Events
Artist Reception for Susan Goldie!
Join the Lafayette Public Art Committee for a special reception celebrating artist Susan Goldie on November 24 from 3:30–5:00 pm at Town Hall Theatre (3535 School St.). This is a wonderful opportunity to meet the artist, hear about her creative process, and explore her stunning work. Enjoy light bites and mingle with fellow art lovers at a No-Host Bar in the lobby. Free and open to the public – bring a friend and support local art! Goldie’s exhibition will be on view at Town Hall Theatre through December 1. Learn more about Susan Goldie and her work at susangoldie.com.
Call for Artists - Winter Exhibitions
Opportunities for winter exhibitions are available for the the Community Hall Gallery and the Display Case at the library. The deadline for application submission is November 22, 2024. Visit the Call for Artists page for more details.
Utility Box Wrap Honors Local Indigenous People
In 2023, as part of the yearlong recognition of 175+ years of Lafayette’s history, the City Council appointed a task force to lead the community journey in considering how Lafayette could acknowledge and appreciate the indigenous people who were first on the land that is now Lafayette. The task force prepared a land acknowledgment statement and recommended additional ways to honor those who came before us.
As part of the utility box art project celebrating Lafayette's history, a new wrap recognizing indigenous people was unveiled on April 8. The wrap, located at the corner of Mt Diablo Blvd and Lafayette Circle, pays tribute to the Bay Miwok people and features the City's land acknowledgment adopted by City Council in October. In the image above, Vice Mayor Kwok and City Council Members McCormick and Anduri unveil the new wrap.
A new street sign at Mt. Diablo Blvd. and Lafayette Circle, incorporating both "Mt. Diablo Blvd." and "Tuyshtak" (the name of the mountain in the Ohlone language, meaning "dawn of time"), was also unveiled as part of this recognition.
Press
CBS News: City of Lafayette Officially Adopts Land Acknowledgment
Lafayette Pays Homage to Indigenous People with Downtown Public Art, Signage Unveiling
LAMORINDA WEEKLY _ Lafayette unveils two projects honoring the city's indigenous roots _ Lafayette
Self-Guided Walking Tour
Check out the self-guided walking tour of the Utility Box Art project! The Lafayette Historical Society worked together with a graphic designer and the Public Art Committee to create a series of photo-realistic history wraps to transform seven utility boxes downtown into collages that increase awareness of our history and contribute to the cultural identity of our city. Each design includes a QR code that can be scanned to access educational information presented by the Lafayette Historical Society about the archival images. Pick up a map for a self-guided walking tour in the lobby of the library, located at 3491 Mt Diablo Blvd, Lafayette, CA 94549, or click Utility Box Art Walking Tour to download it.
Art Event
On January 29, 2023, local Ukrainian-Canadian artist Yana Verba invited the community to create a chalk installation in front of the Town Hall Theatre. The chalk work references what happened in Mariupol, Ukraine to families sheltered in the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theatre. In a silent gesture of solidarity with the Ukrainian people and between two theaters, participants filled in the word “ДЕТИ” with chalk. Дети means children in Russian. In spite of the fact that the word was spelled out on two sides of the Mariupol theater, it was bombed and 600 people lost their lives on March 16, 2022.
To learn more about the artist and her work visit Yana Verba or read this piece by Acalanes Blueprint staff writer Cedric He, Lafayette Library Hosts New Ukrainian Exhibit and this article in the Lamorinda Weekly.