Excerpt: Originating from the 1989 African American artists salon known as “Colors of Black,” this exhibition highlights the work of over 120 artists of African descent and is accompanied by open studios and satellite exhibitions throughout the Bay.
SF Chronicle Date Book: Black History Month 2023: Bay Area events, performances and more ways to celebrate
Excerpt: The 26th annual Bay Area Black artists group exhibition features works from more than 120 artists of African descent, showcased at the Richmond Art Center and in satellite exhibitions at venues across the Bay Area. See website for offsite schedule details.
Diablo Magazine: Top Tickets: This week, explore visual art, hear from a popular novelist, revisit the music of Billie Holiday, and more.
Excerpt: Through 2/25 The Richmond Art Center’s annual exhibition includes the works of more than 120 creators of African descent and is the longest-running local exhibition of its type. Slate Contemporary Gallery in Oakland has a pair of artists highlighted in the show, Kaya Fortune and Jimi Evins.
The Daily Californian: ‘Art of the African Diaspora’ reveres Black history, present, future
Excerpt: After stepping through the Richmond Art Center’s entrance, visitors immediately begin celebrating Black excellence, as laid bare in the “Art of the African Diaspora.” Gracing the center’s main gallery in every medium imaginable, the exhibition in its entirety unveils how Black identity shifts, evolves and culminates uniquely through the lens of each artist.Cont.
Beginning in 1989, this annual showcase of African American artists is the longest running event of its kind in the Bay Area. The work ranges broadly across media, technique, and genre. A small sampling features: Cynthia Brannvall’s “identity maps,” atlas pages collaged with personal snapshots; Derrick Bell’s faceted portraits painted in color blocks reminiscent of stained glass; Claude Clark’s rough-hewn wooden balusters and walking sticks; Cherisse’s cloth quilt of a girl on a swing in a flowering tree; Alana McCarthy’s painting combining surrealism and photo-realism to capture the feeling of New Orleans; Iconic Vinyl Art’s car hood assemblage portrait of blues musician Howlin’ Wolf; and Nyya Lark’s necklace of small silver twigs. Over 120 artists are featured in the sprawling exhibition.
This fun book form uses no glue whatsoever but still has a very sturdy body that will hold up to being tossed in a backpack or dropped on the floor. Learn to sew a multi section book using precut watercolor paper and create a wrap around cover to hold it all together.
Learn to use an unlikely material for the pages of a sketchbook: packing paper! This material is amazing for drawing, sketching, and painting with opaque media. Paint pens, acrylic paints, and gouache pop off the page in beautiful contrast and typically do not bleed or come through he opposite face of your page.
RICHMOND, CALIF.- The Remembrance Project will open January 18th at the Richmond Art Center as part of their winter exhibitions project, which will include an opening reception on Saturday, January 21st from 2pm-4pm, as well as a project workshop and book talk.
Social Justice Sewing Academy presents The Remembrance Project, a cloth memorial of activist art banners commemorating the many people who have lost their lives to systems of inequity and racist structures. These banners have been created collectively by volunteers across the country to help educate and inform communities about the human impact of systemic violence.
The Remembrance Project banners are displayed by local and national organizations to express solidarity in the fight for social justice and remembrance of those lost to violence. The project remembers those lost to: authority violence (officer-involved shooting, police brutality, etc.), community violence (victims of gang violence, neighborhood or family, drive-by shooting, etc.), racial violence (hate crimes, racially motivated, etc.), and sexual and gender-based violence (violence against LGBTQ+, domestic violence, “missing, murdered Indigenous women,” etc.).
The Remembrance Project Workshop will be on Saturday, January 28, 2pm-4pm. Join Social Justice Sewing Academy in an interactive hands-on workshop that merges craft, art and activism to create textile art pieces that are displayed nationally in museums and other shows. This workshop allows participants to discuss topics pertaining to social justice issues in a brave and safe space. During the two hour workshop you will participate in critical discussion and create a piece of textile art that you are passionate about. This workshop is free, open to all and no rsvp is necessary.
Stitching Stolen Lives: Book Talk With Author and Founder of SJSA, Sara Trail will take place Saturday, March 4, 1pm-2:30pm. Join us for a talk and book signing with Sara Trail, founder of Social Justice Sewing Academy and co-author of Stitching Stolen Lives, a book that chronicles the work of SJSA and the Remembrance Project. With forewords by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr, the book includes personal stories of individuals and their families whose lives have been cut short due to social injustices. This event is free, open to all and no rsvp is necessary.
Post News Group: Richmond Art Center Announces Trio of Winter Exhibitions
Community members can check out Art of the African Diaspora Jan. 18 through March 18 in the RAC’s Main Gallery, with the opening reception being held Saturday, Jan. 21 from 2 – 4 p.m. The exhibition will spotlight the work of more than 120 artists of African descent “through representation, professional development and building a creative community,” per the RAC.
