Create

The Arts Commission leads the County initiative, CREATE Alameda County to advance arts engagement and arts education for all community members. CREATE Alameda County programs include opportunities for individuals, families and communities to explore their creativity, engage with new ideas and arts skills, and celebrate community. Additionally, CREATE Alameda County provides resources and experiences to help advocate for and raise awareness about the importance of arts education for life-long learning, job skills, and community wellbeing.

The Arts are Essential
The arts are essential to every thriving community. They inspire discovery, create connections, strengthen community, and spark innovation and positive change! To support the arts in our countywide community, Create Alameda County provides a range of resources and services. Click the links below to learn more.

National Arts in Education Week – September 9-13
In 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives passed House Resolution 275, which designated the week starting with the second Sunday in September as National Arts in Education Week. The purpose of the resolution is to celebrate the transformative power of arts in education for all students. Advocacy resources are provided by Americans for the Arts. In honor of this special week, the Arts Commission is sharing free coloring pages. Everyone is invited to download the five coloring pages HERE and use them to celebrate arts education!

National Arts and Humanities Month in October
This event is the largest annual celebration for the arts and humanities in the nation for three decades and is recognized by the White House, Congress, and local governments throughout the United States. It is an opportunity to recognize that the arts and humanities are essential to every sector of our county, state and nation and also how they help diverse communities across our County explore their history and culture thereby enhancing and enriching the lives of everyone in our region. Every year the Alameda County Board of Supervisors makes a proclamation in support of Arts and Humanities Month. Here is a template.

Prop 28 Arts and Music in Schools Act
CREATE Alameda County is a regional partner with CREATE CA which is a statewide coalition dedicated to ensuring all students reach their full potential through an education model promoting creativity and the arts for the 21st century workforce. To this end, Create CA is providing an Arts and Music in Schools Planning Toolkit to help schools and school district use historic arts funding through Prop 28. Through resources like this, Create CA supports and elevates the powerful work of communities like ours to support arts education throughout California.

Creativity is essential, and art is healing! We use our creativity every day to create solutions for the world we share. Learn more about Create Alameda County programs and get involved!

Free Arts Education Coloring Pages

The Arts Commission is sharing free arts education coloring pages. Print them at-home and color in using markers, colored pencils, crayons, or watercolor paint. Use your imagination!

LINK to 2024 Arts, Culture & Creativity Coloring Pages (New!)

LINK to 2023 Celebrating Arts Education Coloring Packet

Arts, Culture and Creativity Month

Californians for the Arts (CFTA) directs this annual month-long spotlight on the arts to raise visibility and awareness about the value of our sector, to empower arts advocates to take action, and to spur greater investments in our industry and workforce. Be part of a movement and share your support for celebrating and recognizing the value and impact of arts, culture and creativity in your community. Find out more about getting involved through free arts advocacy webinars and resources at Arts, Culture & Creativity Month.

100 Families Alameda County

Since 2010, the Arts Commission has presented 100 Families Alameda County programs which brings together diverse and intergenerational families to strengthen family bonds and celebrate community through art making. This program is a part of several of the services that the Arts Commission provides including Art is Education and the Veterans Art Partnership. Past program sites have included all 12 Alameda County Library locations; Oakland Vet Center, Oakland, CA; Highland Hospital, Oakland, CA; Alameda County Family Justice Center, Oakland, CA; REACH Ashland Youth Center, San Leandro, CA; Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center, San Leandro, CA; and a partnership project with Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, CA.

Alameda County Poetry Out Loud

Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and an annual recitation competition for high school students across the country. California has the largest state program in the nation. All Alameda County High School students, grades 9-12, are invited to enter Alameda County’s Poetry Out Loud Program. Structured like a spelling bee, high school representatives advance to the County competition in early February, then the State competition in March, and ultimately to the National Finals in the Spring.

Veterans Art Partnership

Since 2015, the Alameda County Arts Commission has partnered with the Oakland Vet Center to provide free art activities for Alameda County Veterans and their families. Events include art making workshops, collaborative art projects, exhibitions, and community events celebrating the creativity of Veterans. The goals of the program are to provide opportunities for Veterans to express themselves in a supportive environment, explore visual art techniques, and engage in community building.

In 2024, images of artwork created by Veterans Art Partnership participants were featured in an exhibition at the Alameda County Administration Building at 1221 Oak St. on the 1st Floor Tax Collector Office Lobby and the 5th Floor Board of Supervisors Lobby through August 1, 2024. This exhibition was previously on view at the Hayward Public Library, Hayward CA from Nov. 2, 2023 – Jan. 6, 2024. View a slideshow of the exhibition and reception that was attended by 85 community members including elected officials who presented a certificate of Recognition to the Oakland Vet Center and the Veterans Art Partnership participants.

Also, you can view a virtual exhibition of a previous exhibition at the Alameda County Administration Building in Oakland, CA from January – July 2023.

Arts Learning Exhibitions

Overview

The Alameda County Arts Commission’s Exhibition Program is presented in person at the Alameda County Administration Building galleries in Oakland and also online through virtual exhibitions. The goal of the exhibition program is to provide a positive and uplifting experience for the public through the creativity and imagination of local artists. The exhibitions feature Alameda County artists and are organized by established nonprofit arts organizations or schools located in Alameda County. Nonprofit arts organizations and schools interested in exhibiting artwork are welcome to contact us for eligibility information.

Alameda County Administration Building Exhibitions

In-person exhibitions are located at the Alameda County Administration Building in downtown Oakland at 1221 Oak Street on the 5th floor in the Board of Supervisors and County Administration Office reception area. The exhibitions are free and open to the public when the building is open.

East Bay Heritage Quilters

Fifteen members of the East Bay Heritage Quilters (EBHQ) are featured in an in-person exhibition at the Alameda County Administration Building from July 31 2023 – January 25, 2024. Additionally, this virtual exhibition is being shared based on the in-person exhibition. EBHQ is a non-profit quilt guild founded in 1978 dedicated to preserving the traditions and appreciation of quilting; promoting camaraderie among people in all aspects of quilting; sponsoring and supporting quilting activities through educational sessions and special events; as well as providing quilts to people in need.

Online Virtual Exhibitions

African American Quilt Guild of Oakland

This virtual exhibition features the work of 20 artists who are members of The African American Quilt Guild of Oakland. This artwork was also featured in an in-person exhibition at the Alameda County Administration Building from January 24, 2021 – May 20, 2022. The African American Quilt Guild of Oakland was founded in 2000 with a mission to preserve and continue the tradition of quilting; to promote fellowship among interested persons in all aspects of quilting; to contribute to the knowledge and appreciation of fine quilting and quilts; and to sponsor and support quilting activities through regular meetings and special events with the community.

East Bay Heritage Quilters

This virtual exhibition features the work of 36 artists who are members of the East Bay Heritage Quilters (EBHQ). A version of this exhibition was also presented as an in-person exhibition at the Alameda County Administration Building from September 7, 2021 – January 20, 2022. EBHQ is a non-profit quilt guild founded in 1978 dedicated to preserving the traditions and appreciation of quilting; promoting camaraderie among people in all aspects of quilting; sponsoring and supporting quilting activities through educational sessions and special events; as well as providing quilts to people in need.

Oakland Art Association

This virtual exhibition, People and Places of Alameda County, organized by the Oakland Art Association features 19 local artists. It was also presented as an in-person exhibition at the Alameda County Administration Building from February 24, 2020 – March 6, 2020. The artworks include a range of visual media and celebrate the rich diversity of people, urban spaces, and the natural environment of Alameda County.