What a blast! We had a fantastic time last night at the Arts Month pARTy put on at El Cerrito City Hall by the City and the Arts and Culture Commission. There was something for everyone. At one end of the hall, face painters and body artists extraordinaire Mike and Vickie Resso were busy from the moment they set up until the end of the evening, adorning faces and arms of kids and adults alike. Perhaps I’m biased, but this was my favorite, a Maori design tattoo which Mike painted on George’s face:

El Cerrito Arts and Culture Commission Chair Joyce Hawley wore her orange face-paint proudly, in honor of Halloween and the Giants. Vickie Resso did a wonderful job:

Outside City Hall, the highlight of the evening was the installation of the first of 12 kinetic abstract copper sculptures by artists Jonathan Russell and Saori Ide. The wind sculptures were commissioned by the City for the San Pablo Avenue Public Art Project. Fabrication is still underway, with installation expected to be completed by early 2013.

Berkeley artists Russell and Ide spoke briefly about the project.

The Time Out Quartet provided lively jazz music in the room just outside the City Council chambers, which offered great acoustics.

Everyone had a blast posing with the crazy props, wigs, and costumes that photographers Shelly and Scott, of Photography for Good, brought along. Getting to take home the zany and fun photos that they printed out on the spot was a real treat.
Upstairs, in the City Hall Gallery Space, people were fascinated by the current exhibit of Oakland-based artist Shelley Gardner’s sculptures, which are made of a screen/wire armature that she covers with fabric, threads and dried natural materials.

Okay, one last photo showing face painters Mike and Vickie Resso working on two more happy subjects.