ISSUE 20 Three Artists Talk | Two Artists Talk | We’re Hiring!
Flora, Family Ghosts + Resilient Correspondence
Three artists discuss the threads and themes of their work
Online Artists’ Talk: Thursday, May 27, 7-8pm PST
Join us for a special event bringing together three artists – Shari Arai DeBoer, Manon Wada, Irene Wibawa – to discuss intersecting themes within their creative practice. While working in different media, scale and modes for investigation, the artists’ work is interconnected through their consideration of family stories, nature and resilience during these challenging times.
Image: Details of work by (l-r) Irene Wibawa, Shari Arai DeBoer, and Manon Wada
A conversation between Raymond Holbert and VirgiNia Jourdan
Online Artists’ Talk: Saturday, May 15, 3pm-4:30pm PST
Raymond Holbert is a prolific artist, professor of art and design, and fascinating person. Holbert’s street photography focuses on a range of subjects; from a fascination with medicine, science and leisure, to current public dilemmas. For this online special event, that is part of Art of the African Diaspora 2021, Holbert will speak about his work with artist VirgiNia Jourdan.
Richmond Art Center is looking for a Curator! This part-time position will be responsible for a number of exhibitions as we plan to reopen our facility in the summer. Position open until filled.
Image: Nicole Mueller’s site specific installation, Thresholds, at Richmond Art Center, 2019. Photo by Bill Johnston Jr.
Job Title: Curator Organization: Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804 Salary: $33.65 per hour Job Type: Part-Time, 12-Month Contract Schedule: This position is 20 hours per week. Many of the position’s duties can be conducted offsite. The schedule is flexible, but the Curator must be able to be onsite for exhibition installations, and attend opening receptions and program events that often happen on weekends and weekday evenings. Application Deadline: Open Until Filled
About Richmond Art Center: For over 80 years, Richmond Art Center has served residents of Richmond and surrounding communities through studio arts education programs, exhibitions, off-site classes, and special initiatives for community-wide impact. Richmond Art Center’s mission is to be a catalyst in Richmond for learning and living through art. Our organizational values – relevance, equity and creativity – guide our programming.
About the Exhibition Program: The goals of our exhibition program are to introduce new artists, artwork and perspectives on art; engage Richmond audiences; enhance the visibility of underrepresented groups/artists; and serve as a catalyst for community interaction. Before the covid pandemic, we presented 12-16 exhibitions and attracted over 15,000 visitors to our four gallery spaces annually. Our exhibitions featured the work of predominantly Bay Area artists at different stages in their careers – established, early career, students and youth. Notable annual community exhibitions include Art of the African Diaspora/The Art of Living Black (since 1997, an annual exhibition of work by artists of African descent), and the WCCUSD Art Show (since 1965, an annual exhibition of over 500 student works from 12 local middle and high schools).
Position overview: Richmond Art Center is looking for a part-time Curator to be responsible for a number of exhibitions, and correlating public programs, as we plan to reopen our facility in the summer.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Support Richmond Art Center’s commitment to producing exhibitions that reflect our values and our community.
Curate at least 2 exhibitions, as well as coordinate the production of 3-4 more working with guest curators and/or community groups. Note: 75% of our 2021-2022 exhibition calendar is scheduled, so the Curator needs to be open to managing exhibitions that are already on the roster. But there is some space for developing new projects from start to finish.
Develop, plan and run public events that support the exhibitions, including (but not limited to) talks, tours, performances, and workshops.
Support all areas of exhibition planning in conjunction with the Executive Director and Exhibitions Director, including loan paperwork and contracts, installation (pitching in when appropriate), budgets, and assessment/evaluation.
Build relationships with local artists, community organizations, and Richmond Art Center’s students to support and grow the reputation of Richmond Art Center.
Seek resources and sponsors for projects, and assist in providing content for grant applications.
