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.
Richmond Art Center to host Closing Celebration on Sunday, October 8, 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
RICHMOND, CA — September 25, 2017 — The 2nd Annual Bay Area Mural Festival (BAMFest 2017) is bringing together 10 master muralists and 2 East Bay youth groups in the painting of 10 environmentally themed murals October 2-8 in Richmond, CA.
The festival will end with a Closing Celebration at Richmond Art Center Sunday, October 8, 2017 from 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm with community painting, performances by local musicians and dancers, kids activities, and bike tours of the new murals, which is free admission and open to the public. The murals will run along Macdonald Ave. in Downtown Richmond. More information on the closing celebration at www.bamfest.org.
“Hosting the closing celebration of the Bay Area Mural Festival is a wonderful opportunity to welcome new faces and old friends to the Richmond Art Center,” says Ric Ambrose, Executive Director. “We welcome the opportunity to join with other nonprofits organizations and the Richmond community, in providing local and creative arts experiences, and celebrating our local artists.”
The Bay Area Mural Festival Closing Celebration is FREE ADMISSION and family-friendly: Sunday, October 8, 2017 from 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm at the Richmond Art Center, located at 2540 Barrett Ave, Richmond, California 94804. Live Painting, Kids Activities, Mural Tours and Live music by Mistica Ancestral, Monreal Latin Jazz, PachangaMama and more!
Participating mural artists for BAMFest Richmond 2017:
Anti-eviction Mapping Project with Carla Wojczuk
Griffin One
John Wehrle
KeeNa Romano/ Agana/ Dime
Pablitosomething
R.M.Salazar
Ssali
Suaro Cervantes
Urban Aztec
Youth mural teams and leaders:
Earth Team with Malik Seneferu
Gateway To College Contra Costa College with Los Pobres Artistas Collective
Pictured: One of thirteen murals created on the Berkeley-Oakland Border for BAMFest 2016. Artist: Teo Vidaingravita. Location: 3027 Adeline St. Berkeley, CA
The 2nd Annual Bay Area Mural Festival will use the mural arts to engage East Bay youth, local Bay Area artists and the Richmond community through beautification and placemaking activities. The festival will produce 8 professional murals and 2 youth designed murals to call attention to issues of environmental degradation, pollution and climate change. The project will engage 10 local California mural artists, 8 working on their own projects and 2 as teaching artists. The teaching artists will work with local youth in Richmond in hands-on arts training activities leading to the preparation and execution of the mural festival.
“BAMFest 2017 provides employment to California muralists as well as arts training opportunities and workshops for local youth that are often battling poverty and youth joblessness. Plus, it promotes cultural diversity and opportunities to foster more community engagement in the Bay Area,” said Sarah Siskin, BAMFest’s project coordinator and a member of Bay Area mural collective Los Pobres Artistas.
“We are excited to be partnering with the Richmond Arts Center and other local organizations to have as much of a positive impact as possible for the Richmond community, as well as participating youth, artists and local businesses,” she added.
La Peña Cultural center’s Co-Directors Natalia Neira and Bianca Torres issued a joint statement: “The Bay Area Mural Festival is an extension of La Peña’s mission to create peace and social justice through accessible cultural arts, education and community action. BAMFest 2017 is an opportunity to creatively respond to a global environmental crisis with very real local effects to the air we breathe and the water we drink.”
The California Arts Council awarded $36,900 to La Peña Cultural Center to fund the 2nd annual Bay Area Mural Festival (BAMFest 2017) as part of its Creative California Communities program.
“The transformative nature of the Creative California Communities program is so powerful. It’s thrilling to see grantees use the arts and creative expression to reinvigorate spaces, and by extension, area residents and visitors,” said California Arts Council Chair Donn K. Harris. “The potential a creative placemaking project like BAMFEST 2017 has to inspire and rejuvenate a community is truly immeasurable.”
The mission of the California Arts Council, a state agency, is to advance California through the arts and creativity. The Council is committed to building public will and resources for the arts; fostering accessible arts initiatives that reflect contributions from all of California’s diverse populations; serving as a thought leader and champion for the arts; and providing effective and relevant programs and services.
