Fall Family Day:
Saturday, October 28
12:30pm to 3:00pm
Free!
The annual celebration welcoming family, honoring Dia del los Muertos through artmaking activities, and sharing a Community Altar takes place on Saturday, October 28, 2017.
The Richmond Art Center once again offers its popular Fall event, Fall Family Day, welcoming the community to this all-ages, free event to make art and celebrate family with a special Community Altar. The event will take place at the Richmond Art Center, located in Civic Center Plaza, 2540 Barrett Avenue, in Richmond from 12:30 to 3:00pm on Saturday, October 28. The Exhibition galleries will also be open to visitors, to experience the current Fall collections, which include Joan Brown: In Living Color; Earth, Wind, and Fire; and Pogo Park.
The planned artmaking activities are free, and children under 12 should be accompanied by an adult. The day’s activities include:
Little Piñatas with Isaías D. Rodríguez, the Little Piñata Maker
A piñata is a container often made of papier-mâché, pottery, or cloth; it is decorated, and filled with small toys or candy, or both, and then broken as part of a ceremony or celebration. According to local records, the Mexican piñata tradition began in the town of Acolman, just north of Mexico City, where piñatas were introduced for catechism purposes as well as to co-opt the Huitzilopochtli ceremony. Today, the piñata is still part of Mexican culture, the cultures of other countries in Latin America, as well as the United States.
Metal Nichos/Milagros with Malena Lopez-Maggi
Nicho art originated as a popular adaptation of the Roman Catholic retablo tradition of painting patron saints on wood or tin. Unlike the large, flat panels of retablo, nichos are small and built in shadow box style. Common structural conventions include hinged doors, carved borders, and multiple panels. Within the box there is a key object or central figure for whose honor or memory the nicho has been created. Nichos are usually painted with striking colors and are decorated with all variety of images and objects from religious and popular culture, especially depictions of the Virgin Mary, saints, the sacred heart, figures from loteria, Dia de los Muertos characters and objects, and folk heroes. They can act as shrines, protection, or devotional objects.
Paper Flowers with Lisa di Prima
Why marigolds? It is believed that the spirits of the dead visit the living during the celebration. Marigolds guide the spirits to their altars using their vibrant colors and scent. Marigolds, or flowers in general, also represent the fragility of life.
Community Altar
Building a Dia de los Muertos altar is an important part of celebrating Mexico’s most famous holiday, Day of the Dead. Traditionally, families will build altars in their homes during the weeks leading up to November 1st, as a way to celebrate and remember loved ones who have passed to the other side.
Together we will remember our loved ones and those who are no longer with us, in creating a Community Altar. We invite you to be a part of the Richmond Art Center’s Community Altar, please bring pictures, objects, fabrics or an altar offering. Items should be limited 16 inches or less and no flames/candles will be lit. All items for the altar must be properly labeled with your first name, last name and phone number. Drop off for the Community Altar is between Tuesday, October 24 and Friday, October 27, 9am-5pm, to the Studio Education Office. All items should be picked up by Friday, November 3. Questions? Call the Education Office at 510.620.1245.
Screen Printing Bags with Joyce Shon
Have fun learning the basics of screenprinting on fabric with our longtime teaching artist Joyce Shon.
Our hearts are with all of those affected by the tragic, ongoing fires in the North Bay and all that has been lost.
One of our extended RAC family, artist Clifford Rainey, lost his home and his studio in the fire. Here he is, standing in front of one of his pieces currently on display in our Fall Exhibition: Earth, Wind, and Fire. This large glass installation is titled “No Man Is an Island.” The very works in this current show address, investigate, and reflect a vision of the environment, nature, and human nature as played out in an ecology of imminent concern.
Please join us in helping Clifford overcome this tragic loss. We are donating our exhibition proceeds this Fall to him. Please visit our touching and relevant exhibition, and leave some money for him in the donation box. Our galleries are open Tuesday through Saturday, from 10am to 5pm.
Join us in building a Dia de los Muertos altar for Fall Family Day! These altars are an important part of celebrating Mexico’s most famous holiday, Day of the Dead. Traditionally, families will build altars in their homes during the weeks leading up to November 1st, as a way to celebrate and remember loved ones who have passed to the other side.
