Art of the African Diaspora Artistic Achievement Award Winners Announced
Every year three Art of the African Diaspora artists receive Artistic Achievement Awards to have their work featured at Richmond Art Center. This year at the opening reception for the exhibition the 2024 awardees were announced: Carrie Lee McClish, Deborah Butler and Kim Champion. Congratulations to these three artists!
Don’t forget to check out the work by last year’s winners – John Broussard, Valerie Brown-Troutt, and Stacy Mootoo – currently on view in the West Gallery.
Top image (l-r): Carrie Lee McClish, Deborah Butler and Kim Champion
Richmond Art Center staff are deeply saddened by the news of artist Hilda Robinson passing on December 27, 2023. Hilda was a joyful presence at so many Richmond Art Center exhibitions and events. She will be deeply missed.
Hilda Robinson was a beloved artist whose vivid pastels captured joy, love of family, and community in celebrations of life. Hilda grew up in Philadelphia and as a young adult studied painting at the Tyler School of Fine Arts at Temple University. She later completed her BA and MA studies in art at UC Berkeley.
“My mom was a quiet, humble observer who enjoyed her life to the fullest, while documenting each moment in sketch books that later became paintings,” says her daughter Ramona. “She wanted the observers of her art to know her story, and that of her family, while also being reminded of their stories, their families, their friends, the people they admire, the places where they grew up, and the places where they currently live.”
Hilda Robinson was one of the longest participating artists in The Art of Living Black/Art of the African Diaspora. She was deeply connected to the founders and would fondly recall her friendship with Rae Louise Hayward. In 2000, Hilda received the Jan Hart Schuyers Award for Artistic Achievement, and had her work featured in The Art of Living Black in 2001.
Hilda’s artwork has garnered national acclaim, with exhibitions at prestigious galleries like J. Latham Gallery in New York, New York, and a solo show at Art Vision in South Bend, Indiana to name a few. She was also very generous in sharing her artwork in her community at local art institutions and galleries. In 2013, Hilda presented a solo exhibition featuring illustrations from her children’s book, “Didn’t We Have Fun!,” at Richmond Art Center. Her diverse portfolio now resides in both private and public collections, adorning numerous locations throughout the nation. Notably, her creations hold a significant presence in the Alameda County Arts Commission’s Public Art Collection and were recently showcased in The de Young Museum Open 2023.
Hilda was beloved in this community and her vivacious enthusiasm for art and life will be missed, but her beautiful artwork will continue to inspire us all.
We did it! With support from you and you and you, we’re happy to announce that we reached our End-of-Year Appeal fundraising goal and raised over $100,000.
Thank you to everyone who contributed.* We couldn’t do it without you!
Onwards 2024!
*Thank you gifts can be picked up from RAC on January 19 or 20, from 11am to 3pm.
This colorful pin depicts Andrée Singer Thompson’s preparatory sketch for her epic sculpture, ‘Guillermo the Golden Trout’. Wear it & show your big fish pride!
500 available
Donation Level 2: $60
Water Bottle
This large stainless bolt bottle (24 oz.) speaks the truth for all RAC students: “I make my art in Richmond”. The perfect accessory to take to your next art class.
60 available
Donation Level 3: $100
T-Shirt & Guillermo Pin
RAC t-shirt with design by Shannon Abac. 100% cotton. Sizes S-2XL available. Soft & lightweight. Style it with a Guillermo Pin!
75 available
Donation Level 4: $300
Moleskin Sketchbook, Tote & Pencil
RAC Moleskine sketchbook (Black, 8.25″ x 5″) and pencil. Plus a tote (with design by Francisco Rojas) to keep them in! The perfect portable package for capturing sketches in the studio or on the move.
A MESSAGE FROM RAC’S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & BOARD PRESIDENT
Hello Friends,
We ❤️❤️❤️ sharing art classes, exhibitions and community events with you!
But do you also know about Richmond Art Center’s other programs, such as mentorship art classes for teens, bilingual artist residencies in schools, free art tours, and low-or-no cost summer art camps? These more behind-the-scenes programs are designed to be community-responsive and accessible to folks with limited opportunities to make and engage with art.
