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.
When the Richmond Art Center lost its biggest donor last year, Executive Director José Rivera said he was worried about the future.
“Over many years, that donor contributed $100,00 annually, making him the most significant benefactor in the center’s history when considering the cumulative sum of his contribution over time,” he said. “We lost him since last year he closed out his foundation.”
For a while, it wasn’t clear how the RAC would make up that shortfall.
But things are looking brighter.
So far, the center has raised more than one-third of the $300,000 it needs to cover registration fees and tuition for 2024. In addition, it met its $30,000 scholarship goal.
The scholarships, Rivera said, allow the center to offer art classes, which attract newcomers and grow the membership. They also make classes accessible to people who could not afford to pay $40 to $50 per session.
“We are in the black now, not red,” said Rivera, who attributes the turnaround to several factors that have increased revenue and donations.
The RAC has been holding more exhibitions and partnering more with sister museums to raise visibility and draw crowds from outside of Richmond. In 2022, for example, it partnered with the SFMOMA on the exhibition “Emmy Lou Packard — Artist of Conscience.”
“We also have a good amount of returning students who want to continue taking art classes after their first quarter,” said Elaine Moreno, the center’s visitor services coordinator. “A lot of students feel comfortable and love the space, so they return, and some even take multiple classes at a time.”
In addition to classes, the center holds events in community gathering spaces like the farmers market, flea markets, and schools. The community programs are free to the public. Some are funded through partnerships or grants, said Irene Conde, the center’s education director.
The center also recently hired Kimberly Ross as public programs coordinator Her goal is to help the center reach more people.
“My priority is to expand our reach and connect directly with the people of Richmond, making the Richmond Art Center and our offerings accessible to everyone,” she said. “As a Richmond native and artist, I can achieve this goal by tapping into my network to create opportunities for program collaboration with local organizations and businesses.”
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.
In an arena where they’re often in the shadows, Black artists are creating spaces to recognize and celebrate their talent.
For the 28th year, the Richmond Art Center will present the “Art of the African Diaspora” exhibition, later this month. AOTD gives local artists of African descent a way to share their work with the community and each other.
The showcase, which will run from Jan. 24 to March 16, will feature 160 Bay Area artists working in a variety of mediums.
“You have artists who are at different stages of their career and success. This allows younger and mid-career artists to show their art,” said Stephen Bruce, a Richmond artist who chairs the steering committee.
The idea of this Black art mecca was first nurtured by the late Jan Hart-Schuyers, a revered Bay Area artist, art educator, and community organizer, according to the AOTAD website. Lauded for her many sculptures, Schuyers established a partnership with Los Angeles-born painter Rae Louise Hayward, and the two would go on to produce the first AOTAD showcase in 1997 under the name “Art of Living Black,” which featured 35 artists. Though they didn’t live to see the event’s growth, their vision was fulfilled.
But when the showcase ends each year, many of the participating artists return to a harsh reality. Since the first museums opened in America, Black people have had their likeness on display but seldom have had the chance to be recognized for their own works: a pattern noted by scholar Bridget R. Cooks in her book “Black Artists and Activism: Harlem on My Mind.”
In 2022, Julia Halperin and Charlotte Burns, who created the Burns Halperin Report to analyze representation in the art market, surveyed 31 American museums and found that African American artists were underrepresented. Work by Black female artists comprised 0.5% of acquisitions of all the museums surveyed. And of the top 20 artists, only one — Julie Mehretu from Ethiopia — was of African descent.
AOTAD seeks to give more Black artists a platform to showcase their creative skills.
“This is like our Harlem Renaissance,” artist Kelvin Curry said, referring to the Black cultural revival in the 1920s.
This season’s showcase offers variety. Illustrator Virginia Jourdan, who’s been participating since the first showcase, is displaying acrylics. She’s produced works ranging from portraits to urban landscapes, and says her work is focused on “uplifting African American images.” Jourdan said she’s grateful for a space that allows her to celebrate her craft.
“Art is very relaxing for me and something that’s innate,” Jourdan said.
Curry’s work also is featured. A multimedia artist, Curry describes his work as “figurative, abstract, and symbolic.” He incorporates African-inspired shapes and color schemes into his work.
With the showcase, Curry said, “I hope to gain new collectors and more exposure.”
Bruce, who’s participated in AOTD since the beginning like Jourdan and Curry, said that the showcase benefits Bay Area residents as much as it does the artists, giving people a chance to experience art they otherwise might not have seen. After months of planning, he is excited for opening day.
“It’s a great opportunity for people to see an array of artists in their community,” Bruce said.
More information about the exhibit is on the AOTAD website.
Artwork Pick Up: Exhibiting artists may pick up their artworks after the Closing Party event from 4pm-5:30pm. Please note, no earlier artwork pick up can be accommodated.
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.
Saturday, March 2, 11am (reception), 12pm (panel discussion)
Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA
FREE
On Saturday, March 2, a special event to share stories and reflections from the Refinery Healing Walks will be held. A reception will begin at 11am, followed by a panel discussion at 12pm. This event is free and all are welcome.
Special thanks to Mike and Tammy Little Bear for providing lunch, and David Solnit of Climate Justice Street Mural Arts Project for leading the Refinery Healing Walks patch making activity.
