October 9, 2008

“A Different View” exhibition celebrates a variety of the 65 Regional Parks that dominate the East Bay landscape. The works will be on display and open to the public at the Bankhead Theater this Saturday, October 11, during ArtWalk Livermore, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on display during performances through the end of October.

The intention of the exhibition was to capture the Regional Parks in an individualistic and artistic form, showcasing the personal expressions of what the Regional Parks means to each of us. One hundred-fifty entries were received, and more than a dozen parks were highlighted in many multi-media art forms, including black-and-white and color photography, oil on canvas, 3 dimensional, pastel on canvas, and more.

In addition to the Bankhead exhibition, some of the pieces will be featured in an Oakland Airport exhibit featuring the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD), on display from November 2008 through February 2009; at an exhibition planned for May 2009 at Tilden Nature Area in Berkeley; in a commemorative 2009 EBRPD calendar coming out in December 2008; and in a variety of ads and other printed materials as created by EBRPD and the Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center.

All work submitted for the exhibition was juried by an esteemed list of judges, who also selected seven artist honoraries who will receive special recognition. The judges included Cherie Newell, Director of Professional Services, Oakland Museum; Claudia Hess, Worthington Gallery West; and Carin Adams, Curatorial Specialist, Oakland Museum.

The winners were announced by EBRPD Board President Ayn Wieskamp, and LVPAC Executive Director Len Alexander, at a reception and awards ceremony at the Bankhead Theater on September 24. Winners included:

First Place
Kimberly D’Adamo-Muanga
Title: Bay Point Estuary
Park: Bay Point Regional Shoreline

Second Place
Peter Tonningsen
Flotsam & Jetsam
Title: 2008 Cassette
Park: Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline and Crown Memorial State Beach

Third Place
Joanie Popeo
Title: Lone Tree on the Graham Trail
Park: Redwood Regional Park

Most Creative Use of Materials
Bill Carmel
Title: Target Earth
Park: Briones Regional Park

Juror’s Award of Merit
Juror: Cherie L. Newell, Director Professional Services Division, Oakland Museum of California
Joanne Clapp Fullagar
Title: Peacock - A Different View
Park: Ardenwood Historic Farm

Juror’s Award of Merit
Juror: Claudia W. Hess, Worthington Gallery West
Ted Wieskamp
Title: Window on Brushy Peak
Park: Brushy Peak

Juror’s Award of Merit
Juror: Carin Adams, Museum Curatorial Specialist
Marc Davis
Title: Del Valle Shadows
Park: Del Valle Regional Park

Proceeds from the exhibition will help support the Bothwell Arts Center, a multi-arts facility that provides affordable space to over 30 artists and arts groups. The Bankhead Theater and the Bothwell are projects of the Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center, committed to community enrichment. The East Bay Regional Park District is the largest regional park agency of its kind in the nation. No other park agency has the breadth of locations, experiences available and number of acreage of open space (close to 100,000) for the public to enjoy.