Richmond Art Center’s Board of Directors invites you to our Annual Members’ Meeting on Saturday, June 18 starting at 1pm. Learn about RAC’s accomplishments over the past year and what we have planned for the future. This meeting is open to all current, recent and prospective members, as well as the general public.
At the meeting current members will also be invited to vote to elect new members to our Board of Directors (see short biographies for members who are standing for election below). Voting will open at 12:30pm and close at 1:30pm.
The Members’ Meeting will be followed by the Opening Reception for our summer exhibitions from 2pm to 4pm.
We hope to see you there!
RAC Board of Directors
Prospective New Members to Our Board of Directors
John Boychuk
John Boychuk is a professional artist and art professor who works with a wide variety of materials and processes, both traditional and digital. Over the course of 20+ years of art making, John has shown and taught internationally as well as in the Bay Area. He is a new teaching artist at Richmond Art Center. John grew up in the Detroit metropolitan area and now lives with his family in Richmond. Being a RAC board member would further connect his local community, his love of art and his experience of mentoring artists.
John has taught at Berkeley City College, SAE Expression College in Emeryville, and the University of Silicon Valley in San Jose. His greatest accomplishments as an educator are in supporting multicultural, gender-diverse, and economically challenged students to achieve their academic and personal goals. He encourages his students to question conventional ideas, form their own opinions and communicate that through their art. He is excited to work with Richmond Art Center to increase the creative opportunities for the communities of Richmond.
Jane Diokas
With her Master’s in printmaking from Illinois State University and background in teaching art at schools in underserved communities, as well as starting and running two successful design-based businesses, Jane Diokas is uniquely qualified to provide real world solutions that bridge the gap between idealism and financial necessity. She believes that art can be first and foremost a joyful pursuit that naturally expresses a higher truth. She hopes to help carry on the mission of the founder of Richmond Art Center – who believed there was an artist in everyone and that art was as vital as breathing – while aligning it with both contemporary values and needs.
Nettie Hoge
Nettie Hoge is an East Bay resident who is deeply grateful to the staff and faculty at Richmond Art Center for her cultivation of self-expression and personal growth in and as a result of Richmond Art Center’s painting and drawing classes. She would love to give back to RAC and the community surrounding it by serving on the board.
Nettie would bring a wealth of nonprofit experience to Richmond Art Center’s board. She has served on three nonprofit boards, including a stint as the chair of the Heyday Press board. She is a retired lawyer who has worked in many governmental and nonprofit organizations including as an executive director and a senior staff member. She served as Chief Deputy Commissioner at the California Department of Insurance during the term of Dave Jones. She provided legal assistance to victims of domestic violence as a Legal Services lawyer. While working for Consumers Union, she served on the advisory board for Health Access and litigated to establish funds for community health efforts as nonprofits like Blue Cross converted to for profit institutions. She was Executive Director for six years at TURN, a nonprofit, legal organization advocating at the Public Utilities Commission for utility consumer rights, and fare rates.
Susan Kuramoto Moffat
Susan Kuramoto Moffat melds the arts and the humanities and environmental design disciplines to study urban life. She is Executive Director of Global Urban Humanities Initiative and Creative Director of Future Histories Lab, two grant-funded interdisciplinary programs at UC Berkeley. She has worked in organizations ranging from small advocacy organizations (Greenbelt Alliance) to large bureaucracies (UC Berkeley) and has served on Albany’s City Council-appointed Waterfront Committee and Arts Committee in Albany. She founded a small non-profit community arts organization called Love the Bulb that brings outdoor music, dance, and theater performances and public art to non-traditional audiences. She brings an anti-racist and equity lens to all her work.
Susan earned her undergraduate degree at Harvard University and master’s degrees at UC Berkeley (City Planning) and Columbia (Journalism). She has lived in Albany since 1997. She looks forward to bringing her experience and expertise to Richmond Art Center’s board.
