A huge goal for the Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum is to host more events and get the Long Beach community and students to enjoy the new museum. Thursdays at the museum are dedicated to free workshops in the Education Laboratory that allow people a day during the week to connect with their artistic side.
“We could bring you over and try to pound more theory and art history into your head, but we thought it would be nice to give people a time to just destress,” Christina Alegria the Curator of Education at the Kleefeld, said. “Art could be that outlet for people and we want to encourage you to come and have a good time. We want the museum to serve you in that way.”
Thursday April 14 was dedicated to a ceramics workshop inspired by the Kleefeld’s current exhibiting artist, Anabel Juárez and her solo ceramics exhibit titled ‘Recordar Es Vivir.’
Guests in attendance were equipped with air drying clay, sculpting tools and paint. They were all encouraged to check out Juárez’s work, work with their hands and think about what was inspiring them that day.
“I am not making anything specifically, I like to roll the clay in my hands and I like how it feels,” community member Yazzel Rebecca said. “This is more about how it feels than to create something.”
The Education Laboratory was bustling with activity and chatter and at other times dead silent as people honed in on their clay creations. Children, parents and students alike put on aprons and got messy.
“We’re mostly coming to de-stress and have fun. We’re making ashtrays.” Zeyad Elkady, logistics major, said. “This is the first event we have come out to.”
The Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum posts all their events via their Instagram. The museum hosts Meditation Mondays, Tuesday Talks with various artists and Art Workshops on Thursdays.
The museum hours are Tuesdays through Fridays, noon–5:00 p.m., Thursday evenings from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.and second Saturdays of the month from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m..