EXHIBITION DATES:             October 2 to 30, 2015
OPENING RECEPTION:         Friday Oct 2, 7-9pm
POETRY READING/               Friday Oct 2, 8pm
PERFORMANCES:                   
LOCATION:                             Frank Bette Center for the Arts, Signature Gallery
                                                1601 Paru Street, Alameda, CA 94501, 510-523-6957
 
HIGHLIGHTS:            

• Exhibition of an award-winning photographic series by Naomi Onaga, displayed with 12 companion poems selected from the Art & Poetry Happening 2015 contest.
• Poetry reading with 10 of 12 selected poets, including Julia Park Tracey, poet laureate of Alameda, and Masami Fukuzumi, of Osaka, Japan who will display calligraphy of her poem.
• Three of the poems will be set to music.
• Launch of a book bringing together the photos and poems.
• Live music & jam from 7 to 8 pm and after poetry reading.

 
 
DESCRIPTION

“Shades of Infinite Sound” is a collaborative fine art photography and poetry exhibition that will present an interplay of an abstract photography series by San Francisco-based artist Naomi Onaga, with poems selected from the FBCA / Alameda Island Poets Art & Poetry Happening 2015.
 
Shot with small point-and-shoot cameras and not digitally manipulated, Ms. Onaga's award-winning fine art photography series "Shades of Infinite Song" reveals evocative, lyrical glimpses of the natural world and its underlying movement and music.
 
In July and August 2015, the Alameda Island Poets and the Frank Bette Center for the Arts invited poets to submit poems related to the photographs as part of the poetry contest in Art and Poetry Happening 2015. Twelve poems were selected as companions to the exhibition’s photographs. Three of the poems have been set to song and will be performed at the opening reception. A poet from Osaka will also display Japanese calligraphy of her poem.
 
Julia Park Tracey, poet laureate of Alameda and one of the poets selected for the exhibition, said, “It's exciting to see artists come together using different media to express their views of the world. Photography, music, and poetry are all expressions of the spirit and it's pretty amazing when they combine to celebrate a shared vision.”
 
The other selected poets are Jack Chang (Sacramento), Sharon Coleman (Berkeley), Cathy Dana (Alameda), Masami Fukuzumi (Osaka, Japan), Rafael Jesús González (Berkeley), Persephone Hintlian (Alameda), Kit Kennedy (San Francisco), Bernadette Perez (Belen, New Mexico), Vince Storti (Alameda), Emmanuel Williams (Alameda) and Robert Williams (Albany, California).
 
The opening reception, will run from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2, in which the photographer will give a short artist talk, and 10 of the 12 selected poets will read their works. The poems set to song will be performed by musicians Heather Kipnis, Jennifer Moore and Carina Louise Rose Renner, in English and Spanish; the musicians will also lead a live music jam prior to and after the reading.  Masami Fukuzumi of Osaka will read her poem in Japanese (with English translation) and present calligraphy of her poem. The reception will serve as a book launch for a volume bringing together the photos and poems. 
 
The event was conceived as an experiment in “ekphrasis” - a Greek term for the collaborative juxtaposition of two art forms. Traditional ekphrasis was poetry or prose describing an artwork; modern ekphrastic works are often inspired by, allude to, re-envision or innovate from another work of art. Here, Ms. Onaga’s photographs inspired the poems, some of which then gave birth to song and calligraphy.
 
Cathy Dana, president of Alameda Island Poets, said, “The expression of every art - be it music, dance, poetry, visual art - touches our souls, brings our senses and imagination alive, and unites us through the power of the collective unconscious.  This exhibit not only brings us grace and beauty through the marriage of photography and poetry, but jubilantly proclaims that works of art can ignite numerous creative sparks in those who experience it.”
 
Margaret Fago, board president and executive director of the Frank Bette Center for the Arts, said, "The Frank Bette Center for the Arts has always been a meeting point that brings together artists, writers, art lovers, and all members of the community, and we are thrilled to present this unique, multifaceted collaboration which reaches across so many boundaries, including those normally presented by artistic mediums, locality, language and nationality."
 
