Studio Practice Cottage Programs

 ArtSeedCottagePublicPrograms 6_2-14

Studio Work Station, Garden and Library Program for the Public Starts June 29, 2014!

In July 2013, ArtSeed received, as a legacy gift, a house with a view of all downtown San Francisco from its prior owner, Michelle Vignes (1928-2012), a French-born photographer, educator and long-time ArtSeed friend and advisor. Prior to her passing away, Ms. Vignes had been mentoring neighborhood children and creating her photographs of major social movements of the past half-century’s American history, the archives of which were acquired by UC Berkeley’s Bancroft Library: http://museumca.org/theoaklandstandard/oakland-blues-interview-michelle-vignes To continue her legacy and maximize the use of the house for ArtSeed’s mission, we held a two-day long symposia for programmatic and development brainstorming with neighbors, artists, students, parents and other stakeholders with respect to the use of the Diamond Heights property at 654 28th Street between Diamond and Douglas Streets.  As a result, we decided to develop an artist-in-residence program enhanced with:

Weekly Public Drop-in Hours: Sunday Noon-6 p.m. Stop in for a cup of tea, make a greeting card, relax or recharge with a book or contemplate the beauty of a plant in the garden. Suggested donations are accepted. Scholarships, and sliding-scale fees are considered on a case-by-case basis. A six-month-one year commitment is encouraged as this is the most cost effective and also the best way for participants to schedule a culminating public display of finished work into the learning experience.  The first lesson is $60/hour ($450 is payable monthly for weekly 2-hour lessons that may include field trips). Family rates and longer-term commitments reduce monthly fees. Students who complete three years of instruction may apply for work/study apprenticeships, intern/volunteer positions or teaching assistantships.

Art Lessons A World of Our Own (For ages 3-7 years and to be confirmed)will use drawing, painting and printmaking techniques to help students discover, explore and describe their own unique imaginary worlds. Real world objects, events and panoramas are transformed, as student pioneers are encouraged to think in new ways, turning ordinary observations into mysterious adventures. Souvenirs often include individual and collaborative projects such as journals, bookmarks, postcards and maps. (For 8-15 years) Coloring Sound will give students a chance to interpret—through drawing, painting and printmaking— recordings of music and natural sound. Finished works may function as inventive “scores” to be performed or simply to preserve an aural experience in a visual form. The historical roots of interdisciplinary art forms will be explored individually and in one collaborative project. Coaching and Portfolio Building for All Ages – These are one-on-one sessions or small classes that are designed to support the student or artist in achieving specific goals. Goals can be professional (for example, building a portfolio of work to apply to a specific school or exhibition venue) or they can be more personal (for example, learning to discipline oneself, set up a work station at home or write an artist statement).

Shiri Mordechay, Cottage Resident Artist is of Iraqi descent emigrating from Israel in 1986 to Los Angeles. As an adolescent she earned awards in local competitions and was later able to share the skills she learned by teaching underserved children in after-school programs. She has had solo shows at multiple commercial galleries as well as at public museums in both the United States and Europe. Jerry Saltz, art critic, praised her work in the New Yorker magazine. She is currently collaborating with a San Francisco based gallery, Alter Space, on a pop-up book to be published for her upcoming exhibition in October 2014. Josefa Vaughan, Founding Artist has taught art since 1989 and has practiced and exhibited her art since1976 both nationally and in Paris. ArtSeed’s mission is to connect the most resourceful and gifted with the youngest and most vulnerable citizens of the Bay Area and beyond through projects that explore links between classical and cutting-edge fine arts disciplines. Low income artists and families are especially encouraged to get involved! We are non-profit and tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3) and Revenue and Tax Code 27301d. Charitable contributions, made without expectation of material benefit, are therefore tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Our Employer Identification Number is: 52-2368513