Assist design promotional material, give creative input, and edit images
Skills and Qualifications
Four years work experience in a relevant field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Prefer experience focused on contemporary art, local artists, non-profit arts, and/or community organizing.
Strong interpersonal skills, and friendly demeanor with an ability to collaborate with artists, guest curators, partners, and staff. Must be comfortable with public speaking.
Proficiency with Google Docs, administrative softwares, and social media platforms.
Experience with art handling and installation.
Spanish language proficiency is a plus, but not required.
To apply: Interested candidates should send a cover letter, their resume, and (optional) writing samples (such as a press release, curatorial text, website content, promotional material, etc): jobsapp@richmondartcenter.org
Richmond Art Center is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
Top image: Nicole Mueller’s site specific installation, Thresholds, at Richmond Art Center, 2019. Photo by Bill Johnston Jr.
ISSUE 19 AOTAD Artist Talk | WCCUSD Student Art | It’s Nearly May Already! | Classes Starting Soon | Call for Poets Artist Talk
ART – A Life Long Commitment
A conversation with Raymond Holbert
Saturday, May 15, 3pm-4:30pm PST
Raymond Holbert is a prolific artist, professor of art and design, and fascinating person. Holbert’s street photography focuses on a range of subjects; from a fascination with medicine, science and leisure, to current public dilemmas. For this online special event, that is part of Art of the African Diaspora 2021, Holbert will speak about his work with artist VirgiNia Jourdan.
Image: Artist Marva Reed having an impromptu conversation with Raymond Holbert at RAC in early 2020
We celebrate all the amazing artwork in the 55th Annual WCCUSD Student Art Show, and are excited to announce the students who have received Artistic Merit Awards: Jasmine Agapito, Hercules High; Yamna Ahmadi, Pinole Valley High; Aaeh Chao, John F. Kennedy High; Monica Jimenez, John F. Kennedy High; Karyna Kolley, De Anza High; Jeremy Lara, Pinole Valley High; Bertha, Pinole Valley High; Monte, Pinole Valley High; Nhi, De Anza High; Jonathan, Richmond High; Isabella Sesante Aurigui, Fred T. Korematsu Middle School
Congratulations on your creative achievements this past year!
With the moon nearly a third of the way through its orbit of 2021, we think its as good a moment as any to take some time for reflection and intention around self-care. Please enjoy this bilingual activity sheet by Vero d. Orozco @verodorozco
The City of Richmond’s Arts and Culture Commission (RACC) is seeking a new Poet Laureate! In recognizing that poetry should be accessible to people from all walks of life, the Richmond Poet Laureate promotes the appreciation and dissemination of poetry in Richmond and acts as a spokesperson for the growing number of poets and writers in Richmond.
“People can stand on the feet and have their photo taken, or they can sit next to them; it’s up to them. It’s an opportunity to show support, and also to experience a moment of communion.” – Rigo 23
Dear Friends,
We invite you to a special event in Richmond Art Center’s courtyard this Saturday to have your photograph taken with the feet from artist Rigo 23’s statue of Native American activist and political prisoner, Leonard Peltier.
Stand on the feet of the statue in support of Peltier, political prisoners, and all Indigenous peoples facing persecution.
Stand In Solidarity With Leonard Peltier Saturday, April 24, 1pm-3pm Richmond Art Center 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond (enter via Barrett Ave)
Special guests Kathy Peltier, Leonard Peltier’s daughter, and Anne Begay – co-founder of American Indian Movement’s Denver chapter and Kathy’s mother – will be at the event to meet participants. Kathy and Anne will also have some of their handmade jewelry and beaded work available for purchase, as they prepare to go visit Leonard very soon.
Participants will be photographed by artist Río Yañez, and all photographs will become part of the project’s archive. A selection of Yañez’s photographs taken during the event will be exhibited with Rigo’s Leonard Peltier statue at Richmond Art Center later this year.
Hope to see you this Saturday!!