Ms. Onaga said: “I think art can reveal truths that are initially undiscoverable by the mind, and artists collaborating together can paint a more richly colored understanding of reality. We often forget that we each have different pieces of the truth, and only by appreciating and working with each other can we expand our field of vision and experience. This is an exciting show because independently and together, the works have a lot of wisdom and insight to offer, and many friendships and bonds were built in the process.”  
 
All poems submitted during Art & Poetry Happening 2015 will be published on a website, and be available for viewing at the exhibition.
 
 
See web page for artist bios
http://www.frankbettecenter.org/shades-of-infinite-song.html

(view Press Release with photos)
Contact:
Contact: Margaret Fago
 PAPo@frankbettecenter.org
510 522-1309 studio
 
June 27, 2014
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
ALAMEDA, CA—Frank Bette Center for the Arts hosts the 9th annual Plein Air Paintout and brings local and international artists to Alameda to paint, en plein aire (in fresh air), the city’s streets, parks, beaches, houses, and gardens. 

Event dates: July 28th to August 2nd
Highlights:
From Monday July 28th to Friday August 1st, 40 artists spread out to capture the essence of outdoor Alameda in paint.  Members of the public are invited to watch artists at work as well as invite artists to paint specific homes and gardens.
Wednesday July 30th: Quick draw event limits artists to three hours to complete a painting within a proscribed area: along Encinal Ave from Webster to Chestnut Streets, around Crab Cove, and in Franklin Park. This is followed by an exhibit at the Frank Bette Center, 1601 Paru St, Alameda.
Saturday August 2nd - 10:00 am to 5:00 pm: Work created during the week-long plein air painting session is on display and for sale at South Shore Shopping Center.
 
Following the exhibit and sale at the shopping center paintings will be displayed at the Frank Bette Center for the Arts from Friday August 8th to September 28th. 
Opening reception for this gallery show is Friday August 8th, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. 
 
Past Plein Air Paintout artists include Edwin Bertolet of Redwood City (his painting of Crab Cove was the subject of a Frank Bette Center poster in 2013) and well-known San Francisco artist Mark Monsarrat.
Plein Air Paintout award-winning Alameda artist Nancy Seaman Crookston’s image, “Jay Walker”, is featured on the Center’s event poster, advertising, and 2013 calendar.

For more information contact Margaret Fago -  PAPo@frankbettecenter.org or 510 522-1309 or visit www.frankbettecenter.org.
  Frank Bette Center for the Arts, 1601 Paru Street, Alameda,  CA 94501 - 510-523-6957

###

  Edwin Bertolet of Redwood City (this painting of Crab Cove was the subject of a Frank Bette Center poster in 2013).
San Francisco artist Mark Monsarrat:  view of Park Street.
Nancy Crookston: Jay Walking



Copyright © 2014 Frank Bette Center for the Arts, All rights reserved.
This is a press release.

Contact:
Susan Jeffries
ART TALKS Volunteer for Frank Bette Center for the Arts
Email:  Susanlj@pacbell.net
 
April 1,  2014
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
ALAMEDA, CA—Frank Bette Center for the Arts Hosts Michael Schiess, of Pacific Pinball Museum, on  Early Pinball Backglass Art.

Pinball wizards may take little notice of the art surrounding the score boards but “backglass” painting is part of the experience of playing.

A significant part of the appeal of pinball comes from its vibrant art. The experience of playing  pinball would be diminished if the backglass art was missing. Pinball would simply not be pinball without the art, the animation, and the scores flashing in bright lights and numbers.

On Wednesday, May 14, Michael Schiess, founder and director of the Pacific Pinball Museum, will discuss this unique art form at the Frank Bette Centre for the Arts.

Schiess will also present  samples from the Pacific Pinball Museum's extensive collection. He will review the art, the artists, the process of making backglasses, and the companies that produced them. He  will also discuss the museum's mural program which has enabled local artists to craft stunning hand painted murals of selected backglasses.

Schiesss presentation includes a review of classic backglass artists such as George Molentin and Roy Parker, whose works spanned 1935 to 1980, and mid-century artists Art Stenholm, Christian Marche, and Dave Christensen, who produced  backglass from 1964 to 1981.

