Issue 12 Let’s Keep Going | Art of the African Diaspora | Spotlight On… Vera Totos | Classes Starting Soon Play the Art Cube Game
Let’s Keeping Going
Thank You!
A huge thank you to everyone who contributed so generously to Richmond Art Center’s end-of-year campaign. We raised $78,500 that sets us up for a great start in the new year! (If you didn’t get a chance already, donations can still be made online here: https://richmondartcenter.org/support/
It will be a long time before we know how deeply 2020 has transformed our community and our country. But we are optimistic 2021 can shine. Thank you again to all who are part of Richmond Art Center’s story.
Online Exhibition Dates: February 11 – May 16, 2021 Artist Registration Deadline: Sunday, January 24, 2021, 11:59PM
“Art of the African Diaspora is an exhibition that introduces African Diaspora art to new audiences, but also provides fresh insight into its artists and their Bay Area experiences. We are excited that the 2021 program will be a virtual hybrid which we anticipate will expand our audience.”
– Stephen Bruce, artist and Steering Committee Chair, AOTAD
Learn expressive weaving with artist Vera Totos! In this two-day online class students will jump right into creating their own scarves on 4-shaft table looms borrowed from the instructor. Vera will teach improvisational techniques such as rya knots, clasped weft and soumak, as well as loom-controlled patterning. This is a great opportunity for beginner weavers, as well as folk with some weaving experience who would like to venture into free improvisation or try out shaft looms. Sat-Sun, Jan 23-24, 10am-12pm
About the Artist: Vera Totos weaves, felts, paints, dyes and spins fibers that make up the fabric of our lives. Vera lives in the Bay Area and manages The Fono Arts and Crafts. You can find her online at at thefono.com or veratotos.com.
In this class young artists will fill the pages of their art journals with fun projects using watercolors, colored pencils, ink, marker, paint, folded paper, and found objects. Sign up for one class or as many as you like!
Teen Class (Ages 12-17) Wednesdays, 3:30-5pm Jan 20 – Feb 10
Artists, sign up HERE to join Art of the African Diaspora 2021!
Art of the African Diaspora, in partnership with Richmond Art Center, supports artists of African descent in the Bay Area through representation, professional development, and building a creative community.
In 2021 Art of the African Diaspora will be hosted at aotad.org and richmondartcenter.org. All artists who register to participate will be included in the online exhibition with an individual webpage highlighting their work. Artists can also host virtual or in person* open studios, artists talks and other events in conjunction with Art of the African Diaspora.
“Art of the African Diaspora is an exhibition that introduces African Diaspora art to new audiences, but also provides fresh insight into its artists and their Bay Area experiences. We are excited that the 2021 program will be a virtual hybrid which we anticipate will expand our audience,” says Stephen Bruce, artist and Steering Committee Chair, AOTAD. “Each artist reveals a special story and offers a unique view into the world they live and social connections that drive their creativity.”
Online Exhibition Dates: February 11 – May 16, 2021 Artist Registration Deadline: Sunday, January 24, 2021, 11:59PM
Top image: Fadhili Rauf looks at artwork from Art of the African Diaspora, including a ceramic piece by Renata Gray (2019).
* No in person events will be held at Richmond Art Center. Individual artist events are subject to City and County health orders and compliance with the social distancing requirements.
After our first Ceramic Sale sold out in less that 48 hours we’ve decided to go again! Purchase work online by Shannon Abac, Marisa Burman, and Hanneke Steenmetz, then collect it at our curbside pick-up event happening this Thursday, December 17, 11am-2pm (or make an appointment to pick up at a different time). All proceeds benefit Richmond Art Center.
Send gift cards instantly to anyone! RAC Gift Cards are redeemable for all art classes; the perfect gift for creative folks, or folks who need a nudge towards accessing their creativity!
These beautiful drawings by Chris Ahn are only $150 (and at 11″ H x 17″ W will fit in standard size frames). Purchase online then come make a selection at our curbside pick up event happening this 12/17, 11am-2pm. All proceeds benefit Richmond Art Center!!
The Arts & Crafts Hub for the Holiday Arts Festival is an online space for Bay Area artists and makers to share and/or sell their work during the holiday season. Shop work by over fifty amazing artists!
Coloring sheet by J.P. McNicholas (https://richmondartcenter.org/instructables/friends-coloring-sheet/)
RAC will be closed December 19 to January 3.
To rest and regenerate Richmond Art Center staff are taking a coloring break.
Thank you to all – students, volunteers, partners and the community – who have supported us during this wild year. From our shelter-in-place to yours, we send out wishes for healing and peace through creativity in 2021.
Have something to share? Please email us at admin@richmondartcenter.org
How to shop: Sale launches at 12:01am on Friday, December 4, 2020 (that’s tonight!); at this time the ‘Buy Now’ links will go live on our website, and we will start featuring one piece per hour on our Instagram Stories.
So excited to have this new artwork available as a Thank You Gift. And in in the spirit of giving Richmond Art Center is paying forward 50% of the proceeds from this piece to the Richmond Emergency Food Pantry.
About the Work: This color screen print by Liberación Gráfica was created in the summer of 2020 in response to the Black Lives Matter Movement. City of Black and Brown Solidarity highlights Richmond as fertile ground for cross cultural solidarity and the ways we can fortify each other in the journey towards liberation. More about the piece…
Thank you Liberación Gráfica for contributing your work! Follow Liberación Gráfica on Instagram @liberacion_grafica.
