Our new President of the Board of Directors, Inez Brooks-Myers, reflects on her personal history with the Richmond Art Center. Click here to learn more about our Board and the people who provide governance of the Art Center.
Inez in our Weaving Studio. Inez is passionate about textiles!
My mother, Hattiemay, loved the Richmond Art Center. After she retired, she volunteered on Friday mornings, answering the telephone, taking messages and greeting Art Center guests. My father, Ed, was president of the Richmond Civic Music Association, bringing artists like Robert Merrill and the Vienna Boys Choir to perform in Richmond. My parents set an example of volunteer civic service.
The Richmond Art Center has been important to me since I was a student at Lincoln Grammar School. I went to the Art Center, located above a garage on 9th Street, just behind the Macdonald Avenue branch of the Mechanics Bank. Hazel Salmi worked with my Girl Scout Troop, helping us to qualify for badge work.
In 1951 I was excited to attend the dedication of the new Richmond Civic Center, where our Governor, Earl Warren (later Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court), spoke. The new location of the Art Center made it more visible, and greater studio space allowed for a variety of artistic endeavors. Richmond’s leaders understood the importance of art in the daily lives of the people of the community—not only making a painting or a sculpture—but the ability of each of us to appreciate those things that are tactile or visual, that are beyond words. Placing the Art Center in the Civic Center was indicative of the commitment that the city had to the cultural life of its citizens.
Since my childhood days, art has been eliminated from public school classrooms. The Richmond Art Center is doing something about that. This year, some 2,000 Richmond school age students have been give free lessons in art at schools and community centers all over the city. Our Art Center offers on-site classes to adults, teens and children and continues to delight the public with free art exhibitions. I personally enjoy coming to the exhibitions, especially those focused on textiles, crafts and design. In this 80th anniversary year for the Richmond Art Center, my hope is that we can each appreciate the good works we have inherited and improve on them for the generations to come.
In Fall 2016, the Richmond Art Center continues to celebrate 80 years of community art making in Richmond and its surrounding areas with its Back to School community event. This all-ages event is open to Art Center constituents old and new and serves as a means for our community to celebrate and contribute to its 80-year milestone for our students, teaching artists, and larger Art Center community. Guests will participate in hands-on activities, including art making and contributing to a “Making Our Mark” memory wall.
Images by Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo
This event serves as a celebration and small fundraiser for the active Richmond Art Center community including its students, instructors and extended Art Center family. The $25 sliding scale ticket includes informal dinner and one drink ticket. In addition, the first 80 attendees at the door will receive a hand-thrown bowl for their meal and to take home, made by the Art Center’s Ceramics Manager Marisa Burman.
The main event will take place in the Richmond Art Center’s Courtyard, with additional art making activities in several studios, including button making and screenprinting tote bags, led by teaching artist Michael Perkin. Music for the evening will be provided by San Francisco-based DJ The Juice (http://www.mixcrate.com/mightyjuicy). This event has sponsored in part by Lagunitas Brewing Company.
Guests can also visit the Main, West, South and Community galleries, where the Fall Exhibitions Making Our Mark and Marking New Paths will be on display. For more information about this exhibition, please visit: https://richmondartcenter.org/exhibitions/making-our-mark/
ARTISTS ENRIQUE CHAGOYA AND YVETTE DEAS PRESENT WORK ADDRESSING CULTURAL APPROPRIATION AND SOCIETAL (MIS)REPRESENTATION AT RICHMOND ART CENTER’S FALL 2016 EXHIBITION
Former teacher/student, now artistic colleagues, Chagoya and Deas exhibit recent works in Making Our Mark, the 80th Anniversary Exhibition on view at the Richmond Art Center.
RICHMOND, CA — AUGUST 30, 2016 — Identity and culture are thematic arcs to be considered in many of the works presented in the Richmond Art Center’s 80th Anniversary major exhibition, Making Our Mark, which opens on September 13 and runs through November 12, 2016. Now as colleagues at Stanford University, two of Making Our Mark’s featured artists, Enrique Chagoya and Yvette Deas, began their association as teacher/student, bringing forth another vital theme in this unique exhibition: showcasing a generation of established and internationally recognized artists and the younger generation of artists they have supported and guided in their growing careers.
