Author: Rachel Holmstrom

NEW! Early Childhood Enrichment Program

JCAS is pleased to introduce a new Early Childhood Enrichment program in collaboration with The Center for Early Childhood Connections (CECC).

CECC provides relationship focused, culturally attuned, and collaborative educational, mental health and wellness supports starting from pregnancy through age eight, for young children and those who care for them.

All classes take place at 558 Bellevue Ave. Oakland, CA.

register today

Classes Offered:

Peace Arts: Creative Play & Wellbeing

Tuesdays • 10:00-11:30 AM • 1/21 – 3/18 (no class on 2/18)
2 – 5 years old • $250-$350

The Peace Arts class is designed to promote the resilience of young children ages 2 – 5 by building trust with their caregivers and engagement in positive, therapeutic and FUN arts experiences.  The class is co-taught by two experienced staff: a Teaching Artist and an endorsed Early Childhood Mental Health Practitioner who lead the group in engaging projects that allow for healthy relationships building, self-expression, sensory integration and exploration of the amazing world around us. One infant sibling (Under 6mo) may participate for free with an older sibling and adult caregiver.

SLIDING SCALE PRICING

All JCAS classes are made available to families on a sliding scale. Families choose the amount they are able to pay, considering the top end of our scale is how much it costs us to run the class. We encourage families to help support our efforts to make programs available to those in need.

If the sliding scale prices are still out of your family’s budget, please email us at [email protected] for financial aid. Applications will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis. Apply today!

APPLY FOR A SCHOLARSHIP
PAY IT FORWARD PROGRAM

JCAS is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to offering equitable access to arts and science education. We serve more than 1,500 students every year and most of our students – more than 70% – receive financial assistance.

You can now support our mission directly using our Pay It Forward Program. When registering your student for a class, you’ll have the opportunity to Pay It Forward and contribute to our Scholarship Fund. Your donation ensures that students from all backgrounds can experience the joy and enrichment of our classes and camps—at little to no cost to them.

Learn more
REFUND POLICY

JCAS enrollment is non-transferable. That said, we do understand that sometimes your family schedule changes! We offer a one-time enrollment transfer for your child to another week of class that has spaces available free of charge.
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In the event you need to cancel your child’s enrollment, we offer the following refunds:
All purchases include a 10% non-refundable deposit to cover administrative costs.
From 12/2 – 12/28, you will receive a 90% refund.
From 12/29 – 1/14, you will receive a 40% refund.
From 1/15 on, we are not able to offer any refunds.

ACTIVE now offers self-cancelations! If you need to cancel your registration for any reason, log in to your ACTIVE account, locate the registration you wish to cancel, and select ‘cancel’.

NEW! Pay It Forward Program

JCAS is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to offering equitable access to arts and science education. We serve more than 1,500 students every year and most of our students – more than 70% – receive financial assistance.

You can now support our mission directly using our Pay It Forward Program. When registering your student for a class or camp, you’ll have the opportunity to Pay It Forward and contribute to our Scholarship Fund. Your donation ensures that students from all backgrounds can experience the joy and enrichment of our classes and camps—at little to no cost to them.

Your donation of either 100%, 50%, 25%, or 15% of the cost of tuition will go directly to our Scholarship Fund. This fund subsidizes tuition costs for low-income members of our community. We encourage families to help support our efforts to make programs available to those in need.

This portion of your purchase will be 100% tax deductible. You will be emailed a gift receipt to reflect the portion of your purchase that is a donation.

If you have any questions about this process, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]

Thank you for your continued support of our mission.

Couture Crafting

Get ready to join JCAS and artist Kelly DeFayette for a festive and unconventional holiday crafting workshop with a twist! 

This is not your grandma’s crafting class; we’re taking holiday decor to a whole new level. Embrace your inner artist and explore unique and modern ways to create with paper, found objects, and even lights!

Saturday, Dec 7th 6pm – 9pm
$50 – $75 Sliding scale


Financial aid available. Email us at [email protected] for details

BUY TICKETS TODAY
What’s Included:
  • Inspirational ideas and templates
  • All necessary crafting materials and tools
  • Expert guidance and demonstrations

Refreshments will be available for suggested donation

Who Can Attend:

This workshop is open to adults of all levels, whether you’re a beginner or experienced crafter. It’s a great opportunity to socialize, learn new skills, and have fun.

There will be FIVE crafting stations!

  • Ornaments
  • Luminaries
  • Paper bag snowflakes
  • Holiday card printing
  • Book centerpieces

All proceeds go directly to supporting youth arts and science education in Oakland through the Junior Center of Art and Science.

Don’t miss this enchanting opportunity to catch up with friends and get a jump on your holiday preparations! Buy tickets today!