Together we will remember our loved ones and those who are no longer with us, in creating a Community Altar. We invite you to be a part of the Richmond Art Center’s Community Altar, please bring pictures, objects, fabrics or an altar offering. Items should be limited 16 inches or less and no flames/candles will be lit. All items for the altar must be properly labeled with your first name, last name and phone number. Drop off for the Community Altar is between Tuesday, October 24 and Friday, October 27, 9am-5pm, to the Studio Education Office. All items should be picked up by Friday, November 3. Questions? Call the Education Office at 510.620.1245.
For more information about Fall Family Day, please check our Events Page: https://richmondartcenter.org/event/fall-family-day/
Image: Altar by Albessa V Blythe, also known as La Artista Vargas.
These past four weeks of Summer Art Camp for kids has been a blast. We loved providing creative learning and making environments for children 5 to 14. Our thanks go out to all of the children, parents, staff, teaching artists and volunteers who made this year’s camp offerings our best yet.
Here’s a taste of summer from some of our fun classes. We look forward to welcoming your children back next summer!
Position: Human Resources Manager Part-time, non-exempt position Flexible work schedule
Supervisor: Executive Director
Overview/ Essential Duties:
The Human Resources Manager is responsible for the oversight of Human Resources administrative functions and takes the lead in fostering a work environment that supports all staff individually and as members of the Art Center team. The HR Manager helps promote high employee morale through fostering an environment of respect, teamwork, and professionalism.
Responsibilities:
Promote an organizational culture that fosters cooperation, communication, teamwork and trust
Lead regular review of Art Center’s human resources policies, procedures and practices.
Oversee annual performance evaluation process and support professional development planning for all employees.
Develop and foster an environment to maximize employee growth and retention
Work with Operations Manager in employee recruitment process to interview stage in coordination with the supervisor for the posted position.
Work with Finance Director and Operations Manager in overseeing new employee orientations to ensure that new employees understand established policies and procedures.
Oversee sexual harassment prevention training.
Ensure all HR postings and notifications are in accordance with the law
Provide mediation and conflict resolution for Art Center employees; Partner with supervisors to resolve employee conflicts and situations in a timely and thorough manner
Qualifications:
BA/BS degree with a minimum of 3-5 years of experience in responsible HR, in nonprofit organizations or equivalent education and experience
Strong background, and training in Human Resources management, including current knowledge labor law and HR protocol
Outstanding interpersonal communication and mediation skills within a cross-cultural and intergenerational environment
Excellent oral and written communication skills
Strong organizational skills, ability to coordinate and prioritize activities with attention to detail and independent follow through.
Intermediate to advanced Excel and Word skills.
Comfortable using the Google Suite (Docs, Sheets & File Share)
About the Richmond Art Center:
A non-profit organization, the Richmond Art Center has provided 80 years of excellence in arts education and exhibitions for the East Bay region. The Art Center’s mission is to be a dynamic arts organization that empowers and transforms individuals and the community through creative exploration, experience and education. The largest Art Center in the East Bay, the 1951 vintage modern facility is part of Richmond’s Civic Center Plaza and receives partial funding from the City of Richmond. The Art Center offers one of the most extensive schedules of exhibitions and art instruction programs in the East Bay, presenting 14 to 16 exhibitions in four galleries and providing 50-60 art classes and workshops in six studios four times a year to 450-500 students each quarter, ages 5 and up of all skill levels. In addition, the Art Center reestablished its Art in the Community program in 2012, providing after school art experiences to schools and various community centers, engaging nearly 1700 underserved student age children. The Art Center has over 600 members, 100 volunteers, 11 full-time and four part-time staff. The Center has an operating budget of just over $1.3 million. To apply, please submit the following materials via email: Resume and a cover letter introducing yourself, stating how your work experience qualifies you for this position, how this opportunity supports your career goals, and specifying experience you have had in a role that cultivates a positive and collaborative workplace culture. Also include the names and contact information for three professional references. Open until filled. Send all materials to jobsapp@therac.org
Compensation & Benefits: 10-14 hours a week $32-$35 per hour DOE, includes prorated vacation, sick, and holidays The Richmond Art Center is an equal opportunity employer, values diversity and respects differences.
