Week 4, September 2010

This week’s highlighted local treasure is 

Berkeley Art Center

From the ”About Us” page on their website:

History: Designed by Robert Ratcliff Architects in 1967, the Berkeley Art Center was built by the Rotary Club as a gift to the City of Berkeley, and was instituted as a city program until BAC adopted its private, non-profit status in the late 70s. A beautiful arts and crafts-style structure in Live Oak Park, North Berkeley with an outdoor reception area, BAC has established itself as leading local gallery presenting the work of talented regional artists in diverse media.

Audience: Berkeley Art Center’s audience serves and represents the diversity of the city and region in which it operates, and includes the active participation of over 10,000 individuals on an annual basis. As a fully handicapped-accessible facility, Berkeley Art Center is also accessible to a large section of the senior and disabled population. Artists comprise a significant part of BAC’s audience: in 2008, over 250 artist members displayed work in the center’s annual Members Showcase exhibition, from which three were chosen for a small group show, and BAC received 750 artist entries for its Annual National Juried Exhibition. Nearly 600 student artists from Berkeley public schools, K-12, displayed their work in the 2009 Youth Arts Festival. Young people benefit from participation in the Youth Arts Festival and from special, youth-oriented programs, as well as through internship and volunteer opportunities.

So, let’s find some fun ’round the bay…

Music for People and Thingamajigs:  Friday in San Francisco.  From their website:   The Music For People & Thingamajigs Festival is an annual event dedicated to promoting experimental music that incorporates made/found instruments and alternate tuning systems. Each year, MFP&T invites artists who design their own musical instruments to join in a festival of workshops, music making, and performances with the goal of reaching a large, diverse audience of all ages. It is also a festival where the public can participate in instrument building and tuning educational workshops, as well as hear unique sounds and compositions from up and coming artists. Now in its 13th year, Thingamajigs’ genre-crossing MFP&T Festival is the only annual event completely dedicated to music created with made/found materials and alternate tuning systems.

Pixar: 25 Years of Animation:  Through January 9, 2011 in Oakland.  From their website:  Walt Disney’s arrival in Los Angeles in the 1920s firmly established California as a magnet for animation artists in the decades to come. Home to a number of leading studios, the San Francisco Bay Area has emerged as a global center for animation today. PIXAR: 25 Years of Animation provides an unprecedented look at the renowned Emeryville-based studio (located just a few miles from OMCA) and showcases the creative work behind its wildly successful computer-animated films.  After its opening in New York and its five-year  international tour, the exhibition comes home to Oakland. The OMCA presentation includes all of the artwork from the original presentation at MOMA, plus art from Ratatouille, WALL•E, Up, and Pixar’s latest film, Toy Story 3.

Rockridge Out and About Festival:  Sunday in Oakland.  From OaklandLocal.com:  For the 4th year, the Rockridge District Association (RDA )is supporting hand-made artisans and non-profits who wish to to participate in Rockridge Out & About. There is a  Chef  Stage, Market  Hall’s Picnic in the Street,  a Wellness Tent, a Kid’s Area a Rockridge Merchant/Artisan  Marketplace, many gourmet  food  &  beverage  booths, and lots of live music and street entertainment. There are supposed to be food booths from Cote, Cactus Taqueria, Noodle Theory, and Flavors of India, the Pasta Shop,  Chicken Satay and Tri Tip Sandwiches from Enzo’s–and lots more!

Please visit our sister site for the best in local real estate: 

Pic of the Week:

Bryan plays with the photo editing on a Hibiscus