BUY TICKETS TODAY

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Kelly DeFayette is a Bay Area colorist who works on wood panels in shapes that vary from the traditional, to circles, and then irregular and tessellating polygons. Very process driven, the shape of the panel informs the palette and the decisions of application. Exploring color is the focus, and the intersection of the craft of the object, the painting materials, and the palette chosen, result in the final piece. Moving from smaller tessellating works towards larger installations and groups of irregular shapes, she continues to push towards a more sculptural finish and to remove evidence of the maker’s hand from the finished work.

Kelly graduated from Munson-Williams-Proctor School of Art and moved to the West Coast to attend SFAI. She has lived in San Francisco since 1997 and has worked professionally in the Bay since 2003.

Winter Break Camp

Looking for a fun and enriching way for your young creative to spend the day while you finish your holiday preparations? Join us on Monday, December 23rd for our Winter Camp!

Our camp is packed with hands-on activities that celebrate the season. Campers will explore printmaking, digital illustration, and 3D design, creating festive projects like luminaries, sculptures, and holiday cards to take home. 

Monday, Dec 23rd 9am – 3pm
$85 – $125 Sliding scale
Aftercare available until 4pm for $25
Scholarships available! See below

Register today

For ages 6-11. Campers will be split off into two age groups. Read the descriptions below to learn about each group’s focus.

LUMINARY WONDERLAND

Ages 6-8

At the end of December, many cultures and traditions celebrate the longest night and shortest day of the year, and the return of the light. We gather together out of the cold and bring light and warmth to the darkness. Let’s make luminaries to celebrate light! Students will learn to build two different types of wooden frames, which will be covered in tissue paper and glue. When dry, the luminaries will be lit with battery operated tea lights.

BRING YOUR DIGITAL ART TO LIFE!

Ages 9-11

Students will create digital masterpieces, and bring them time life as cards, gifts and other holiday artworks. Students will first learn the fundamentals behind creating digital artwork using iPads and the ProCreate drawing tool, and then create handmade treasures based on their digital creation. Students will be able to use JCAS’ unique tech offerings as well as more traditional art materials such as paint, collage and plenty of glitter! 

Throughout the class there will be tons of opportunities for exploration, play and silliness as we dive into the world of both digital and multimedia artwork! 

SLIDING SCALE PRICING

All JCAS classes are made available to families on a sliding scale. Families choose the amount they are able to pay, considering the top end of our scale is how much it costs us to run the class. We encourage families to help support our efforts to make programs available to those in need.

If the sliding scale prices are still out of your family’s budget, please email us at [email protected] for financial aid. Applications will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis. Apply today!

Scholarship application

REFUND POLICY


OUR REFUND POLICY HAS CHANGED.

ACTIVE now offers self-cancelations! If you need to cancel your registration for any reason, log in to your ACTIVE account, locate the registration you wish to cancel, and select ‘cancel’.

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Our Refund Policy is as follows:

All purchases include a 10% non-refundable deposit to cover administrative costs.

From 11/23 – 12/07, you will receive a 90% refund.

From 12/08 – 12/15, you will receive a 40% refund.

From 12/16 on, we are not able to offer any refunds.

OUSD Winter Artist Market

Friday, December 6th 2024
11am – 2pm

at the Junior Center of Art and Science
558 Bellevue Ave. Oakland, CA

Oakland Unified School District and the Junior Center for Art and Science are thrilled to present the third annual OUSD Winter Artist Market! This one-day-only event will showcase the incredible talent of student artists from Oakland High, Oakland Tech, Skyline, Madison Park Academy, and United for Success Academy.

Explore a diverse array of unique and affordable handmade gifts created by our youth, including ceramics, soft sculptures, prints, greeting cards, original artworks, and more. This is the perfect opportunity to support emerging young artists while finding something special for yourself or loved ones this holiday season.

For many students, this will be their first experience marketing and selling their artwork, making your support especially meaningful. Stop by on your lunch hour to celebrate their creativity, shop local, and help support OUSD FAME Program!

This event is hosted by the Junior Center for Art and Science and presented by OUSD Fashion, Arts, Media and Entertainment (FAME) CTE Programs. OUSD offers six high school Linked Learning Pathways that provide college and career preparatory experiences in the media arts, studio arts, and design fields. For more information or questions, contact James Treacy at [email protected].

Set Ups: An Installation in Flux

As children, Luka Vergoz and their brother used to make ‘set ups’ – worlds of animals, train tracks, cars, blocks, and people. These ‘set ups’ grew quickly, sprawling across the room, on the floor, and on the furniture. They didn’t know it at the time, but this was their introduction into landscape and installation…

We welcome you to Set Ups: An Installation in Flux , a collaborative installation by Luka Vergoz.

Join us for the opening reception on Friday, October 25th from 6:30 – 8:30pm. The exhibition will run from October 25th – December 13th.

Add to the exhibit. Every Saturday during the exhibition, the community is welcomed to create objects and add to the installation.

Meet the artist. Luka is hosting two workshops, Nov 16th and Dec 7th from 10am-12pm.