In community, Richmond Art Center
Important Event Info:
Wear a mask and be prepared to practice social distancing
No appointments, folks will be photographed in the order they arrive. We apologize in advance if we don’t have time to photograph everyone!!
Enter Richmond Art Center via Barrett Avenue, we will direct you to the courtyard via the West Gallery.
Please note, the inside spaces of Richmond Art Center’s facility remain closed. No access to the galleries, studios or restrooms is available at this time.
About the Work: Rigo 23’s 12-foot-high likeness of Leonard Peltier, a Native activist incarcerated since 1977, is based on a small hand painted self-portrait that Peltier created in prison. Rigo 23 began work on this statue in 2016 and before it was first installed at American University, Rigo took its feet to sites of Native significance across the U.S., including Alcatraz Island, the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. He then invited supporters to stand and be photographed on the feet of Peltier in solidarity. Since 2016 the statue of Leonard Peltier has toured all over America (most recently to SFAI) and hundreds of photos of people with its feet have been taken. Later this year Rigo 23’s statue will be exhibited at Richmond Art Center accompanied by a selection of these photos.
About Rigo 23: Rigo 23 has exhibited his work internationally for over 30 years placing murals, paintings, sculptures, and tile work in public situations where viewers are encouraged to examine their relationship to their community, their role as unwitting advocates of public policy, and their place on a planet occupied by many other living things. His projects have included inter-communal collaborations with Native Tribes in North and South America; long-term partnerships with political prisoners; and alliances with underrepresented and disenfranchised individuals and communities. Rigo’s first solo exhibition Time and Time Again: A tribute to Geronimo Ji-Jaga Pratt was presented at Richmond Art Center in 1996.
My Zoom Classroom | Spotlight on… Luis Pinto | AOTAD Artists’ Talk | Classes Starting Soon ❤️ SHARE SOME LOVE! ❤️
My Zoom Classroom
55th Annual WCCUSD Student Art Show
For the first time in 2021 the West Contra Costa Unified School District Student Art Show is presented as an online exhibition. See how teachers and students found ways for innovative arts curriculum and artistic expression in the zoom classroom.
Participating schools: De Anza High School, Fred T. Korematsu Middle School, Hercules High School, John F. Kennedy High School, Pinole Valley High School, Richmond High School
Image: Michelle, Grade 10, By the Light of the Window, 2021
Luis Pinto spoke with Ilene Conde, RAC’s Studio Education Manager, about teaching a series of Street Art Classes this semester for youth. He says, “These classes will open up students’ understanding and perspective on what street art is.”
Last year was a challenging year: a pandemic began, riots broke out, businesses were looted and injustice continued to be done. In this online Artists’ Talk, presented as part of Art of the African Diaspora 2021 (https://richmondartcenter.org/exhibitions/aotad2021/) , you will hear from artists who were called to create social justice murals in the Bay Area during this time.
On Sunday, March 28, a fire at the Junior Center of Art & Science (https://juniorcenter.org/) in Oakland caused devastating loss. Fire, smoke and water damage means the building will not be safe for use for the foreseeable future.
Richmond Art Center calls on our community to support this vital non-profit! The Junior Center has provided a safe space for young people and families to play, create and explore in Oakland for over 65 years. Let’s help it continue!
Luis Pinto is an interdisciplinary artist who received his Master of Fine Arts degree from California College of the Arts in 2015. His work ranges from digital art to fine art working in mediums such as sound, film, digital media, performance, painting, sculpture, and works on paper. Pinto, who has worked as a freelance graphic designer for the past 14 years, has also been creating murals in the Bay Area since 2012.
Luis Pinto spoke with Ilene Conde, Richmond Art Center’s Studio Education Manager, on April 2, 2021
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Can we start by you telling us a little bit about yourself and how you got into street art?
My name is Luis Pinto, I was born in Lima, Peru, and emigrated to the united states when I was 5. I got into street art in my teenage years, 13 to be exact. Before this time I was really into drawing cartoons, comics, and monsters. Street art really helped me develop my understanding of geometry, balance, color, and shape in relation to drawing and creating compositions.
