One year after the fires that reshaped large portions of Los Angeles County, a group design exhibition turns loss into something deeper: From the Upper Valley in the Foothills. On view at Marta through January 31, 2026, the project brings together 22 artists and designers working in the Los Angeles area, invited to engage with salvaged wood from Altadena, one of the communities hit hardest by the 2025 fires.

Co-curated and co-produced by Vince Skelly, with support from Angel City Lumber, the exhibition starts from a clear decision: use what remains. Trees felled or damaged by the fire become the basis for functional objects. Seating, benches, stools, containers—pieces that feel made to meet the concrete need to inhabit again.

The wood retains the marks of its history. Scorching, knots, and grain remain visible, rejecting any idea of perfection. Here, the material is treated as a collaborator—shaped by time, weather, and fire. That shared origin creates a quiet continuity between works that differ in form and scale.

Each artist worked with lumber sourced from Altadena—from Aleppo pine to cedar, including coast live oak and Shamel ash. Giving these materials the shape of usable objects means imagining how devastated spaces might once again support an everyday life that feels possible.