Fwd: December at the Berkeley Art Center & Director's Note

[Margo...@sonic.net]

View this email in your browser DIRECTOR'S NOTE Dear BAC Community,  As we transition into shorter days and longer nights, I look forward to the cooler season unfolding into the New Year. I find inspiration when I slow down (which isn't always easy) and tune into my surroundings—whether connecting with members at our gatherings, observing nature, talking with participants in our visual journaling class, or experiencing hand-stitched quilts rich in history and love. I'm excited about our new exhibition opening this month and amazed by the gallery's transformation into an immersive, textured, and thought-provoking installation that recreates a 19th-century Victorian "period room." This unique setting invites you to look closely and reconsider interventions in the Northern California landscape. Our upcoming Winter Welcome promises a relaxed afternoon of art and community, so please join us! December is also a vital time to support the arts, and I hope you'll consider donating to Berkeley Art Center. Your support truly matters. Thank you for being part of our community, and I wish everyone a safe, warm, and inspiring month ahead! Saludos, Gisela Insuaste Executive Director DONATE NOW EXHIBITION OPENING Saturday, December 13, 3-5 pm Celebrate our last exhibition of 2025 on Saturday, December 13, 3- 5 pm! [Obstructed view of the house through the trees with the road visible on the left side in the foreground.] or black point reinterpretive site is an immersive, site-responsive installation and replica of a 19th-century Victorian "period room," constructed by multidisciplinary artists Torreya Cummings and Sarah Lowe, and curated by Elena Gross. Period rooms function as domestic interior spaces to present a wealthy family's opulent and often exotic treasures. At Berkeley Art Center, Cummings & Lowe have fashioned theatrical backdrops, handcrafted facsimiles, props, furniture, and created a stage to play out the political dramas of natural history, colonialism, and mechanical interventions into the Northern California landscape from the time of Western expansion to the present day. These fabricated scenes challenge and question how art and artifice, photography and commercialism, have functioned as tools of both history-making and historical erasure. Learn more!  Free and open to all (RSVP here).  WINTER WELCOME Sunday, December 14, 2-4 pm Join us on December 14, 2-4 pm, for a Winter Welcome! Spend a cozy afternoon enjoying art and community as we warmly welcome our Executive Director, Gisela Insuaste, ahead of the New Year. Stop by to get inspired, create art, and enjoy beverages, snacks, and music with us throughout the day. ❄️🎨 Drop-in Art Activity- Create a talisman for the New Year, 2-4 pm Unleash your creativity and craft a personal talisman! Choose from natural and found or recycled materials (like paper, rocks, fabric, leaves, or clay) to create a unique charm for luck, protection, and a little bit of magia! We'll supply basic materials, but you're welcome to bring any special items to personalize your talisman. Feel free to bring a friend!  Welcome! 2:30 pm Join us to meet Gisela and fellow BAC community members, and celebrate the season as we share our experiences at Live Oak Park and the Berkeley Art Center. With BAC's 60th anniversary approaching in 2027, come and listen to Gisela's vision for the future and learn how you can participate. Free and open to all (RSVP here)  2025 YEAR-END APPEAL Support artists, curators, and programming serving the community at BAC! Image and design by Gisela Insuaste, inspired by the Berkeley Art Center's wooden bridge. What matters? How can you help us bridge connections and shared understanding through art? Thanks to supporters like you, Berkeley Art Center continues to be a hub for artistic exploration and community building, and, as in this past year, to remain resilient and adaptable through times of change and transition. When folks cross BAC's wooden bridge, they share curiosity, creativity, and stories that deepen our connections. These exchanges keep us grounded and emphasize the importance of art and community, especially amid broader social and political uncertainty. Let's envision the arts ecosystem together, where art and community flourish side by side, so each time we cross BAC's wooden bridge, you experience something meaningful and alive here at the Berkeley Art Center.  