Shreya Jaikumar Menon

Jan 16, 2024 | richmondconfidential.org | Sophia Sun |Shreya Jaikumar Menon

When the Richmond Art Center lost its biggest donor last year, Executive Director José Rivera said he was worried about the future. “Over many years, that donor contributed $100,00 annually, making him the most significant benefactor in the center’s history when considering the cumulative sum of his contribution over time,” he said. “We lost him since last year he closed out his foundation.”For a while, it wasn’t clear how the RAC would make up that shortfall. But things are looking brighter.

Jan 4, 2024 | richmondconfidential.org | Shreya Jaikumar Menon |Panashe Matemba-Mutasa |Choekyi Lhamo

At 15, Demaria was arrested for carrying a gun to school and was sent to West County Detention Facility for 10 days. Tall in stature and brusque in manner, Demaria said he remembers the nights there as lonely. “The lights were switched off at 10 p.m., and you couldn’t distract yourself with a book or anything else,” he said.

Jan 2, 2024 | richmondconfidential.org | Panashe Matemba-Mutasa |Shreya Jaikumar Menon

In an arena where they’re often in the shadows, Black artists are creating spaces to recognize and celebrate their talent. For the 28th year, the Richmond Art Center will present the “Art of the African Diaspora” exhibition, later this month. AOTD gives local artists of African descent a way to share their work with the community and each other. The showcase, which will run from Jan. 24 to March 16, will feature 160 Bay Area artists working in a variety of mediums.

Dec 28, 2023 | richmondconfidential.org | Choekyi Lhamo |Shreya Jaikumar Menon |Panashe Matemba-Mutasa

A high-density housing development of more than 700 homes, nearly half of them deemed affordable, is in the works in El Cerrito on land owned by BART. The city received a $20 million state grant in October to propel the progress it has made on the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan, which was adopted in 2014 to meet community housing needs. The plan, updated  in 2019, would put houses on land by the El Cerrito Plaza BART station that is now parking lots.