We’ll be closed for the 4th of July holiday.
The Richmond Art Center will be closed from Sunday, July 2 through Tuesday, July 4. We’ll look forward to seeing you after the holiday!
Summer Fundraiser: Help Us Make Our Match!
“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.
Mathieu Court Alley Play Street Dedication
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!
Meet Jeremy, our new Volunteer & Visitor Services Coordinator
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/
Members’ Annual Meeting, Board Election, and Reception
Richmond Art Center Members’ Annual Meeting, Board Election, and Reception
Saturday, June 10, 2017, 3:00 to 4:45 pm
The Richmond Art Center’s annual members’ meeting and reception will be held at the Art Center beginning at 3:00 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to hold the election for the fiscal year 2017 – 2018 Art Center Board of Directors. During the reception, Ric Ambrose will lead a preview tour of the Annual Members’ Exhibition.
Ballots will be available at the front desk during the reception and must be submitted between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. back to the front desk of the Art Center. All members are eligible to vote. At least twenty (20) members must vote for the election to be valid.
Board President Inez Brooks-Myers will conduct the meeting, opening at 4:00 p.m. Executive Director Ric Ambrose and staff will provide up-dates on the Art Center’s accomplishments of the past year, and plans for the next year. The meeting will be followed by the public opening reception for the Summer Exhibitions at 5:00 p.m.
Agenda:
- 3:00 – 4:00 pm: Members’ Reception and Voting
- 4:00 pm: Annual meeting, Inez Brooks-Myers presiding
- 4:15 pm: Ric Ambrose and staff
- Accomplishments of the year 2016 – 2017
- Plans for year 2017 – 2018
- 4:45 pm: Announce results of vote
- 5:00 – 7:00: Public Reception and Opening of the Summer Exhibitions
Key Members Show Dates
Our annual Members Show opens on June 13.
Here are some important dates for those of you who will be showing your work.
- Deadline to Register: May 22
- Drop off of artwork: Friday, May 26 & Saturday, May 27, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Opening Reception: Saturday, June 10, 5:00 – 7:00 pm
- Last Day of Summer Exhibitions: Saturday, August 19
- Pick up of artwork: Sunday, August 20 + Monday, August 21, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Questions? Call our Front Desk at 510.620.6772.
Parent’s Press Voting—It’s That Time of Year
It’s that time of year again… Parent’s Press is holding their annual vote for the Best Of in children’s classes and camps. We’d love your help to get gold stars for 2017!
Last year we were thrilled to receive the gold in the categories for classes and camps. This year, you can vote for the Richmond Art Center in the following areas.
Classes and Enrichment Programs:
- Best Art Classes
- Best Enrichment and After-School Programs
- Best Arts and Crafts Summer Camp
Thank you for helping us gain this important recognition! Voting ends 5/31!
Parking Update for May 6
Dear Art Center visitors,
The adjacent parking lots will be closed on May 6 in the morning till early afternoon during the Cinco de Mayo parade down 23rd Street.
If you need to bring art supplies to class, please give yourself some extra time to park in the nearby neighborhood.
One Week Left to Apply for the Open House Student Vendor Sale
We have a few spaces left for our current student artists to sell their work at our upcoming Open House on April 22. Click here to learn more and apply!
To our valued Richmond Art Center community
To our valued Richmond Art Center community:
We add our voice and join with so many others who understand and value the crucial impact the arts and humanities bring to us as individuals, as members of our communities, and to our society, nationally and globally.
The proposed federal budget estimates $54 billion in domestic program cuts, which will eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the funding for afterschool programs throughout the country. These critical funds support local artists, writers, poets, historians, and nonprofit arts organizations, such as the Richmond Art Center’s Art in the Community program, making the arts accessible to underserved Richmond children and teens.
The Richmond Art Center stands with our nonprofit and cultural partners, and with citizens across our country, to support those agencies and organizations that may be impacted by this proposed budget. Our own roots at the Art Center trace back to 1936 when, with the support of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), local artist Hazel Salmi traveled the streets of Richmond with a suitcase packed with art supplies, eager to teach art to anyone interested. The value the role of the arts and humanities play in our lives, and the benefit to our larger society, cannot be discounted.
We realize that the House of Representatives and the Senate are now tasked with refining, reviewing, and approving the federal budget—a process that will span the next few months.
We will be urging our representatives in Congress to continue funding these agencies and hope that you, our dedicated and vibrant community of artists and arts enthusiasts, will lend your voices in speaking to your legislators about the vital influence, critical discourse, and positive societal impact that the arts bring to all of our lives.
Very best regards,
Ric Ambrose
Executive Director, Richmond Art Center
