Who we are

The state of California from North to South is filled with working artists giving the California life style a rich fabric intertwined with natural beauty, culture resilience, and politics. When presented with the opportunity to learn through the arts individuals develop socially, emotionally, creatively, intellectually and physically. Asé Arts provides art classes, workshops and community events that brings people together to learn about the art making process with the intention of provoking thought, conversation, awareness and action around current issues.
 
The word Asé pronounced (Ah Shay) is derived from the Yoruba people of Nigeria. Used in a literal sense it is a word of affirmation and/or agreement so be it’, ‘may it be so’ or ‘so shall it be’ and on a deeper spiritual level it is a word that has the ability to make whatever one says manifest. Joining the two together Asé Arts gives power to your imagination to envision and utilize art to manifest a new reality to bring about change within our minds, our hearts, our everyday lives and our community.
 
Studies have shown that learning through the arts builds an innate sense of value and accomplishment fostering an individual sense of identity. Arts education is an integral part of a student’s complete education and what I feel is lacking in the K-12 system’s current curriculm . Through classes at Asé Arts we strive to help individuals find a their voice through art. We reflect on the movements and pay homage to the Artists that came before use, work on skill building, self expression and bring meaning to your art.

Our Vision 

Asé Arts is a non-traditional learning space that provides accessible, high quality, multi-disciplinary, inter-generational arts experiences through classes, workshops and community events with the vision of building community engagement through the arts. By providing these spaces Asé Arts is a platform for learning through the process of art making. With the goal of producing works of art that provoke thought, conversation and change. Empowering the surrounding community by giving them a voice through art, empowerment through creating spaces that foster express self, build skills, provide access to working artists and their practices and perspective on looking at the world through and artists lens.
 
Asé Arts believes that individuals learn best through the process of art making that is motivated by their own personal interests. This style of learning challenges participants to build upon their own ideas using critical thinking skills with the intention of creating art that is reflective of their own voice, that provokes the viewer to think, engage in conversation, develop awareness and create change. Identifying that there is a shortage of multi-generational arts facilities in the East Bay Asé Arts will cultivate a space that nurtures a new generation of artists, supports and feeds its current community of Artists.