It’s been a big, challenging year. How has COVID impacted your art making?
Since the COVID pandemic, my art practice had moved into creating more digital works (illustrations) and focusing more on my graphic design career. During this time I think I only created 5-6 analog works in the form of painting.
This Spring Session you are teaching a series of Street Art classes for Richmond Art Center. Can you tell us a little bit about these classes and what students can learn in them.
Students taking the Street Art courses 101 and 102 will get a general understanding of how to turn two-dimensional one-line text into more complex letterforms that you may see in sign painting, logos, and other decorative letter styles. They will also gain a basic understanding of color, shape, composition, and form. These courses are for those who’d like to take their understanding of street art to the next level, or just gain some basic letter drawing techniques which you can apply to your art projects. These classes will also open up students’ understanding and perspective on what street art is and how it’s utilized in public art.
Top and Above Images: Work by Luis Pinto
One of the classes you are teaching is called The Art of Tagging. A lot of people don’t understand or appreciate tagging. Can you share a little bit to help folks understand it as an art form?
Tagging is the act of writing your name on whatever media through whatever medium. It was a phrase coined by the media based on the original idea of a tag, which was initially someone’s nickname. Tagging has a lot of negative connotations behind it, mostly related to gang violence and the destruction of property. Outside of the criminal element associated with tagging. Tagging itself is a form of calligraphic art, which has been accepted to some degree in the art world. Places that have a deep understanding of calligraphic arts such as Chinese culture and Arabic culture have more appreciation for the styles that have evolved from tagging’s origins. Since its modern inception in the United States during the 1970s tagging has evolved to have very different regional styles, which, up until the mid-2000s were very defined.
Most tagging styles are very similar to cursive writing, in the sense that they are supposed to flow, from one letter to the next. Other tagging styles are more similar to Old English Illuminated letters, where the letters are rigid and do not flow from one letter to the next. A lot of street artists become sign painters or graphic designers because there are a ton of similarities in the art form. Some famous street artists known for their tagging styles in contemporary art are Retna, Jose Parla, Stephen Powers, Chaz Bjorquez, and Barry Mcgee.
It can be difficult for most people that don’t have a deep understanding of art to appreciate things such as street art. I compare this kind of thinking to people who can only appreciate realism as opposed to abstract painting.
As you say, it’s all about understanding and perspective. Thank you, Luis!
Mobile Photography | Healing through African Diasporic Art | Watercolor Tricks | Did you see the Catalog? | Join Our Board | More Classes Starting Soon | We Love… Black Magic Cabaret!
Free Workshop: Mobile Photography
Capture & Edit Photos on a Mobile Device
Thursday, April 15, 7pm-8:30pm
Teaching Artist: Kumi Rauf Adult
Workshop (Ages 12+)
Bay Area photographer Kumi Rauf will teach you how to capture and edit amazing photos on your smartphone! Using free mobile apps you will learn the fundamentals of mobile photography, how to make amazing product photos, create artistic projects and more. Learn more and register…
Free Workshop: Healing through African Diasporic Art
African Diasporic Art and Healing
Saturday, April 24, 10am-11am
Teaching Artist: Idris Hassan
Adult Workshop (Ages 12+)
This workshop by Idris Hassan introduces participants to the importance of artistic expression as a healing tool in the African Diaspora. It includes a brief history of African-American and African Diasporic Art, as well as a dialogue touching on the healing aspects of artistic enrichment in cultural communities. Learn more and register…
Free Workshop: Watercolor Tricks
Watercolor Techniques Using Household Items
Saturday, May 1, 10am-11am
Teaching Artist: Virginia Jourdan
Adult Workshop (Ages 12+)
In this workshop by Virginia Jourdan students will experiment with mixing watercolor paint with household items to create unique textures and patterns. The texture and patterns created will become a background for a silhouette painting of a peanut plant. Learn more and register…
Did you see the Catalog?
