Check out our additional dates at 1420 Norvell St., in El Cerrito.
March 19th | 6 pm - 8 pm
April 16th | 6 pm - 8 pm
May 16th | 6 pm - 8 pm
Registration link in BIO
Congratulations to our founder, Nichole Talbott, on being selected as the Contra Costa County representative for the Bay Area Artist Census (BAAC)!
This is the first-of-its-kind, artist-led initiative that has been two years in the making. Designed to gather critical data on the lived experiences of local artists. The findings will help inform policy decisions and advocate for the resources needed to build a thriving arts ecosystem in the Bay Area.
Learn more about the project and all the important work ground breaking that @vitalartsorg is doing. Meet the other fellows representing the Bay Area counties—Alameda, San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo, and Solano. They will work collectively for 18 months to shape the Bay Area Artist Census.
Through our African American Contemporary Artists curriculum, participants are introduced to artists who are shaping history, expanding the boundaries of Black artistic expression, and claiming space within the global art world.
Our Piece by Piece workshop—for BHM at @oaklibrary—explores by how storytelling and activism are used in contemporary art to reclaim narratives, redefine creative practice, and inspire future generations.
🎨 @kadirnelson captures Black excellence, history, and resilience in stunningly detailed paintings and illustrations that appear in books, murals, and magazine covers.
🎨 @hankwillisthomas challenges visual culture with thought-provoking photography, sculpture, and public installations that explore race, identity, and consumerism.
🎨 @simoneyvetteleigh reimagines traditional African sculptural forms to highlight Black womanhood, power, and ancestral connection in striking ceramic works.
🎨 @nastassjaebony is a sculptural fiber artist whose larger-than-life figurative works—whether whole or fragmented—explore themes of geographical histories, ancestry, ritual practices, and community.
🎨 @nashwoodrow creates powerful ceramic sculptures that honor African heritage, history, and spirituality. His work reclaims the Black body as a symbol of resilience, beauty, and cultural pride, challenging dominant narratives and celebrating the depth of the African diaspora.
🎨 @patrickdougher infuses his art with deep spirituality, creating portraits and murals that celebrate Black culture, music, and the richness of African traditions.
🎨 @nickcaveart is known for his elaborate Soundsuits—wearable sculptures that combine performance, dance, and mixed media to challenge perceptions of race and identity.
A significant moment for the arts at the Bay Area Arts & Culture Collaboration Summit affirmed the power of artists and culture workers, planting seeds for collaboration. Visionaries from across the sector shared their models, bright spots, challenges, and aspirations—weaving together a collective story. It was a beautiful reminder of the power of walking together at this moment, within a movement..
A wonderful snap shot presented by the speakers of the innovative work being done throughout the Bay. Speakers Kristen Jacobson, Anne Huang, Olivia Malabuyo Tablante, Rebecca Fitton, Gabrielle Christian, David Blazevich, Shafer Mazow, Kevin Nelson, Sarah Williams, Charlotte Wheeler, Meghan Crosby-Jolliffe, Margot Melcon, Anna Shneiderman, Zakiya Harris, Cristine Kelly, Esailama Artry-Diouf, BK Williams, Rashida Chase, Liz O’Malley, Lori Fogarty, JK Fowler, and Julie Baker.
And thank you to @Oakstop for hosting us and holding space for connection and possibility.
Repost @intersectionforthearts
Our new newsletter is out. Lots of programming happening throughout the remained of winter leading us into spring. Come get creative with us!
Join us at the library as we celebrate the culture of the diaspora.
Throughout the month, we’re hosting free, hands-on programs for the community that center storytelling, symbolism, and creative expression rooted in the black experience. These gatherings invite our communities to learn, create, and connect together.
hosted at library branches across the Bay Area.
4 Week Class
3 Sessions
Jan. 21 - Feb 11 | 6 pm - 8 pm
Feb 25 - Mar 18 | 6 pm - 8 pm
April 15 - May 6 | 6 pm - 8 pm
In this class, you’ll learn:
- How to transfer a image to a carving@block
- Carving, inking, and printing techniques
- Experiment with paper and even try printing on fabric
- Build patience, precision, and problem-solving skills
🎨 Embrace both happy accidents and creative breakthroughs
This class is perfect for beginners and returning students looking to deepen their practice in a supportive, encouraging environment. Come slow down, trust the process, and make bold impressions in ink.
