In case you’re driving down Ygnacio Valley Highway close to the Heart for Group Arts in Walnut Creek on Saturday and see a big white bunny with pink spots, don’t fear—it’s not that additional glass of wine you had final evening. The bunny is without doubt one of the stars of the favored Spring Household Artwork Day.
Twice a 12 months, Walnut Creek’s Arts and Recreation Division presents Household Artwork Days. The one in the summertime is completed along with the Regional Heart for the Arts. The spring occasion set for March 15 celebrates renewal, blooming younger artists and the upcoming holidays round Easter.
This free occasion supplies youngsters from toddlers to teenagers, and fogeys and grandparents, with hands-on, process-based artwork actions that encourage creativity, discovery and self-expression, says Lauren Funcheon, a Youth & Camp program coordinator and one of many organizers of Household Artwork Day.
She says it’s a distinctive expertise for not solely the Walnut Creek communities, however its neighbors as nicely. “Family Art Day is more than just a fun outing, it’s an opportunity for families to connect, create, and experience the arts together,” she says. “It encourages creativity, discovery and self-expression.”
Household Artwork Day additionally enriches younger artists with significant efficiency alternatives and details about cultural celebrations taking place in spring: “By bringing families together through creativity, this event strengthens our community and ensures that the arts remain an accessible and integral part of everyday life,” she says.
Watercolor portray is among the many actions slated for Household Artwork Day on March 15 in Walnut Creek. (MacKenzie Crane @cranes_photography/Courtesy Household Artwork Day CCA 2024)
And what sort of artwork can households create? Funcheon says there’s something for everybody: kite-making and wildflower drawings impressed by Georgia O’Keeffe; egg adorning for a Haft Seen desk (a conventional Iranian desk used throughout Nowruz, the Persian New 12 months celebration) and clay making with the Clay Arts Guild.
Additionally within the lineup: a capoeira station; a sensory-inclusive house with tactile tables; readings hosted by the Contra Costa County Library; seed planting; and a fan favourite, Joybound’s Cell Pet Adoption station. There additionally might be performances, together with taiko drumming with Diablo Taiko and dance by Chavalos Danzas por Nicaragua.
For many who want a pick-me-up, Rosie’s Taco Truck might be available.
The Easter Bunny will make his annual look on the Household Artwork Day in Walnut Creek on March 15. (MacKenzie Crane @cranes_photography/Courtesy Household Artwork Day CCA 2024)
Actions are offered by native artists and academics on the arts heart, together with Alex Hagerty, who might be heading up the favored session on spring flower drawings impressed by O’Keeffe. She says, “We’ll be using chalk pastels to create our own colorful renditions of her work.”
Hagerty significantly enjoys the group facet of the day, commenting, “I love seeing current and past students at these events and getting to know new ones.”
One other favourite, in keeping with Funcheon, is something having to do with clay. “Who doesn’t like messy hands and building fun shapes?”
However Household Artwork Day isn’t only a messy labor of affection for Funcheon, who appreciates its good power and creativity: “When I walk around, everyone is connecting and creating and that warms my heart.”
Equally heartwarming are giant white and pink bunnies, together with one main an Easter egg relay race. It may not seem like artwork, however for households having fun with the day collectively, there’s nothing so inspiring.
Household Artwork Day runs 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 15 at Heart for Group Arts Auditorium, 111 N. Wiget Lane, Walnut Creek; admission is free. Go to communityarts.org.