Rachel Sommovilla
Rachel Sommovilla was born and raised in the Philadelphia area, and received her B.A. degree in biological anthropology from Harvard University. She earned her law degree from UC Berkeley School of Law, practiced law in San Francisco and clerked for numerous Federal District Court judges before joining the Richmond City Attorney’s Office in 2012. As a Senior Assistant City Attorney and Interim City Attorney, Ms. Sommovilla’s duties included the handling of complex litigation and land use matters for the City, and advising the City Council, City Departments, and various boards and commissions. Ms. Sommovilla currently serves as Assistant County Counsel for Alameda County. While in the Richmond City Attorney’s office, Rachel and her two sons participated in various Richmond Art Center classes and summer programs. Rachel lives in El Cerrito with her two sons, husband and dog.
Top image: Past and current members speaking about their artwork in 2019
The Richmond Art Center (RAC) has selected community based art collective Liberación Gráfica as its artists-in-residence this year, with its residency to encompass hands-on community screen printing workshops, a summer youth class and a major fall exhibition. Funding for the artistic endeavor has been provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The art collective—which consists of Richmond artists, teachers and community organizers Eddy Chacon, Lisette Vera, Daniel Cervantes and Francisco Rojas—aims to provide opportunities for personal and community expression via silkscreen printing, said the RAC.
Midway through this month, Liberación Gráfica will bring live screen printing demos to community events throughout Richmond at these locations: The Richmond Juneteenth Festival, Sat., June 18, 12-3 p.m., Nicholls Park, 3230 Macdonald Ave. in Richmond; Low Rider Sundays, Sun., July 31 12-3 p.m., 23rd St. between Grant Ave. and Rheem Ave.; and the Richmond Flea Market, Sun., Aug. 21, 12-3 p.m., 716 W. Gertrude Ave. in Richmond. Additional dates/locations will be announced, per the RAC.
According to the RAC, the prints will raise awareness surrounding Richmond social issues, while also “reflecting the joy and resilience of the community.” The art center added that the project aims to “bring art directly to the people and inspire the community to engage with Richmond and each other through art.”
Another facet of Liberación Gráfica’s residency will be teaching a summer youth class at the RAC centered on screen printing through a social justice lens. During a six-week class, students will become familiarized with basic screen printing materials and techniques “while choosing a theme that is related to community, culture, social justice and/or societal issues,” per the RAC. The class welcomes Richmond youth via referral.
Liberación Gráfica’s residency will hit a crescendo when—this fall from Sept. 13 through Nov. 17—the RAC’s Main Gallery will feature work created by the art collective, as well as Richmond youth and additional community artists.
Want Liberación Gráfica to come to your community event this summer? Contact Roberto Martinez at roberto@richmondartcenter.org. Learn more about the RAC here.
SPECIAL SUMMER CLASS FOR YOUTH AGES 13-17 STARTS NEXT WEEK AT RAC
Framing Identity: Legends, Characters and Icons
Tue, Wed, Thu & Fri, 1pm – 4pm
June 14 – June 24, 2022
For this two-week course, youth ages 13-17 will join artist Alex Martinez to explore the legends, characters and icons that have informed their personal identity and cultural understanding, while developing their own visual language in mixed media.
La instructora de clase es bilingüe ingles / español.
Richmond Art Center Announces Artists-in-Residence Liberación Gráfica
Residency to include community screen printing events, summer youth class and a major exhibition
Richmond, CA: Richmond Art Center (RAC) is excited to announce Liberación Gráfica, a community-based art collective, as this year’s Artists-in-Residence. With major funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, Liberación Gráfica will lead two summer art programs that will engage Richmond youth and the greater Richmond community through hands-on screen printing workshops.
Beginning in mid-June Liberación Gráfica will be out in the community bringing screen printing to events and locations throughout Richmond (details and schedule below).
Additionally, Liberación Gráfica will teach a summer youth class at Richmond Art Center focused on screen printing through a social justice lens. Students will be introduced to basic materials and techniques of silkscreen printing, while choosing a theme that is related to community, culture, social justice, and/or societal issues. This six-week class is open to Richmond youth by referral.