The lens focused on cultural appropriation, societal representation and misrepresentation, and the underlying political implications connects the work of Chagoya and Deas. The artists share a commitment to the considered, the illuminated, and examined. In Chagoya’s Untitled (After Yves St. Laurent) and in Deas’ American Pie, the viewer is arrested by work which magnifies actions and sharply directs attention to the very meaning of fashion, entertainment, and art as freely appropriating culture and subverting historical truth.
Drawing from his experiences living on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border in the late 70s and in Europe in the late 90s, Chagoya juxtaposes secular, popular, and religious symbols in order to address the ongoing cultural clash between the United States, Latin America and the world. Recently his work has been addressing issues on immigration and the economic recession. Deas is drawn to the intersections between the multiple selves people construct for public and private consumption and examining the traces left behind. Her art explores narratives manifested through coded understanding and juxtapositions that explore gender, race and sexuality.
Enrique Chagoya Untitled (after Yves Saint Laurent) Color etching, 2016 Edition: 12 Publisher: Magnolia Editions 22 ¼ x 38 ¼ in. Courtesy of Magnolia Editions and the Artist
Yvette Deas American Pie Mixed media on panel, 2008 48 x 60 in. Courtesy of the Artist
“Chagoya and Deas share a finely tuned sense of verbal and visual language, social constructs, and culture,” says Jan Wurm, Director of Exhibitions. “These underlying values and assessments link their work in a shared attitude of reflection. That this is seeped in popular culture provides accessibility also for the viewer.”
Chagoya and Deas will participate in one of the Making Our Mark Artists’ Talks related to the exhibition, where they will discuss their individual practices and how they have experienced the teacher/student relationship and the importance of the guidance and support. This event will take place in the Richmond Art Center’s Main Gallery on Saturday, November 5 at 3 p.m. and is free to the public. For more information on the event, please visit: https://richmondartcenter.org/event/making-mark-artists-talk/
From September 13 through November 12 in three galleries, Marking Our Mark will highlight 14 established and nationally known artists who have supported, and enriched the programs and exhibitions at the Art Center over many years. These artists include Christopher Brown, Squeak Carnwath, Enrique Chagoya, Lia Cook, Allan deSouza, Mildred Howard, James Melchert, Hung Liu, Richard Misrach, Richard Shaw, William T. Wiley, and Wanxin Zhang, artists who reflect various philosophies and media (painting, ceramics, fiber, sculpture, and photography). The opening reception for this exhibition will take place on Saturday, September 10, from 5-7 pm. For more information about this exhibition, please visit: https://richmondartcenter.org/exhibitions/making-our-mark/
The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalog of artwork and interpretation by the Director of Exhibitions, Jan Wurm. The complete list of artists included in Making Our Mark are Dru Anderson, Megan Atherton, Christopher Brown, Ethan Caflisch, Squeak Carnwath, Enrique Chagoya, Lia Cook, Sofia Córdova, Yvette Deas, Allan deSouza, Nathan Dollarhite, Michael Hall, Scott Hewitt, Mildred Howard, Hung Liu, Nicholas Makanna, Bruce McGaw, James Melchert, Richard Misrach, Kate Nartker, Deborah Oropallo, Shari Paladino, Johanna Poethig, Richard Shaw, Ehren Tool, Mary Hull Webster, William T. Wiley, and Wanxin Zhang.
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, Jay DeFeo, Wanxin Zhang, Hung Liu, William Wiley and Peter Voulkos 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.
Our catalog is full of many great classes and workshops (and don’t forget our Parents’ Press award-winning classes for kids), we’ve highlighted a few we don’t want you to miss!
Social Media for Artists: Get an introductory artist’s guide to using social media as a promotional tool for your work and your brand. Printmaking Extravaganza: Learn various types of printmaking: carve linoleum, experiment with collagraph, drypoint, and monoprinting. Color Theory: Learn color theory through painting a still life object from life. Encaustic Hot Wax: Learn to use a beeswax-based painting technique that was first practiced by the Greeks in the 5th century. Experimental, Expressive Drawing: Express yourself and your personal form of handwriting. Stacking Rings: Design and create a series of rings that interact with each other harmoniously despite their differences. Patterns and Color: Weave with sumptuous wool yarns and learn techniques for blending colors, using solid or multiple colors together on a single bobbin and using techniques unique to tapestry weaving. Bookbinding: Learn structures, techniques, and materials of bookbinding. Slipcasting: 3D Collage: Get an introduction to making clay multiples with plaster molds. Calder Circus (Ages 6-8): Be inspired by the magic of Alexander Calder’s 1927 Circus to create dioramas, small wooden figures, animals and other fantastical creatures.
