Lamorinda Arts Council Features Student Artwork
Art Gallery at the Orinda Library
The Lamorinda Arts Council presents a group exhibition of art by elementary and junior high school students from Lamorinda and curated by their educators. Titled “16th Annual Art Ambassadors Exhibition,” it runs Feb. 4 – 25. Visit http://www.ccclib.org for hours.
More than 180 students’ artwork from the local elementary and intermediate schools are participating. The show is not juried, so there is no competition and everyone has the opportunity to show their work.
This program brings the creative juices of our young people to the public’s attention, who then get to see and enjoy the direct impact of the arts in schools.
Over the years, the Art Ambassadors program has evolved, but always counts on support and collaboration from local organizations such as the Orinda Network for Education (ONE), Lafayette partners in Education and Moraga Education Foundation.
The critical partnership in Orinda is between the ONE and the Lamorinda Arts Council. Executive Director of ONE, Emily Allen, said the partnerships are vital.
“Without the support of our school families, local businesses and community members, the arts programming in our schools would look vastly different,” said Allen. “We are so thankful for the community’s support. The arts programming in our schools is so important to our students and has such a long-lasting impact on them. Both of my daughters were involved with the Arts Ambassador Program and still to this day, my daughter will come home and create art to relax, shake off a bad day or to celebrate a win.”
In past years, the opening reception brought many smiles to the faces of the young artists and again to those who attended the reception award ceremony. At press time, no reception has been announced for this year.
Artist Zijin Yu, an eighth-grade student at Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School, will have his watercolor painting on display at the Orinda Library during the 16th Annual Art Ambassadors Exhibition along with work by 179 other local students through Feb. 25.
Teacher at Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School, Jill Hudson, holds up her student Zijin Yu’s watercolor painting – one of her many students’ artworks on display at the Orinda Library.
Mocktails and Cocktails with Friends of the Lamorinda Arts Council
Art lovers will gather to share their creative journeys and discuss every kind of creative expression from literature, fine art to music on Feb. 26 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., with a no-host bar at The Cooperage, located at 32 Lafayette Circle, Lafayette.
The event location will be marked by the knock-off poster of Picasso’s portrait of his model and muse, Dora Maar. No reservations are necessary – just show up.
About the Lamorinda Arts Council
The mission of the Council is to ignite and sustain artistic expression and appreciation for all ages throughout Lamorinda. People who are interested in visual, performing or literary arts, are invited to join.
The group has donors and volunteers who develop and produce events, partner with professional organizations and artists. They give financial support and awards and advocate for a vibrant local culture of the expressive arts.
The scope and breadth of the programming is remarkable. A few of their projects are to raise money to beautify utility boxes in Orinda with Artify Orinda, hold the annual Lamorinda Idol contests for K-12 students in Contra Costa and host art tables for young folks at the Lafayette Art & Wine Festival.
To learn about exhibiting work, apply online at the “How to Request an Exhibit at Our Galleries” page at www.lamorindaarts.org/how_to_exhibit. Art is on view for one month and there is a reception on the first Saturday of the month.
Art Gallery at Wilder
This gallery is on hiatus until further notice.
The Wilder Art and Garden Center is located at 20 Orinda Fields Lane. For more information, call the Lamorinda Arts Council at 925.359.9940 or contact Curator Ani Breslin at anistonbreslin@berkeley.edu.
Melanie Light can be reached at melanie@melanielight.com.
