A primary mission of AC5 is to strengthen arts education in Contra Costa County. Commissioner Harold Beaulieu is forwarding that goal by coordinating Teachers Mural Painting Workshops throughout the county.

The workshops demonstrate that murals can be potent teaching tools, giving young people an outlet to express themselves and tapping creative energies that might otherwise be used in inappropriate ways. “Murals can literally help a community feel better about itself”, Beaulieu said. "When people are moved to express themselves creatively, the whole community is moved to better health.”

The Teachers Mural Painting Workshop is a one day hands on workshop designed to promote mural painting in elementary and middle schools by exposing teachers to the basic materials and techniques of large scale painting. The workshops will be held at five host schools, one in each of the five supervisory districts of Contra Costa County. Teachers from neighboring schools in each district are invited to the host school for the workshop.

The first workshop was held at Murphy School in El Sobrante on May 20th and included teachers from Lincoln School in Richmond. In the photos, Beaulieu shows participants a mock-up mural using silhouettes of their students as an example of what can be done simply and inexpensively.

Educators interested in finding out about the program are invited to call the arts commission at (925) 646-2278 or contact Beaulieu at (707) 647-3022.

It was standing room only when an estimated 300 individuals assembled in Concord on May 6 to present and hear ideas on future use of the Concord Naval Weapons Station.

Ideas included preserving at least 80 percent of the land as open space with trails and parks, soccer fields, housing for the needy, space for model airplane enthusiasts, and facilities for churches and educational use. Even a cemetery for war dead was proposed.

Once in Lifetime Opportunity

JP McDermott, speaking in behalf of Arts First!, told the assemblage that “Concord has a-once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a regional amenity and a positive identity for Concord unparalleled in our history. Arts First! believes that a world-class arts campus as part of the Concord Community Reuse Project will be the capstone of a successful reuse plan."

Copies of his prepared statement were provided to members of a consulting firm overseeing the planning process. The statement continued:

Time to Raise the Bar

“That which will make this planning and implementation plan a success involves people finding a wide range of amenities available. The commercial aspects of the plan alone should not drive this process. If properly planned, the magic of a first class urban space can be created that respects housing, commercial, retail, cultural, and open space/parks.

Housing will be the easiest part of this plan. But housing for housing sake will do nothing to benefit either those new residents or the current residents of Concord and of our surrounding neighbors. It’s time to raise the bar for Concord and for the East Bay.

A major commitment to an arts campus/complex can successfully anchor an integrated livable plan. Retail and people oriented activities, seven days a week, sun up and past sun down, will create a base line of activity needed to draw the attention of people looking for a vibrant and stimulating area where they can live, work, visit and excel.

An arts campus, with many disciplines included (visual, performing, and all of the ancillary activities associated with developing, practicing, and performing (displaying) our creative products) can and will make for a dynamic space, utilized for more than just a performance window of a stand alone theatre or for a 8 –to-5 business district.”

Invitation to Join the Effort

“Arts First! invites all interested people to join in working with the City of Concord to create an arts campus setting unlike anything in the Bay Area.”

Members of Arts First! were on hand for the May 6 hearing. Additional sessions are scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on June 10; and from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on June 20 and July 11 at the Concord Senior Center, 2727 Parkside Circle, Concord.

Arts First! was organized to serve as the community advocate for an arts presence at the Concord Naval Weapons Station’s inland area when future civilian reuse is determined. The coalition is participating in helping to identify the overall goals, policies and principles that will guide the planning process. Arts First! is heeding the advice of Concord Mayor Susan Bonilla to “dream big and contribute ideas that could even reach beyond the local region.”

AC5 continues to accept nominations for the commission annual awards to individuals and organizations who have made a significant contribution to the arts, over a period of time, in Contra Costa County. The deadline is June 30. The nomination application is available on the AC5 Web site – www.ac5.org. A panel of judges will select five individuals or organizations for honors. Honorees will receive awards during ceremonies at 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 22 at the El Campanil Theatre in Antioch. The awards event was started 11 years ago. To date, more than 55 individuals and organizations have been honored for achievement in the arts.