XUXA SANTAMARIA (ARTISTS SOFIA CÓRDOVA AND MATT KIRKLAND) PRESENT A LIVE AND VIDEO PERFORMANCE SUITE FROM ECHOES OF A TUMBLING THRONE (ODAS AL FIN DE LOS TIEMPOS) AS PART OF THE RICHMOND ART CENTER’S FALL 2016 EXHIBITION SCHEDULE
A digital spell teleports viewers through three video vignettes accompanied by a beautiful semi-improvised score to life 1,000 years from now, presented in conjunction withMaking Our Mark, the 80th Anniversary Exhibition at the Richmond Art Center.
RICHMOND, CA — AUGUST 29, 2016 — Echoes of A Tumbling Throne (Odas Al Fin De Los Tiempos) isa live sound and video performance suite that imagines our world 1,000 years in the future. Presented on September 16 at the Richmond Art Center by artists Sofia Córdova and Matt Kirkland, this performance creates a world that examines current social structures: racial and gender hierarchies, humanity’s relationship to nature, the environment vis-à-vis technological, industrial, and capitalist society.
As part of the Richmond Art Center’s Fall 2016 exhibition, Making Our Mark, Córdova’s performance-based work will coexist with the installation ¡Auxilio! ¡Socorro!, on exhibition with work by renowned photographer Richard Misrach. These songs are scored by XUXA SANTAMARIA, the musical team of Córdova and Kirkland.
Image courtesy of Sofia Córdova
“This work speaks of the possibilities inherent in redefining ourselves in a world that—due to the conditions we’ve concocted in the anthropocene—has become aggressively hostile to our existence,” says Córdova. “Echoes… is a site to consider post-feminist, colored, and queer realities. The landscape of this future world—its denizens, artifacts, and culture— also serve as a distorted lens aimed at our present in keeping with the tradition of dystopian science fiction. ”
The piece is scored by original music made by consulting the tarot (with a nod to Philip K. Dick’s methodology in writing The Man in the High Castle) and covers of pop songs originally in English which are translated into Spanish and radically changed to reveal the timeline of this work of speculative fiction.
Image courtesy of Sofia Córdova
Sofia Córdova ¡Auxillo! ¡Socorro! Installation, 2016 Comprised of selections from: The Kingdom is Me Gouache and acrylic on magazine, newspaper, and photographs, 2012-2016 And They Held Dances on The Graves of Those Who Died In The Terror 8mm film, video, original sound composition
From September 13 through November 12 in three galleries, Marking Our Mark will highlight 14 established and nationally known artists who have supported, and enriched the programs and exhibitions at the Art Center over many years. These artists include Christopher Brown, Squeak Carnwath, Enrique Chagoya, Lia Cook, Allan deSouza, Mildred Howard, James Melchert, Hung Liu, Richard Misrach, Richard Shaw, William T. Wiley, and Wanxin Zhang, artists who reflect various philosophies and media (painting, ceramics, fiber, sculpture, and photography). The opening reception for this exhibition will take place on Saturday, September 10, from 5-7 pm. For more information about this exhibition, please visit: https://richmondartcenter.org/exhibitions/making-our-mark/
The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalog of artwork and interpretation by the Director of Exhibitions, Jan Wurm. The complete list of artists included in Making Our Mark are Dru Anderson, Megan Atherton, Christopher Brown, Ethan Caflisch, Squeak Carnwath, Enrique Chagoya, Lia Cook, Sofia Córdova, Yvette Deas, Allan deSouza, Nathan Dollarhite, Michael Hall, Scott Hewitt, Mildred Howard, Hung Liu, Nicholas Makanna, Bruce McGaw, James Melchert, Richard Misrach, Kate Nartker, Deborah Oropallo, Shari Paladino, Johanna Poethig, Richard Shaw, Ehren Tool, Mary Hull Webster, William T. Wiley, and Wanxin Zhang.
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, Jay DeFeo, Wanxin Zhang, Hung Liu, William Wiley and Peter Voulkos 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.