Schiess will share backglass samples from the collection of Richard Conger, a high school auto shop teacher known as the”Keeper of the Pinball Flame”. Conger's collection, housed at his “Silver Ball Ranch” in Sebastopol, spans pinball history.

Pinball has become so popular that the Smithsonian Institution's History Museum in Washington DC has presented programs on the topic.

Currently located on Webster Street in Alameda, Schiess plans to renovate the former Carnegie Library, opposite Alameda's City Hall, and relocate the Pacific Pinball Museum there. When this happens, Conger's collection of rare and unique machines may be included. This will make PPM the only museum in the world to feature a collection of this magnitude.

This May 14 event is the fourth in the Frank Bette Center's lecture series, ART TALKS. The program, held on the second Wednesday of each month, runs from 7:00pm - 9:00pm; gallery opens at 6:00pm.
    
Admission is $10 for guests, $5 for Bette Art Center members. For more information: visit www.frankbettecenter.org or call 510-523-6957. Backglass art from Richard Conger's collection housed at “Silver Ball Ranch” in Sebastopol, CA.

Contact:
Communications Director: Communications@frankbettecenter.org
Margaret Fago: mwfago@earthlink.net or call 332-6922 before April 11 and after May 1.
 
March 28,  2014
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Alameda watercolor artist, Margaret Fago, heads to the city of San Luis Potosì, Mexico, to document the largest traditional Easter festival, "Semana Santa."

San Luis Potosì is an old colonial silver mining town established by the Spanish in 1592. Semana Santa is rooted in Spain and the highlight of the week long celebration is the Procession of Silence, on the evening of Good Friday.

Also on the itinerary is a visit to the village of Real de Catorce, once an abandoned mining town now revived as an artist colony and spiritual center for local people.

Margaret Fago and her husband, Fred, will document the festival and their travels through photographs, paintings and writing.

This project is an offshoot of a recent exhibition at Alameda's Frank Bette Center for the Arts of artist and cultural preservationist, Miguel Guerrero Diaz. Diaz's trip was made possible through the generosity of Dick Davis and the Wilmette Art Guild of Chicago.

Davis commissioned Diaz to document and thereby preserve the disappearing indigenous culture of the native peoples of Mexico, particularly life in Diaz's indigenous Nahuatl village in the mountains near Zacatlan.  

These interconnections bring the Fagos to Mexico from April 12 to 30. They will also record their experiences in a travel blog.

See more about Diaz's show at the Frank Bette Center for the Arts.

For more information: visit www.frankbettecenter.org. For pre- and post-trip interviews about the project and the trip, contact Margaret Fago directly: mwfago@earthlink.net.

Contact:
Susan Jeffries
ART TALKS Volunteer for Frank Bette Center for the Arts
Email:  Susanlj@pacbell.net

March 9,  2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALAMEDA, CA—Frank Bette Center for the Arts Hosts Local Art Expert, Deric Torres, for Talk about History of Art in the San Francisco Bay Area

On Friday, April 9, early California art expert Deric Torres will speak at the Frank Bette Center for the Arts in Alameda. Torres will discuss Bay Area painting from 1872 to 1920.  He will bring a small gallery of art from the period.

Torres is the director of furniture and decorative art and early California fine arts at the Clars Auction Gallery in Oakland, where he also serves as an appraiser and auctioneer.  

For nearly 25 years, he has been immersed in California art both as a collector and as an adviser to collectors of art and antiques.  Torres has worked extensively with both private and institutional collectors, and will include in his talk information about current market trends in California art.

This presentation is the third in ART TALKS, Bette’s new series of art history presentations for art lovers and collectors.  All ART TALKS programs are held at the  Frank Bette Center for the Arts , 1601 Paru in Alameda, on the second Wednesday of each month from now until June 11. The talks start at 7 p.m., and the gallery is open at 6 p.m. for those who wish to view the current exhibits.           

