“The Richmond Art Center’s Right Here, Right Now, Richmond is evidence of the city’s cultural breadth and of the art center’s role as a sake haven in the art workspace-starved Bay Area.”
Our Spring Exhibition, Mapping the Uncharted, was recently the subject of an essay by Bay Area curator and professor John Zarobell. Excerpted from his essay, “Seeing Power Through the Map,” in this month’s edition of Art Practical:
The impulse of showing the state of the world through visual means is what maps accomplish even as the world we inhabit becomes ever-more virtual, and the tentacles of power increasingly opaque. Once a document of conquest, the map recreates the spaces that the mind traverses and occupies, creating networks for later exploration. As a means of representation, maps are reimagined and critiqued by artists in these two exhibitions and the underlying authority of maps is renegotiated. Viewers must make sense of each of these artistic maps and, in so doing, find their way in the world. Everyone is subject to power, but these maps help one to see through it.
John Zarobell is Assistant Professor and Undergraduate Director of International Studies at the University of San Francisco. Formerly, he held the positions of assistant curator at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and associate curator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He is a regular contributor to the San Francisco Art Quarterly (SFAQ) and the online journal Art Practical, has written for numerous exhibition catalogues and has published in Art History, Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide, and the Berkeley Review of Latin-American Studies. His first book, Empire of Landscape, was published in 2010 and his next, Art and the Global Economy, will be published by University of California Press in April 2017.
Thanks to the Richmond Standard for this great recap of our 2016 Holiday Arts Festival! “The Richmond Art Center (RAC) hosted the 54th edition of their popular Holiday Arts Fest on Sunday, and a bustling turnout enjoyed the 50-plus artisan vendors, engaging make-your-own-art tables and some tasty food offerings.”
Read the rest of the article here: http://richmondstandard.com/2016/12/richmond-art-centers-54th-holiday-arts-fest-draws-crowd/
Starting off an exciting weekend with a highlight from KQED Arts’ The Do List:
Sept. 23-Nov. 12: Another 80th birthday now, this time for one of the Bay Area’s best and most innovative art centers. The Richmond Art Center celebrates with the show Making Our Mark by some of the great artists who’ve shown there, and their students, featuring work by Hung Liu, Christopher Brown, Squeak Carnwath, Enrique Chagoya, William T. Wiley, and more. This evening the RAC celebrates its role teaching art to thousands of local school kids, with a Back to School Community Celebration with art-making and food. Tomorrow the Del Sol Quartetplays music by Terry Riley at 2pm — just ten bucks for that. Details for the gallery show and other goodies are here.
From the article: “The Richmond Art Center celebrated its 80th anniversary last Saturday with the opening of “Making Our Mark and Making New Paths,” an exhibit that builds a family tree of artists and their mentees. The show includes work by 14 artists who jumpstarted their careers by showing work at RAC, alongside pieces by younger artists they have mentored and believed in.
“Making Our Mark and Making New Paths” was inspired by RAC’s mission, which is to give voice to new artists and open the galleries to new visions, said curator Jan Wurm. The idea behind the show was to “reflect the Richmond Art Center as a place where young artists could both show their work and find support as they grow into the different phases of their artistic, creative lives,” she said.”
Making Our Mark and Marking New Paths are on view in our galleries Tuesdays through Saturdays, free of charge. We invite you to visit this inspiring and important collection soon.
SFArts.org had a wonderful endorsement. This is what SF/Arts curator Christian L. Frock had to say about Making Our Mark:
“Making Our Mark and Marking New Paths were organized in celebration of the Richmond Art Center’s 80th anniversary this year. It represents an artists list for the ages to celebrate one of the Bay Area’s longest running alternative nonprofit art spaces and features some 28 participants including Squeak Carnwath, Enrique Chagoya, Mildred Howard, Hung Liu, James Melchert, Richard Misrach.”
The Art Center also has a very special partnership this season with the Del Sol String Quartet, who returns to our galleries for three events pairing art and music with workshops for local students. The residency by the Del Sol String Quartet, organized in partnership with the Richmond Art Center, has been made possible with support from Chamber Music America through its Residency Endowment Fund.
Images left to right: Wanxin Zhang, Deborah Oropallo, Hung Liu
The East Bay Monthly has a feature article on our current exhibition David Park: Personal Perspectives! The article by Lou Fancher gives a deeper personal portrait of Park’s history and his entry into the Figurative Art movement. You can read the entire article online here if you’re not able to pick up a copy.
This unique exhibition is in our gallery until May 23, so please plan on visiting us soon and attending the closing reception on May 22.
The video from our recent event David Park: A Personal Point of View, featuring a presentation by Park’s daughter Helen, gives a family oriented perspective of the artist..