NEA AWARD-WINNING ARTIST CHRISTOPHER BROWN PRESENTS WORK WITH FORMER STUDENT MEGAN ATHERTON AT RICHMOND ART CENTER’S FALL 2016 EXHIBITION
The relationship between an established teaching artist and student are examined in Making Our Mark, the 80th Anniversary Exhibition presented by the Richmond Art Center.
RICHMOND, CA — AUGUST 23, 2016 — Award-winning Bay Area artist Christopher Brown has been a widely influential painter and a dynamic teacher. Brown exemplifies an artist who also teaches— stepping out of the studio to fulfill the commitment of molding future artists. In celebration of its 80th anniversary and continuous service to the Richmond community and the greater Bay Area, the Richmond Art Center is preparing a major 2016 Fall exhibition, Making Our Mark, which considers the works of engaging and influential artists such as Christopher Brown, and the relationships they foster with their students, mentees, and assistants.
In the work of Megan Atherton, Brown’s former student, we share in some of the rewards of this special exchange. The teacher / student relationship is shaped and fed by a myriad of elements and conditions. Sometimes influence is direct, sometimes it slips into corners of consideration, displaying wrinkles of reflection. With regard to the work of Brown and Atherton, we are invited to look at the connections, and then we can see further to a spirit of visual exploration and investigation.
CHRISTOPHER BROWN Downtown Oil on canvas, 2008-2016 80 x 110 ½ in. Courtesy of the Artist
MEGAN ATHERTON Grass is Greener Oil and acrylic on canvas, 2016 17 x 22 in. Courtesy of the Artist
“Christopher Brown pursues visual inquiry with an analytical framework which expands with his integration of abstraction,” says Jan Wurm, Director of Exhibitions. “A similar multi-dimensional thinking infuses Atherton’s work with unexpected investigations and permutations which echo a shared impulse.”
Brown and Atherton will participate in one of the Making Our Mark Artists’ Talks related to the exhibition, where they will discuss their individual practices and how they have experienced the teacher/student relationship and the importance of the guidance and support. This event will take place in the Richmond Art Center’s Main Gallery on Saturday, November 5 at 2 p.m. and is free to the public. For more information on the event, please visit: https://richmondartcenter.org/event/making-mark-artists-talk/
From September 13 through November 12 in three galleries, Marking Our Mark will highlight 14 established and nationally known artists who have supported, and enriched the programs and exhibitions at the Art Center over many years. These artists include Christopher Brown, Squeak Carnwath, Enrique Chagoya, Lia Cook, Allan deSouza, Mildred Howard, James Melchert, Hung Liu, Richard Misrach, Richard Shaw, William T. Wiley, and Wanxin Zhang, artists who reflect various philosophies and media (painting, ceramics, fiber, sculpture, and photography). The opening reception for this exhibition will take place on Saturday, September 10, from 5-7 pm. For more information about this exhibition, please visit: https://richmondartcenter.org/exhibitions/making-our-mark/
The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalog of artwork and interpretation by the Director of Exhibitions, Jan Wurm. The complete list of artists included in Making Our Mark are Dru Anderson, Megan Atherton, Christopher Brown, Ethan Caflisch, Squeak Carnwath, Enrique Chagoya, Lia Cook, Sofia Córdova, Yvette Deas, Allan deSouza, Nathan Dollarhite, Michael Hall, Scott Hewitt, Mildred Howard, Hung Liu, Nicholas Makanna, Bruce McGaw, James Melchert, Richard Misrach, Kate Nartker, Deborah Oropallo, Shari Paladino, Johanna Poethig, Richard Shaw, Ehren Tool, Mary Hull Webster, William T. Wiley, and Wanxin Zhang.
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, Jay DeFeo, Wanxin Zhang, Hung Liu, William Wiley and Peter Voulkos 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.
INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED ARTIST HUNG LIU AND FORMER STUDIO ASSISTANT MICHAEL HALL PRESENT WORKS CONSIDERING WAR AND ITS PERSONAL TOLL, AT RICHMOND ART CENTER’S FALL 2016 EXHIBITION
The relationship between an established artist and the historically vital position of studio assistant are examined in Making Our Mark, the 80th Anniversary Exhibition presented by the Richmond Art Center.
RICHMOND, CA — AUGUST 17, 2016 — The development and course of a young artist graduating from art school can be a daunting unmarked path. The job of studio assistant has been and is an historically vital position in the career trajectory of an artist. In celebration of its 80th anniversary and continuous service to the Richmond community and the greater Bay Area, the Richmond Art Center is preparing a major 2016 Fall exhibition, Making Our Mark, which considers the works of engaging and influential artists and the relationships they foster with their students, mentees, and assistants.
