Current Programs & Activities
| New Facility Planning & Capital Campaign "How Berkeley Can You Be!?" Parade & Festival |
Programs in Development
New Facility Components
| New Facility program agenda
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Epic Arts Studios Community Center
Our
current location at 1923 Ashby Avenue in Berkeley is home to an ever
expanding series of community meetings, classes, workshops, and gallery
shows. We host writing workshops, singing groups, community music
nights, neighborhood meetings, private events and family celebrations,
most all are sliding-scale with a no-one-turned-away for lack of funds.
We strive to create a warm, accessible, inviting space that can serve the needs of our community. If you are interested in booking a class, workshop, meeting, or private event check out our booking and rental page here.
1923 Teahouse Performance Series
Each
week The 1923 Teahouse presents 2-4 nights of live music and performance
at Epic Arts Studios. In it’s four years of continuous programming
this series has featured over 500 local, national, and international
acts, from first-time neighborhood songwriters to internationally acclaimed
artists from Madagascar, Australia, Israel, France, and Mexico. The
Teahouse series provides a warm, intimate, unparalleled performance
environment for both audiences and performers alike.
For a complete listing of upcoming performances visit our home page or complete calendar online at www.localendar.com/public/epic. To book a concert or performance please check out our booking and rental page here.
Epic
Arts has helped organize the creation of the “Ashby Arts District”,
the first arts district to be created by from the ground up by local
arts organizations including: La Peña, The Ashby Stage, The Nomad
Café, The Black Repertory Group, The Northern California Land
Trust, Epic Arts Studios, and Tryptych Gallery. Epic Arts produces a
monthly arts calendar listing events taking place all of the venues
within the Ashby Arts District. Through collaboration of events and
programs we hope to bridge gaps between neighboring organizations and
the communities we serve. www.ashbyartsdistrict.org
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Art is the birthright of every human being on the planet. At HereStories, we’re dedicated to producing public art projects that celebrate that joyful fact. Our long-term goal is for every person in the city of Berkeley to contribute artistically to the public space.
HereStories produces public art projects that bring people together in a fun and interactive environment where every person’s voice is honored. While sharing stories, learning about community history, and creating art, the participants have the time to get to know each other and build lasting relationships. When the process of creation is over, the public art remains in that place to share the experience with every person who passes by.
Read more about the HereStories Community Group and their upcoming projects here.
HereStories
Staff:
Founder and Artistic Director: Sara Bruckmeier sara@epicarts.org
Project Coordinator: Bonnie Borucki bonnie@epicarts.org
New Facility Planning & Capital Campaign
Our
new facility will replace the existing mixed-use complex at 1923 Ashby
Ave in Berkeley, the current site of Epic Arts Studios, and increase
our capacity to serve ten-fold, from 8,000 to 80,000 persons annually.
This
redevelopment project will establish a new standard by paying tribute
to the current cultural and historical context, as well as provide a
key community and cultural nexus for this South Berkeley / North Oakland
neighborhood, the greater East Bay, and beyond. It will include a cafe,
performance space, dance studio, digital media lab, recording studio,
art gallery, artist studios, crafts workshops for kids and adults, classrooms,
a courtyard garden and our administrative offices. This expanded facility
will dramatically enhance our program offerings and activate the cultural,
social and economic vitality needed to sustain a legacy of positive
growth for neighborhood youth, seniors, families, artists, and visitors
alike. www.epicarts.org/campaign
"How Berkeley Can You Be!?" Parade & Festival
Our
biggest outdoor festival event of the year! For four years now Epic
Arts has played an integral role in planning and producing this annual
celebration of the spirit of Berkeley. Each year nearly 20,000 people
participate in an all-day celebration of art, music, dancing, arts and
crafts, costumes, and family fun. Two stages of live music, craft and
food vendors, art car parade, theme villages, kids area, beer garden,
and more in an all day blowout! www.howberkeleycanyoube.com
Fiscal sponsorship is the process by which an artist or project that does not have their own 501(c)3 non-profit status can receive tax deductible donations and/or apply for grants. The following is a list of our current Fiscal Sponsorship projects. For more information or to apply for possible fiscal sponsorship go to our fiscal sponsorship information page.
ArtCar Fest
ArtCar
Fest is the largest gathering of Art Cars in the West. Over 100 of the
Nation's finest creations converge annually on the Bay Area in a four
day celebration. What is an Art Car? "These aren't parade floats.
ArtCars are registered, insured automobiles that artists work on for
years and exhibit to anyone who will look up" says Philo Northrup
ArtCar artist and ArtCar Fest Co-Founder. See for yourself, there's
nothing else like this in the world! www.artcarfest.com
The Valentine Peace Project
The Valentine Peace Project uses a popular holiday to creatively promote Peace. Peace education as well as art and poetry workshops are held in schools and after-school programs on themes of conflict resolution, community and world peace. Poems on themes of peace and global citizenship are collected and attached to thousands of carnations for distribution each February 14 in different locations around the world. TVPP is working to develop partnerships with other peace organizations supporting their initiatives throughout the rest of the year. valentinepeaceproject.org
Everyday Theatre
Everyday
Theatre (EDT) is a small, dynamic and talent-rich theatre company based
in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since its inception, EDT has striven
to create rigorous, compelling drama that spans across cultural boundaries,
and speaks to the reality of our surroundings. EDT prides itself on
combining a gut-level underground style with high production values
that consistently appeal to a broad spectrum of audiences, from urban
to urbane. www.everydaytheatre.org
Artists Meeting Place (AMP)
AMP,
the Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective, is a worldwide collective
of artists networking together to build and support local and international
artists, create new art communities, and enhance those that already
exist. A uniquely democratic approach to networking, AMP's members include
practitioners of all kinds of arts, at every level from hobbyists to
career professionals. AMP welcomes all artists, and those who work in
any kind of art field - at any level, in every corner of the world.
The idea is that everyone has something to offer, with a diverse international
community of creatives making a powerful blend of resources. www.pluginamp.com
The Drama Mamas
The
Drama Mamas is an ensemble-based theater company committed to developing
and producing new works by emerging and mid-career bay-area female playwrights.
We engage female voices with the world's on-going cultural, political,
and existential debate. Working in collaboration with diverse groups
of performers, we develop dance-theater, sketch comedy, and full length
plays. www.dramamamas.com
Mama Elephant
Mama
Elephant is a non profit website that provides a cyber meeting place
for the non profit music community. It also acts as a parent web site
for all Mama Elephant activities. mamaelephant.org is primarily an informational
site that lists links to other sites. www.mamaelephant.org
Current
partnership programs include our work with The
Shotgun Players at The Ashby Stage, their home-base theatre located
just two doors down from Epic Arts Studios, and Uniquely Unified, an
art and entrepenurial training program for kids and teens currently
based in the lower level of Epic Arts studios.
We are also in a long-term partnership with Burning Man and The Black Rock Arts Foundation (BRAF), who share our mission goals of participation, creativity, and the integration of art within the greater community. We are always seeking new community partnerships that build upon mutual needs and each others' strengths to create a stronger, more vibrant neighborhood and arts scene.
Our
annual, old time family BBQ fun... with a twist! Our excuse to play
ridiculous games in the spirit of grandiose international competition.
Past events have included the Chicken Toss, Ridiculous Relay, Grape
Eating Contest, Balloon Toss, Tug-of-War, Solar Powered DJ Battle and
much more. To accentuate the drama we have professional sportscasters,
cheerleaders, and innocent bystanders creating a ridiculous, free, all
ages day of Olympic fun.