Germano Celant, the towering Italian critic, curator, and scholar whose wide-ranging interpretations and exhibitions altered the trajectory of contemporary art and made him a leading voice in the field, has died in Milan at eighty years old due to complications from Covid-19. The author of hundreds of books, essays, and articles that coincided with as many large-scale exhibitions, Celant is most closely affiliated with arte povera, a term he coined in 1967 for the association of Italian avant-garde artists who made meaning from mundane materials and challenged the role of art itself. (via Artforum)

We’re in a bit of a dystopic moment right now. And it sure would be great to blame some evil robots for it. But, we can’t, right? Well, Miles Rodriguez – a big fan of the Terminator franchise films — has a crafted a superb show that reminds us COVID-19 is not the only thing to fear. View the exhibition. And/ or read Miles’ blog post about his experiences during this pandemic.

Miles Rodriguez, a barista-in-training in Portland Oregon, has selected the next in our weekly series of online exhibition. His show, “EVIL ROBOTS!,” will post in a few days (if you cannot wait, you can see it here, now). Miles is also the son of Amelia Opie, an artist who has had several exhibitions at NIAD. Miles talks about his recent experience with sheltering-in-place: On March 6th I showed up to the coffee cart where I had been working, learning how to make and serve specialty coffee drinks to people. When I got there it was closed, and nobody was there. Read More …

Like us, you’re very likely sheltering-in-place and looking for something to do. And, since, maybe, you’ve already completed our free downloadable coloring books, we have a new project to help you pass the time. We’ve asked our artists, our staff, artists we’ve exhibited or worked with or just people we really like to create playlists (on Spotify) for all of us to enjoy at this moment. Last week, we offered you the first one created by our artists (it was embedded in our newsletter.) Every few days, we will release a new one. Here’s our second mix. It was created Read More …

Hey… It’s Spring and we had a prom! It was a bit different than the usual shindig. Since we’re sheltering-in-place, we held this one on the Internet (via Zoom.) But it was also quite conventional. Everyone in attendance was dressed to the nines (including corsages made from recycled materials). And there was a prom theme (Starry Night), a deejay and dancing! Alycia Cowen, one of our NIAD artists, came up with the whole idea. And it was perfect!

Abel Guzman has selected a perfect means of escape for those of us sheltering-in-place: a galactic fashion show! As Abel explains, “Models fashioned Death Star clutches, Predator masks, numerical and homeomorphic snake patterns, halo forcefield headdresses, and robot cyclone scarfs; hanging from techno exoskeleton cages.” Have a look.

Now that NIAD is heading into week six of offsite services, our work is focused on maintaining and improving supports for artists to continue their contemporary art practices. If you’ve donated to NIAD’s Mobile Art Fund, purchased art, reached out to stay connected with us on social media or in an email, or kept up with our updates, this work is happening thanks to you.  We’re closing the technology gaps in our community, ensuring access to hygiene masks and gloves, and stepping up our learning to support the community through crisis and transition, so that we know artists and their Read More …

From KQED: “NIAD, Creative Growth and Creativity Explored, all rooted in hands-on art-making and face-to-face interactions, are turning to technology in an effort to reach their artists at home. Those “at home” situations vary: artists live in group homes, with family members or alone. Not everyone has access to a phone. Not everyone is verbal. The de facto video conferencing software may be inaccessible. For those able to join, NIAD has instituted a daily 11am check-in via Zoom to maintain the sense of community; some of those meetings are followed by games of bingo. “Twenty to thirty-five people every day Read More …

If you like music as much as many of our artists do, you’ll likely love the playlist we made for you. It’s hosted by the new streaming service Tidal, and is an amazing smorgasbord of song styles, all curated with love and attention. Have a listen! ps. If you want a specific theme to your playlist, try Jean McElvane’s California Top Ten.

I don’t know about you, but I could really use something a little comforting right now. And Nick has chosen an online show that, as he explains, is full of “words (that) ooze from the core of these pieces, speaking to the viewer with a familiarity of a childhood friend, effortless, and with an overwhelming sense of truth.” Sounds good, right? Thanks, Nick!

Did you know that we have a group of NIAD artists that plan and strategize weekly about the future of the Art Center? We do. They’re call the Artist Advisory Committee? On Zoom, this week, the Artist Advisory Committee ran deep: artists noted the difficulty of confronting this moment without the usual supports of the studio, the need for some things to continue as normal, and — in a relatively short time for such a large group of collaborating artists — NIAD’s studio artists began to innovate new studio offerings to access online. The coming weeks will see a Spanish Read More …

As we all settle into new routines, the reality of life in these new patterns is starting to set in: we’re going to be here for a while, and it’s not always easy to get comfortable.  We’ve tried to make it a little easier – the same coloring books, online exhibitions, playlists, and #NIADathome you see here goes out to all our artists too, and it becomes fuel for new art practice conversations. In the virtual studio for the past three weeks, NIAD staff have been working with artists and their care providers to ensure access to digital tools for Read More …

Artist Marjetica Potrč explains her terrific show, “The works in the exhibition are stories of various encounters painted and sculpted by NIAD artists. I recognized in them my encounters with things and beings during long walks in nature: a stone, a plant, an animal, a hiker, a sudden storm, my winding thoughts.” Thanks, Marjetica!

Last week, our Jean McElvane, a resident of Richmond (born and raised), created a blog post featuring a selection of “(M)usical tunes featuring the state of California… just ‘cuz it’s home to me.” This week, she’s back with a new post featuring animated shorts about the Golden State. Enjoy!

Over the weekend, Oakland artist and writer Scott MacLeod selected an online show that speaks to what so many of us are doing: sheltering-in-place. But, if you’re not, it is still a fantastic show and worthy of your time. Thanks for speaking to the moment, Scott.

SFMOMA is temporarily closed, but they’ve posted a fantastic short video interview with photographer Dawoud Bey. Go here, and scroll down to the video. You will likely learn a lot.

Jean, a resident of Richmond (born and raised), explains this week’s selections, “Here are some musical tunes featuring the state of California, just ‘cuz it’s home to me, though I’ve been to about over ten cities of my life, the farthest cities I’ve been in California are Santa Clara, Sacramento & Millbrae (on BART), and never been anywhere out of California either.” Here’s her Top Ten of Golden State songs… And her Top Ten, California City Tunes (or a few mention in the lyrics)…

SaveArtSpace has partnered with NIAD Art Center, Creative Growth, and Creativity Explored to bring more public art to the Bay Area. We invite artists of all ages and talents to submit their work for consideration of placement on a billboard. The selected artists will be on view with artists from our centers in a Bay Area-wide public art exhibition on ad spaces beginning in Summer 2020. The deadline to submit is now May 31.

If you’re stuck in the house with your children or self-isolating yourself, we’ve got a gift for you… “Stay At Home And…” is a new coloring book (in easily printed PDF form) chock full of ideas of stuff to do while you’re sheltering -in-place! Download (there is no limit) as many copies as you like, and please, do share it with a friend. Be safe!

From Hyperallergic: “If you’re feeling hungry for art while you’re stranded at home, here are our 12 selections out of 2,500 world-class museums and galleries that are now offering virtual tours and online collections.” Sounds like a lot of fun, right? Enjoy.