Community members can check out Art of the African Diaspora Jan. 18 through March 18 in the RAC’s Main Gallery, with the opening reception being held Saturday, Jan. 21 from 2 – 4 p.m. The exhibition will spotlight the work of more than 120 artists of African descent “through representation, professional development and building a creative community,” per the RAC.
Artists Derrick Bell, Cynthia Brannvall, and Pryce Jones will be featured in the exhibition and community members can find the Art of the African Diaspora print catalog at the center for info about open studios and satellite exhibitions off-shooting from the RAC event. Learn more about the exhibition https://richmondartcenter.org/exhibitions/art-of-the-african-diaspora-2023
Amanda Ayala’s exhibition, Connected Always, will take place in the RAC’s South Gallery Jan. 20 through March 11, 2023. An opening reception is set for Saturday, Jan. 21 from 2 – 4 p.m., while a free Ancestor Wheel Workshop and artist talk open to everyone will be held by the artist Saturday, Feb. 18, 12 – 2 p.m.
Connected Always will see Ayala — who identifies as a Xicana indigenous visual artist — explore our ancestral connections through her latest works. The interdisciplinary Santa Rosa artist runs workshops “that combine artist liberation and social justice for people of all ages,” per the RAC, and will have one as part of her continuing Ancestor Wheel project during her RAC exhibition. Find out more about Ayala’s exhibition at: https://richmondartcenter.org/exhibitions/connected-always/.
The third winter exhibition, The Remembrance Project, will be shown in the Community Gallery Jan. 18 to March 18, with the opening reception being hosted Saturday, Jan. 21 from 2 – 4 p.m. The Remembrance Project Workshop will be held Saturday, Jan. 28 from 2-4 p.m. and a book talk with Sara Trail will happen on Saturday, March 4, from 1-2:30 p.m.
The Remembrance Project is not only “a cloth memorial of activist art banners commemorating the many people who have lost their lives to systems of inequity and racist structures,” per the RAC, but also two special events for community members — the aforementioned workshop and book talk.
The Social Justice Sewing Academy is presenting the cloth memorial, which has been created by volunteers nationwide “to help educate and inform communities about the human impact of systemic violence,” said the RAC.
The community can coalesce with others fighting for social justice and remember those lost to violence, while also learning about the academy’s work, through two related special events. A workshop on Saturday, Jan. 28 will blend craft, art and activism, while the founder of the academy, Sara Trail, will give a talk and book signing of her work Stitching Stolen Lives on Saturday, March 4. The events are free and available to community members of all ages. Learn more about The Remembrance Project at https://richmondartcenter.org/exhibitions/the-remembrance-project
The RAC is located at 2540 Barrett Ave. in Richmond. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the exhibitions and events are free and open to the community.
Top image: The Remembrance Project (left). Caption 2: Amanda Ayala Ancestor Wheel 2020 (center). Fulfillment by Cynthia Brannvall, 2021 (right)
We are so grateful to our community! Despite the devastating loss of three major donors last year, we’re happy to announce that we reached our End-of-Year Appeal fundraising goal and raised over $80,000. Thank you to everyone who contributed!
On December 23, Rigo 23’s statue of Leonard Peltier—that was previously exhibited at Richmond Art Center—was stolen from a U-haul in Oakland. Thanks to alert community members – extra special thanks to Darby (pictured above) – most of the statue was recovered a few days later.
Anna Kingsley is an artist from Oakland, California. Since 2011 she has owned and operated Brick Factory Designs, a letterpress studio and bindery, and has happily produced customs designs for even happier clients. We spoke with Anna about her work, as well as the classes and workshops she’ll be teaching at Richmond Art Center this winter.
Can you please introduce yourself to our community?
Hello! I’m Anna and I’ve been teaching adults and children for over fifteen years. I started as a teacher for students with intense learning and behavioral challenges and later moved into teaching art. During the school year I teach origami at five different schools in the East Bay. I also run a small letterpress and bindery and print custom posters, announcements, broadsides, and more. I have three young adult children. Our family is very queer / trans.
What has your artistic journey been like?
Art is a meditative process for me. I have ADD and repetitive motions help me focus.
I have always been a dabbler and creator. As a child I drew, painted, made my own books, and built magical sculptures. As an adult I do the same but with more skill and experience. I studied Photography and US History for my BA.
What projects are you currently working on?
At present I am gathering print samples to photograph. This year has been busy and I haven’t had a moment to document my projects. I am also slowly working on cataloging the pigments I produced last summer. Some via chemical reaction (laked pigment) and some purely soil and mineral based sampled from local trails.
