Pipe Bros Installation To Be Part Of New Danville Exhibition

From the Town of Danville: The Town of Danville and the Village Theatre Art Gallery invite the community to view the ceramic exhibition inside the gallery, Conceive Construct, Embellish as well as the ceramics exhibition on the front patio of the gallery featuring three pieces from The Pipe Brothers collection.

The patio in front of the gallery is soon to be graced with three giant works of art from the collection of works by The Pipe Brothers. Vitrified clay pipes that stand seven feet tall and tell a story are sure to attract the attention of all that pass by. As part of the Mission Clay Arts and Industry program, each year artist travel to Arizona where the pipes are manufactured, where they work their artistic magic, changing the pipes from practical to beautiful.

The selected pieces on view in this exhibition are all by the American fine art sculptor and mixed media artist Tom Franco which he created in collaboration with his Dreams Art Team, consisting of Heather Fairweather, Colin Hurley, Rayoliver Bacoy Del Mundo, and Iris Torres. The pipes will be on view in front of the gallery through December 2018.

Franco considers himself a folk artist, and this comes through in his colorful and whimsical artwork. The large works on view are playful and invite the viewer to circle around and engage with them, to see, rather than read the story they are telling. People of all ages will find something to appreciate in these tall pillars of art.

Tom Franco is a local Bay Area artist, born and raised in Palo Alto, California, Tom and his two brothers, James and Dave, grew up with parents who encouraged them to pursue their passion for

the arts. After graduating from Oakland’s California College of the Arts in Ceramics and obtaining a Sculpture major from UC Santa Cruz, Tom co-created the Firehouse Art Collective in 2004.

The collective, spread across six locations in Berkley and Oakland, has evolved into a creative platform for his masterwork as a community artist. As its sole director, he now oversees artist studios and gallery spaces where artists collaborate and develop public art programs, housing, feature films, murals and

live art happenings.

An Opening Reception for the artist will be held Thursday, May 3, 2018 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Complimentary refreshments will be served and as always, this family-friendly event is free and open to the public.

The Village Theatre and Art Gallery is located at 233 Front Street in Danville. The Gallery is open to visitors Wednesday through Friday 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and Monday and Tuesday by appointment only. The Gallery is always open one hour before performances in the Theatre. The Art Gallery is closed on Sundays. The outdoor portion of the ceramics exhibition will run through December.

For more information, contact Visual Arts Coordinator Marija Nelson Bleier at (925) 314-3460 or mbleier@danville.ca.gov

Photo courtesy of the Town of Danville