Last year the California Arts Council awarded La Peña funds to create the first Bay Area Mural Festival, which created 13 new murals in the Berkeley-Oakland border. Visit the BAMFEST website to see a map of the new murals, pictures, artist bios and more: http://bamfest.org/
Picturing a Life: A discussion with former students and colleagues of artist Joan Brown. Our panelists were Bob Brokl, Phil Linhares, Hilda Robinson, and John Seed.
Three new exhibitions featuring works by Bay Area figurative artist Joan Brown, an environmentally themed group show, and a celebration of Richmond’s acclaimed Pogo Park will open to the public on September 12, 2017.
RICHMOND, CA — August 10, 2017 — The Richmond Art Center is celebrating the personal art of a Bay Area icon, and delves into studies of the environment both globally and locally this fall with three new exhibitions, opening September 12. Joan Brown: In Living Color reveals the intimate and personal in the renderings of an influential Bay Area artist who never stopped drawing. Many of the works on exhibit come from the artist’s estate and have never been shown publicly. This is the first Bay Area exhibition that focuses on Brown’s works on paper in over 20 years.
Says Director of Exhibitions Jan Wurm, “At a time when the art world was heavily focused on abstraction and formalism, Joan Brown was unique in the exploration of the personal, the domestic, and the human relationship to nature.” Wurm adds, “The core of Joan Brown’s life and experiences became the subject of her art. Brown’s quest for a visual rendering of the experiences of an evolving life was a beacon particularly for women artists and became a model for generations of artists exploring identity and place.”
Earth, Wind, and Fire showcases nine contemporary artists — Kim Anno, Chester Arnold, Harry Clewans, Paul Kos, Jenny Odell, Clifford Rainey, Abel Rodriguez, Alison Saar, Joshua Solis. Working through intimate personal works, video, and large scale installation, these artists focus on issues of self, identity, place, and relationship to nature and the environment.
“In a time of great concern for our environment, the artists who are engaged by issues and questions of habitat, ecology, and personal practice move across many platforms to create a visual dialogue,” adds Wurm. “We are proud to enable that dialogue and foster a forum for expanded possibilities.”
The exhibition Pogo Park: A New Model for Community Transformation, presented in conjunction with Pogo Park’s 10th Anniversary, showcases the vision, concept and process of the project, coupled with models, stories, and voices of the people involved in transforming little-used Richmond city park into a safe and vibrant place that sparks children’s imagination and initiative. Says Ric Ambrose, Executive Director of the Richmond Art Center, “Pogo Park is about much more than playgrounds. Its unique approach combines two distinct but interrelated strategies: child development and community development.”
The Richmond Art Center will present several talks and events over the course of the Fall exhibition schedule. For those interested in Joan Brown: In Living Color, a panel of former students and artists will share lively recollections of those who knew and worked with Brown in Picturing a Life, on Saturday, September 23 at 2 pm. Printing Joan Brown, a presentation given by Don Farnsworth of Magnolia Editions on Saturday, October 21 at 2 pm, will examine the process of working with Joan Brown on Golden Gate.
On Saturday, October 14 at 2 pm, Picturing the Environment will feature artists exhibiting in the exhibition Earth Wind, and Fire, discussing working with identity and personal commitment to the environment.
The Opening Reception for the Fall exhibitions will take place on Saturday, September 9, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. This event is free and all are welcome.
For more information about the Fall exhibitions, programming, and other events, please visit the Richmond Art Center’s website: https://richmondartcenter.org. All events and exhibitions are free and open to the public.
Images:
Joan Brown, Model with Foot on Table, 1973, Acrylic, graphite, and ink on paper, Estate of Joan Brown courtesy Anglim Gilbert Gallery, San Francisco
Chester Arnold, Histories, Oil on linen, 2010
For the past two years, The Richmond Art Center has worked in partnership with the 23rd Street Peace and Unity Cinco De Mayo Parade Float Committee, Richmond High School and Latina Center Staff, and RAC teaching artists. Generously funded by the San Pablo Koshland Fellows, in this 10-week project, teaching artists and each facilitated an intergenerational Cinco De Mayo Parade Float Design and Build class for parents and children that culminated in two distinct large-scale installations mounted on flatbed trucks that were a part of the Peace and Unity Parade on May 7, 2017.
