TOUCHABLE STORIES

"Touchable Stories: Richmond" on display April 27 through May 13. “Touchable Stories: Richmond” will make its West Coast debut April 27 through May 13 at the former Kaiser Shipyard Cafeteria, located at 1303 Canal Blvd. The multi- media exhibit, presented by a nonprofit artists’ collaborative, amplifies the diversity of voices of Richmond residents and tells the city’s story through the words of people who have lived it.  “With ‘Touchable Stories,’ our task as artists is to create the most beautiful and elaborate exhibits we can to help tell these community stories,” said Shannon Flattery, the creator and founder of Touchable Stories, which attracted sold-out audiences at its exhibits in four Massachusetts towns. Produced over an 18-month period, the participatory, oral history event hosted by the Port of Richmond asks: Who is Richmond? What are the beliefs and values of its different communities? “Touchable Stories: Richmond” was created by first recording hundreds of hours of interviews with Richmond residents, including community activists, day laborers, teachers, historians, recent immigrants, long-time residents, youth and many others. After gathering the oral stories, Flattery assembled artists who then designed installations to complement the oral histories. The resulting labyrinth of rooms and art explore themes such as immigration, pollution, identity and violence. “Touchable Stories: Richmond” is produced in collaboration with local and Bay Area artists including Tarnel Abbott, Regina Gilligan, Nina Billone, Ann Schnake, Andres Cisneros-Galindo, Amy Seidule, Kate Duffly, Sharon Siskin, Ellen Gailing, Dashal Moore, Fletcher Oakes, Shelby Sampson and Ed Tannenbaum. Shows will take place on Fridays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 2 and 6 p.m. Reservations for group shows on Sundays and Wednesdays are available for a minimum of 10 people and maximum of 15. General admission tickets cost $12, and tickets for Richmond residents, seniors and students cost $6. Families are asked to pay what they can. For more information or to make a reservation, call (510) 619- 3675 or visit www.touchablestories.org Tickets will be sold at the door on a first come basis. Part two of the exhibit will be displayed in the fall.

The Arts & Culture Commission is proud to announce the opening of TOUCHABLE STORIES, a temporary museum featuring oral histories by dozens of members of the Richmond community. These oral histories, recorded over the past year by Shannon Flattery, Artistic Director of Touchable Stories, Inc. represent people of every ethnicity and background…from native Richmondites to recent immigrants. Their perspectives have been interpreted by local artists in individual rooms within the museum – each one focusing on a different theme. The 10-room “community portrait” tour is about 1 hour in length. Take advantage of this a rare opportunity to experience Richmond from the point of view of those who live here – rather than outsiders.

The TOUCHABLE STORIES MUSEUM is located at 1301 Canal Boulevard in the old Kaiser Cafeteria Building. Take the Canal Street exit off I-580 and drive west towards the Bay. (The Red Oak Victory Ship is about a mile further down the road.) Museum tours include up to fifteen people at a time. Show times are as follows:

Fridays:            April 27; May 4; May 11             Time: 8:00 pm

Saturdays:        April 28; May 5; May 12             Times: 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm

Group tours are available by appointment on Sundays & Wednesdays. Reservations are required. Please call 510-619-3675 for an appointment to take an intimate and interactive journey into the life and times of Richmond.  

General admission: $12

Richmond seniors and students: 46

Families: sliding scale

Tent City participants: free

Building is wheelchair accessible.

Michele Seville

Arts & Culture Manager

510 620 6952

510 620 6969 fax

michele_seville@ci.richmond.ca.us

Click here for flyer.

2007 CONTRA COSTA COLLEGE FOUNDATION GOLF TOURNAMENT

Support the Students and Programs of Contra Costa College and Honor President of California Professional Firefighters & Contra Costa County Firefighter Lou Paulson For his support of Safety in California and Higher Education! By Underwriting or sponsoring CCC Foundation’s 8th Annual Sy Zell Swinging for Scholarships Invitational Golf Tournament on June 18, 2007, you can do both! Plus you and your colleagues will enjoy a rare opportunity of tournament play at the magnificent Mira Vista Golf & Country Club in the El Cerrito hills. You can be involved with Swinging for Scholarships through a number of options. Click here for more information.