The residency will culminate in a fall exhibition in Richmond Art Center’s Main Gallery showcasing work created by Richmond youth, Liberación Gráfica, and other invited community artists. The exhibition will run from September 13 through to November 17, 2022. Public programs tba.
Screen Printing in the Community: This summer Liberación Gráfica will be out in Richmond engaging youth and families at community events and local gathering places with live screen printing demonstrations. The prints will raise awareness to social issues faced in Richmond while reflecting the joy and resilience of the community. The goal of this project is to bring art directly to the people and inspire the community to engage with Richmond and each other through art.
Schedule: Liberación Gráfica at the Richmond Juneteenth Festival Saturday, June 18, 12pm-3pm Nicholls Park, 3230 Macdonald Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804
Liberación Gráfica at Low Rider Sundays Sunday, July 31 12pm-3pm 23rd Street Between Grant Avenue and Rheem Ave
Liberación Gráfica at Richmond Flea Market Sunday, August 21,12pm-3pm 716 W. Gertrude Avenue, Richmond, CA 94801
More dates and locations to be announced. If you are interested in inviting Liberación Gráfica to a community event this summer, please contact Roberto Martinez at roberto@richmondartcenter.org.
About the Artists-in-Residence: Liberación Gráfica is a community based art collective whose mission is to provide opportunities for self and community expression through silkscreen printing. The collective is made up of Richmond-based artists, teachers, and community organizers: Eddy Chacon, Lisette Vera, Daniel Cervantes and Francisco Rojas. Liberación Gráfica was established in 2019 and since has worked towards teaching youth the process of silkscreen printing through a social justice lens with the intention to bridge gaps between communities of color and bring awareness to social injustices faced by the Richmond community.
Images: (top artwork) Daniel Cervantes, Real G’s Grow Food, 2020, Screenprint; (above logo) Eddy Chacon, Liberación Gráfica Logo, 2022; (above photo) Liberación Gráfica printing at Richmond Art Center’s Family Day, May 2022
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About Richmond Art Center
Richmond Art Center has been sharing art and creating with the community since 1936. Our programs encompass classes, exhibitions and events at our facility in downtown Richmond, as well as off-site activities that bring free, high-quality art making experiences to WCCUSD schools and community partners. richmondartcenter.org
Announcing Richmond Art Center’s Summer Exhibitions
June – August 2022 Richmond Art Center 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804 Gallery Hours: Wed-Sat, 10am-4pm Exhibitions and events are all free and open to the public
South Gallery Exhibition Dates: June 22 – August 20, 2022 Reception: Saturday, June 18, 2pm-4pm
Collective Care Is Our Best Protection brings together a group of women artists who are at the forefront in activating public consciousness through muralism and printmaking. Created during the pandemic, the work on display illustrates the healing and protective power that resides in the act of collective care. Included are two large scale portable murals: one painted by Elaine Chu and Marina Perez-Wong from Twin Walls Mural Company; and the other painted by Keena Romano, Leslie Dime Lopez, Vanessa Agana Espinoza Solari and Yazmin Shi Shi Madriz. Complementing the murals is a series of collages and prints by Favianna Rodriguez.
West Gallery Exhibition Dates: June 8 – July 23, 2022 Reception: Saturday, June 18, 2pm-4pm Artist Talk: Saturday, July 9, 12pm-1pm
In his solo exhibition, The Eastern Shore, J.B. Broussard presents a selection of bronze sculptures, drawings and paintings that honors the legacy and expressions of freedom of the great 19th century abolitionists Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass.
This exhibition is part of Art of the African Diaspora: Luminaries, a series of four solo exhibitions that shine a spotlight on the remarkable work of artists who have participated in Art of the African Diaspora but who have maintained an inconspicuous public image throughout their storied artistic careers.