The relationship between an artist and their assistant can become a sustained mentoring where the generosity extended beyond the practical develops an extraordinary kinship. When an established artist takes on a studio assistant, the role and duties are particular to specific needs and qualities of the individual artist. In Making Our Mark, the work of Chinese-born American contemporary artist Hung Liu is paired with the art of her former studio assistant and Mills College student, Michael Hall. In Hung Liu’s paintings in the exhibition, especially Zhan Ma – War Horse, and Michael Hall’s suite of related works including Lookout, the two artists present a view of war and the terrible cost and tolls taken. The shared sensibility and ritualistic healing through art-making point to a commonality of spirit.
Hung Liu Zhan Ma – War Horse Oil on canvas, 2011 80 x 80 in. Courtesy of the Artist
Michael Hall Lookout Oil on canvas, 2015 12 x 9 in. Courtesy of Realreal Art Collection
“In the intimacy of the artist’s studio, what is transmitted is often not visible,” says Jan Wurm, Richmond Art Center’s Director of Exhibitions. “But sometimes the values and commitments are manifested in the artwork.”
Liu and Hall will participate in one of the Making Our Mark Artists’ Talks related to the exhibition, where they will discuss their individual practices and how they have experienced the teacher/assistant relationship and the importance of the guidance and support. This event will take place in the Richmond Art Center’s Main Gallery on Saturday, November 5 at 3 pm and is free to the public. For more information on the event, please visit: https://richmondartcenter.org/event/making-mark-artists-talk-2/
From September 13 through November 12 in three galleries, Marking Our Mark will highlight 14 established and nationally known artists who have supported, and enriched the programs and exhibitions at the Art Center over many years. These artists include Christopher Brown, Squeak Carnwath, Enrique Chagoya, Lia Cook, Allan deSouza, Mildred Howard, James Melchert, Hung Liu, Richard Misrach, Richard Shaw, William T. Wiley, and Wanxin Zhang, artists who reflect various philosophies and media (painting, ceramics, fiber, sculpture, and photography). The opening reception for this exhibition will take place on Saturday, September 10, from 5-7 pm. For more information about this exhibition, please visit: https://richmondartcenter.org/exhibitions/making-our-mark/
To learn more about the Art Center’s 80th Anniversary, including the 80th Anniversary Gala celebration, please visit: https://richmondartcenter.org/making-mark-80th-anniversary/ The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalog of artwork and interpretation by the Director of Exhibitions, Jan Wurm. The complete list of artists included in Making Our Mark are Dru Anderson, Megan Atherton, Christopher Brown, Ethan Caflisch, Squeak Carnwath, Enrique Chagoya, Lia Cook, Sofia Córdova, Yvette Deas, Allan deSouza, Nathan Dollarhite, Michael Hall, Scott Hewitt, Mildred Howard, Hung Liu, Nicholas Makanna, Bruce McGaw, James Melchert, Richard Misrach, Kate Nartker, Deborah Oropallo, Shari Paladino, Johanna Poethig, Richard Shaw, Ehren Tool, Mary Hull Webster, William T. Wiley, and Wanxin Zhang.
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, Jay DeFeo, Wanxin Zhang, Hung Liu, William Wiley and Peter Voulkos 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.
Mechanical Dobby Loom for sale – $1800 obo
in very good condition
48″, 16 Harness #380077
– 48″ weaving width
– 16 Harness, polyester heddles
– Mechanical dobby with dobby bar, pegs
– Plain warp beam
– Sectional beam
– Standard Beater
– Built in bench
– Designed and used as a rug loom
Please contact our Studio Education Coordinator, Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo, if you are interested in this loom or have questions about it.
BAY AREA PAINTER SQUEAK CARNWATH PRESENTS WORK WITH FORMER STUDENT DRU ANDERSON IN RICHMOND ART CENTER FALL 2016 EXHIBITION PROGRAM
From September 13 through November 12, the Richmond Art Center will highlight 14 established and nationally known artists, including Christopher Brown, Squeak Carnwath, Enrique Chagoya, Lia Cook, Allan deSouza, Mildred Howard, James Melchert, Hung Liu, Richard Misrach, Richard Shaw, William T. Wiley, and Wanxin Zhang.