About the Exhibit

Children have an incredible ability to shift scales, transforming a room into a world. The title Set Ups comes from the worlds Luka built growing up and plays off the tension between planning and improvisation in art-making. The phrase also addresses the literal action of setting an object, placing it up, or down, as a basic unit of the creative process. As the plural title suggests, there will be several areas of ‘set up’ around the room, all contributing to an overall transformation of the interior into a larger, connected world.

Community Collaboration

Viewers are able to walk through the space and participate by adding their own elements. Every Saturday during the exhibition (Oct 26 – Dec 7), the community is welcomed to create objects and add to the installation. This installation will continuously grow and evolve each time someone adds to it.

Set It Up: A Workshop in Repurposed Materiality

In addition to our weekly invitations to add to the exhibit, Luka will also be holding two workshops on Saturday Nov 16 & Dec 7 from 10am – 2 pm.

These workshops are an opportunity to meet Luka and learn their process. They will demonstrate how to use discarded and recycled materials to create objects, as well as explore scale and landscape. Participants will build and create objects with discarded materials such as paper, cardboard, and wood, and then add their creations to the installation.

These are drop-in, donation-based workshops.

About the Artist

Luka Vergoz (they/he) is an Oakland-based installation artist who finds, alters, and arranges scraps of material to create installations that incorporate sculpture, painting, drawing, and sound. The arrangements address themes in physics, language, environmental concerns, and the trans experience.

Luka is a member of the Imaginaries of the Future Collective and is currently a Graduate Fellow at Headlands Center for the Arts.

Support Our Work

Support our nonprofit gallery space and help us continue fostering creativity, community, and access to the arts. Your contribution directly empowers emerging artists and makes inspiring exhibitions and programs possible for all.

Donate Today

Come See us on Saturdays!

Next time you’re walking around Lake Merritt, stop by and say hi to us!

We are now open on Saturdays from 10am – 3pm

Drop-in activities available!

From water colors, to animal encounters, there is always a surprise waiting for you at the Junior Center!

Saturdays at the LAB

Be sure to check out the Saturdays at the Lab page for more info on our upcoming workshops! We have an exiting selection of offerings for creatives across age groups and interests. Register today!

YOU’RE INVITED From Ashes to Art: Reopening Fundraiser

Saturday, Sept. 28 6pm
at The Junior Center 558 Bellevue Ave

The Junior Center has finally reopened after three years of extensive repairs from two fires. Join us on Saturday, September 28th at 6pm to celebrate our legacy and support our future programming.

From Ashes to Art features a curated selection of art from local contemporary artists, all graciously donated and priced under $500. Proceeds support scholarship opportunities for youth to attend our popular camps, after-school programs, and workshops. Each year our programs reach over 5,000 young people and their families and throughout the East Bay. Sliding scale is available for all our offerings, and 60% of families take advantage of the scholarships we provide.

Experience our beautifully renovated space on Lake Merritt. At From Ashes to Art, you can enjoy drinks and dancing under the twinkling lights of our lakeview decks, participate in a Virtual World Building experience with our talented Teaching Artist Judit Navratil, explore the gallery for your next work of art, and visit the Trash Falcon exhibit in the Bellevue Room.

Your support makes a huge difference for East Bay youth and will help us expand opportunities for our community. We hope to see you there!

BUY TICKETS TODAY!

LOVELAB: Celebrating our Creative Educators

The Junior Center of Art and Science is celebrating our teaching artists both past and present…

The Junior Center of Art and Science (JCAS) is pleased to invite you to LOVELAB, a celebration of our teaching artists both past and present for their immense contribution to our organization, student body, families, and the broader community. This exhibition is a love letter to the unique perspective and artistic diversity of our JCAS community, which is the driving force behind everything we do. Join us in honoring and appreciating the creativity, dedication, and passion that these remarkable individuals have brought to our programs. 

Our opening reception on Saturday, August 10th will feature a curated display of their work, alongside interactive installations and performances. Experience firsthand the vibrant spirit and artistic excellence that has shaped our community. Your presence will help us pay tribute to these inspiring artists and celebrate the collaborative journey that has enriched the lives of many.

Can’t make it for the Opening Reception? Stop by anytime during our open hours until September 6th to view the exhibition. 

Some works will be for sale. Don’t miss this opportunity to directly support arts education in our community.

Drawing: Make, Create, and Repeat

Saturdays at the Lab continue with DRAWING: Make, Create, and Repeat

Saturday 8/17 • 10am-12pm • Ages 12-17 • $10-25 sliding scale

Drawing: Make, Create, and Repeat is a drawing class focused around the idea of repetition. The class uses repetition as a tool to learn drawing as well as a method of expression art-making. Drawing techniques will include both drawing from observation and from memory/imagination. In this class we will talk about the meaning behind repetition and why we would utilize it in art making. We’ll learn how repeating can help show important ideas and compare different elements. We’ll also see how repetition can tell a story about time, movement, and change.

REGISTER TODAY