Classes, workshops, lectures, outdoor events… what will you join?
Our Spring Class Catalog is now out! Register today for online classes starting weekly April through May. And don’t forget, we have scholarships too!! Apply now.
Image: Design by Chandna Agarwal, @chandna_agarwal
Richmond Art Center is looking for new Board members! If you are passionate about art and the community then joining our Board is a great way to support our work. Learn more…
We Love…
Black Benatar’s Black Magic Cabaret
UtahPresents premieres Black Benatar’s Black Magic Cabaret online this Friday, April 2 at 6:30 PST / 7:30 MT. This theatrical production brings audiences on a journey through race and cultural allyship in the U.S. And Richmond Art Center’s CAC Administrator of Color Fellow Sarah Guerra is part of the team making this production happen!! Get your ticket to this virtual performance…
Have something to share? Please email us at admin@richmondartcenter.org
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ISSUE 16
Spring Session 2021 | AOTAD Special Events | Spotlight On… | Classes Starting Soon | Join Our Board
Spring Session 2021
Registration for Spring Classes NOW OPEN
Browse class listing online and check out new workshops including Mexican Tin Art, Hand-building Functional Forms in Porcelain, and The Art of Tagging.
And don’t forget, we have scholarships too!! Apply now.
Image: Design by Chandna Agarwal, @chandna_agarwal
This online conversation will explore how artists have coped during the pandemic. How and where did they show their work? How were they creative? How did the pandemic affect their mental well being? These are just a few of the topics that will be discussed.
Saturday, March 20, 2021, 3:00pm-4:30pm THIS SATURDAY!
Join us for a special online event celebrating the artists – past, present and future – who make Art of the African Diaspora possible. This event is presented on zoom in partnership with Rhythmix Cultural Works.
Colleen spoke with Marisa Burman, Richmond Art Center’s Ceramics Manager, about all things clay. “It’s been a lot of making and not keeping this past year,” she says.
Colleen is teaching two online classes at RAC for the Spring Session: Handbuilding: Women in Contemporary Ceramics and Sketchbooking.
Explore contemporary picture book illustrator’s characters, while learning how to create characters of your own using the basic elements of design (color, shape, line, etc).
The characteristics of ink as a medium is unforgiving as it is exciting! Drawing and painting techniques with waterproof India ink will be explored with dip pens and brushes.
In Street Art 101, students will learn how to tag, create bubble letters, and draw characters. We will also be covering a brief intro to the history of street art.
In Street Art 101, students will learn how to tag, create bubble letters, and draw characters. We will also be covering a brief intro to the history of street art.
Colleen Garland grew up in Richmond and works as a potter and ceramics teacher in the Bay Area. She learned wheel throwing in community college, taking classes at Diablo Valley College and Contra Costa College. Now she rents a studio where she works in clay, and since the covid pandemic she has been making art and teaching ceramics online.
Colleen spoke with Marisa Burman, Richmond Art Center’s Ceramics Manager, on February 9, 2021
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
What are your favorite things about clay and working with ceramics? Why have you chosen this as your primary medium?
I absolutely love clay. I love what clay looks like when it’s fired. I love throwing on the wheel. I love having a purpose. I love serving a purpose.
Coming from a working class background, I think art can be hard to justify as a career. Art is a choice, but you can’t argue with making functional work. And I think that’s something that attracted me to it.
Clay is messy, it’s physical, and there’s infinite variety in what you can do and whatever you do, you can make it absolutely personal.
So, what has it been like for you making art during a pandemic?
I make a lot of wheel thrown work, mostly to fire with Mary Law at her studio in Berkeley. But we had to cancel most of our firings this year because of covid.
So my practice has been a little halted in a way, because I’m not finishing work, but it’s also really opened up what I can make because I’m not limiting myself as much. I’m wheel throwing a lot. Also I’m spending a lot more time on decorating. It’s been a lot of making and not keeping this past year.
