Story & Lesson Highlights with Jud Bergeron of Dogpatch

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Jud Bergeron. Check out our conversation below.

Good morning Jud, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
One of the many ways I connect, and likely the most profound connection I have with my kids is our passion for live music. We see so many bands I can’t even keep up. This past weekend my 14 year old daughter (Storey) and I saw Paul Simon, Shannon and the Clams, Bratmobile and Ben Kweller over 3 days. The joy I feel watching her live out loud and dance with wild abandon is unparalleled. During the Bratmobile show I looked down to text my wife and when I looked back up Storey was crowd surfing through the audience with the biggest smile I have ever seen. I was filled with pride love. She had found her tribe.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Jud Bergeron, I live and work in San Francisco. I’m a sculptor and an arts organization co-founder. Currently I am finishing up a series of works for a solo show that opens on September 6th at Nancy Toomey Fine Art is San Francisco. This will be my first major exhibition in 2 1/2 years.
The show is titled ‘After Context’ and I explore the ways in which form, material, and process function as sculptural “prompts, each one opening a new rabbit hole of context and meaning. The project is in part a response to the behavior of artificial intelligence, where a single prompt can generate a cascade of divergent outcomes. I’m using the same principle in physical space: letting materials and their demands lead the direction of the work. Rather than issuing commands to a machine, I’m asking questions of matter.
Through this process, ‘After Context’ becomes a study in how meaning shifts when form is transposed, reframed, reimagined, and recontextualized. Each iteration speaks in a different dialect of the same visual language, revealing the mutable relationship between structure, context, and intent.

In addition to this sculptural work I am also busy with the artist in residency program that I co-founded with my partner Jacob Pritzker called The Space Program SF. We have developed a unique space in San Francisco that caters primarily to Bay Area artists. Our facility is a wonderland for art making in a variety of mediums ranging from wood, metal, silk screen and textile to name a few, we also have a state of the art recording studio and we have recorded and produced a number of limited edition vinyl records for bands and experimental musicians. While the visiting artists benefit from a well appointed studio and access to expertise to help them realize their vision I feel like I benefit the most by hosting a revolving cast of fascinating people with ever evolving ideas and techniques.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
Not so much a particular moment but I would say that the experience of following The Grateful Dead when I was a teenager and specifically my introduction to LSD forever shaped how I see the world.

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
There are a few but I would say that I self wounded with alcohol for decades in an attempt to mask the fear of impostor syndrome. Because I never followed a traditional path of higher education I’ve often felt like a fraud and if I drank I could forget these feelings. I am 4 years sober from alcohol now and I regret all the time I wasted but I am thankful for the life I get to lead now. I also no longer feel like a fraud or an imposter, I’ve earned my place and I’m proud of it.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
I believe that sharing information and opportunity is fundamental to growth and that we all need to help each other achieve our goals.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
He was kind, loving, thoughtful, irreverent, complicated, honest and most importantly he loved his family.

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