Friday Night at the Art Center—Creative Attention Virtual Opening Reception
2022-01-28 18:15 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
We’re moving our opening celebration for Creative Attention online, and promise to retain all of the fun and community in a virtual context. Join us for this free special celebration of the exhibition, featuring a virtual walkthrough, a chance to meet and hear from artists in the show, participate in hands-on art activities, and more!
Friday Night at the Art Center—Creative Attention virtual opening Event Schedule
6:15 Welcome, introductions
6:20 Meditation with artist Angela Hennessy
6:40 Artist Paz de la Calzada reads an invocation for El Palo Alto
6:55 Virtual gallery walkthrough with guest curator Ann Trinca
7:15 Brief comments by artists in the exhibition
7:30 Artist Jessi Rado reads from Everyday Healing
7:45 Hands-on art activity with Art Center staff
8:00 Event closing
Please note that timings and performances are subject to change.

Friday Night at the Art Center—Creative Attention Virtual Members’ Preview
2022-01-28 17:00 - 18:00
Join us for an exclusive preview of the Creative Attention exhibition, featuring a chance to meet the curator Ann Trinca and to participate in flash talks by Creative Attention artists. Stay for the public opening to meet more of the artists and learn more about the exhibition.

Virtual Walkthrough with Creative Attention Artist Wes Bruce
2022-01-19 17:15 - 18:15
Join artist Wes Bruce for a virtual walkthrough of his installation In the River of My Essential Self I Swam to the Depths as part of the Creative Attention exhibition at the Palo Alto Art Center. Wes Bruce has been on site for more than a week, creating this site-specific installation focused on seeking, sensing, and reciprocity. You won’t want to miss this unique opportunity to hear from this extraordinary artist as he completes his installation.
Wes Bruce is a multi-practice artist, educator, poet, and designer. For the last decade, he has worked professionally creating large-scale, site-specific installations that are deeply engaging, and wildly imaginative. His environments act as worlds within worlds, invoking play and exploration in children and adults. Wes grew up in Northern California, and currently resides in Colorado. He is a graduate of Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego where he earned a degree in Art Education. He built his first fort-like structure in 2010 at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido. In 2012 he received a Creative Catalyst from the San Diego Foundation for a site-specific installation at Lux Art Institute in Encinitas, CA. He has created other interactive environments at Children’s Museum Denver, the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, the New Children’s Museum San Diego, and the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.

Art Center Studio Holiday Sale
2021-12-04 10:00 - 16:00 | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, United States
Shop local artists at the Palo Alto Art Center Studio Holiday Sale

If you are looking for handmade gifts for the holidays, the Art Center Studio Holiday Sale is your one-stop shop. Our sale showcases unique artwork created by local artists working in the studios at the Palo Alto Art Center. Come and browse stunning and innovative jewelry, functional and fine art ceramics, paintings, prints and more. Proceeds benefit the participating artists, our studios, and the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation.
There will be an exclusive Foundation members-only preview and sale on Friday, December 3, 2021, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Please visit paacf.org to sign up for Foundation membership today!

Holiday Sale Happy Hour
2021-12-03 17:30 - 19:30 | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, United States
Join us for a members-only happy hour and presale for the Adult Studio’s Holiday Sale.

Join us for a members-only happy hour and presale for the Adult Studio’s Holiday Sale.
If you are looking for handmade gifts for the holidays, the Art Center Studio Holiday Sale is your one-stop shop. Our sale showcases unique artwork created by local artists working in the studios at the Palo Alto Art Center. Stunning and innovative jewelry made by members of the Open Jewelry Studio program, functional and fine art ceramics, and paintings, drawings and prints will be available.
The Friday Happy Hour is open to Palo Alto Art Center Foundation members. You will have the opportunity to shop early, meet the artists, and enjoy winter drinks and treats.
The Holiday Sale will be open to the public on Saturday, December 4, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Proceeds benefit the participating artists, our studios, and the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation.

The Art of Disability Culture Circle Event
2021-10-16 11:00 - 15:00
Join us for a Circle Trip

Join the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation for a very special day of art inspired by the exhibition The Art of Disability Culture. Visit NIAD Art Center in Richmond, a progressive art studio for adult artists with developmental disabilities, learn more about their inspired work, and have an opportunity to see more art by exhibiting artists Jeremy Burleson and Shana Harper. Stay at NIAD for an outdoor catered boxed lunch. Then head to exhibiting artist Katherine Sherwood’s Rodeo studio for a studio tour and closing informal reception. Space is limited; masks will be required for indoor activities and social distancing will be encouraged.

