We Found Joy In Art-Making / Encontramos La Felicidad Haciendo Arte
Sharing these wonderful photos by R.D. Lopez/Shots From Richmond & Froggie Violet Vega documenting Rebeca García-González creating a new mural at the 25th Street entrance of Richmond Art Center. The mural is called We Found Joy In Art-Making / Encontramos La Felicidad Haciendo Arte and was completed in December 2021.
Rebeca was assisted by Richmond youth, Leslie Poblano and Denise Campos.
For Black History Month, Richmond Art Center will present Patricia Mapps: From Africa to Richmond, on Monday, February 28 at 7pm. Through archival research, oral history, and DNA, Patricia has traced her ancestors to Africa and uncovered a story of enslavement, emancipation, the decision to purchase and live on the land they “tamed” when enslaved, their transition to farm laborers then to farmers, and Civil Rights activism in Richmond. In this special online event, Patricia will share the story her research has uncovered in a presentation which will be followed by a Q&A session. This event is free but registration is required to access the zoom link.
We have updated our vaccination requirement for students taking in-person classes at Richmond Art Center. As of 2/1/22 all students must be fully vaccinated to the maximum extent for which they are eligible. Students enrolled in current classes should have their proof of vaccination documents ready to show a RAC staff person at their first class. See below for more information.
IN THE STUDIOS
Proof of vaccination is required to attend in-person classes at Richmond Art Center. This policy applies to everyone five years old and above. Please refer to the below list of acceptable forms of vaccination verification.
How to Show Proof of Vaccination You can show proof of vaccination by showing photo ID and one of the following items:
A Vaccination Card issued by the CDC or a foreign governmental jurisdiction
IN THE GALLERIES, PUBLIC SPACES AND AT SPECIAL EVENTS
Mask wearing and signing a Visitor Waiver is a condition of entry to RAC galleries, courtyard and public spaces. We track attendee numbers to ensure spaces do not get too crowded.
Our galleries are currently open Thursdays through Saturdays, 10am-2pm. Entry is free and no advance appointment is required. Please observe social distancing in the galleries.
Deadline to Enter: Monday, February 21 (free entry!)
All artists who live and/or work in Richmond are invited to submit work for Right Here, Right Now: A Biennial of Richmond Art. Now in its second iteration, this exhibition looks at the excellent and risk-taking new work being made in our city. The exhibition will be installed in Richmond Art Center’s South Gallery in March.
Background image: Artwork by Roz Ritter, Missing, 2019, Hand embroidery of pancreatic beta cells. Roz was an exhibiting artist in Right Here, Right Now in 2020.
Join us for a special reception on Sunday, March 6, 12pm-4:30pm for Art of the African Diaspora 2022! Mix and mingle with exhibiting artists, enjoy art and music, and let’s celebrate 25 years of the Bay Area’s Black Artists Exhibition at Richmond Art Center.
Space is limited, RSVP required, don’t forget to reserve your space!
Live Music by Sean Norris
Gathering During a Pandemic: Because of the Covid-19 pandemic we are organizing the reception a little differently this year. To maximize social distancing and the flow of people through the galleries, folks are invited to sign up for ‘timeslots’ to ensure spaces do not get overcrowded. Our courtyard will be open for mingling and refreshments, and gallery numbers will be monitored. Mask wearing is required.
CLICK HERE to learn more about Art of the African Diaspora in 2022.
Due to the surge in Covid-19 cases we are postponing on-site classes for the safety of everyone involved for a few weeks. Students enrolled in in-person actvities will receive updates about their classes.
Exhibitions
New winter exhibitions are scheduled to open on January 20, 2022. To prevent the spread of Covid-19, mask wearing and signing a waiver/tracking form are currently a condition of entry to Richmond Art Center. Only a limited number of visitors will be allowed in our galleries at one time. Read more about our Covid-19 Prevention measures here: richmondartcenter.org/about/covid/
Gallery Hours: Thursday through Saturday, 10am-2pm
Please check our website for updates and before you plan a visit to Richmond Art Center – things could change suddenly!
For any questions please email admin@richmondartcenter.org
Cover image: Detail of a color study by Rebeca Garcia-González for a large-scale mural to be unveiled at RAC in 2022. Rebeca is also teaching Fundamental Drawing this winter.
Thank you for being an important part of Richmond Art Center’s vibrant and creative community. We really appreciate your generosity — especially now when your continued financial support is so vital to keep Richmond Art Center running.
For 85 years Richmond Art Center has been sharing and nurturing creativity in Richmond, CA. We are the largest visual arts center in the East Bay, a showcase and hands-on learning center that gives wide-ranging audiences the opportunity to create, see and learn about art. And this last year was momentous. After an eighteen month closure of our facility due to Covid-19, in September we successfully reopened for classes, exhibitions and some fabulous community events (see below for some highlights of 2021).
But these successes came at a cost. Richmond Art Center continues to take a financial hit with reduced enrollments, limited capacity for community activities, and shortened gallery and studio hours. We have ambitious plans for 2022, but with Covid-19 numbers currently increasing, we know we need to be poised for whatever comes our way.
Your donation, whatever the amount, will support our efforts to sustain our current activities, develop new programs, and be ready to tackle our next challenge.
We look forward to seeing you back at Richmond Art Center in 2022. Until then, we hope you stay safe and well.
