Join us at the ARTcart on October 9th

It is Fun, Free, and Festive!!  Create some ART for Free, connect with the community, listen to some great music, and taste some amazing food all in Downtown San Rafael. 
Join Lauren and I (the ARTcart) on October 9th at the West End Village Celebration in San Rafael, CA!

We are really excited to part of this amazing Fest!!! And we look forward to seeing  you all in SR creating!!

heARTs of ARTbreak Day: Cheryl Wilson

Cheryl Wilson was one of our amazing ARTbreak Day volunteers at our North Berkeley Site. On 8/25/11 as Lauren and I were in the stressful throws of tying up lose ends for a successful ARTbreak Day. We received a random inquiry from the Art is Moving website saying, "Available to volunteer for the morning Crew at the North Berkeley location." It was Cheryl! 

It was a pleasure to participate in Take 5 with Savita, Marlene and 

Heather. I chose, as my  "Take 5: Art Break" a way to thank you, 

tby photographing some of the Berkeley"Take 5 Busy Hands" 

because of your first presentation of "LCC Busy Hands" at work!  

Cheryl Wilson

Cheryl's Bio:
I love volunteering, meeting people, listening 

to music, reading and taking practice 

photos of my cat as he's “Living the Life."                                                                                                                                             

I have known Cheryl for over five years, from Lincoln Child Center ( a non-profit institute that through their services enables vulnerable and emotionally troubled children and their families to lead independent and fulfilling lives) were I worked for over four years as an Art Teacher/Therapist and were I had also developed a cutting edge transformative Art Program for the children of Lincoln. Cheryl had a long history at Lincoln, she had previously worked at LCC in upper management. When I began to know her she had retired and was now volunteering for Lincoln. She is an amazing lady and had always supported the ART Program. I think she had volunteered for all of our Art of Transformation Fundraisers which were an essential part of my program at Lincoln. 

Also, the reference in her words above to the "Busy Hands,"was a reference to therapeutic project, I began with the children that I called The Hands of Creation. I love that she took inspiration from my project to take her own photos of ARTbreak Day and I love that she wrote us a thank you note for volunteering! 

THIS IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT!! THANK YOU UNIVERSE!! ARTbreak Day is unfolding as a larger treasure than I thought!

And Thank you Cheryl you are one of the heARTs of ARTbreak Day and we hope you will join us for ABD 2012! You are amazing!

Namaste, lisa

Beato and the Bergamot Station-ARTlocal LA

A thriving ART car at SMMOA

This weekend, I had the delightful experience of seeing "Beato" Beatrice Woods exhibition at the Santa Monica Museum of Art. There was a great collection of her work that is part of the grand LA art history event called the Pacific Standard Time  which is beginning in October. ( I am still trying to understand and figure out what it is all about). 

I have to say I love and have an affinity with the long living, Mother of Dada, Beato.  Why? well I was a sculpture and ceramics major in undergrad-- and I love saree's--I have also taken great inspiration from j krishnamurti writings, to me Beatrice Woods is a wise and very cool elder. Someone I would have loved to meet. In the exhibition there was a great documentary playing with an interview of Beato. She was an amazing artist who worked hard her whole life until she was in her 100's. She is a real inspiration to me as an artist and as a humble goddess. I left in soft tears, it was almost like she is saying through her essence and her ART just get REAL. 


As in most things in life it seems there is a flip side of the coin...

The Santa Monica Museum of Art is located in Bergamot Station, which is an urban warehouse upscale gallery district in Santa Monica. As you walk into each gallery, they is surprisingly aloof and unwelcoming feel. Most of the gallery attendants (not art sales consultants )never even acknowledged anyone walking through the door. They all were just sitting behind there desks looking at their computers or chatting with there peers? Having worked as a fine art consultant for years I was really stunned firstly at the crappy atmosphere of aloofness of each gallery. And secondly, I was also wondering how do these galleries make it? If they are not even acknowledging or developing walk in traffic to become a potential buyers. First rule of art sales never judge a book by its cover and always greet the guests that enters  your gallery. The only person that spoke to us was a curator from the Frostig Center collection, which was a great idea of raising money for the center through the acquisition of well known LA artists. 


Over all the art was decent in Bergamot--a little overpriced as prices ranged $600.00-39K.  I left the galleries kind of dumbfounded --really disliked the elitist attitude. And I wondered if that ever lightens up or is it just part of the Santa Monica art scene.  
That was my ART Local experience this last Saturday in LA, la land-- one was an inspiration, a humble true artist, and the other was the aloof illusionary world of the gallery.  If you can go see the Beatrice Woods exhibition at the Santa Monica Museum of Art it is free and alive!

The Spice of Life = FREE, FESTIVE, AND FUN!

Chez Panisse, Cheese Board Pizza, and Art is Moving's ARTcart!! really are the finer things of life in Northern CA.

Join Lauren and I (Art is Movings, ARTcart ) at the Spice of Life Festival in North Berkeley, the home of the infamous Gourmet Ghetto,this Saturday from 11am- 7pm.  Spice up your Saturday!! Create some ART for Free, connect with the community, and taste some amazing food all along Shattuck Ave.

Art is Moving is super excited to part of this amazing Fest!! We look forward to seeing you there!!
Create, create is the mantra of the universe.

I Spy Free ART!!

I was so excited, when I saw that DAVe Warnke posted his Free ART, that he had created at our Oakland ARTbreak Site on our Art is Moving's Facebook wall. He is a really cool East Bay transformative artist and educator, who teaches ART in the Oakland School system. His own art practice is "I paint and draw on paper and cardboard. Then I tape the pictures to poles and places in public for people to see and take." Love it!! Thanks, Dave for Taking an ARTbreak at our Oakland- Take 5 Site and for being part of the FREE ART movement.

I admire the work you do with Take an ART break. 
I attended the last one in Oakland with one of my daughters 
and we had a fun time making art together. Keep up the great work! DAVe

ARTbreak 2011 San Francisco Site-Just the Beginning!

ARTbreak 2011 San Francisco Site 
Just the Beginning of the photos!!!

What an amazing day!!
Take 5: ARTbreak Day 2011 was a stellar success!!
Five San Francisco Bay Area communities and 1000's of individuals from all walks of life and continents were on fire with the creative process at our first annual Take 5: ARTbreak Day. We are happy to report that the event received rave reviews! The vast majority of participants who left AIM's free art making sites were filled with joy and pure gratitude for having such an amazing opportunity to create, connect, and be inspired by their own imagination and the fellowship of humanity.
Below are four wonderful articles written about Take 5: ARTbreak Day 2011.

•  Diverse group embraces open offer to create art Jill Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle
• Forget your coffee break! Take an art break instead Steven E.F. Brown, San Francisco Business Times
• Art Break Day: A chance to take a moment to create Mary Ellen Hunt, San Francisco Chronicle
• Take 5' and make some art By Jennifer Modenessi,Oakland Tribune/Contra Costa Times

lauren and I are just taking a little Break !!  We will be back soon rejuvenated and ready to rock the world :) 
If you were at ARTbreak Day let us know your story! Thank you for ARTbreaking and a huge Kudos's goes out to all our ARTreach Ambassadors, Volunteers, Sponsors, and Community Partners!!!