The Art of Disability Culture Community Day Celebration
2021-10-10 12:00 - 16:00
Join us for a unique hybrid community day celebration of The Art of Disability Culture!

Learn more about The Art of Disability Culture exhibition in this unique onsite or virtual hybrid community day celebration that will include performances, hands-on artmaking, the Mozzeria food truck, and more!
Funding has been provided by California Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Michaela Oteri, Self-portrait, 2020, digital print, 26 x 38 in., Courtesy of the artist

Great Glass Pumpkin Patch®
2021-10-02 10:00 - 2021-10-03 17:00 | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, United States
The 26th annual Great Glass Pumpkin Patch will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 2-3, 2021, outdoors on the grounds of the Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Road. Admission is free.
More than 25 artists take months to hand-blow and hand-craft the more than 10,000 beautiful glass pumpkins for sale, which range from tiny to gargantuan. The pumpkins come in all colors and various shapes.
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There will be continuous live glass-blowing demonstrations throughout the weekend.
For details on participating artists, visit www.greatglasspumpkinpatch.com.

DETAILS:
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 2-3, 2021
WHERE: Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303
ADMISSION: Free
DEMOS: Continuous glass-blowing demonstrations throughout the weekend
DIRECTIONS: The Palo Alto Art Center is at the corner of Embarcadero and Newell roads in Palo Alto. PARKING: Plenty of free street parking is available at the Palo Alto Art Center.
INFO LINE: 650.329.2366
WEBSITE: www.greatglasspumpkinpatch.com

Great Glass Pumpkin Patch Member Pre-Sale
2021-10-02 09:00 - 10:00 | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, United States
Shop Early to Find Your Favorites at the Great Glass Pumpkin Patch!

The biggest problem you’ll have at this year’s Great Glass Pumpkin Patch is choosing which ones to take home! You’ll have more than 10,000 from which to pick in California’s largest glass pumpkin patch. The pumpkins come in all sizes, shapes and colors.
PAACF Activist and above members are invited to a members-only presale on Saturday, October 2 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Get the first pick of pumpkins and receive 10% off at the same time!
The Patch will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 2-3, outside on the grounds of the Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Road.
The Great Glass Pumpkin Patch is presented by the Palo Alto Art Center, the Bay Area Glass Institute and the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation. More details available at www.greatglasspumpkinpatch.com

Friday Night at the Art Center - The Art of Disability Culture
2021-09-17 18:00 - 20:00
Join us onsite or virtually for the opening celebration of “The Art of Disability Culture” exhibition .

Join us onsite or virtually for the opening celebration of “The Art of Disability Culture” exhibition .
Join us onsite or virtually for the opening celebration of “The Art of Disability Culture” exhibition .
Join us onsite or virtually for this unique hybrid and accessible celebration of The Art of Disability Culture featuring exhibition walkthroughs, a chance to hear from exhibiting artists, special performances, and more!
At the heart of this exhibition is a robust celebration of the diverse, personal, and infinitely varied “disability experience.” Every artist featured has one or more disabilities, whether visible or invisible, and the exhibition centers upon their creativity, vulnerability, and unique perspectives. The exhibition celebrates how disability culture can strengthen our communities through the practices of interdependence, accessibility, and inclusion.

The Art of Disability Culture-Members' Preview
2021-09-17 17:00 - 18:00
Join us onsite or virtually for the Members’ preview of “The Art of Disability Culture” exhibition .

Join us onsite or virtually for this unique hybrid and accessible celebration of The Art of Disability Culture featuring exhibition walkthroughs, a chance to hear from exhibiting artists, special performances, and more!
At the heart of this exhibition is a robust celebration of the diverse, personal, and infinitely varied “disability experience.” Every artist featured has one or more disabilities, whether visible or invisible, and the exhibition centers upon their creativity, vulnerability, and unique perspectives. The exhibition celebrates how disability culture can strengthen our communities through the practices of interdependence, accessibility, and inclusion.
Doors open at 5:00 pm with the program beginning at 5:15 pm.

Stay for Friday Night at the Art Center from 6-8 p.m. for special performances, art-making activities, a complimentary cocktail, cash bar, and more!