What do you like about teaching?
To be honest, a huge flex of mine is being able to help three students out at the same time with three separate issues while five other kids are scrambling for my attention. I love almost everything about the act of teaching. The community: spending time together with a common goal. Teaching is humbling. In order to teach , you also must remember what it is like to be a student. Those moments where you reach a learner who continually refused to believe they could complete a complicated project. Keeping my brain in shape when I have to change tactics mid lesson for half the class because my original way was not working for them. Teaching has zero down time. You are always ‘on’, and while this exhausts me sometimes, I apparently enjoy the sprint.
From my understanding, you have taught at Richmond Art Center before. What is it about RAC that keeps you coming back?
I love the staff at the RAC. They haul a** to get things done. The studio spaces work nicely with my classes and the age diversity of the student population is great.
Can you tell us about your class offerings this winter quarter?
So, I’m teaching two multi-session classes and three one day workshops. All printing and book binding. The workshops are fast paced and go less in depth because more of the prep will be done for you beforehand. The bonus is that you get to take home a beautiful and functional book after just three hours. My intro to books and printing is a much more leisurely paced program. Beyond the specifics of ‘what’ and ‘how’, we will also have a chance to discuss the ‘why’ of certain techniques. This is really important for artists because we all have our own ways of getting to the same solution. Having a deeper understanding of factors such as paper grain, ink additives, and thread tension will allow a student to make better choices in future projects.
Is there anything else you would like to share? About your classes, yourself as a teacher, or as an artist?
Come take a class with me. I’m good at what I do and I love seeing the creative light turn on inside someone who has not had time to prioritize art in their lives. Also, I’ve been told I’m hella funny.
Richmond Art Center will be at the West Contra Costa Education Fair this Saturday! Come speak with over sixty local schools and connect with community organizations to learn about opportunities for youth in West Contra Costa.
January 18 – March 18, 2023 Richmond Art Center 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804 Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 10am-4pm Exhibitions and events are all free and open to the public
Art of the African Diaspora 2023 Main Gallery Exhibition Dates: January 18 – March 18, 2023 Opening Reception: Saturday, January 21, 2pm-4pm
The longest running event of its kind in the Bay Area, Art of the African Diaspora, in partnership with Richmond Art Center, supports artists of African descent in the Bay Area through representation, professional development, and building a creative community.
In 2023 the exhibition at Richmond Art Center will showcase work by over 120 artists of African descent. Featured artists are Derrick Bell, Cynthia Brannvall, and Pryce Jones.
Pick up a copy of the Art of the African Diaspora print catalog at Richmond Art Center for information about open studios and satellite exhibitions accompanying the main event at RAC.
Connected Always South Gallery Exhibition Dates: January 20 – March 11, 2023 Opening Reception: Saturday, January 21, 2pm-4pm Ancestor Wheel Workshop / Artist Talk: Saturday, February 18, 12pm-2pm
Connected Always is an exhibition by Amanda Ayala, who presents a series of new works that explore the extensive generational connections we have with our ancestors. As part of her ongoing Ancestor Wheel project, Ayala’s work adopts circular patterns to visualize the magnitude of seven generations.
Amanda Ayala is an interdisciplinary Xicana Indigenous visual artist and maker who centers people targeted by oppression and acknowledges their brilliance. Based in Santa Rosa, Amanda leads and facilitates workshops that combine artist liberation and social justice for people of all ages. Ayala will lead a workshop at Richmond Art Center on Saturday, February 18, 12pm-2pm. This workshop is free, open to all and no RSVP is necessary.
The Remembrance Project Community Gallery Exhibition Dates: January 18 – March 18, 2023 Opening Reception: Saturday, January 21, 2pm-4pm Remembrance Project Workshop: Saturday, January 28, 2pm-4pm Book Talk With Sara Trail: Saturday, March 4, 1pm-2:30pm
The Social Justice Sewing Academy presents The Remembrance Project, a cloth memorial of activist art banners commemorating the many people who have lost their lives to systems of inequity and racist structures. These banners have been created collectively by volunteers across the country to help educate and inform communities about the human impact of systemic violence.
Accompanying the exhibition are two special events for the community to express solidarity in the fight for social justice and remembrance of those lost to violence, as well as learn about the work of the Social Justice Sewing Academy. A hands-on workshop that merges craft, art and activism will be held on Saturday, January 28, 2pm-4pm. A talk and book signing with Sara Trail, founder of the Social Justice Sewing Academy and co-author of Stitching Stolen Lives, will be held on Saturday, March 4, 1pm-2:30pm. Both the workshop and talk are free, open all too ages, and no RSVP is necessary to attend.
