Grant News

It's official - Kala is honored to be a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant (Artist Communities) in support of Kala's Fellowship residencies! NEA Chair Maria Roasario Jackson, PhD shares the good news about all the recommended Grant for Arts Projects, "We are pleased to be able to support this community and help create an environment where all people have the opportunity to live artful lives." Kala's Fellowship residency call is currently open and applications are due March 15, 2024.

Fellowship Open Call

Artists producing innovative work in and across printmaking, photography, book arts, film/video, sound, animation, performance cinema, media arts, and installation are eligible to apply. Fellows receive a $3,000 stipend, 24/7 access to Kala's studios for one to nine months, one month of free housing for artists coming from outside of the Bay Area, a free art class or workshop, and a culminating exhibition as a cohort in the Kala gallery. Each year Kala provides fellowships to six artists from around the world working in a variety of disciplines. Find out more about past fellowship recipients, program resources, and application guidelines.

The deadline to apply is March 15th (9:00 pm PT) – start your application here! 

Apply Now

Creating Together - Upcoming Exhibition at Kala

February 22 - March 8, 2024

Opening Reception: Friday, Feb 23, 4-6pm

Reception for AHA Program: Thursday, Feb 22, 6:30-8pm

Kala Gallery is excited to present Creating Together, an exhibition highlighting our education programs.

The exhibition Creating Together highlights our collaboration with the Arts and Humanities Academy (AHA) and other Kala arts education programs. Join us to celebrate the amazing artwork created by young artists at Berkeley High School in partnership with Kala’s Artist-in-Schools program and students from our adult/teen/youth arts education programs!

Learn More

New Spring Teen Studio Programs

Teen Studio: Sculpture - 3D Exploration

Thursdays, March 7-28, 4-6pm

Instructor: Ali Vaughan

Location: Kala Gallery & Classroom

In this sculpture class intensive, students will be introduced to the principles of modern sculpture and engage in plenty of 3-dimensional exploration and play. We will investigate the way that different materials can lead to different ideas, how balance and gravity affect form, and how sculpture can become a collaborative act, among other lessons. By the end of the class, students will have an understanding of the landscape of modern sculpture and the confidence and imagination to continue exploring in 3D.

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Teen Studio: Quilting and Spray Painting

Saturdays, March 9-30, 12:30-3:30pm

Instructor: Corduroy Joan

Location: Kala Gallery & Classroom

In this intensive workshop, we will ask how quilts can be seen as books. Using inspiration from The Embodied Press (recent exhibition at Kala), graphic novels, old quilts, and our own lives, we will design and create quilts using fabric spray paint and stencils. We will finish these personal quilts over three sessions. Join us at Kala and create dynamic works of art while diving into the creative process!

Register Now

Drawing For Teens (Spring)

Tuesdays, March 19-May 21, 4:00-5:30pm

Instructor: Ali Vaughan

Location: Kala Gallery & Classroom

During this 9-week course, we will focus on drawing as a form of design and imagination. Teens will learn how to use drawing skills to draw things that they cannot see or observe in the world around them, but rather that come from their own imaginations and ideas. Students will practice prompts and tasks that encourage them to generate new and creative ideas and learn about drawing as the most immediate way to capture an idea as it appears. All levels are welcome.

Teen Studio After School (Spring)

Wednesdays, April 10-May 22, 4:00-6:30pm

Instructor: Yael Levy

Location: Kala Gallery & Classroom

In this spring session, teens will continue to explore different modes of expression and creative processes while improving technical, representational, and conceptual skills. Weekly skill-based art-making projects using various drawing, design, and print media tools and techniques will further explore visual storytelling and artivism. Teens will pursue their own personal art goals and interests in specific media, or artistic aspects they want to learn and develop.

Teen Studio: In Focus - Studio Photography

Thursdays, April 11-May 2, 4-6pm

Instructor: Lee Oscar Gomez

Location: Kala Community Classroom & Digital Lab

Teens will learn the fascinating history and multifaceted applications of studio photography such as fundamentals of the medium such as lighting, working with live models, and composing images within the frame. Participants will also learn about the historical roots of portraiture and how studio photographers influenced the world of fashion as we know it.

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Adult Art Classes Highlights

Mokuhanga 1: Japanese Woodblock Printing

Saturdays, Feb 17-March 2, 10am-4pm

Instructor: Tomoko Murakami

Location: Kala Community Classroom

Mokuhanga 1 introduces a traditional Japanese woodblock printing process, ukiyo-e technique. Participants will learn to carve the woodblock, use Japanese carving tools, and print with water-based ink on Japanese paper. Learn to carve your own woodblocks and create a small edition of multi-color prints! All levels welcome.

Intro to Collage & Zine Making

Sundays, Feb 18-March 24, 10am-1pm

Instructor: Dio Brooks

Location: Kala Community Classroom

Participants will learn and practice collage techniques with the goal of creating spreads and motifs for a zine project. The collage portion of the class will emphasize collage as a creatively expanding exercise for artists, a tool for mocking up and creating novel imagery, and explore the relationship between collage and digital media.

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Intro to Cyanotype Printing & Toning With Botanicals

Tuesdays, Feb 27-March 19, 6-9pm

Instructor: Christine Huhn

Location: Kala Printmaking Studio

Students will be given a brief introduction to the cyanotype printing process using both negatives and found objects. Historically, cyanotypes were toned with both harmful chemicals and environmentally safe botanicals including teas and herbs. These materials alter the typically known blueprints and allow for a wider range of colors.

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All Adult Classes

More News... In Brief

- CULT Turns 10,10 year anniversary exhibition, opens Feb 23, CULT Bureau, Oakland. Exhibiting artists include Squeak Carnwath, KALA 50 co-chair, and Kala fellowship alumni Masako Miki and Jamil Hellu.

- Kala artist-in-residence, Margaret Murray, has work in Arts Benicia's exhibition, Explorations in Monochromatic Art, on view March 16-April 28.

- Mark your calendars for Kala's art auction benefit (March 21 - April 27) and 50th anniversary party (April 27)! Visit kala50.givesmart.com to buy tickets to the April 27th auction party, become a sponsor, and/or make a donation.

- This year marks fifty years of Kala supporting artists and engaging the community. We have exciting plans ahead to make sure Kala is thriving for the next fifty years. Donate today to help launch Kala's Fund for the Future.