The Art of Disability Culture
2021-09-11 00:00 - 2021-12-11 00:00
The Palo Alto Art Center is pleased to present The Art of Disability Culture: Artists with Disabilities Dispelling Myths, Dissolving Barriers, and Disrupting Prejudice September 11-December 11, 2021. At the heart of this exhibition is a robust celebration of the diverse, personal, and infinitely varied “disability experience.”
Each of the 20 artists featured has one or more disabilities, whether visible or invisible, and the exhibition centers upon their creativity, vulnerability, and unique perspectives. The exhibition celebrates how disability culture can strengthen our communities through the practices of interdependence, accessibility, and inclusion.
Work in the exhibition ranges from mixed-media pieces by Katherine Sherwood, who had to re-imagine her painting practice after a stroke, to a series of tactile paintings created during the height of the pandemic by artist Catherine Lecce-Chong, who lost her vision suddenly in 2018. The exhibition also includes an audio comic by Chad Allen, ceramics from blind potter Don Katz, a site-specific environmental installation by Jennifer Justice, a healing labyrinth installation by blind artist Maia Scott, and a large-scale sculpture made from discarded materials by Palo Alto artist Matthaus Lam. Other artists in the show include: Bill Bruckner, Jeremy Burleson, Lawrence Choy, Sky CubaCub, Shana Harper, Camille Holvoet, Antoine Hunter, Cedric Johnson, Michaela Oteri, Otis Smith, Anthony Tusler, Rachel Ungerer, and Jennifer White-Johnson.
One in four Americans has a disability. And yet, more than 30 years after the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), people with disabilities still face discrimination, prejudice, ableism, and omission. The art in The Art of Disability Culture explores many of these challenges, and also the defiant, creative, and resilient responses of this incredible and diverse community.
Guest curator Fran Osborne shares, “Far from presenting a single monolithic point of view, the artists in the exhibition generously share their own experience and the complexity of their disability identity. Some of the works aim to soothe and heal, and some may provoke us into rethinking our priorities and reflect upon what we can all do to make our world more authentic, accessible, and inclusive?”
The Art of Disability Culture exhibition will feature numerous accessibility components to ensure that the broadest possible audience can experience the exhibition and related programs. Audio descriptions will be available for all works of art on view and will also be accessible on the website. Braille labels and audio descriptions will also be available for visitors. Public programs will include sign language interpretation and live captioning.
The exhibition will include artwork from Bay Area studio programs that have supported and mentored artists with a broad range of abilities, including NIAD, Creative Growth, Creativity Explored and Palo Alto’s Ability Path.
Funding has been provided by California Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

Paula Kirkeby Press Hands-On Printmaking Activity
2021-08-28 14:00 - 15:30 | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, United States
This event will allow a limited group to participate in a unique hands-on monotype activity with Fanny Retsek. Space is limited.

Join us for two opportunities to experience the Paula Kirkeby Press—recently relocated from the Cubberley Community Center to the Art Center! This press was generously given to the Art Center by the Kirkeby family, in order to continue the legacy of printmaking in our community begun with Smith Andersen Editions. Both events will feature Art Center Studio Program Director Fanny Retsek, who maintains a printmaking artistic practice in her free time. Fanny was previously a printer for Crown Point Press in San Francisco and master printer for the ICA Print Center.
Wednesday, August 25, 5:30-6:30 p.m.Watch a demo of the Paula Kirkeby press in action with Fanny Retsek. Learn about classes, workshops, and drop-in press opportunities. Register here.
Saturday, August 28, 2-3:30 p.m. This event will allow a limited group to participate in a unique hands-on monotype activity with Fanny Retsek. Space is limited.

Paula Kirkeby Press Printmaking Demonstration
2021-08-25 17:30 - 18:30 | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, United States
Watch a demo of the Paula Kirkeby press in action with Fanny Retsek. Learn about classes, workshops, and drop-in press opportunities.

Join us for two opportunities to experience the Paula Kirkeby Press—recently relocated from the Cubberley Community Center to the Art Center! This press was generously given to the Art Center by the Kirkeby family, in order to continue the legacy of printmaking in our community begun with Smith Andersen Editions. Both events will feature Art Center Studio Program Director Fanny Retsek, who maintains a printmaking artistic practice in her free time. Fanny was previously a printer for Crown Point Press in San Francisco and master printer for the ICA Print Center.
Wednesday, August 25, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Watch a demo of the Paula Kirkeby press in action with Fanny Retsek. Learn about classes, workshops, and drop-in press opportunities.
Saturday, August 28, 2-3:30 p.m.
This event will allow a limited group to participate in a unique hands-on monotype activity with Fanny Retsek. Space is limited.

