New artists have set up shop in downtown Concord

We're delighted to report that even more art is happening in downtown Concord! Three of our friends have set up their working studio spaces at 1924 Grant Street, across from Todos Santos Plaza (upstairs from Baskin Robbins).

Cheryl Jones (center) is in Suite #6, which she calls Cheryl's Creative Corner. 

Pat Viera (Viera Arts - left) and Lisa Fulmer (Local Artists Rock - right) share Suite #10 right next door.

Pat's collage class at the aRt Cottage earlier this month

All three artists offer small workshops in their studios - Pat teaches collage and tee-shirt painting for 1-2 people on whatever day and time is best for you. Lisa runs Arty Play Dates on Friday nights for up to 5 people where you can create artful décor items for your home. Cheryl has paint-n-sip classes for 4-5 adults, as well as fun painting days for small groups of kids.

Cheryl's recent mother/daughter paint class for Halloween

Drop by to visit - they work in their studios several afternoons each week (including weekends) and they have their own artwork on display for sale. If you miss them in-person, their event schedules are posted in their windows. Now go make some art!

Happy is a child who makes art!

 

Kids and teens love hanging out at the aRt Cottage to make art. Some have been working on pet portraits, others are creating whatever comes to their imagination. Contact us for rates and available days/times - we look forward to helping your kids make something special. We have classes for grown-ups too!

Holding Space for 800 Souls

 

When Lisa Dell'Anno (above left) from the Diablo Valley chapter of Moms Demand Action learned about the Concord Art Association from a podcast, she went into action herself. She went looking for a local spot to display 800 small, handmade paper origami boxes that are part of a national community effort to raise awareness about gun violence in the US - the Soul Box Project - and she discovered our little downtown gallery.

CAA and the aRt Cottage came together and we are honored to host this small but mighty exhibit in one of our gallery rooms during the month of July. Several CAA members, including Patti St. Denis (above right) and Jennifer Granat (center), came together to create a wonderful display. 

Each 3" square box represents one American life lost to gun violence - homicide, suicide or accidental. Statistics show that an average of 100 people die from guns every day in this country. This community art project is helping people grasp the gravity of that number in a visual way. 

The Soul Box exhibit runs July 6th through July 22nd in the back gallery. The collection will travel from here to Portland for the rest of the summer, then on to Washington DC to be part of a huge national display of more than 200,000 Soul Boxes in the fall. 

Join us on July 10th (2-4pm) for our Artist Reception

for the Land, Air & Sea Scapes show.

Supplies and instructions will be on hand for you to make your own Soul Box. 

Horsing around in class

 

Ten students were caught horsing around in class this past Sunday! Pat Viera taught the first of two paper collage classes, featuring a beautiful horse made with her own handpainted papers. The process is fun and the end result is fabulous for beginners and seasoned creatives alike.

Call us to register for her next class on June 13th; 1-4pm.

The price includes refreshments and time to relax on the patio.

Congrats to our young art students!

Vote for #1967

Five of our aRt Cottage students recently entered their artwork to CCWD's Water Awareness Youth Art Calendar Contest.

And guess what? All 5 made it to the finals! Now the public gets to vote for their favorite kids' art that portrays the importance of water conservation. The top 12 will be featured in the Water District's 2022 wall calendar. Each of the 12 kids will also receive a $50 art supply gift certificate and get their original work professionally framed. 

CLICK HERE to vote for our 5 kids' masterpieces (you'll see these numbered images on the ballot), plus 7 more of your favorites. The deadline to vote is 5 pm on Monday, May 31, 2021.

Thanks so much for supporting our young artists!

Vote for #1966

Vote for #1968

Vote for #1964

Vote for #1965

Pots and pots and more pots!

We had 14 students here on the patio this past Sunday for our clay pots class - it was an amazing clay day! So many creative ideas for making slab, coil and pinch pots. Now it's on to the glazing, on to the kiln!

Join us for our next patio art class with Pat Viera, local collage artist. Call to make your reservations early.

Amongst the Animals

 

Our closing reception for All Creatures Great and Small was filled with so much creative energy - we were bursting at the seams! 

There was art, there was food, there was music, there were flowers. There were artists, there were children...and there were smiles and laughter behind each and every mask! Many thanks to Lynda Weir for capturing so many great moments from the day.