Arts and culture
The atmosphere was joyous at Veterans Hall in Richmond Saturday, where more than 100 people celebrated Native American culture with drumming, singing, crafts, food and the traditional dancing contest. This year’s 13th Annual Richmond Contest Powwow was held during Native American Heritage Month and on Veterans Day, which organizers saw as an opportunity to honor the many native people who have served in the military. “It is great that we are finally being recognized,” said Jordan Wilson of Stockton, whose…
Saturday’s bleak forecast in Richmond may have meant fewer parkgoers than usual at Point Pinole, but the dreary skies didn’t seem to faze Eileen Hazel and her band of 14 vocalists. Bundled in their winter coats, they carried on with the “Sing with the Season” event. The crew came prepared. Many brought chairs, some brought snacks, and some sat on picnic blankets. When everyone found their place, Hazel began what would be her first time leading a song circle, a…
Lauren Ari proudly calls herself a Richmond artist. It’s where she has lived and sculpted and drawn for more than 20 years. It’s also where she finds support, among dozens of other artists who have made the same decision. “I always had that fantasy of, ‘Oh, one day I’ll move to the country and all my friends will move with me and we’ll have an artist commune and life will be great,’” she said. “And I thought to myself, ‘Who…
Unlike some still art, the bright and geometric vines of Bay Area-born muralist Richard Muro Salazar’s piece “Pahtiā” appear to be devouring the rest of the flat, rust-colored painting. And that’s exactly what the artist wants. “We are now in the time of climate change, so I want to bring back more elements that stick with this theme.”said Salazar, a self-identified xhicano who crafted this piece from wood that was illegally dumped or tossed out in Richmond. Salazar is one…
Two major murals representing scenes from Richmond’s past are getting a makeover. As part of the $4.1 million Richmond Art and Light Project, the “Past Perfect” and “Revisionist History of San Pablo Avenue” murals will get reconditioned by the original artist, John Wehrle. The Richmond Arts & Culture Commission had the murals painted on Interstate 80 underpasses intersecting two of the city’s major thoroughfares in the 1990s. “Past Perfect” on Macdonald Avenue depicts the arrival of a ghost trolley from…
Inside of a tiny house, there is another tiny house, showcasing the two houses in the artist’ life: the one she lives in, and the one she dreams of. This is an artwork that Richmond artist Erin McCluskey Wheeler will be showcasing at the “Today is the Greatest” exhibition, which starts at the NIAD Art Center Thursday and runs until Nov. 17. “Dollhouses, anything in miniature, travel kits, and wearability were all things that seemed delightful to me and pleased…
In joyful movements, a girl sways on a stage adorned with vibrant balloons and gracefully turns, showcasing her fashion creation to the audience. Her pink polyplicate dress billows like a blossoming peony as she twirls. This was the scene at “The Vibration of Awesomeness” fashion show earlier this month. The event at the Oakland Museum of California was organized by several community groups including the NIAD Art Center in Richmond. It is part of a series of events associated with…
Good fences make good neighbors — depending on who owns the fence. On a chain link fence by Richmond Parkway separating the Chevron refinery and a neighborhood downwind of it, community volunteers, including Mayor Eduardo Martinez, wove technicolor wooden slats through the metal bars on Earth Day. The artwork was covered with messages saying, “Richmond deserves clean air + water,” “Chevron!!! A horrible neighbor!,” and “Land = Liberation,” and topped with ribbons blowing with the wind from the Richmond plant…
Drumming a steady beat, David Flores lets the hip hop rhythm inspire him. He’s been writing rap lyrics for a long time but only really started writing poetry after working as an after school poetry teacher. While he and his students considered him a poet, he wasn’t sure Richmond, his hometown, would. Flores almost didn’t apply for Richmond poet laureate, paralyzed by self-doubt and the thought that his work wasn’t good enough. “You know what? I’m just going to go…