Principals only. Recruiters please don’t contact this job poster.
Do NOT contact us with unsolicited services or offers
The Richmond Art Center is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. The Board, which is elected by our members, is responsible for the organization’s financial health and achievement of its mission. Board members serve a three-year term.
We’d like to offer our deepest thanks and recognition to four of our Board members, who have given so much to the Richmond Art Center during their tenure. We are greatly in the debt of gratitude to the following people, who have made important and lasting contributions to the Art Center, our community, and our staff:
Anna Blackman
Anna retired as the deputy superintendent of West Contra Costa Unified School District in 2000 after a long career in Richmond Unified and WCCUSD. She has since mentored and supervised student teachers and worked as a teaching performance assessor. Anna served on the board of the Richmond Art Center in the 1990s.
Matt D. Jacobson
Matt is the managing partner of Jacobs & Company, an investment management firm. He began working there in 1979 as an Associate and became a partner in 1987. Before joining Jacobs & Company, Matt was a reporter and feature writer for the Richmond Independent/Berkeley Daily Gazette newspapers. He earned a BA in urban economic geography from UC Berkeley. Matt lives in Richmond. His mother is a long-time supporter of the Richmond Art Center where Matt regularly visited in his youth.
Ellengale Toki Oakley
Ellengale grew up in a local family of artists with Leslie Ceramics as the family business. She and her brothers spent much of their childhood connected to the Art Center. Her mother served on the board. One of her brothers served as board president. Ellengale’s husband, Owen, is a Richmond Art Center student. Ellengale has volunteered as a court-appointed special advocate for foster children. She earned a PhD in early childhood math education and a BA and MA from UC Berkeley.
Susan Wittenberg
Susan has a long history of working to improve the education and well being of West Contra Costa County children. She was founding executive director of the West Contra Costa Public Education Fund (Ed Fund) for 25 years, founding member of the Building Blocks for Kids (BBK) Collaborative and served as an alternate commissioner on the Contra Costa County First 5 Commission. She has designed and managed programs and raised millions of dollars to provide services and meet the needs of children throughout the county.
And welcoming our newest Board members…
At the annual RAC members meeting on June 10, five new members were voted in to serve their first three-year term, effective July 1. We’d like to welcome Sarah Antonich, Phil Linhares, Karen McKeown, Steve Nomura, and Hertha Sweet Wong. You can read their bios here.
“Thirty-three years ago, I was hired to teach the children’s Saturday classes at the Richmond Art Center because the current teacher was moving to Bali. I was very happy to get the job (but so wished I could visit Bali, too)!
After 33 years, here I am… teaching the children of many of my former students.
May the great Richmond Art Center go on forever.”
The Richmond Art Center is fortunate to have gifted, dedicated, and experienced teaching artists like Lisa DiPrima, who work with our youngest students who come through our Art in the Community and Studio Education programs each year.
Your commitment to supporting our ongoing efforts to bring art to thousands of people each year through our education programs is incredibly valued. Please help us end our fiscal year with a splash, by making a donation to the Art Center today.
On June 9, the Mathieu Court Alley Play Street Dedication project ribbon-cutting took place, honoring and celebrating the collaboration between the City of Richmond, Richmond Art Center’s Art in the Community program, The Trust for Public Land, Pogo Park and the Iron Triangle Neighborhood Council.
The Play Street, a 640-foot-long stretch of Mathieu Court Alley between Barrett and Ripley Avenues. was a grant recipient of Kaboom!, a nonprofit that works with communities to transform neighborhood spaces like laundromats, sidewalks or bus stops into “stimulating, creative outlets for play.” Richmond was one of 50 winners out of more than 1,000 applicants nationwide to win the grant, and Richmond Art Center was a proud partner in this community effort.
The local neighbors were a crucial part of helping to design the play street. We’re especially grateful to the students of Peres Elementary School, who were instrumental in creating the art and structures in the Play Street!
