By Kathy Chouteau
The Richmond Art Center (RAC) has unveiled its spring exhibitions set for April 5 to June 3: FENCELINES: A Collective Monument to Resilience; Requiem: The Remains of the Day, August 4, 2021; and Tanja Geis: Recompose. This spring, the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) Student Art Show also returns to the center for its 57th year.
FENCELINES: A Collective Monument to Resilience is scheduled for April 5 through June 3 and is a “community-based participatory art project” centered on environmental injustice in Richmond, per the RAC. Co-created by Graham L.P., Princess Robinson, Gita Khandagle—as well as Richmond community members—Fencelines will not only feature portraits of community participants, but also an installation event on Earth Day, Sat., April 22, at the Richmond Parkway Bay Trail between Gertrude and Vernon Avenues.
The Opening Reception for Fencelines is Sat., April 15 from 12-2 p.m.; the Artist Talk is slated for Sat., June 3, from 12 p.m.-1:30 p.m.; and the Closing Reception is Sat., June 3, from 2-4 p.m. at the RAC. Also of note is the Spring Family Day with the theme “Clean Air in the Wind,” which is scheduled at the center Sat., April 29, from 12-3 p.m. Learn more about the exhibition here.
Photographer Ruth Morgan’s Requiem: The Remains of the Day, August 4, 2021, will be on display at the center April 5 through June 3 and exposes the “devastation of Greenville, CA after it was burned down by the Dixie Wildfire in 2021,” per the RAC. The center said that while the fire’s official cause was attributed to PG&E, it was “fueled and exacerbated by man-made climate change along with overgrown forests caused by decades of fire suppression and population growth at the edges…”
An Opening Reception for Requiem will be held Sat., April 15, from 12-2 p.m. and Ruth Morgan in conversation with Robbin Légère Henderson will take place Sat., May 27, 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the center. Find out more about the exhibition here.
Tanja Geis’ Recompose, coming to the RAC April 5 through June 3, is the first exhibition of The Greenhouse Series, a three-part exhibition that focuses on the climate crisis and environmental justice movements in Richmond. Geis’ exhibition “displays mesmerizing cyanotypes of painted decomposing common murres, a bird species that experienced historic die-offs along local coasts in the summer of 2015 as a direct result of global warming,” said the RAC. The center said that exhibition is organized via a partnership with Round Weather art gallery in Oakland and curated by its Director Chris Kerr.
The Opening Reception for Recompose is Sat., April 15, from 12-2 p.m. and a Gallery Walkthrough with Tanja Geis will be held Thurs., May 11, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Learn more about the exhibition here.
Also on display at the RAC April 5 through May 13 will be the WCCUSD Art Show, featuring the works of more than 300 students across 15 district schools and curated by their teachers. Now in its 57th year, the “exhibition demonstrates best practices in delivering an art-based curriculum,” said the RAC, which added that it also exemplifies RAC and WCCUSD’s collective vision of the importance of art education.
Exhibiting schools will include: Betty Reid Soskin Middle School; De Anza High School; El Cerrito High School; Fred T. Korematsu Middle School; Helms Middle School; Hercules High School; Hercules Middle School; John F. Kennedy High School; Mira Vista School; Pinole Middle School; Pinole Valley High School; Richmond High School; Montalvin Manor; Stewart Elementary School and Vista High School.
A Reception will be held Tues., April 18, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., with an Award Presentation at 5:45 p.m. Find out more here.
The Richmond Art Center is located at 2540 Barrett Ave. in Richmond. Visit its website here.