Do you consider Mary Law your mentor? She’s a great potter who has been doing ceramics in Berkeley for decades.
This is funny, because I know she’ll read this. I took classes with Mary a lot at Contra Costa College. And I started working with her when I was still a student. I then started doing her website and Facebook and in trade I fire with her. She has taught me about clay, but also so much about life. I would say she’s my friend and my mentor. I have learned a lot from her about how one can live as a potter, about ways of doing this sustainably in terms of taking care of yourself, taking care of your body, and taking care of your finances, so that this can be a viable option.
That makes me feel warm.
She’s very, very important to me.
So you are teaching ceramics online. What has that been like?
At first, in the first few months of the pandemic, when I saw university professors having to instantly switch to teaching, and hearing about how incredibly difficult it was initially, I thought no ceramics class should be online. That’s a ridiculous thing to do. But in time I was offered the opportunity to teach online with Richmond Art Center. I thought it was going to be really hard and it turned out to be really fun. The online classes give me much more room to be creative. I’m able to offer a lot more visual information. Like images of other artists’ work and more historical context. So it’s been a really great experience because I’ve learned how to teach in a new way.
I would keep teaching online, I think even after we go back to in-person, which feels crazy, but it’s been fun.
Colleen’s Studio
What are you teaching this session for Richmond Art Center?
I will be teaching ‘Handbuilding: Women in Contemporary Ceramics’ again. Each week we learn from a different woman working in clay in the 20th or 21st century through photos and video, and then we settle on a form to try to recreate. Or students branch out on their own and use inspiration from the artists to make something different. I see that students in this class are excited about learning from other artists. They feel like they are kind of participating in the global ceramics community through engaging with other people’s works, cultures and histories.
I’m also teaching a drawing class, which is called ‘Sketchbooking’. It is a fun drawing class meant to make people feel comfortable with engaging with their sketchbooks. To help people not fear a blank page. It’s all about having fun and trying lots of things so that we can get into the habit of sketchbooking as a daily practice. ‘Sketchbooking’ is an intergenerational class. So anyone is welcome to take it from young children to adults, teenagers. Friends are welcome. Roommates are welcome. Grandparents and grandchildren. Any experience level. Everyone is absolutely welcome!
I see art as a daily practice as a theme in your teaching, as well as your relationship to engaging with art.
I love using pottery. It totally changes the way I interact with the world. I love being surrounded by handmade things. I’ve been a very functional potter and I’m very interested in craft; the way things are made and the way things work.
Just last night in class we learned from artist Marguerite Wildenhain, she ran an informal school in Guerneville, California, in the 1950s. Her philosophy was to teach young craftspeople to have integrity and to have dedication and to really care about what they’re doing. But also to have a reason for what they’re doing too. To engage philosophically with their work instead of just being technicians, who can technically produce something. She wouldn’t let students keep anything. Students would be throwing forms for two months and they would never fire anything! All the clay was reclaimed. She demanded absolute dedication. And if students weren’t absolutely dedicated, they just wouldn’t continue showing up because it was too hard.
It definitely takes dedication.
Wheel throwing is ridiculous. It’s crazy that we all love to do it! I’ve been working with clay for at least eight years and three years seriously. And I still get cracks in my handles which is so frustrating! But that’s just reality. Something Marguerite Wildenhain said was art is not cumulative. Every day you show up as a potter and you’re starting from scratch. And you just have to pull this desire out of yourself to create something. Then through repetition it becomes less challenging, but you’re still starting from nothing each day. Every single potter has to learn from the very, very beginning.
And that makes it really beautiful to teach because it’s like I’m on that journey with my students. When someone really loves ceramics, they just absolutely give themselves to it. And they work through the frustration and they work through the darkness of being in a learning environment. It’s very human. I think it’s so much more human than any other work that I could be doing. So it feels infinitely valuable.