Previous ART TALKS presentations at the Bette Centre have attracted capacity crowds, so reservations are recommended. Admission is $10 for guests, $5 for Bette Art Center members.  For more information: visit www.frankbettecenter.org or call 510-523-6957510-523-6957510-523-6957510-523-6957510-523-6957510-523-6957510-523-6957510-523-6957.

Photo: Artist Carrie Clinton gets an early look at one piece of early California Art that Deric Torres will use in his April 9 program at the Frank Bette Center for the Arts.

Contact:                                                                                            
Geoff Geiger
Frank Bette Public Relations Volunteer
(510) 521-1498(510) 521-1498                                                          
GeoffreySGeiger@gmail.com

January 28, 2014   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

ALAMEDA, CALIF.—Frank Bette Center for the Arts Hosts Gallery Show for Developmentally Disabled Artists

On Friday, February 7, the Frank Bette Center for the Arts in Alameda will begin showing acrylic and water color paintings by developmentally disabled adult artists who attend the Clausen House art program in Oakland.  A total of eight artists will be displaying their work, with some artists expected to attend the offical opening reception on February 14 from 7 to 9 p.m.  The exhibit will close on March 2.

Founded in 1967, Clausen House is a charitable 501(c)(3) institution that provides housing, wellness programs and advocacy for developmentally disabled adults in Oakland and the surrounding East Bay area. Its clients are adults challenged by autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and other intellectually disabling conditions. The paintings in the show were created under the guidance of the Clausen House Adult Education Program.

“The main focus of our art program is the life skills the artists learn,” explains Linsey Mayhew, assistant director at Clausen House.  “We consider our artists to be professionals, and they are taught how to price their work and market it.  Half the proceeds for sales go to the artist, with the other half returning to our program for art supplies.”  Mayhew adds that the art program also conducts open studios at Clausen House so artists can practice interacting with the public and selling their work.

“Along with a focus on life skills,” says Michelle Champlin, the art instructor, “we emphasize choosing subject matter and colors, and what it means to create a finished work of art.  We stress to our artists that they can create great work.”

The Frank Bette Center is held in a yellow Victorian building in the center of Alameda. Bette, a local artist and craftsman, bequeathed it to the community for meetings, readings, showings and other artistic endeavors. Its mission is to fulfill and build upon Frank’s dream of providing a place to nurture creativity in fine arts, crafts, literary, and musical arts. 

If you’d like to write a story about this exhibit, please contact Geoff Geiger, who will assist you in arranging interviews ifyou wish.  His contact information is above.  You can also visit www.FrankBetteCenter.org, or ClausenHouse.org.

Media Contact:
Susan Jeffries  
Email: nemesia21@sbcglobal.net

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALAMEDA, CA—Frank Bette Center for the Arts Introduces New Series of ART TALKS

First Presentation: How Photography Influenced Early Modern Art

On February 12 Eric Kos will explain how the early photography shaped the work of modern art pioneers.

Kos’ presentation is the first in a series of six art history presentations, called ART TALKS, at Alameda’s Frank Bette Center, 1601 Paru, the second Wednesday of each month from February 12 until June11. All of the talks start at 7 p.m. FBCA volunteers organized ART TALKS for people who love art and want to know more about it.

A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Kos is the publisher of the Alameda Sun. His study of art history and his interest in photography lead him to research how advances in photography created a host of new art forms.

Kos worked for various independent publications in the East Bay before forming in 2001 Stellar Media Group, Incto publish the Alameda Sun . He is the co-author of five local history books and the publisher of three others.

Kos also hand-painted four 10-foot by 10-foot murals for the Pacific Pinball Museum in Alameda. Fascinated with painting as an art form, Eric’s presentation will focus on the intersection of technology and art, specifically the invention of the camera and its impact on pictorial artists.

The March 12 ART TALKS will bring College of Alameda art instructor and artist Drew Burgess to demonstrate how artists show emotion in paintings.

Future ART TALKS will provide insight into Early California art, contemporary Pinball art, framing art and selection tips, and appraising and valuing art. Admission is $10 for guests, $5 for members.

Advance reservations are recommended. For more information about Frank Bette, visit www.FrankBetteCenter.org, or call the gallery at 510-523-6957.