The SLAA General Meeting and Free Art Demo on March 11, at the Main Library, 300 Estudillo Ave., in the Karp Room. At 5:30pm a half hour of socializing begins, refreshments included. The short general meeting starts at 6:00pm and the demonstration begins at 6:30pm. Local artist, Sean Shelly, will be discussing his approach to color theory and his use of color in his art. SLAA members will also be displaying artwork for the Artist of the Month Contest. All ages are welcome to participate in this free event. For more information contact sanleandroart.contact@gmail.com

The San Leandro Art Association is happy to welcome the very-talented local artist, Bushra Gill, as our first demonstrator in our 2025 series of demos, which are free to the public. Her demonstration begins at 6:30.

Bushra Gill is an artist and curator who finds order within the chaos of everyday life through art. She was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and emigrated to Houston, Texas, with her family as a small child. Drawn to art from a young age, she graduated from Pratt Institute in 1994 with a BFA in sculpture. She has been awarded residencies at Pilchuck Glass School and Kala Art Institute.
 
Gill spent many years working as a museum educator at various galleries and museums including The Museum of Modern Art, The Drawing Center and The Rotunda Gallery, while also working as a studio assistant to various artists including Maya Lin, Ursula von Rydingsvard, and Maria Elena Gonzalez. Currently living and working in northern California, Gill also curates, drawing on her experience from a long teaching career to be a visual storyteller. She is a member of the California Society of Printmakers, the Northern California Women’s Caucus for Art and Asian American Women Artists Association.

Her website may be found here

M.J. Bogatin (“Bo”) author of "Legal Guide For The Visual Artist”, and a founding member of the San Francisco Law Firm of Bogatin, Corman & Gold, bcgattorneys.com/ will be speaking about and answering questions on copyright, trademark and contract issues for artists.

On Saturday, September 21, 10am to 4pm, the San Leandro Art Association (SLAA) presents ArtFest 2024, an outdoor art show, at the Main Library, 300 Estudillo Avenue. You are invited to explore many forms of art by members, on display and for sale: paintings, photography, jewelry and more. Get started on your holiday purchases! Meet the Artists. Buy original works of art. Watch art demos by members. This year we will be hosting a Free Mural Class at which an original mural will be created during the event. We will also have a free craft table where children of all ages may create a paper butterfly to take home. Enter our Fundraising Drawings to win art, goods and/or services. All money collected from the drawings goes to our award programs for school art programs and students in the San Leandro School District.

For more information visit SanLeandroArt.org or email sanleandroart.contact@gmail.com 

Claudia Kruse lives in El Cerrito, is a member of the El Cerrito Art Association and approaches her artistic interests as a passionate hobbyist.   Mixed media painting. collage and gel printing have been her recent focus.  As a member of the Friend of Calligraphy, she is finding ways to incorporate letters and forms of writing into her art work.

Claudia will be sharing a recent project that includes a handmade book and case as well as a presentation on the use of calligraphy in handmade bookmaking. Photos from her recent attendance at the Roman Holiday 2024 International Calligraphy Conference will be part of her talk as well a examples of this type of work from her long time interest.

Claudia encourages SLAA members in attendance to bring in handmade books of any kind that they may have created themselves or purchased as examples of this art form.  A resource list will be provided for those who may want to learn more.

Paper Sculpture with Construction Paper

Saturday, July 13, 12-3pm, at the Marina Community Center, 15301 Wicks Boulevard, San Leandro.

This is the third in a series of FREE Art Classes offered by SLAA to the residents of San Leandro, funded by a grant from the San Leandro Arts, Culture and Library Commission. In this course students will have fun making Paper Sculptures using colorful construction paper. All supplies for the class will be provided for free. The students will take home their art creations along with limited supplies for future art projects. During the breaks in the class time, beverages and snacks will also be provided free for students and their guardians. The class is limited to 16 students, on a first come – first reserved basis. For more information about this class, other upcoming classes visit: https://www.sanleandroart.org/freeartclasses. To register your child for this Paper Sculpture Art Class send email to: sanleandroart.contact@gmail.com

Barrie Rokeach, Bay Area professional freelance and commercial photographer, specializing in aerial, industrial, architectural and advertising photography, has over 50 years and 2000 hours in the air photographing from aircraft that he flies himself simultaneously while photographing. He has been known to rent helicopters, as well as capture photos from commercial airplanes at 30,000 feet. He has photographed everything from landscapes, to buildings, to portraiture, including the construction of the new East Bay Portion of the Bay Bridge. He taught photography after getting his MA in Design/Photography at UC Berkeley and among his awards; Barrie was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley and received a Kodak Professional Photographer’s Showcase Award as well as having one of his aerial photos printed as a Forever Stamp by the United States Postal Service. His fine art aerial imagery has been exhibited at dozens of museums and galleries across the US., and his images have been commissioned by public and private institutions.

Barrie’s lecture will focus on excerpts from his three books: Rising From the Bay, (about the construction of the new East Span of the Bay Bridge); Timescapes: California From The Air, (about the diverse geological forms across California), and The Kodak Guide to Aerial Photography, (a how-to manual for small planes and helicopters aerial photographs).

The public is invited to join us for a fascinating and informative talk about the beauty and majesty of aerial photographs by one of the leading Bay Area aerial photographers.

For more information please contact Kat Kelly, President of the San Leandro Art Association at sanleandroart.contact@gmail.com

All are welcome to our monthly meeting on the second Tuesday of the month at the Main Library, 300 Estudillo Avenue, San Leandro. We invite the public to our General meeting, starting at 5:30pm and a free art demonstration, which starts at 6:30pm. The demonstrations are given by talented local artists who share their knowledge and inspire us to try new things. Our May presentation is Debra Collins who will be demonstrating the fine art of paper cutting. For more information click here

All are welcome to our monthly meeting on the second Tuesday of the month at the Main Library, 300 Estudillo Avenue, San Leandro. We invite the public to our General meeting, starting at 5:30pm and a free art demonstration, which starts at 6:30pm. The demonstrations are given by talented local artists who share their knowledge and inspire us to try new things. Our March presentation is Linda Nygard. For more information click here

All are welcome to our monthly meeting on the second Tuesday of the month at the Main Library, 300 Estudillo Avenue, San Leandro. We invite the public to our General meeting, starting at 5:30pm and a free art demonstration, which starts at 6:30pm. The demonstrations are given by talented local artists who share their knowledge and inspire us to try new things. Our August presentation is Jennifer Koney, an extraordinary watercolor artist. For more information click here

The San Leandro Art Association is showing at the John O’Lague Galleria at Hayward City Hall! You're invited to the reception on November 3, 5:30-7:30 for a fun celebration of the 26 SLAA artists participating in the exhibition. Easy parking and many restaurants nearby make for an enjoyable evening out.

The art will be on view October 30, 2023 - January 11, 2024.

Hope to see you there!