Orgnizations: Painting pinecones on porcelain is topic
The Valley Porcelain Artists Club will meet from 10 a.m. to noon Friday at the Joslyn Adult Center, 1301 W. Olive Ave., Burbank.
Artist Bettyann Craig will demonstrate how to paint pinecones. She got her first introduction to porcelain painting from her step-grandmother Ruth Martin, who paid for her first month of lessons. Her first teacher was Ruth Ebel.
Craig has been painting for 16 years. She has won ribbons in the Antelope Valley and Los Angeles county fairs. She has been a board member for 14 years. She loves teaching and giving demonstrations all over Southern California. Craig also paints portraits, some on necklaces with wire-wrapping. She belongs to the Society of Porcelain Artists and Teachers.
The meeting is open to the community without charge. Reservations should be made by calling Carol Grese at (818) 906-2509.
Seniors make and donate hats and scarves
Working for almost five years, members of the Joslyn Adult Center’s Retired Senior Volunteer Program Sewing, Knitting and Crocheting group, led by June Pratte, handmade more than 800 knitted hats and scarves. The items are being donated to Operation Gratitude, which will in turn include them in holiday care packages being shipped to U.S. military around the world.
In 2005, Burbank resident Evelyn Twiss suggested the idea to the group, which meets from 1 to 3 p.m. every Friday at Joslyn Adult Center. While working diligently on this project, the volunteers also made, among other things, hats for cancer patients in local county hospitals, along with slippers and lap robes (smaller than quilts to avoid getting caught in wheelchairs) for children and adults in area nursing homes and hospice care.
“Ninety percent of all fabric and yarn utilized by the group is donated,” said member Maggie Hall.
Currently, due to construction, donations of yarn/fabric can be accepted only before 3 p.m. Fridays at Joslyn Adult Center, 1301 W. Olive Ave. For more information on this or other Burbank adult center activities, call (818) 238-5353.
Arts for All foundation selects director
Burbank Arts For All Education Foundation has selected Kenton Haleem as the first full-time executive director of the non-profit organization.
Haleem previously spent nine years as an educator in Long Beach prior to becoming director of arts learning at the Arts Council for the city of Long Beach and, most recently, director of education and development for the Hollywood Entertainment Museum. In these positions he developed and implemented a wide range of standards-based arts curricula and increased funding from individuals, corporations and foundations. Haleem’s expertise in grant writing has contributed to awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts and, most recently, a prestigious American Reinvestment and Recovery Act grant from the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.
Jessica Good, former part-time executive director, will continue with the organization as projects manager and community liaison.
In addition to Haleem, two original members of the Burbank Arts for All Board of Directors, Alexandra Helfrich and Craig Murray, have been named co-chairs of the board for 2010-11.
Burbank Arts for All Education Foundation supports visual and performing arts education for all students in the Burbank Unified School District. The foundation has awarded more than $76,000 in grants to Burbank schools and arts programs in the first three years of its existence.