In her new mixed media series, When the levee breaks, Beth Davila Waldman further explores the impact of socio-political trends on cultural landscapes, through imagery laden with indicators of economic and social status, presented in a manner that emulates the sheer stress of imposed change. She offers redemption, if only temporary, through keen photographic imagery layered and embellished in paint as both a marker of a questionable past and an uncertain but hopeful future.

When the levee breaks reflects our current state of vulnerability. Fragile conditions often go unnoticed as we move through our daily lives, yet we remain surrounded by breaking points—fault lines that, left unaddressed, will continue to bring destruction both near and far.

These paintings speak not only to the ongoing threats of climate change but also to the troubling tendency to overlook historical lessons that should not be repeated, yet often are. Drawing on photographic elements from the built environment from the Deep South, my process and application of paint portray a precarious landscape—one marked by signs of transformation, but without resolution.

(B.D.W)

Born in Princeton, NJ in 1975, Beth Davila Waldman pursued her career in the arts initially at Wellesley College where she earned a BA with degrees in art history and studio art. She continued her education at the San Francisco Art Institute with a second degree in sculpture where she was awarded the 2004 Harold E. Weiner Memorial Sculpture Award.

Recently, Waldman has been awarded residencies by Art in Residence, 18th Street Art Center, Kala Art Institute, Playa Institute, and Edition/Basel as well as participated in annual projects at Djerassi Art Residency. Waldman’s work has been featured in art fairs in Hong Kong, Mexico City, San Francisco, and Berlin. Her work has been featured in the De Young Museum’s OPEN Exhibition in 2020 & 2023 in addition to the Museum of Northern California in 2024. In 2025, Waldman launched the publication of her 1st catalog covering 25 years of her art which is now part of SFMOMA's Library and Archives with the support of SFMOMA curator Shana Lopes whose essay is included in the publication as well as the SFAI Legacy Foundation+Archives with a supporting foreward by John Roloff. This year, she was a 2026 SFMOMA SECA Award Nominee. Waldman maintains studios in Los Angeles and Mill Valley, CA.