With gratitude,
José Rivera Executive Director
Carlos Privat President, Board of Directors
Thank you to our community who came together in 2021 to…
Make our facility sparkle with renovated galleries & public spaces!
Run in-person, online & off-site classes for over 1,300 students!
Present 5 in-person exhibitions, 6 online exhibitions & 6 artist talks featuring over 350 artists!
Expand our scholarship program & free classes (30% of students took a class for free)!
Bring hundreds of people together safely in our courtyard for special events celebrating local art & artists, Día de los Muertos, and Indigenous Peoples’ Day!
Begin an artist residency with print collective Liberación Gráfica!
Plus so much more… and we ask for your help to keep going!
“It gave me a sense of hope and that my circle of support was widening at a time when we were all feeling increased isolation.”
By Laura Kamian McDermott
In Summer of 2019 I dropped off my “Studio Ceiling, Giant Trade Center” tapestry at the Richmond Art Center for their annual Members Exhibition. I was elated to hear from the curator on the eve of the opening that this tapestry had earned me a 3-person exhibition to be held in the Summer of 2020! The other artists chosen were Steven Morales, a Richmond-based mixed-media artist who is influenced by materials and themes in his architecture practice, and Oakland-based ceramicist and painter Leslie Plato Smith whose work focuses on climate issues.
Leslie, Steven and I started having rotating potluck dinners at each other’s houses to get to know each other better and talk art. In January of 2020 Amy Spencer, the RAC Exhibitions Director, came to our studios to choose work for the summer show. Then came March 2020…
Throughout the shutdown, all four of us kept in touch, checking in on each other, our families, our art practices, and how we were all coping. It was comforting to have these brand-new connections in my life. It gave me a sense of hope and that my circle of support was widening at a time when we were all feeling increased isolation. Big thanks to Amy, Leslie, and Steven for staying in touch!
Fast forward to Fall 2021… We are cautiously entering better times! The galleries at the Richmond Art Center are now open and they are offering some in-person classes in addition to the online classes they hosted throughout the pandemic. Our show, now titled “Opossum Magic,” based on an opossum trapped in Leslie’s studio, is one of 4 shows on display during this tender moment of reopening. The theme of our show centers on our shared use of materials and inspirations from our everyday life in our creative work. My “Jagged Skyline of Car Keys” series, based on keys from my junk drawer, is on display as well as several other tapestries. Also included is a large-scale felted I-Cord (knitted tube), hung in the abstract gesture and knotted shape that the felting process helped set it into. I also updated my Armenian Alphabet series, spelling out some new words related to our shared pandemic experience and re-opening: “Breath, shunch”, “Community, hamaynk”, and “Connection, kap.” My work is interspersed with Leslie and Steven’s throughout the gallery. All our works are full of rich textures and vivid colors, a great celebration for the RAC’s re-opening! We were able to hold a Covid19-friendly reception on October 16th, making use of the outdoor courtyard. It very nearly felt like a normal reception and was so good for the soul. Thank you Care and Dance for coming out! Throughout the show I’ve been meeting friends and family, some of whom I haven’t seen in over two years, at the gallery for intimate small group visits. It has been a sweet and hopeful way to re-gather. As of this writing, two of the key skyline pieces have sold from the RAC show, and I’ve also sold a few pieces off of my website and Instagram earlier in the year. Priorities shifted during the past couple of years, and I’m glad to see personal art purchases bringing joy and comfort into people’s homes.
Opossum Magic is on display through November 18th. I hope those of you who are nearby get a chance to see it in person! Let me know if you are planning a visit, I’m 10 minutes away and may be able to meet you. And check out the three other exhibits while you are there:
Laura Kamian McDermott wrote this piece for the Tapestry Weavers West newsletter. Thank you for sharing it with us also, Laura! tapestryweaverswest.org
Top Image: Leslie Smith (left), Steven Morales (center), and Laura Kamian McDermott (right) at Richmond Art Center. Note, masks were temporarily removed for this photo. Please wear your mask at RAC. 🙂
Feliz día de los Muertos | Get Creative, Give Creative | Don’t Miss Out | Upcoming Classes Open Studios Invitation
Feliz día de los Muertos
Remembering Our Loved Ones
It’s Día de los Muertos and we remember friends and family members who are no longer with us.
Thank you to everyone who came to our Día de los Muertos Family Day celebration on October 23. It was a wonderful day of community and creativity. We’ve shared some photos from the day on our Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/RichmondArtCenter
59th Annual Holiday Arts Festival Get creative and give creative this holiday season Online and In-Person* Activities | Starts November 4
Richmond Art Center invites creative gift-makers, holiday shoppers and art lovers to experience the 59th Annual Holiday Arts Festival! With the Arts & Crafts Hub, Ceramics Sale, and free gift-making workshop series, the Holiday Arts Festival has something for everyone to get creative and give creative this holiday season.
Stay tuned later this week for an e-announcement with everything you need to know about the Holiday Arts Festival this year!
*In-person activities are subject to change as we see further developments in the Covid-19 pandemic. Mask wearing and signing a Visitor Waiver is a condition of entry to RAC. We track attendee numbers in the courtyard and galleries to ensure spaces do not get too crowded. Read more about Richmond Art Center’s Covid-19 safety measures HERE (https://richmondartcenter.org/about/covid/) .
Top and bottom banner image: Alebrije workshop with Rachel-Anne Palacios at Fall Family Day
Have something to share? Please email us at admin@richmondartcenter.org