PRAM

Just wanted to make sure you all were aware of our local parent/children's group- PRAM, for the greater Richmond area. Go to the website-which has just been revamped - www.pram.net for more info. It is mostly for parents with children 5 and under, and offers playgroups, social events and other ways to connect within the community.

ELECTRONIC WASTE DISPOSAL

This Friday and Saturday, Sims Hugo Neu and Richmond PAL are collecting all electronic waste at the corner of 25th and Nevin, behind the Art Center, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Includes batteries. Do good for PAL, do good for the earth, get rid of the e-waste.  Free.

WEST COUNTY EARTH DAY FESTIVAL, SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2007

West Contra Costa will celebrate Earth Day on Saturday, April 21st from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  This free event takes place at the recycling plant at 101 Pittsburg Avenue, one block off Richmond Parkway.  West County’s recycling plant is transformed into a giant party for the earth, featuring live music and other entertainment, food, information, arts and crafts, games, and a whole lot more. More details. For more information, contact Steve Devine, Executive Director, West Contra Costa Integrated Waste Management Authority, One Alvarado Square, San Pablo, CA 94806, Phone (Main): (510) 215-3125, Phone (Direct): (510) 215-3127, Fax: (510) 236-1636, Email: steved@recyclemore.com.

CITY OF RICHMOND’S FIRST ANNUAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS FAIR

Greetings from Human Resources Management! We are very excited to inform you that we will be hosting the city’s City of Richmond’s First Annual Health and Wellness Fair on May 23^rd at the Richmond Auditorium from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. All city employees are invited. We will have health screenings, vendors, exciting give-aways and great entertainment. Please see attached flyer for more information. For more information, contact Sharrone S. Taylor, Personnel Analyst , City of Richmond, Human Resources Management, direct line: 510-620-6803.

“TURN-OFF TV” PICNIC

The current epidemic of childhood obesity with related diseases leads State Parks Director Ruth Coleman to postulate that the current generation of children may become the first Americans to live shorter lives than their parents. Keenly aware of this, Kaiser Permanente, the City of Richmond, Weigh of Life, Hilltop YMCA and Brookside Community Health Center are inviting families to celebrate TV Turnoff Week on Saturday, April 28, with a picnic and fun day in the Marina Bay Park picnic area. Invitation to celebrate. To maximize your enjoyment of this event, TRAC, the Trails for Richmond Action Committee, encourages you to visit ExploreRichmond and print information about all the wonderful attractions of the Marina Bay parks along the Bay Trail. 

MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR

As we continue to go about our daily lives and responsibilities, let us not forget to "stop and smell the roses" along the way.  The smallest flower of Spring reminds us that nature is resilient and ever-capable of renewing itself.  So too are we, as humans, strong, resilient and capable of renewing our hopes, dreams, and efforts.  Read the whole newsletter.

WCCUSD RECEIVES 2007 LAUREATE AWARD FROM COMPUTERWORLD HONORS PROGRAM

The West Contra Costa Unified School District has been selected for the 2007 Laureate Award by the Computerworld Honors Program for its overall vision, approach and application of technology throughout the district and its schools. Article.

RICHMOND BAY TRAIL SPRING 2007 REPORT

DURINGTHE FIRST QUARTER OF 2007, public and private partners made great strides toward closing the 17 miles of gaps in Richmond’s 41-mile section of the San Francisco Bay Trail, a 500-mile hiking and biking route encircling San Francisco and San Pablo Bays.  Full report.

CITY OF RICHMOND RECEIVES AN AWARD OF MERIT IN STATEWIDE COMMUNICATIONS COMPETITION 

The City of Richmond received an Award of Merit this week from the 2007 California Association of Public Information Officials (CAPIO) Awards of Excellence statewide communications competition in the Web Site category. This is a first for the City’s web site as the City has not been nominated for a website award in the past. This year’s event was especially exciting as there was less than a point difference between the Award of Distinction and the Award of Merit.

The CAPIO awards program recognizes outstanding public information programs and campaigns by government, nonprofit, educational and private agencies throughout the state. This year, the 2007 Excellence in Communications Awards received a historic all-time high of more than 136 entrants.

Staff is very excited as the City’s new website, utilizing a decentralized departmental approach to content management, is maintained by each individual department. Kudos goes out to each and every department for making the City’s website a great place to visit and for continued commitment to quality of service.

CAPIO Awards were presented on April 19th, 2007.