Come meet Oakland textile artist Alice Beasley and Berkeley illustrator and urban sketcher Cathy Raingarden at their NOT TO BE MISSED art reception in the Exhibition Room at the Castro Valley Center for the Arts on Saturday, March 2, 3:30-5:00pm.  Local artist and musician Susan Sarti will entertain with jazz piano and refreshments will be served.   

Alice’s quilts celebrate the human condition in pieces that both intrigue and inspire the viewer.  She comments, “I am often drawn to telling hard facts with this soft medium; reveling in the irony of making political statements using grandma’s tools.”  Black History Month and the politicians in the news are the subjects of many of the quilts on display.  

Alice’s work has been exhibited in many venues throughout the United States including the de Young Museum in San Francisco, The Textile Museum in Washington, D.C., the American Folk Art Museum in New York City, and the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum, as well as abroad in Madrid, France, Japan, Namibia, and Croatia.  Her work has been purchased or commissioned by the City and County of San Francisco, the de Young Museum, the United States Embassy, the County of Alameda, Kaiser Hospital, Highland Hospital, and the Sunnyvale Medical Centre.

Cathy Raingarden’s sketches of familiar Castro Valley haunts such as Rudy’s Donut House, Al’s Market, and Lake Chabot fill the Lobby of the Center for the Arts.  Cathy’s subjects are anywhere she wanders.  This past year’s inspirations included New Zealand, Columbia, all over the Bay Area, and always Castro Valley where she used to live.  Cathy has a full page in every issue of THE VALLEY, always a Castro Valley scene, and this month it is of the Castro Valley Center for the Arts.  Cathy explains that urban sketchers draw from real life rather than in a studio.  Last year she filled a dozen sketchbooks, “from the mundane to the marvelous.”  Cathy’s enthusiasm for sketching is infectious.  She hosts a monthly group, First Saturday Urban Sketching, and would love to talk to guests about how to get started.  Her materials are on display.   

All featured works of art are for sale. A portion of the sales will go to the Castro Valley Arts Foundation toward supporting arts in the school and community.

Get out your bell bottoms, sequined tube tops, and mini-skirts and meet at the Castro Valley Center for the Arts, Saturday, March 26 at 7:30 pm to see Bee Gees Gold the Tribute. Bee Gees Gold is the ultimate salute to the Bee Gees in their prime. Their legendary hits “Stayin’ Alive,” “You Should Be Dancing,” and “Night Fever” are guaranteed to have you dancing in the aisles. For ticketing information, please go to:  www.cvartsfoundation.org  Parking is free. Please note: For admittance, all patrons must show proof of Covid-19 vaccination or Negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of the production and ID regardless of age.

The Castro Valley Adult School Orchestra invites you to enjoy their winter concert Sunday, Dec 5 at 2 p.m. at Castro Valley Center for the Arts. Music will include Overture to Cosi Fan Tutti, by Mozart with guest conductor Beverly Johnson. Haydn's symphony No. 103 with guest conductor Melanie Work. Orchestrated keyboard suites JS Bach/Gerrard WIlliams/Josh Cohen featuring keyboard soloist Tiffany Poon and Tchaikovsky's Overture Miniature from the Nutcracker. A reception with a Silent Auction of orchestra members’ donations will follow the concert. Turn off the TV and brighten your week with this lively event! Masks and proof of vaccination or Negative Covid Test required.

Back by popular demand, tenor Johnny Orenberg returns to the Castro Valley Center for the Arts (19501 Redwood Road) with his cabaret MAYBE THIS TIME at 7:30 pm. His cheeky humor and smooth vocals will delight all as he looks at the intricacies of life, love, and happiness. Accompanying Johnny are Music Director extraordinaire Joe Wicht on the piano along with popular percussionist Roberta Drake. Special guests include local vocal sensation Matthew Liebowitz and Johnny’s lovely wife Katie Orenberg. Tickets available at https://www.cvartsfoundation.org/shows/ or call 510-889-8961.