📍 El Cerrito Recreation Center
📅 Registration open
👉 [Registration link in BIO]
#ImpressionsInInk #ReliefPrintmaking #PrintmakingClass #ElCerritoRecCenter #EastBayArt BayAreaWorkshops CreativeLearning PrintmakersCommunity
: : NEW CLASS | Impressions in Ink: Relief Printmaking : :
4 weeks
Discover the art of relief printmaking in this hands-on, creative class exploring the full process from start to finish. Participants will move from sketching and transferring designs to carving blocks and pulling their own unique prints.
✨ In this class, you’ll:
🔪 Work with both soft rubber and traditional linoleum
🖤 Learn carving, inking, and printing techniques
📄 Experiment with paper and even try printing on fabric
🧠 Build patience, precision, and problem-solving skills
🎨 Embrace both happy accidents and creative breakthroughs
This class is perfect for beginners and returning students looking to deepen their practice in a supportive, encouraging environment. Come slow down, trust the process, and make bold impressions in ink.
📍 1420 Norvell St. El Cerrito, CA
3 Sessions
Jan. 21 - Feb 11 | 6 pm - 8 pm
Feb 25 - Mar 18 | 6 pm - 8 pm
April 15 - May 6 | 6 pm - 8 pm
👉 [Registration link in BIO]
#ImpressionsInInk #ReliefPrintmaking #PrintmakingClass #ElCerritoRecCenter #EastBayArt BayAreaWorkshops CreativeLearning PrintmakersCommunity
Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration honoring African heritage and culture. A time for families and communities to come together to remember the past and to celebrate African American culture, observed from December 26 to January 1.
The word Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili phrase, “matunda ya kwanza” or first fruits, referring to the First fruits or Harvest festivals that are found throughout Africa.
The holiday was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga as a response to the cultural disconnection experienced by African Americans.
Kwanzaa emphasizes the importance of family, community, and cultural identity, fostering a sense of belonging and pride among participants.
Meals play a large part in the celebration of Kwanzaa. Throughout the week, favorite African-American dishes, as well as traditional African, Caribbean, and South American recipes. On December 31, the sixth day of Kwanzaa, there is a large feast called Karamu.
An emphasis is placed on homemade gifts or offerings of performance art. Books are gifted to children preferably from a Black-owned business. As we are instilling and passing along the our traditions and cultural practices to them, for they are our future.
#kwanza❤️🖤💚
Thankful for the our community’s continued love, patience, and support as we took intentional time this past year to step back—creating space to reflect, strategize, pivot, and shed old layers as we prepare for the next phase of our work.
This pause has been about deep listening, realignment, and honoring the growth that comes with change. We’re moving into the new year with renewed clarity, grounded purpose, and excitement for what’s ahead.
We can’t wait to share upcoming programming and new offerings rooted in creativity, connection, and community care. Here’s to a new season of making, learning, and growing together ✨
Wishing you rest, warmth, and inspiration as we welcome the new year.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Gather your crew and step into a creative, intention-setting experience with our Manifesting Art Journal Workshop. This is your chance to slow down, play with imagery, and create meaning through colors, textures, and pictures that speak to your vision.
As we head into a new year, there’s no better time to:
🌟 Set intentions
🌟 Formulate goals
🌟 Visualize your dreams
🌟 Transform ideas into art-filled pages
Perfect for teams, organizations, friend groups, girls nights, and wellness gatherings — this workshop blends reflection with creative play, leaving everyone inspired and aligned for the year ahead.
Put meaningful intention behind what you would like to manifest in your life this year. 📅 Booking a winter + new year workshop!
Adults need play, experimentation, and creative exploration just as much as young people do. When we draw, paint, stitch, sculpt, dance, or simply make something with our hands, we activate parts of ourselves that the world often asks us to shut down.
Art gives us room to question, to reimagine, to process what words can’t hold, and to reconnect to joy.
It teaches resilience through trial and error, confidence through making choices, and emotional literacy through expression.
If we want whole, healthy communities, we must make space for creativity—for everyone. 🎨🖤
Pulled from a book by: Elliot Eisner, ‘The arts and the Creation of Mind’, Chapter 4, What The Arts Teach and How it Shows. (pp 70 - 92) Yale University Press.
ALL DONATIONS GO TOWARDS HELPING SUBSIDIZE ASÉ ARTS PROGRAMMING
Donate
Richmond Art Center 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, July 9 – September 6, 2025 Gallery Hours: Wed–Sat, 10am–4pm
Art Near BART Opening Reception: Saturday, August 23rd 1–4pm MacArthur Commons (courtyard) 539 39th St, Oakland