Jeremy is an event organizer disguised as an art curator. He holds a BA in Communications from Seattle University and a Master of Art Curating from the University of Sydney, Australia. Jeremy’s docent training in Seattle led him to pursue a career planning art exhibitions and tours for audiences including seniors, adults and youth groups. In addition, his event planning experience obtained working as a caterer, concierge, and leasing agent gave him the ability to manage volunteer operations and develop collaborative fundraisers for arts-based non-profits. Jeremy’s favorite art activities include collaging and making artwork from found objects.
What do you find most inspiring about the Richmond Art Center?
What inspires me most about Richmond Art Center is its history as a WPA project. Taking into consideration the vast community of local artists and highlighting their successes (globally and locally) marks the city of Richmond as a significant destination for the development of Bay Area artists. I find it inspiring that we are not a blockbuster institution. RAC is a people’s gallery.
Tell us about the Volunteer Program. What are the most important things we should know about it?
The Volunteer Program at the Richmond Art Center is a great way to get involved! Volunteers can apply their hours to discounts on art classes or develop skills and build their resumes. Most importantly, volunteering is a way to meet other community members and donate your time to a great local cause. It’s an opportunity to give back to your Bay Area community!
What is your vision for the Volunteer Program?
Volunteers at the Richmond Art Center can now sign-up online! My vision for volunteerism at the Richmond Art Center is to make getting involved easier using the new iVolunteer.com platform. Another significant objective I have as the Volunteer Coordinator is to help volunteers discover something they’re good at while volunteering. I want to enhance the experience of volunteering because I believe people are more productive when they feel like they’re making a difference.
Who are your inspirations?
I’m really inspired by artist groups & collectives, one in particular is a group of sound artists called Postcommodity called ‘Do You Remember When? – 2012’. I was inspired by their work at the 18th Biennale of Sydney at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
What’s on your bucket list?
I don’t have an actual bucket list – I am slightly superstitious and I love writing lists so the thought of getting satisfaction of crossing everything off that list feels a bit scary. I’m not a major thrill-seeker. As for things I have already crossed off, David Bowie would be most significant.
If you could meet one artist, living or not, who would it be and why?
Given the privilege to communicate with a legend (and the dead), I would say Keith Haring. Before Banksy, Haring reached many people without using technology to become well known.
What’s the best way for people to be in touch with you about volunteering, or to learn more?
The best way to reach me about volunteer opportunities at the Richmond Art Center is either by phone at 510.620.6778 or by email at jeremy@richmondartcenter.org. Another way to browse current volunteer opportunities at the Richmond Art Center would be to visit: http://richmondartcenter.ivolunteer.com/
Fall Family Day:
A piñata is a container often made of papier-mâché, pottery, or cloth; it is decorated, and filled with small toys or candy, or both, and then broken as part of a ceremony or celebration. According to local records, the Mexican piñata tradition began in the town of Acolman, just north of Mexico City, where piñatas were introduced for catechism purposes as well as to co-opt the Huitzilopochtli ceremony. Today, the piñata is still part of Mexican culture, the cultures of other countries in Latin America, as well as the United States.
Building a Dia de los Muertos altar is an important part of celebrating Mexico’s most famous holiday, Day of the Dead. Traditionally, families will build altars in their homes during the weeks leading up to November 1st, as a way to celebrate and remember loved ones who have passed to the other side.
Our hearts are with all of those affected by the tragic, ongoing fires in the North Bay and all that has been lost.
Join us in building a Dia de los Muertos altar for 
Anna Blackman
Jeremy is an event organizer disguised as an art curator. He holds a BA in Communications from Seattle University and a Master of Art Curating from the University of Sydney, Australia. Jeremy’s docent training in Seattle led him to pursue a career planning art exhibitions and tours for audiences including seniors, adults and youth groups. In addition, his event planning experience obtained working as a caterer, concierge, and leasing agent gave him the ability to manage volunteer operations and develop collaborative fundraisers for arts-based non-profits. Jeremy’s favorite art activities include collaging and making artwork from found objects.