Arts and Crafts Hub Spotlight On: Yelloh Joy Magazine
Yelloh Joy Magazine was created by San Pablo-based writer and editor L Holley. Published four times a year, the magazine provides a digital and literary platform for women of color creatives. Holley writes, “The artistic flow of designers, writers, music-makers, entrepreneurs and innovators are the DNA of what makes our work so great.” See sample copies of the magazine online here.
Yelloh Joy Magazine is one of fifty artists and makers in our Online Arts and Crafts Hub for the Holiday Arts Festival.
But don’t worry, registration for Winter 2021 classes opens very soon. Stay tuned!
Ritual Objects
Curiosidades de México III : Pantuflas
A Gift from Our Neighbors
Did you know Richmond Public Library has free craft kits for adults? Call the library 510-620-6561 to make an appointment to pick one up (while supplies last!).
Your safety is really important to us. In light of the rapid increase of Covid-19 cases in Richmond, we have decided to cancel the in-person Ceramics Sale and Curbside Vendor Market for our Holiday Arts Festival at Richmond Art Center.
We’re continuing to assess the rate of new Covid-19 cases and hope to reschedule our Vendor Market sometime in Spring 2021. If you were planning to pick up your Thank You Gifts at the market we will be in touch with you soon.
We are deeply sorry for this inconvenience, but feel it’s necessary for the health of our staff, vendors, and community.
Until we can see you at RAC again, we look forward to keeping in touch through our online happenings, and wish you and your loved ones a safe holiday weekend.
Richmond Art Center is participating in Giving Tuesday on December 1! This one-day national fundraising event aims to inspire people, like you, to donate to the nonprofits you love.
Please consider making a contribution to our End-of-Year Appeal. Ways you can support RAC:
Thank you for your contributions. Your support keeps us going!
What is Giving Tuesday? GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past seven years, it has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. www.givingtuesday.org
Holiday Arts Festival | Thank You! | Unity and Community | Online Art Classes in December
Holiday Arts Festival
Online and In Person Arts and Crafts Festival The Holiday Arts Festival returns in 2020 with a hybrid online and curbside event! Click on the links below to view the event schedule and artist listings.
Ceramics Sale and Curbside Market richmondartcenter.org/haf/curbside Richmond Art Center – Outdoor Courtyard, 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond Friday, Saturday, Sunday, December 4, 5 and 6, 11:00am – 3:00pm Arts and Crafts Hub richmondartcenter.org/haf/online November 9 – December 31 (Artists, there’s still time to list your work! Click here to join before the deadline tomorrow, 11/20, 11:59PM!)
Thank you for being part of Richmond Art Center’s creative community. Click the link below to see some of the great gifts – like this t-shirt designed by Shannon Abac – we are saying ‘thank you!’ with for our End-of-Year Appeal.
Enjoy this coloring sheet created by Liberación Gráfica! Liberación Gráfica is a collective from Richmond composed of artists, educators, and community members that create work to uplift social justice, the Richmond community, and young people’s voices. Follow the group on Instagram @Liberacion_Grafica
Tejeremos un par de pantuflas al estilo que mi abuela me enseñó, usando puntadas básicas. Con este proyecto tendrás un buen regalo para las fiestas. Esta clase será en español.
Edades 10-16 | Sábados, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm, Dec 12 – Dec 19, 2020
Thank you for being part of Richmond Art Center’s creative community. For nearly 85 years Richmond Art Center has been sharing art classes, events and exhibitions in Richmond, CA. But this year has been one of the most challenging times in our history; the Covid-19 pandemic turned our world upside-down, while the uprising for Black lives and racial justice called us to take time for internal reckoning.
We have moved forward with new ways of working, new partnerships and new projects. (See below some highlights for 2020.) But despite our successes Richmond Art Center took a serious financial hit with the temporary closure of our facility, and in October we had to reduce staff by 50%. Economic hardships, fires and smoke, and a stressful election have compounded challenges for our staff, volunteers, students and community. But through all this, it is art and creativity that have allowed us to find ways to come together, to heal, and to imagine.
Your donation, whatever the amount, will support our efforts to sustain our current activities, develop more remote programming, and remain poised to resume all of our programs once we reopen our facility.
In appreciation of your support, and in celebration of our 58th Annual Holiday Arts Festival, WE HAVE THANK YOU GIFTS! CLICK HERE to visit our website to see the cool and creative thank you gifts on offer.
Commission Art Lives Here; paid seven local artists to create new work that responds to the isolation of shelter-in-place and find ways to connect with community
Artists share art-centered practices to ground and refresh during stressful times.
At Richmond Art Center we’ve been thinking a lot about the upcoming 2020 election; how the lead up to it and aftermath are going to be stressful for so many people. To encourage folk to look after themselves during this time we’ve invited artists to share some simple ideas and reflections on the theme of creativity and self-care.
Please enjoy the Creative Self-Care series. Five videos will be released 1 by 1 as we head towards Election Day; accessible here on our website and social media. Follow us on Instagram: @richmondartcenter, Facebook: @richmondartcenter and YouTube and, if you feel inspired, share your own stories of creative self-care! #creativeselfcare #richmondartcenter