Our mission is to promote Arts and Crafts in the communities of the Kern River Valley.
The Kern River Art Association was founded in 1962. There were 10 original charter members. The Association started having two shows a year starting in 1964 and continues to this day.
I became involved with the association when I came to live with my mother, Emily Diggles, niece of Hazel Coe who was a founding member of the association back in 1962. The passion for art in the Kern River Valley runs through our blood.
In October of 2012 the Association celebrated its 50th anniversary at The Lodge at Painted Rock. All facets of Art were present. It included small art shows, auction of donated items, music and dance.
The KRVAA intends to provide support for education and advancement of community artists, to provide a forum for artists and crafters and to exchange ideas and educational opportunities.
Now we are taking steps to improve our visibility in the community and within the county of Kern and the world through the internet. The first steps include a new compelling community and web presence. We are utilizing social media to let everyone know what we are doing and to try to get artists and patrons involved. We have exciting ideas and really need to get funding for the Outside In program and all of our community projects. We want to get more young people involved as well. Art belongs to all and we need to help get it to them.
Looking forward we see many opportunities like the ART LOT for instance. It is a great spot for community events and has been under utilized. We are planning activities like, workshops, a chalk-in, children craft days, film screenings, pop up shows and more. We hope that this will help make us more accessible to our community. With our new e-zine we plan to explore the Art world at large and use the it as a launching pad for our online community by promoting local artists with a platform that reaches a wider audience. *
Read: KRVAA celebrates 50 years...
by Susan Barr, Kern Valley Sun
From the President by Teri Vellutini