If you’re driving down Ygnacio Valley Road near the Center for Community Arts in Walnut Creek on Saturday and see a large white bunny with pink spots, don’t worry—it’s not that extra glass of wine you had last night. The bunny is one of the stars of the popular Spring Family Art Day.
Twice a year, Walnut Creek’s Arts and Recreation Department presents Family Art Days. The one in the summer is done in conjunction with the Regional Center for the Arts. The spring event set for March 15 celebrates renewal, blooming young artists and the upcoming holidays around Easter.
This free event provides children from toddlers to teens, and parents and grandparents, with hands-on, process-based art activities that encourage creativity, discovery and self-expression, says Lauren Funcheon, a Youth & Camp program coordinator and one of the organizers of Family Art Day.
She says it is a unique experience for not only the Walnut Creek communities, but its neighbors as well. “Family Art Day is more than just a fun outing, it’s an opportunity for families to connect, create, and experience the arts together,” she says. “It encourages creativity, discovery and self-expression.”
Family Art Day also enriches young artists with meaningful performance opportunities and information about cultural celebrations happening in spring: “By bringing families together through creativity, this event strengthens our community and ensures that the arts remain an accessible and integral part of everyday life,” she says.
And what kind of art can families create? Funcheon says there is something for everyone: kite-making and wildflower drawings inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe; egg decorating for a Haft Seen table (a traditional Iranian table used during Nowruz, the Persian New Year celebration) and clay making with the Clay Arts Guild.
Also in the lineup: a capoeira station; a sensory-inclusive space with tactile tables; readings hosted by the Contra Costa County Library; seed planting; and a fan favorite, Joybound’s Mobile Pet Adoption station. There also will be performances, including taiko drumming with Diablo Taiko and dance by Chavalos Danzas por Nicaragua.
For those who need a pick-me-up, Rosie’s Taco Truck will be on hand.
Activities are presented by local artists and teachers at the arts center, including Alex Hagerty, who will be heading up the popular session on spring flower drawings inspired by O’Keeffe. She says, “We’ll be using chalk pastels to create our own colorful renditions of her work.”
Hagerty particularly enjoys the community aspect of the day, commenting, “I love seeing current and past students at these events and getting to know new ones.”
Another favorite, according to Funcheon, is anything having to do with clay. “Who doesn’t like messy hands and building fun shapes?”
But Family Art Day isn’t just a messy labor of love for Funcheon, who appreciates its good energy and creativity: “When I walk around, everyone is connecting and creating and that warms my heart.”
Equally heartwarming are large white and pink bunnies, including one leading an Easter egg relay race. It might not look like art, but for families enjoying the day together, there’s nothing so inspiring.
Family Art Day runs 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 15 at Center for Community Arts Auditorium, 111 N. Wiget Lane, Walnut Creek; admission is free. Visit communityarts.org.
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