We need your help to continue this work. For the second year in a row, Richmond Art Center’s total donations are lower by over $100,000; money that could cover over 300 class scholarships, or provide 20 free afterschool classes at Richmond public schools. While we are always cautiously optimistic our programs won’t be impacted, we are watching our pennies and running with a reduced staff team. But we cannot do this forever.
Please help us keep art for everyone! Can you donate to our Annual Fund to keep these programs rolling forward in 2024?CLICK HERE to learn about some of our achievements this year, and CLICK HERE to see the thank you gifts we have for donors to our end-of-year appeal.
Your contribution – any amount – will support education programs and community outreach continuing next year. CLICK HERE to make your donation online. Or if you prefer, mail a check to Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804.
Please support Richmond Art Center this giving season.
On Saturday we celebrated Indigenous Nations across the Americas at our annual Fall Family Day event. Hundreds of folk came to Richmond Art Center – in Huichun, the unceded territory of the Lisjan-Ohlone people – to make art, share in community, and honor the contributions and culture of Indigenous people.
Thanks to all our partners, artists and participants who made this event so much fun!
Special Thanks: Luis Garcia, Native American Health Center, Andrés Cisneros-Galindo, Tiffany Conway, Anne Wolf and Lisa Levine, DJ Freddie, UC Master Gardener Program, Tamales Tamazula
RAC Receives Special Recognition from the State of California
Adrianna Jackson, District Director for Senator Nancy Skinner, visited us recently to present Richmond Art Center with a Certificate of Recognition for our Greenhouse Live Youth Art Showcase.
We’re so proud to receive this commendation!
Image above: Stu212 founders, Jeremy Phillips and Ron Armstrong Jr, Adrianna Jackson, and RAC’s executive director, José Rivera.
Richmond Art Center is proud to announce we recently received a Community Ties Giving Program grant from Union Pacific Railroad! 100% of grant funds will support needs-based Art Boost scholarships for children, teens and adults to enroll in classes for free.
Thank you Union Pacific for helping us continue to keep art accessible in our community!
Image: RAC’s executive director José R. Rivera with Union Pacific Railroad’s Peggy Ygbuhay
Greenhouse LIVE, on Friday, September 22, was an amazing evening of music, poetry, dance and art! We also launched Richmond Art Center’s new mural, “Epic Struggle / Battle Royal”.
Thanks to all of the amazing artists for gracing us with your talents:
Spoken Word: Rozell the Bard @rozellthebard; Anizha aka Spoken Soul @its.anizhas.world; Tajanique Bell, and special guest Donté Clark @donblak Music: Lai’Jhon Hawkins @laijhonhawkins Dance: Auseon Wakefield Visual Art: Belle Garcia
S.P.O.T.S Mural: Martin Cabrales, Yahir Garcia, Mariella Gutiérrez, Israel Macedo, Jonathan Paz Pureco, Carlos Poblano, Giselle Reyes, Sebastian Vela (and program lead artists Keena Romano @lamakina510 and Fredericko Alvarado @frederickoalvarado)
Thank you to City of Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez @richmondmayoreduardo and Adrianna Jackson, District Director for Senator Nancy Skinner @senatorskinner for attending and your continued support of the youth in our community.
Thanks to Stu212 @stu212 for your partnership, hard work and dedication to this event.
Finally, thanks to everyone who showed up in support of Greenhouse Live!
Event Date: Sunday, December 3, 10am-5pm Vendor Application Deadline: Monday, October 2, 11:59pm
Local artists, artisans, and makers are invited to apply to sell their work at the Holiday Arts Festival. This shop-local event is a great way to expose your work to an audience of 1,000+ who appreciate hand-crafted gifts.
There is no application fee and first-time vendors to the festival are encouraged to participate.
Special Thanks: Luis Garcia, Native American Health Center, Andrés Cisneros-Galindo, Tiffany Conway, Anne Wolf and Lisa Levine, DJ Freddie, UC Master Gardener Program, Tamales Tamazula 
