Events

Lamorinda Arts Council presents a virtual gallery of original oil paintings by featured artist Hilary Mills Lambert in the Virtual Art Gallery at Wilder, Saturday March 4 through Saturday April 1. It’s no secret that animal characters have been featured in books, films and storytelling through the ages. Saint Saȅns’ Carnival of Animals comes to mind when viewing her paintings. It is one of the most joyous pieces of music written for young musicians. Lambert’s life-long love of animals is evident in all her work; it pulls you in. Her titled oil paintings on display, available for purchase, include: “Happy Cow” 16″ x 14,” “Three Pig Painting” 30″ x 40″ and “Border Dog,” 9″ x 12″. To view her work go to  https://lamorindaarts.org/online-galleries.

Lambert, of Alamo, has focused on drawing and painting animals since 2020. “Inspired by the critters in my life and my previous job at Sesame Street, the creatures, sometimes realistic and sometimes whimsical, translate into those universal human traits. Currently, I’m on the Board of Ivory Orphans, subsidized by the African Wildlife Trust,” she said. Learn more at http://www.millsgallery.com/

Olga Larner, Lamorinda Arts Council (Council) Board Member and Chairperson of the High School Visual Arts Competition (VAC) is thrilled to kick off  the 20th Annual program! VAC showcases and acknowledges art in four categories: 2D, 3D, Photography, and the Lamorinda Arts Alliance Digital Art category.  All work is created by high school students who live in or attend school in Orinda, Lafayette, or Moraga, including all schools in the Acalanes Union High School District. The competition features cash awards, merit citations, an in-person art exhibit in the gallery as well as an online public exhibit of entries on the Council website. Online Registration began Nov 4 and closes Feb 17, 2023 at midnight. See below for more important dates or visit VAC.

Important Dates for 2023

• Fri 11/4/22: Registration OPENS
• Fri 2/17, midnight: Registration Deadline (online)
• Fri 3/3, 4-6pm and Sat 3/4 10am-noon: Artwork Drop Off (Orinda Library)
• Sun 3/5 – Fri 3/31: Exhibit (Art Gallery at the Orinda Library)
• Thu 3/16, 7-8:30pm: Artist & Awards Reception (Orinda Library)
• Sat 4/1 and Sun 4/2: Artwork Pickup (Orinda Library)

This exhibit runs Sun. Mar. 5 through Fri. Mar 31 during normal Library hours in the Art Gallery at the Orinda Library at 26 Orinda Way. Hours are Mon. – Thur., 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., Fri. – Sat., 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., closed Sun. All Libraries closed Mon. Fe.b 20. Call 925.254.2184 for more information about the Library or visit www.ccclib.org/. Email the Curators with questions at gallery@lamorindaarts.org or call the Lamorinda Arts Council at 925.359.9940.

When normal, boring Adam and unconventional and exciting Evelyn meet in the museum, Adam’s life is changed for better… or worse. A young student drifts into an ever-changing relationship with an art major while his best friends’ engagement crumbles, unleashing a drama that peels back the skin of two modern-day relationships.

Featuring amazing, thoughtful, and brutally honest performances from Linda Maria Girón, Alejandro Eustaquio, Andrew Mondello, and Mayreni Sweis under the direction of Salim Razawi, The Shape of Things is be a play that raises questions about truth, beauty, and trust.

Neil LaBute is an American playwright, film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is best-known for a play that he wrote and later adapted for film, In the Company of Men, which won awards from the Sundance Film Festival, the Independent Spirit Awards, and the New York Film Critics Circle. Dennis Markham, THT Managing Director invites you to attend a talkback on March 17th and 24th after the performance led by dramaturg Katherine Stein.

Previews: March 2nd & 3rd @ 8pm, Opening Night: March 4th @ 8pm. Masks required for performances. See website for details at http://www.townhalltheatre.com/.

Join the Saint Mary’s College Jazz Band & Jazz Singers as they perform songs from the legendary Selena. Admission is free, contributions are always welcome. Parking will be available at 50 cents per hour in the Soda Center Parking Lot. Masks are required.

Feel the dramatic passion of Nuevo Tango with Piazzolla‘s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, and welcome Springtime with the timeless works of Telemann’s Concerto for Oboe d’amore, Corelli’s Suite for Strings, and Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins.

Passionate is part of Pacific Chamber Orchestra’s season of courage and passion, featuring more than 13 composers from 9 countries.

Tickets: pacificchamberorchestra.org/tickets

Saturday, March 25 at 7:30pm, St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Orinda
Sunday, March 26 at 3:00pm, Bankhead Theater in Livermore

Join those who love art, literature, music and everything in between at The Coop, 32 Lafayette Circle, Lafayette, from 3-5 p.m. Time for some conversation about your creative journey with friends of the Lamorinda Arts Council. Look for our our knockoff Picassoesque poster of Dora Maar (Picasso’s muse & model) – that’s us! No host bar. Just show up. Questions? Email literary@lamorindaarts.org.

The mission of the Council is to ignite and sustain artistic expression and appreciation for all ages throughout Lamorinda. If you are interested in visual, performing or literary arts, please join us in keeping the arts alive. We are an engaged group of volunteers and donors who develop and produce events, partner with professional organizations and artists, give financial support and awards, and advocate for a vibrant, local culture of visual, performing, and literary arts.

If you are interested in exhibiting artwork in one of our galleries please apply online HERE. The LAC curates two galleries in Orinda with virtual and in-person artwork every month (Art Gallery at the Orinda Library & Art Gallery at Wilder). Below is a sample of other programs we offer or participate in:

LAC Programs

• Art Embraces Words, Art Embraces Music (new in 2022) and Art Embraces Poetry (new in 2023)
• Art of Mixology Competition/Fundraiser (yearly in October @ Theatre Square, Orinda)
• Artify Orinda (utility boxes & Big Belly’s in Orinda displaying artwork by local artists)
• Arts Ambassadors (unjuried exhibit for Lamorinda K-8 youth; all receive AA ribbon)
• High School Visual Arts Competition (Homeschools, Public and Private High Schools in Lamorinda including all high schools in the Acalanes Union High School District, yearly in March – juried)
• Lafayette Art & Wine Festival (double booth for youth art tables, yearly in Sept.)
• Lafayette Community Day (new in 2022)
• Lamorinda Idol (Annual youth singing competition open to K-12 students in Contra Costa County)
• Lamorinda Presents (monthly roundtable hosted by Lafayette Chamber of Commerce)
• Mocktails & Cocktails (last Sunday each month)
• Moraga Spring Fest (hosted by Moraga youth)
• Orinda Action Day

Community Partners and Arts Partners

• Art in Public Places Committee (LAC liaison representative to APPC in City of Orinda)
• Art Moves Project (LAC NP incubator program)
• CA Arts Council
• CA Writers Club, Mt. Diablo Branch (co-host of Ekphrasis Collaborative Art Exhibit, May 2023)
• Compass Realty, Diane Dwyer & Wendy Bond
• Community Foundation of Lafayette
• Lamorinda Arts Alliance (Sponsor of Digital Art Category and cash award in H.S. Visual Arts Competition; co-host of Ekphrasis Collaborative Art Exhibit, May 2023)
• Mindful Littles (LAC in-kind contribution)
• Orinda Community Foundation
• Saint Mary’s College Arts (Student Intern program)