Volunteers are the heart of the Lamorinda Arts Council, and this group got together last March to help out at the Orinda Library. Unfortunately, John Brown (left) has passed away, but the rest of the group (from left) – Brian Conery, Pat Jensen, Chair Olga Larner, Ali Kozolt, Bill Carmel, Holly Hartz and Jeff Heyman – are still supporting arts in Lamorinda.
The Lamorinda Arts Council (LAC) – which has had about as many name changes as Bob Dylan – first started out as Orinda Children’s Art Center (1950), then the Orinda Art Center, on to the Orinda Arts Council and in 2015, finally became the Lamorinda Arts Council.
The non-profit is now celebrating its 75th birthday.
And while its name has changed throughout the years, its mission has always remained the same: to ignite and sustain artistic expression and appreciation for all ages throughout Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda.
Notable programs in the past focused on fostering children and the arts – including the Arts Ambassadors program for elementary school children and the annual High School Visual Arts Competition (VAC), which began in 2002.
Amazingly, this year there were over 250 VAC entries from 11 public and private high schools with cash prizes totaling approximately $2,800.
Orinda Idol, which began in 2006, now Steve Harwood’s Lamorinda Idol, works with over 100 student K-12 singers annually. In 2011, the Orinda Arts Council received the Orinda Association’s Volunteer of the Year Award.
In 2019, I began Art Embraces Words, featuring local writers and artists, and Art Embraces Poetry followed in 2023, adding co-chair Linda Hartmann.
In 2020, Maggie Boscoe began Artify Orinda, hiring local artists to paint original artwork of local flora and fauna on downtown Orinda buildings and utility boxes, plus original prints on Bigbelly smart waste bins on both sides of Orinda.
Also in 2023, curator Bill Carmel began themed exhibits with narratives, such as Ekphrasis, by publicizing Calls for Artists with a Prospectus. In 2024, Arts Contra Costa County, recognized by the five supervisorial districts in Contra Costa County, named LAC one of eight District Art Partners.
In 2025 LAC’s Youth Ambassador Program was formed by three local teens, Emma Wong, Sharanya Roy and Emily Jingzhu Bennett. Its goal is to give teen artists in local high schools a way to communicate with each other, share resources and learn about valuable events and opportunities that can help them prepare for college.
One reason LAC has flourished over the past 75 years is the community of Orinda’s consistent belief in the value of the arts.
For a city with 19,514 inhabitants, the amount of colorful, upbeat public art visible on both the Orinda Theatre and Village sides of town, not to mention regular exhibits in the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library, would make anyone smile.
While LAC’s Tracy Wellons acts as executive director, the majority of the work is done by volunteer board members aided by a cadre of dedicated local volunteers. Current board members include President Tony De Martile, Maggie Boscoe, Bill Carmel, Sue Farmer, Holly Hartz, Bea Haase, Sophia Ho, Susan Mautner, Pam Stefl Toki, me and a non-voting Parliamentarian, Pam Hall.
LAC interacts with many local organizations such as Orinda Network for Education (ONE), a non-profit foundation that funds a long list of enhancements to public education in Orinda, including art.
Other local organizations include the California Writers Club (Mt. Diablo Branch), Saint Mary’s College, Lamorinda Arts Alliance, the Lafayette Public Art Committee and Town Hall Theatre in Lafayette.
And the LAC recently partnered with a local business to make their annual White Elephant Fundraiser a success.
Council President Tony De Martile donated space in his store, St. Anthony’s Thrift at 128 Village Square in Orinda, as a collection point for the LAC’s White Elephant Fundraiser on Oct. 4 and 5. Board members and volunteers sorted, displayed and sold the donations on Oct. 11 and 12.
“We kept over 250 household items from entering the landfill and raised over $2,000 for LAC programs,” said De Martile.
Now, to celebrate its 75th Anniversary, the Council participated in the following events: Orinda 4th of July Parade, non-profit table giveaway of LAC-embossed sunglasses; the Lafayette Art and Wine Festival Face Painting booth (125 children served); Art Parklet in the Parklet/Lafayette, Sundays May to September, All Ages Art Table by artist Bill Carmel; Moraga Pear and Wine Festival, 50 LAC post-it pads given away, plus face paintings for 30+ children.
Thank you Lamorinda Arts Council for your 75 years of service to the arts community in Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda.