Community Gallery Exhibition Dates: June 1 – August 20, 2022 Reception: Saturday, June 25, 2pm-4pm Collaborative Learning Circle: Saturday, July 30, 1:30pm-3:30pm
Women Weaving Stories is an exhibition of a newly released art zine created by members of Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA) an organization of Latina and Indigenous immigrant women with a dual mission of promoting personal transformation and building community power for social and economic justice. This project was done in partnership with NAKA Dance Theater. The zine was created by Latina and Indigenous immigrant women who came together in a series of collaborative learning circles where art was used as a medium to share stories, learn from each other, and give voice to their lived experiences as immigrant women in the United States. This exhibition is presented in Mam, Spanish and English. Oakland and the larger Bay Area is home to the largest Mam speaking community outside of Guatemala.
Main Gallery Exhibition Dates: June 22 – August 20, 2022 Reception: Saturday, June 18, 2pm-4pm How Emmy Lou Packard Made Her Prints (demo): Sat, July 16, 12pm-2pm Rebel Art: Emmy Lou Packard’s Legacy (panel): Fri, July 29, 6pm-7:30pm Film screening of Rivera In America: Thurs, August 11, 6:30pm-8:30pm Closing Reception Ft Great Tortilla Conspiracy: Sat, August 20, 12pm-2pm
Artist of Conscience explores the life and work of Emmy Lou Packard (1914-1998), a remarkable artist known for her paintings, prints and murals, as well as her activism. Packard’s linoleum prints celebrated ordinary people — their work, their history and their environment. Through artworks, photos and ephemera, the exhibition is be organized around key periods of Packard’s life. Packard was mentored by Diego Rivera and became his principal assistant on the mural he painted on Treasure Island for the Golden Gate International Exposition in 1940 (currently on view at SFMOMA). During WWII Packard worked at Kaiser shipyard’s newspaper, Fore ‘n’ Aft, in Richmond. Later in life, Packard mentored a generation of mostly female and Chicana artists in the Bay Area. She also led the movement to save the Mendocino headlands from development.
This exhibition is curated by Robbin Légère Henderson and Rick Tejada-Flores.
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Images (clockwise from top left): Twin Walls Mural Company, Protectors of the Sacred, Power: A Prayer for Buffalo Nation, 2020; Image: J.B. Broussard, The General, 2021; Emmy Lou Packard, Artichoke Picker (detail), circa 1955; J. Ramirez Pablo, Untitled, 2021
About Richmond Art Center
Richmond Art Center has been sharing art and creating with the community since 1936. Our programs encompass classes, exhibitions and events at our facility in downtown Richmond, as well as off-site activities that bring free, high-quality art making experiences to WCCUSD schools and community partners. richmondartcenter.org
For more information contact: Roberto Martinez, Curator, roberto@richmondartcenter.org
This summer, join the Fencelines team for a series ofhands-on art workshops that will provide space for the community to reflect on local conditions of environmental injustice in Richmond. Participants will paint on recycled wooden fence slats with images, messages and stories that respond to the following prompts:“What message do you have for the polluting industry here in Richmond?” and “What vision do you have for your community in the future?”
The slats created in these workshops will be used to form a temporary public art installation along a city-owned fence bordering the Chevron refinery and North Richmond neighborhoods in fall 2022. Additionally, this installation will be shown in an exhibition at Richmond Art Center in spring 2023.
Fencelines Community Art Workshops will be presented at Richmond Art Center every third Saturday this summer. Additional workshops will be presented out in Richmond at local community events. All workshops are free to attend.
Fencelines Art Workshops at Richmond Art Center
Saturday, June 18, 2pm-4pm
Saturday, July 16, 12pm-2pm
Saturday, August 20, 12pm-2pm
Saturday, September 17, 12pm-2pm
Fencelines Workshops in the Community
Saturday, June 18, 10am-12pm: Urban Tilth Volunteer Day at Unity Park
Saturday, July 9: Richmond LAND: Love Your Block Event in North Richmond
Saturday, August 6: APEN Refinery Explosion 10 Year Memorial Event; Hood Day in North Richmond at Shields-Reid Park
… and other summer 2022 events with Richmond Our Power Coalition TBD!
