Palo Alto Art Center facts for kids
| Formation | 1971 |
|---|---|
| Type | governmental organization |
| Purpose | arts, visual art education |
| Location |
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Key people
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Karen Kienzle (director, 2009) |
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Formerly called
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Palo Alto Community Cultural Center |
The Palo Alto Art Center is a fun place for art activities. It is open to everyone of all ages. You can find it at 1313 Newell Road in Palo Alto, California. The City of Palo Alto manages the center. It also gets help from a group called the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation. The center is right next to Rinconada Park and the Rinconada Public Library.
Contents
History of the Art Center
The Palo Alto Art Center first opened in 1971. It was originally called the Palo Alto Community Cultural Center.
The building where the Art Center is located was built in 1953. It was designed by an architect named Leslie Nichols. This building used to be Palo Alto's City Hall. From 2010 to 2012, the building was updated. They added more classrooms and a special area for children. In 2016, a local art collector named Paula Kirkeby passed away. Her printmaking equipment was given to the Art Center.
Karen Kienzle has been the director of the Palo Alto Art Center since 2009.
What You Can Do at the Art Center
Art Classes and Learning
The Art Center offers many ways to learn about art. They have art classes for both kids and adults. You can also join workshops and summer camps. There are even drop-in programs you can try. These activities happen in the Center's studios and classrooms.
You can learn skills like painting, drawing, and ceramics. They also teach mixed-media art and jewelry making. The Art Center helps local schools too. They offer field trips called Project Look. Another program, Cultural Kaleidoscope, brings students together. Kids from Palo Alto Unified School District and Ravenswood City School District do art activities together.
Art Shows and Events
You can visit the Art Center to see free art shows. These shows feature artwork made in many different ways. The center also hosts free events for everyone. Some popular events include Friday Night at the Art Center and Family Days. They also have The Great Glass Pumpkin Patch and the Clay and Glass Festival.
The City of Palo Alto keeps a list of all past art shows. Here are some interesting ones:
- The 2017 show, Play!, explored how important play is.
- In 2018, the show Through That Which Is Seen featured amazing dioramas.
- The 2019 show, The Sheltering Sky, displayed art about the sky. It included a huge photo called "Sky Front" by Sukey Bryan.
A special art piece called Whiplash was on display in 2016. It was made by an artist named Patrick Dougherty. This artwork was a woven structure made from willow branches. It looked like a series of shelters. Many people enjoyed taking photos with it on the lawn. Volunteers helped create this sculpture. It was removed in June 2020.
The center has also shown art by many famous artists. These include Christopher Brown, Jim Campbell, Joseph Cornell, Stephen De Staebler, Richard Diebienkorn, Marjorie Eaton, Keith Haring, Julie Heffernan, Mildred Howard, Jess, Carlos Loarca, Manuel Neri, Beverly Mayeri, David Park, Picasso, Alan Rath, Judith Selby Lang, Elizabeth Sher, Masami Teraoka, Ruth Terrill, and Beth van Hoesen.
The artist-in-residence program is also important. It lets artists work at the center and share their art with the public.
Gallery
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Great Glass Pumpkin Patch 2018
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Art Activities at Circus Family Day 2018
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Circus Family Day 2018 - Nook Activity
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Friday Night at the Art Center - Nook Activity
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Ceramics and jewelry studio creations (2018 Holiday Sale)
