for the gallery decor. The forest provides a wide array of materials to work with. By using tree arboring techniques, branches and live plants were harvested and brought back to be incorporated into the gallery design.
We take the utmost care to use as many reusable and sustainable materials as possible so as to have the most positive effect on the planet and our viewer. Due to the diverse landscapes found in California we have the pleasure of designing a new layout and overall texture for each incarnation of the Branches fine art environment.
Our branches have grown with every event. Ever since our first event in Belden Town California we have grown exponentially, doubling our size with every event. Our second event, in Santa Barbara was called “A.M.A.S.S.” which stands for Artists Making A Street Scene. There we expanded our footprint, incorporating bamboo skeletal elements, with lycra skin to add shade, shape, and personality, to exhibit the fine art inside the gallery in a really beautiful way. This new structural element also allowed for us to include projection artistry for the first time, with great success.
For our next event, Branches grew further. The Santa Barbara SOL food festival requested we build shade structures and integrate our style into the aesthetic of the main stage, as well as build and curate a gallery showcasing works from local artists. Drawing from our past event experiences and implementing fresh designs Branches Mobile Gallery became integral in creating the intendended festival experience for over 7000 attendees in a single day.
As with every event we hope to grow our Branches a little bit more!
Branches Mobile Gallery Crew
Luke Holden
Owner, Co-founder, Designer, Curator, Builder
Luke champions the ideals of kindness, collaboration and ethical business practice. Luke aims to strengthen the art world and crumble impediments created by a culture which largely hails competition over collective gain. Inspired early on by natural builders and sculptors like David Nash and Patrick Dougherty, Holden has devoted his life to the development of passion. Luke also co-founded the Lucidity Festival which is a Lucidity is an open-source transformational arts and music festival. The Lucidity invitation to the participants is to co-create the festival experience & environment alongside the loving Lucid Family. James Kapicka
Lead Builder, Gallery Operations & Sales Management
Ryan (Ray Ray) Dixon
Lead Builder
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Jordan Quintero
Co-founder, Artist Acquisition and Gallery Curation
Jordan Quintero was born in 1981 in San Jose Ca. He spent his childhood between the Bay Area and the Central Coast of Ca. Graduating with a degree in Art from UC Santa Cruz in 2005, he has shown and curated shows with many of the top emerging artists on the west coast, tirelessly refining his craft and expanding the scope of his practice. A finish carpenter by trade, specializing in custom residential and commercial interior re-models but with experience in cabinetry, scenery fabrication and general contracting, he finds a natural synthesis of skills with the Branches Mobile Gallery designs and installations. He has been attending and producing underground EDM events since they were called raves and has an intense passion for art, music, culture and culture that unites people in celebrating life. Tuffy Luffaguss
Co Founder, Chief cat herder, Operations Management
Tuffy Luffaguss originally came from the cultural wastelands of Marin County California but now resides in the super awesome though bullet riddled West Oakland Ca, when she is not traveling the world making and building art. She enjoys all mediums of art and it's many expressions. She joined Branches in the Summer of 2011 and found a love of freedom and natural building through creating each individual Branches Mobile Gallery. Tuffy has worked with many large scale art installations including The Flaming Lotus Girls' "Mutopia", Shrine's "The Basura Sagrada Temple" and "The Temple of Flux." She likes things that are practical as well as beautiful and inspiring. She finds that she is able to hit that trifecta most often creating large scale structures and art installations. And that makes her happy! George Swiggum
Lead Builder, Gallery DJ
When I play for an audience I am attuned to their needs, I contribute to the environment through an observed nonverbal conversation existing between myself and my listeners. I mix deep global grooves with tribal, and west coast downtempo, while seamlessly integrating sounds from a familiar past with rich historical content ranging from bluegrass and folk, to reggae and hip-hop.I create an upbeat and danceable soundspace for fine art gallery openings, festivals, gatherings, and premier music venues. |