Fencelinesaspires to create a unique, celebratory monument with the community in Richmond by: facilitating the creation of artwork by the community itself, promoting conversation and connection between Richmond community members, bringing awareness to issues of environmental injustice, and beautifying and activating an otherwise underutilized space. The project design and participatory format is explicitly designed to center and amplify the voices of the community.
The Fencelines team is made up of local artists, organizers, and community members, Princess Robinson, Graham L.P., Dulce Galicia and Gita Khandagle. This project is presented in partnership with Richmond Our Power Coalition, Richmond Art Center, and Fencelines.
Top Image: Princess Robinson, co-creator of the Fencelines project, with her family
Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA
FREE
Create art for environmental justice in Richmond!
Join the Fencelines team for ahands-on art workshop that will provide space to reflect on local conditions of environmental injustice in Richmond. Participants will paint on recycled wooden fence slats with images, messages and stories that respond to the following prompts:“What message do you have for the polluting industry here in Richmond?” and “What vision do you have for your community in the future?”
The slats created in is workshop will be used to form a temporary public art installation along a city-owned fence bordering the Chevron refinery and North Richmond neighborhoods in fall 2022. Additionally, this installation will be shown in an exhibition at Richmond Art Center in spring 2023.
This workshop is part of a series of workshops that will be presented at Richmond Art Center every third Saturday this summer. Additional workshops will be presented out in Richmond at local community events. All workshops are free to attend.
Fencelines Art Workshops at Richmond Art Center
Saturday, June 18, 2pm-4pm
Saturday, July 16, 12pm-2pm
Saturday, August 20, 12pm-2pm
Saturday, September 17, 12pm-2pm
Fencelines Workshops in the Community
Saturday, June 18, 10am-12pm: Urban Tilth Volunteer Day at Unity Park
Saturday, July 9: Richmond LAND: Love Your Block Event in North Richmond
Saturday, August 6: APEN Refinery Explosion 10 Year Memorial Event; Hood Day in North Richmond at Shields-Reid Park
… and other summer 2022 events with Richmond Our Power Coalition TBD!
Fencelinesaspires to create a unique, celebratory monument with the community in Richmond by: facilitating the creation of artwork by the community itself, promoting conversation and connection between Richmond community members, bringing awareness to issues of environmental injustice, and beautifying and activating an otherwise underutilized space. The project design and participatory format is explicitly designed to center and amplify the voices of the community.
The Fencelines team is made up of local artists, organizers, and community members, Princess Robinson, Graham L.P., Dulce Galicia and Gita Khandagle. This project is presented as a partnership between Richmond Our Power Coalition, Richmond Art Center, and Fencelines.
This summer Liberación Gráfica will be out in Richmond engaging youth and families at community events and local gathering places with live screen printing demonstrations. The prints will raise awareness to social issues faced in Richmond while reflecting the joy and resilience of the community. The goal of this project is to bring art directly to the people and inspire the community to engage with Richmond and each other through art.
Community Event Schedule:
Liberación Gráfica at the Richmond Juneteenth Festival Saturday, June 18, 12pm-3pm Nicholls Park, 3230 Macdonald Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804
Liberación Gráfica at Low Rider Sundays Sunday, July 31, 12pm-3pm 23rd Street Between Grant and Rheem Avenues
Liberación Gráfica at Richmond Flea Market Sunday, August 21,12pm-3pm Mckosken Road, Richmond, CA
More dates and locations to be announced. If you are interested in inviting Liberación Gráfica to a community event this summer, please contact Roberto Martinez at roberto@richmondartcenter.org
Liberación Gráfica is a community based art collective whose mission is to provide opportunities for self and community expression through silkscreen printing. The collective is made up of Richmond-based artists, teachers, and community organizers: Eddy Chacon, Lisette Vera, Daniel Cervantes and Francisco Rojas. Liberación Gráfica was established in 2019 and since has worked towards teaching youth the process of silkscreen printing through a social justice lens with the intention to bridge gaps between communities of color and bring awareness to social injustices faced by the Richmond community.
Top Image: Daniel Cervantes, Real G’s Grow Food, 2020