Support the Berkeley Art Center in this new chapter by making a generous contribution today! Your support today will help fund exciting future activations at BAC!  Innovative and bold art exhibitions and experiences by diverse artists in the gallery, lobby, and bridge. Expanded exhibition-related public programs and community events Workspace residency for artists. Professional development and networking opportunities for artists & members. Free community workshops and low-cost adult and youth classes. DONATE NOW PD WORKSHOP (Jan 2026) NAVIGATING THE GALLERY LANDSCAPE with Svea Lin Soll Berkeley Art Center is excited to announce a new virtual professional development workshop for artists! Join curator and consultant Svea Lin Soll for her masterclass, Navigating the Gallery Landscape—a practical, insight-driven session designed to help artists understand how galleries operate today and how to position their work within the broader art ecosystem. This 90-minute online workshop will cover: A conceptual framework to help you understand your place in the art world A big-picture look at the current art and gallery market What galleries are considering during this moment of transition and economic uncertainty How to identify galleries that align with your practice Materials checklists and professional readiness tips Approaches for contacting galleries with clarity and confidence...plus much more. The 90-minute session includes a Q&A and a companion guide to support your continued professional growth. Date: January 10, 2026, at 11 am PST Location: Virtual session on Google Meet Fee: $55 for BAC Members / $75 for Non-members  Registration: Eventbrite (Members register using a discount code) Become a BAC Member today! Benefits include: discounted access to creative and professional development workshops, exhibition previews, digital newsletters and updates, monthly members' gatherings, and the opportunity to submit to our Open Call for our Annual Juried Members' Exhibition this summer. And more! PLEASE NOTE: The gallery is closed for installation until December 13, 2025. Holiday Closure: December 25, 2025 - January 1, 2026 On November 22, we enjoyed a beautiful day learning about the neighborhood's history and natural environment, and visual journaling with artist Dawline-Jane Oni-Eseleh. She gifted participants handmade journals and inks made from foraged materials: dawn redwood, coast redwood, and California alder. Looking forward to offering future art and nature workshops! Thank you, Dawline! We are grateful for the California Arts Council general operating grant we received last month to support the work we do. Check out the list of 2025-26 CAC grant recipients–we're in good company. Thank you! COMMUNITY NEWS & RESOURCES thoughts of a large red woman: chapter one: interaction: Urbanrezlife Longoria's first solo show, Central Library, 2090 Kittredge Street, Berkeley: Nov 3- Dec 6 Bathers Library- Fall resident Quinn Edlin's book release of "Unburdened: An exploration of Shame in Short Story, Interview & Essay" at 2310 Telegraph, Oakland: Dec 5, 7 pm.  Holiday Market- Dollhouse Tattoo, 1624 University Ave, Berkeley: Dec 6, 12- 5 pm East Bay Open Studios: Dec 6 & 7 and Dec 13 & 14, 11 am- 5 pm Berkeley Food Network- Community Holiday Party, 1925 Ninth St, Berkeley: Dec 7, 12:30- 2:30 pm Crips-Mas Market, 165 Grove St, SF, RSVP: Dec 7, 12- 4 pm Et al.- Jumble #2, 2831a Mission St, SF: Dec 7, 12- 5 pm Holiday Arts Festival- Richmond Art Center, Dec 7,10 am- 4 pm Root Division's 1st Annual Artist Fair, 1131 Mission St, SF: Dec 13,12- 5 pm Asian Diasporic Art & Radicalism Survey. Survey open through Dec 15 Call for Artists: City of Berkeley, Public Art RFQ  Feather, Flutter, and Form. Applications are open now through Jan 12, 2026 Quick Grant applications are due on the 15th of the month. Next deadline is Dec 15th. Up to $600 in professional development funds to California-based artists, creatives, cultural practitioners, and cultural producers. Support Berkeley Art Center! Donate today and help support Bay Area artists, curators & artist educators! Donate Now Become a member today! Become a Member Copyright © 2025 Berkeley Art Center, All rights reserved.  You receive this email to be notified of news and announcements from the Berkeley Art Center. BERKELEY ART CENTER / 1275 Walnut St. / Berkeley, CA 94709 / (510) 644-6893 Want to change how you receive these emails?