
Spotted next to Cornology in Broadway Plaza in downtown Walnut Creek.
The Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts in downtown Walnut Creek is hosting a new exhibition by the Cardboard Institue of Technology (CIT) now through August 12th. From the Bedford Gallery website:
This summer Bedford Gallery welcomes the exciting new exhibition Cardburg 2012: The Super Track! The Cardboard Institute of Technology (C.I.T.) has deconstructed the spectacle of car racing, challenging mainstream notions of competition and cooperation. C.I.T. invites you to take part in their unique brand of racing: form a pit crew, race in teams, and sabotage your opponents.
Bedford Curator Carrie Lederer comments that, “C.I.T. projects always incorporate aspects of the world we live in—from pop culture, history and myth to contemporary life. The artists are entrepreneurial in spirit, and bring an array of skills and talents to their projects, using high-tech/low-tech hybrids as a motto for construction. Each installation is a unique, humorous and thoughtful statement about our local and global community, and our attraction to large-scale, exhilarating public events.”
The exibition will include several open makes, during which visitors can come to the gallery and build their own cardboard car. We hope you will join us as we turn up the heat and explore the high-octane world of monster truck racing.
Check out more of the amazing cardboard art below:
A couple of weeks ago I noted that the North Main St. fountains were getting refurbished and the one across from Wells Fargo has been turned on. Check out the finished work above. Cool stuff!

Pygmalion, a 1912 play written by George Bernard Shaw is opening tonight at the Town Hall Theatre in Lafayette and runs through June 23rd.
From the Town Halle Theatre website:
Renowned linguist Henry Higgins makes a wager that he can transform young Eliza into a sophisticated lady. But will changing her speech change her mind?
Show-at-a-glance:
Rated: PG
Running Time: approx. 2 1/2 hrs. including one 15-minute intermissionFeaturing:
Jennie Brick – Mrs. Eynsford-Hill
Tiffany Hoover – Mrs. Pearce/Bystander/Parlor Maid/Constable
Ann Kendrick – Mrs. Higgins
Jenna Stitch – Clara
Chris Parnell-Hayes – Mr. Doolittle
Ginny Wehrmeister – Eliza Doolittle
Michael Scott Wells – Freddy
Don Wood – Col. Pickering
Clive Worsley – Prof. Henry Higgins
Tickets may purchased by visiting their website.

The two fountains in downtown Walnut Creek on N. Main St. are getting a huge facelift and the one you see above in front of Wells Fargo should be finished by the end of the week. The artist for this fountain is Ene Osteraas-Constable from Wowhaus, and a Walnut Creek Arts Commision agenda has the details:
Wowhaus for the fountain in front of Wells FargoGeologica, by the artist team of Wowhaus (Ene Osteraas-Constable and Scott Constable) isinspired by tracing water to its elemental source: the earth itself. Ceramic and glass mosaic evokegeological stratification. Glints of reflective glass throughout the piece echo veining in layeredstone, leaving the impression that the fountain might have been hewn out of a single, massiverock. In the center of the fountain lies a 30” “geode”, a rock-like spherical form that is sliced toreveal a beautiful, shimmering geode-like pattern. The geode hovers just at the surface of thewater. Striking at a distance, the complex patterning of the fountain draws viewers in, invitingthem to walk around the entire piece to observe the intricate details of the mosaic and to discover
the sparkling geode in the fountain’s center. Water will flow over the surface of the geode as itrises from the center of the sphere.
The other fountain will be installed by early June. This is going to look amazing when completed. I can’t wait to check it out when they turn it on!

Spotted across from Miramonte High School in Orinda on Moraga Way. The owners really went all out decorating with numerous bear sculptures, a bench, and other animals over the past couple of years. Great job!


With Orinda Theatre Square coming alive lately, the aMFa art gallery, located next to the soon to be opened Barbacoa Mexican restaraunt is in a great location to take advantage of visitors dining out or shopping. In addition to art by the owner Allison McCrady, other artists are represented as well:

The piece at left, which I was immediately drawn to, has already been sold by the way, but there are plenty of other exciting pieces available so drop by if you have the chance.
aMFa also offer art classes for $300 per term. Occasionally they display (and paint) outside the gallery/studio in Orinda Square which makes for a pleasant experience while strolling around downtown Orinda.

Spotted in the back of the David M. Brian store, next to Crate and Barrel, in downtown Walnut Creek. Check out window washer at right, that’s classic.

photo by Flickr user uzvards
A few weeks ago I noted that the the Walnut Creek city council was considering the display of the sculpture titled, “Hand in Peace”, by California-based artist Beniamino Bufano in Civic Park, and now it’s official; For the next 25 years the sculpture, as seen in the photo above, will be displayed in Civic Park, enhancing Walnut Creek’s status as not only a shopping and dining mecca, but one that is also focused on the arts.
