Art Collective Kicks Off in Dublin, California

Artists, makers and creative types based in and around Dublin gathered for the “Arts in Martial Arts” themed event hosted by the Dublin Art Collective at the Kuk Sool Won of Dublin martial arts school.

The Dublin Art Collective is a volunteer driven collaborative project supporting artistic and creative activity, awareness raising and community building in Dublin, California. Organized by floral photographer Vanessa Thomas, the initiative is in its early stages and aims to engage artists and makers and increase the visibility of their artwork, products and services by providing a central hub for communication about art and related endeavors.

Guest speaker for the event, Ms Tegan McLane, Cultural Arts and Heritage Manager for the City of Dublin explained that “while the Dublin Art Collective is not operated by the City of Dublin, it does share many of the City’s goals for fostering an active arts community and is filling a gap where the City of Dublin is currently unable to devote resources".

Ms McLane reported that the City of Dublin conducted a Cultural Arts Needs Assessment survey in 2016 that included 30 stakeholder interviews and 705 survey responses from the community-at-large. The key findings from this survey indicated public interest in art, room for improvement, a desire for an arts center, a demand for arts education and a need for communication about the arts.

Ms McLane also provided information regarding opportunities for artists such as the Utility Box Project which has set its closing date for applications as October 31st. The City has other events throughout the year including the Splatter Festival and Farmers' Market where they would like to increase participation from local artists. There are also plans to increase multicultural programming (classes, events, City-produced performances), especially through partnerships with culturally specific community groups.

In addition, Arts Space Grants have been made available through the City and are accessible via an application process. Plans are underway to establish a Cultural Arts Center in Dublin by converting the lower level of the Police Services wing, upon completion of the new Public Safety Complex.

“The Cultural Arts Center will present a number of exciting opportunities for artistic and creative types in the area and provide a physical focal point for artistic activities,” said Vanessa Thomas. “In the interim however we have created an online space to engage with the art community and allow artists to connect with each other and share ideas and experiences”.

Featured local artists invited to display their artworks at the networking event included Michelle Meng (Artist and Art teacher), Sudhi Nema (Abstract Artist and Art Teacher), Summer Ellis (Mixed Media Artist and Art Teacher) and Nana Dictta Graves (Micro Mosaic Fine Artist) and Dawn Benson (Valley Children's Museum).

Artwork by painter, Mali Mirzaei, was also on display and will be covered in a future interview. An original artwork by local teenager and martial arts student, Sravya Bodapati completed the work on show.

The event was sponsored by local businessman and martial arts school owner Master Seyd Saidi, hence the unusual convergence of disciplines. “We are proud to support community initiatives like the Dublin Art Collective as they bring together like-minded individuals in pursuit of a common cause that uplifts those around them,” he said. “This was one of two events we supported this weekend, the other being the Live Oak Elementary Harvest Festival organized by their school’s PTA."

The next networking event for the Dublin Art Collective is planned for November 12 from 6-8pm and will be organized by local artist Summer Ellis.

Dublin Art Collective