Videographer Lydia Neri documented the process and parade, featuring our students and staff.
Works from Private Collections and the Estate of JoanBrown Featured This Fall at the Richmond Art Center
A new exhibition, JoanBrown: In Living Color, reveals the intimate and personal of a supportive and influential teacher to a generation of artists.
RICHMOND, CA — July 20, 2017 — JoanBrown: In Living Color reveals the intimate and personal in the renderings of an artist who never stopped drawing. Any piece of paper could be taken to record the every day: a child, a cat, a dream, or a view of oneself. Many of these works come from the artist’s estate and have never been exhibited publicly. This is the first Bay Area exhibition that focuses on Brown’s works on paper in over 20 years.
On display in the Richmond Art Center’s South Gallery from September 12 – November 18, 2017, this exhibition of works on paper reflects Brown’s bold originality. Focused on her personal iconography, Brown pursued individual values and a commitment to humanism. Her work served to catalyze artists in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the impact of her work continues: for artists, educators, and collectors in the Bay Area and beyond. Her works have continued to inspire younger artists and enrich the lives of collectors today.
Says Director of Exhibitions Jan Wurm, “At a time when the art world was heavily focused on abstraction and formalism, JoanBrown was unique in the exploration of the personal, the domestic, and the human relationship to nature.” Wurm adds, “The core of JoanBrown‘s life and experiences became the subject of her art. Brown’s quest for a visual rendering of the experiences of an evolving life was a beacon particularly for women artists and became a model for generations of artists exploring identity and place.”
The Opening Reception for JoanBrown: In Living Color will take place on Saturday, September 9, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm and is free and open to the public. In conjunction with the exhibition, the Art Center is also publishing a fully illustrated catalogue, available for purchase.
Two events planned in to coincide with this exhibition include Picturing a Life, featuring a panel of artists, former students, and those who worked with JoanBrown on Saturday, September 23 at 2:00 pm, and Printing JoanBrown, a presentation by Don Farnsworth of Magnolia Editions, who will discuss the working process of JoanBrown on Saturday, October 21 at 2:00 pm.
For more information about the Fall exhibitions, programming, and events, please visit the Richmond Art Center’s website: https://richmondartcenter.org All events and exhibitions are free and open to the public.
Images: JoanBrown, Model with Foot on Table, Acrylic, graphite, and ink on paper, 1973, Estate of JoanBrown courtesy Anglim Gilbert Gallery, San Francisco
JoanBrown, Head of Jay DeFeo, Ink on paper, 1958, Estate of JoanBrowncourtesy Anglim Gilbert Gallery, San Francisco
About the Richmond Art Center:
The Richmond Art Center is the largest visual arts center in the East Bay, delivering exciting arts experiences to young and old alike who reflect the diverse richness of our community. The Art Center features hands-on learning, well-equipped studios, Art in the Community programs and contemporary exhibitions in its galleries.
Every year, the Richmond Art Center serves thousands of students through classes and programs taught by professional artists, both onsite at the Art Center and at sites throughout Richmond. The Art Center’s four galleries mount rotating exhibitions that display the works of emerging and established Bay Area artists. Artists such as Richard Diebenkorn, Richard Misrach, Wanxin Zhang, Mildred Howard, Bella Feldman, Hung Liu, William Wiley, June Schwartz, and David Park have been showcased here.
The Richmond Art Center originated in 1936, when local artist Hazel Salmi, who worked for the WPA, traversed the streets of Richmond with a suitcase packed with art supplies, eager to teach art to anyone interested. Today, everything at the Art Center continues to breathe life into Salmi’s original vision: That within every person lives an artist.
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
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 
“Hosting the closing celebration of the Bay Area Mural Festival is a wonderful opportunity to welcome new faces and old friends to the Richmond Art Center,” says Ric Ambrose, Executive Director. “We welcome the opportunity to join with other nonprofits organizations and the Richmond community, in providing local and creative arts experiences, and celebrating our local artists.”