RICHMOND, CA — AUGUST 10, 2016 — In celebration of the Richmond Art Center’s 80th anniversary this year, the Art Center’s major Fall exhibition, Making Our Mark, highlights some very special relationships that have nurtured artists and sustained this creative environment. Examining the teacher – student bonds and connection, Making Our Mark looks closely at the work of the mature, long-established practices of notable Bay Area artists, including the painter Squeak Carnwath and her former student Dru Anderson. In a vastly divergent choice in scale – from Carnwath’s monumental painting, Big Tiny – to the intimate small page of Anderson’s pastel rendering, In Five Years I, the mutual sympathy between the works is palpable. Both artists record the impact of life on their musings, their standing in their worlds, and their emotional commitment to being present, open, and self-revelatory.
“It takes a special generosity of spirit for an artist to be a committed teacher,”says Jan Wurm, Richmond Art Center’s Director of Exhibitions. “Stepping out of one’s studio practice to share one’s insights and understanding of our culture and the times we live in, being open to the particular perspective of a young artist, and guiding their artistic impulses in a supportive way—these aspects demand great skill and energy. It is a very privileged position for a young artist to be the recipient of such considered attention and it is also a sign of a profound sympathy that opens this exchange.”
Left:
Squeak Carnwath Big Tiny Oil and alkyd on canvas over panel, 2012 75 x 65 in. Photo credit: M. Lee Fatherree
Right:
Dru Anderson Five Years I Chalk pastel on paper, 2016 13 x 18 ½ in. Photo credit: Courtesy of the Artist
Carnwath and Anderson will participate in one of the Making Our Mark Artists’ Talks related to the exhibition, where they will discuss their individual practices and how they have experienced the teacher/student relationship and the importance of the guidance and support. This event will take place in the Richmond Art Center’s Main Gallery on Saturday, November 5 at 2 pm and is free to the public. For more information on the event, please visit: https://richmondartcenter.org/event/making-mark-artists-talk-2/
From September 13 through November 12 in three galleries, Marking Our Mark will highlight 14 established and nationally known artists who have supported, and enriched the programs and exhibitions at the Art Center over many years. These artists include Christopher Brown, Squeak Carnwath, Enrique Chagoya, Lia Cook, Allan deSouza, Mildred Howard, James Melchert, Hung Liu, Richard Misrach, Richard Shaw, William T. Wiley, and Wanxin Zhang, artists who reflect various philosophies and media (painting, ceramics, fiber, sculpture, and photography). The opening reception for this exhibition will take place on Saturday, September 10, from 5-7 pm. For more information about this exhibition, please visit: https://richmondartcenter.org/exhibitions/making-our-mark/
To learn more about the Art Center’s 80th Anniversary, including the 80th Anniversary Gala celebration, please visit: https://richmondartcenter.org/making-mark-80th-anniversary/ The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalog of artwork and interpretation by the Director of Exhibitions, Jan Wurm. The complete list of artists included in Making Our Mark are Dru Anderson, Megan Atherton, Christopher Brown, Ethan Caflisch, Squeak Carnwath, Enrique Chagoya, Lia Cook, Sofia Córdova, Yvette Deas, Allan deSouza, Nathan Dollarhite, Michael Hall, Scott Hewitt, Mildred Howard, Hung Liu, Nicholas Makanna, Bruce McGaw, James Melchert, Richard Misrach, Kate Nartker, Deborah Oropallo, Shari Paladino, Johanna Poethig, Richard Shaw, Ehren Tool, Mary Hull Webster, William T. Wiley, and Wanxin Zhang.
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, Jay DeFeo, Wanxin Zhang, Hung Liu, William Wiley and Peter Voulkos have been showcased here.
Now celebrating its 80th anniversary, 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.
Two historic Richmond organizations are celebrating their ongoing, creative connection in this 80th year anniversary of the Richmond Art Center. For the past several years, the Art Center has partnered with Rosie’s Girls, a program designed to help girls build self-esteem, leadership skills, and physical confidence through an exploration of trades and non-traditional activities. The Rosie’s Girls program is part of the Rosie the Riveter Trust.
This summer, six local girls involved in the program learned the power and practicality of involving art in their lives. They participated in a Marketing and Design workshop taught by teaching artist Dawn Gonzales. The girls, primarily from low-income families in Richmond, spent three hours a week for four weeks and learned everything from creative brainstorming and design skills to concept implementation and production.