About Richmond Art Center: Richmond Art Center has been sharing art and creating with the community since 1936. Our programs encompass classes, exhibitions and events at our facility in downtown Richmond, as well as off-site activities that bring free, high-quality art making experiences to WCCUSD schools and community partners. richmondartcenter.org
Artist Rigo 23’s sculpture of Leonard Peltier was eventually found with its arm missing and racist graffiti scrawled on a U-Haul truck in which it was being transported.
by Matt Stromberg
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Artist Rigo 23’s statue of incarcerated Native American activist Leonard Peltier has traveled across the county, stood watch alongside the water protectors at Standing Rock, and survived bomb threats. But it almost met its demise in the back of a U-Haul truck in Oakland last month.
The 12-foot-high statue was the centerpiece of Rigo 23’s 2021 exhibition Time and Again at the Richmond Art Center, whose curator, Roberto Martinez, volunteered to drive the artwork down from the Bay Area to the artist’s Burbank studio. He packed the disassembled redwood, metal, and clay sculpture into a U-Haul on Thursday, December 22, and parked it outside his home in East Oakland, with the intention of delivering it the next day.
“He wakes up and there’s nothing there,” Rigo 23 told Hyperallergic. “He calls and says, ‘I have news and it’s not good.’” Martinez began driving all over town frantically looking for the U-Haul, while police and even a private investigator aided in the search. Rigo has never put a price on the work, but estimates its worth at $100,000.
Tom Poor Bear standing on the feet of the Peltier statue in front of his trailer at Wounded Knee, winter of 2016 (photo courtesy Marc Hors)
Rigo 23 (born Ricardo Gouveia) made this sculpture in 2016, after an initial design made of clay, based on a self-portrait that Peltier made in prison in a pose reminiscent of Rodin’s “The Thinker.” In December 2016, the statue traveled to Washington, DC, where it was installed on the campus of American University. On its cross-country journey to DC, it stopped at Standing Rock, the Pine Ridge Reservation, Alcatraz, and other sites, where individuals stood on its momentous feet, acts of solidarity documented in photos. Soon after it was installed, however, the university received a bomb threat and a letter from FBI Agents Association requesting its removal, which the school acquiesced to.
Peltier is a Native American activist who was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences after being convicted of murdering two FBI agents in a 1975 shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He has always maintained his innocence, and a movement for clemency has been ongoing for decades, with one of the original prosecutors in the case asking for clemency in 2017.
Angela Davis on the feet of the Peltier statue at her home in Oakland, 2018 (photo courtesy David Petrelli)
After the truck theft, a few days passed with no leads. “It’s a living monument. The feet are charged with the energy of 1000 people,” Rigo said. “I was particularly distraught that the feet would be destroyed.” The following Tuesday, a woman named Darby identified the truck based on the license plate she had seen in a news story about the theft, and the police eventually found the car abandoned on East 22nd Street by Lake Merritt. Racist graffiti, including the n-word, was scrawled on the truck, and the sculpture’s left arm was missing, but it was otherwise intact.
Despite the controversy the statue has elicited in the past, and the significance of Peltier’s legacy, Rigo doesn’t think it was a targeted attack — instead, he said, it was probably someone’s “last-ditch effort” to stave off the worsening scourge of poverty in the Bay Area.
“At first we didn’t know how to interpret this theft, but as the days passed, it became clearer that in all likelihood this was just another U-Haul truck theft in the Bay Area,” he told Hyperallergic. “One more episode of societal breakdown in an area where teachers can not afford to live near the schools nor the students they are supposed to nurture and teach.”
He added that when it was eventually found, the truck contained a baby stroller and shopping cart, “icons of urban homelessness in the USA.”
A few days later, Rigo received a message from an Instagram user who sent a photo of a dog standing on the sculpture’s missing arm outside an RV encampment. Martinez and a police officer went to the site, and, with a long pole with a loop on the end used to restrain dogs, hooked the arm and dragged it over a makeshift fence.
The Leonard Peltier statue, a bit worse for wear, is now safe in Rigo’s studio. He plans to send it to South Dakota at the end of February for a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Wounded Knee Occupation of 1973.
Condition of the interior of the U-Haul truck when the sculpture was found (photo by Roberto Martinez)Darby standing on the feet of the recovered Peltier statue, the morning after she ran after the U-Haul truck (photo by Roberto Martinez)
Top image: The Leonard Peltier Statue by Rigo 23 at the San Francisco Art Institute (2020) (photo by Alex Peterson)
We’re looking forward to new adventures together in the New Year.
And if you can, please consider supporting our End-of-Year Appeal. Your donation – any amount – will support Richmond Art Center’s free gallery admission, exhibitions, education programs, and community outreach.