The Black Index Closing Reception
2021-08-14 17:00 - 18:00 | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, United States
Join us for an exclusive reception for PAACF Circle and Alliance Members after “The Black Index” Closing Celebration.

Join us for an exclusive reception for PAACF Circle and Alliance Members after “The Black Index” Closing Celebration.
Join the Palo Alto Art Center for a closing celebration of The Black Index exhibition. Hear from the exhibition curator Dr. Bridget R. Cooks, meet artists from the exhibition, purchase the exhibition catalogue, and see the exhibition one more time before the show travels to its next venues at the University of Texas at Austin and Hunter College.
Circle and Alliance members, stay for an exclusive reception to toast the exhibition’s close and to meet and mingle with Dr. Cooks and the artists.
3:30-5:00 pm – Public Closing Celebration
5:00-6:00 pm- Private Reception

The Black Index Closing Celebration
2021-08-14 15:30 - 17:00 | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, United States
A closing celebration of “The Black Index” exhibition!

Join the Palo Alto Art Center for a closing celebration of The Black Index exhibition. Hear from the exhibition curator Dr. Bridget R. Cooks, meet artists from the exhibition, purchase the exhibition catalogue, and see the exhibition one more time before the show travels to its next venues at the University of Texas at Austin and Hunter College.

Black American Art History: People, Places and Things
2021-08-13 17:00 - 18:00, 2021-07-09 17:00 - 18:00
Learn about Black American artists from the nineteenth to twenty-first centuries.

In these Friday evening presentations, The Black Index exhibition curator Bridget R. Cooks will offer a thematic overview of art by Black American artists from the nineteenth to twenty-first centuries. Discover new favorite artists, styles, and stories in these engaging sessions.
Pictured left to right: Xaviera Simmons, Velvet , 2018; Carrie Mae Weems, At the Precipice, 2003

Black Creativity and Mentorship
2021-07-16 12:00 - 13:00
Black Creativity and Mentorship: A Conversation Between Diana Pumpelly Bates and Titus Kaphar

Join acclaimed San Jose artist Diana Pumpelly Bates and internationally recognized artist Titus Kaphar for a conversation about Black creativity, artistic inspiration, and the importance of mentorship. This conversation will be moderated by The Black Index exhibition curator Bridget R. Cooks

The Black Index Exhibition
2021-06-15 - 2021-08-14 | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, United States
The Palo Alto Art Center is pleased to present The Black Index, a group exhibition featuring the work of Dennis Delgado, Alicia Henry, Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle, Titus Kaphar, Whitfield Lovell, and Lava Thomas.
The artists featured in The Black Index build upon the tradition of Black self representation as an antidote to colonialist images. Using drawing, performance, printmaking, sculpture, and digital technology to transform the recorded image, these artists question our reliance on photography as a privileged source for documentary objectivity and understanding. Their works offer an alternative practice—a Black index—that still serves as a finding aid for information about Black subjects, but also challenges viewers’ desire for classification.
The works in The Black Index make viewers aware of their own expectations of Black figuration by interrupting traditional epistemologies of portraiture through unexpected and unconventional depictions. These works image the Black body through a conceptual lens that acknowledges the legacy of Black containment that is always present in viewing strategies. The approaches used by Delgado, Henry, Hinkle, Kaphar, Lovell, and Thomas suggest understandings of Blackness and the racial terms of our neo-liberal condition that counter legal and popular interpretations and, in turn, offer a paradigmatic shift within Black visual culture.
The Black Index is curated by Bridget R. Cooks, Associate Professor, Department of African American Studies and the Department of Art History, University of California, Irvine. Exhibition and tour organized by Sarah Watson, Chief Curator, Hunter College Art Galleries, New York in collaboration with the University Art Galleries at UC Irvine, Palo Alto Art Center, and Art Galleries at Black Studies, University of Texas at Austin.
Lead support for The Black Index is provided by The Ford Foundation with additional support by UCI Confronting Extremism Program, Getty Research Institute, Fundación Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso para el Arte, Carol and Arthur Goldberg, Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, Leubsdorf Fund at Hunter College, Joan Lazarus Fellowship program at Hunter College, Pamela and David Hornik, Loren and Mike Gordon, University of California Office of the President Multi-campus Research Programs and Initiative Funding, University of California Humanities Research Institute, Applied Materials Foundation, Illuminations: The Chancellor’s Arts and Culture Initiative, UCI Humanities Center, Department of African American Studies, Department of Art History, The Reparations Project, and the UC Irvine Black Alumni Chapter. This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit calhum.org.