“We covered new ground such as using graphic design software, message marketing and copywriting to incorporate the girls’ personal experiences into a branded promotional pop-up exhibit,” says Gonzales. “We learned to exercise resourcefulness, plan ahead, embrace our own uniquely creative ideas, and collaborate closely while having a lot of fun. It was an honor to work with these young women, our future leaders.”
One foundation of the RAC’s success is that it believes that art is a critically important tool to for any child’s education, but especially in the K-12 years because of the thinking and creative skills it teaches. Once a child has the ability to think like an artist she can apply those abilities to almost any career she pursues and that’s why the Art Center is enthusiastic about one of its other popular programs – the STEAM camps and classes offered (science, technology, engineering, art, math) through our Art in the Community program. The Art Center has adapted the well known STEM program and added the “A” to it, believing that the arts are vital to an integrated academic learning experience.
The Art Center’s screenprinting teaching artist Joyce Shon has worked with 30 Rosies for the past four summers, as a team with artist Monica Gyulai. Shon explains, “The girls come to us at the beginning of the program to print tee shirts. One side has the Rosie’s Girls logo, to let everyone know that they are part of a team, and the other side has all of their names, expressed in their own hand, to remind them of their individuality. They learn the basics of screen printing, but also how to work together as a team.”
In general, the screenprinting class works with two groups of about fifteen girls. each group for one day. Some girls return for a second year, and Shon remarks, “Something I’ve noted is that they come back the second year with so much confidence and grace, and so willing to recall the skills they learned and help the newcomers. I credit the Rosies program with teaching the girls good values, teamwork and leadership as well as useful physical skills. Seeing that keeps me coming back for each new group of girls. Oh, that and seeing the delight and surprise of pulling that first print.”
Our Studio Education coordinator Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo has a unique relationship to Rosie’s Girls: “It made my day to see two of my favorite Bay Area organizations (Rosie’s Girls Trust and Richmond Art Center) partner together to create such incredible work, that both honors the history of Richmond and looks upon the future. As a Rosie’s Girls Alumna and member of the RAC Education team, this is the kind of partnership and outcome I strive for and am so happy to witness it! It has been a joy to be a part of this project and watch it from start to finish. I look forward to planning future programming with these talented young women and continuing to work with the Rosie the Riveter Trust.”
We want to highlight that on Saturday, August 13th at 10 am, the National Park Service, in coordination with the Rosie the Riveter Trust, City of Richmond, and Richmond Museum Association, will be hosting the second Rosie Rally in the Craneway Pavilion, attempting to set a new Guinness World Record for the largest number of people dressed up as Rosie the Riveter since World War II. The record was set last year with 1,084 people, and the organization hopes to do it again this year with a goal of 5,000 participants. The rally event recognizes and commemorates the important work women – and all workers – did on the Home Front during World War II, and many original Rosies will be there to participate and cheer on the younger generations.
The Rally will be followed by the annual Home Front Festival, which will be held in Marina Bay Park from 12 noon to 4 PM. A “parade of Rosies” will walk along the Bay Trail after the Rally to Marina Bay Park, where there will be music, food, vendors, and fun activities during the afternoon.
Our special Rosie’s Girls Pop-Up exhibit booth that was designed and produced by Dawn Gonzales’ class this summer will be set up at the event, so we encourage you to stop by and say hello.
During this 80th anniversary year, what’s especially notable is that the RAC’s participation with Rosie’s Girls not only adds to the strength and depth of the Art Center’s program offerings; it hearkens back to our founding history. The RAC originated in 1936, when local artist Hazel Salmi, who worked for the WPA, rode her bicycle throughout Richmond, with a suitcase full of art supplies, eager to teach art to anyone interested including the women working at shipyards and factories during the war. This partnership with Rosie’s Girls is a continuation of Salmi’s original vision: That within every person lives an artist.
The main event will take place in the Richmond Art Center’s Courtyard, with additional art making activities in several studios, including button making and screenprinting tote bags, led by teaching artist Michael Perkin. Music for the evening will be provided by San Francisco-based DJ The Juice (http://www.mixcrate.com/mightyjuicy). This event has sponsored in part by Lagunitas Brewing Company.
Our special Rosie’s Girls 
