MISSION

Kala Art Institute's mission is to help artists sustain their creative efforts over time through its Artists in Residence and Fellowship Programs, and to increase appreciation of this work through exhibitions, public programming and educational efforts.

Artists at Kala are encouraged to produce innovative artwork of the highest quality, and are given total freedom to realize their artistic vision using media that span the Gutenberg to digital eras. Artists are also provided with a number of professional development opportunities, and a spirit of exchange and education is nurtured through artist involvement in exhibitions, special events, lectures, teaching, and classroom experience. Additionally, Kala is committed to offering quality art education to the general public and public school children through its on-site program of classes and workshops and its Artists in Schools program, established in 1991, providing multiple-week artist-led instruction to students in East Bay public schools and summer programs.

HISTORY

Founded in 1974 by Archana Horsting and Yuzo Nakano as an international workshop and forum for ideas, Kala Art Institute provides exceptional facilities to professional artists working in all forms of printmaking, digital media, photography, and book arts. Located in the former Heinz ketchup factory in West Berkeley since 1979, Kala’s 8,500 square foot facility houses an extensive array of artmaking equipment, as well as a public exhibition gallery, an art library and an extensive print archive. Established artists associated with Kala over the years include Squeak Carnwath, Roy de Forest, Jessica Dunne, Bella Feldman, Barbara Foster, Sony Rapoport, Peter Voulkos, and William Wiley. In addition to the artists in residence program, the organization’s annual activities include over 80 classes and workshops open to the general public; 8-12 visual art exhibitions in Kala’s gallery as well as off-site locations; on-going lectures, artists talks, and special events open to the general public; and an Artists in Schools program that provides curriculum-based visual arts education to children in schools in Berkeley, Emeryville and Oakland. Kala currently serves approximately 15,000 individuals annually, many of whom reside in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area.

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STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS

There are a total of twelve staff members addressing the areas of program development, exhibition management, fund development, studio maintenance, technology, education, registration, art sales, and office administration, along with a number of interns and dedicated volunteers. Current staff are listed as follows:

Archana Horsting, Executive Director, Co-Founder
Yuzo Nakano, Artistic Director, Co-Founder

Lauren Davies, Exhibitions and Public Programs Manager
Jamila Dunn, Artists-in-Schools Program Coordinator
Ellen Lake, Development Associate
Mayumi Hamanaka, Instructor
Taro Hattori, Electronic Media Center Manager, Instructor
Sharon Heitzenroder, Print Studio Manager
Sharon Jue, Administrative Manager
Wendy Neu, Business Manager
Celeste Smeland, Development Director
Patrick Stockstill, Program Coordinator for Artist Residencies and Classes

Daniel Bacci, Intern
Kym Cortigiano, Intern
Allyson O'Brien, Intern
Iniobong Udosen, Intern

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Kala Art Institute is governed by a nine-person Board of Directors that meets on a bi-monthly basis with participation from the Executive and Artistic Directors. A number of the Board members are active arts professionals and have strong ties to the art community.

Frederick Fassett, President
Yuzo Nakano, Vice President
Donna Brookman-Knight
Thomas Foster
Archana Horsting
Joanne Kamiya
Dorothy Patterson
Peter Selz
Sylvia Solochek Walters

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to thank the following major funders:
Alameda County Arts Commission
Berkeley Civic Arts Commission
California Casualty Group
CEC ArtsLink
City of Emeryville
Crescent Porter Hale Foundation
Dream Builders
Emeryville Education Fund
The David B. Gold Foundation
Walter and Elise Haas Fund
Heritage Preservation/IMLS Conservation Assessment
The James Irvine Foundation
LEF Foundation
The Thomas J. Long Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts
The Nichols Foundation
Open Circle Foundation
The Bernard Osher Foundation
The PSB Fund
The San Francisco Foundation
The Sato Foundation
Van Loben Sels/RembeRock Foundation
Mercy and Roger Smullen Fund
The Andy Warhol Foundation
West Berkeley Foundation
The Bernard E. and Alba Witkin Charitable Trust
The Zellerbach Family Foundation

In particular, we would like to extend special thanks to The James Irvine Foundation for their significant support over the last several years, enabling the organization to dramatically advance its efforts to support artists and create a vibrant, creative community.

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