Tend : Share : Grow is an open dialogue forum with the Sprout & Bloom artists: Lana Williams, Alex Arzt, and Sigrid Hubbell. Come join these artists as they talk “shop” about plants, flowers, shrubs, trees, and all the many forms of gardening care that are a part of their art practice, and daily life. Patrons are welcomed and encouraged to share their knowledge and experience with plants and gardening.
The Junior Center of Art and Science (JCAS) is a 501c nonprofit dedicated to cultivating curiosity and creative exploration through the arts and sciences. Our gallery space is curated to connect professional artists with our local creative community. Our exhibits showcase local, emerging artists and include hands-on community workshops—because art is meant to be experienced, not just observed. Your participation directly empowers emerging artists and makes inspiring exhibitions and programs possible for all.
Join us for Create & Protest, a FREE hands-on workshop where art meets activism. This all-ages gathering is a chance to raise your voice, stand up for immigrant rights and free speech, and connect with others through the power of art.
We’re protesting mass deportations and standing in solidarity with immigrant communities—and we’re doing it with bold visuals, loud messages, and collective energy.
🎨 What’s Happening:
Live screen printing with a professional artist! Bring your own T-shirts or tote bags, or make a poster—we’ll have paper and ink ready to go.
DIY protest station with all the materials you need: poster board, cardboard, paint, markers, and more.
Community connection: Meet others, share your story, amplify your message.
Whether you come with a message in mind or just want to create in solidarity, everyone is welcome. Youth are especially welcome to join to create posters for May Day!
Date: Saturday, April 26th
Time: 12pm – 3pm
Location: 558 Bellevue Ave. Oakland, CA (Lake Merritt)
Cost: Free!
Open to all ages – families, teens, and first-time protesters encouraged.
Meet the Artist
Yael Levy is a mixed media artist, storyteller, printmaker and art teacher based in Berkeley, CA. She believes the creative process to be its own reward and the act of making an incredible tool for healing and growing.
About Saturdays at the Lab
Saturdays at the Lab is a unique series of weekend art workshops connecting professional artists with our local community. Designed to foster creativity and collaboration, these hands-on sessions welcome participants of all skill levels to explore new techniques, exchange ideas, and experience the transformative power of art.
The Junior Center of Art and Science (JCAS) is a 501c nonprofit dedicated to cultivating curiosity and creative exploration through the arts and sciences. By blending creativity with experiential learning, we inspire big ideas and illuminate the everyday connections between art and science.
Your participation in these events not only nurtures your own creative potential but also supports our mission to provide equitable access to art and science programs for youth and families across Oakland and the greater East Bay Area. Learn more about us.
Discover a fun and creative way to upcycle fabrics while giving new life to stained or worn textiles. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn the art of linocut printing—a relief printmaking technique where designs are carved, inked, and printed onto fabric or paper.
This community class covers the full process, from transferring your image and carving the linoleum block to inking and printing. You’ll create your own custom prints and take home tips for easy at-home printing. Perfect for all experience levels. We will have paper and plain tote bags for you to use, but feel free to also bring in your own garments as well. This guided art-making experience offers plenty of flexibility, allowing you to explore and create at your own pace.
Meet the Artist
Kelly DeFayette has been showing art in the Bay Area for the past 25 years, while painting is her main passion, her art background encompasses all of the disciplines. She is focused on color theory and shape, which translates into whatever medium she is working with.
About Saturdays at the Lab
Saturdays at the Lab is a unique series of weekend art workshops connecting professional artists with our local community. Designed to foster creativity and collaboration, these hands-on sessions welcome participants of all skill levels to explore new techniques, exchange ideas, and experience the transformative power of art.
Every Second Saturday of the month, we unwind with a Sip & Make session, blending artistic exploration with a relaxed, social vibe.
The Junior Center of Art and Science (JCAS) is a 501c nonprofit dedicated to cultivating curiosity and creative exploration through the arts and sciences. By blending creativity with experiential learning, we inspire big ideas and illuminate the everyday connections between art and science.
Your participation in these events not only nurtures your own creative potential but also supports our mission to provide equitable access to art and science programs for youth and families across Oakland and the greater East Bay Area. Learn more about us.
Join us for a fun and hands-on terrarium workshop where you’ll design and build your very own glass terrarium to take home! Using a mix of air plants, succulents, soil, rocks, sand, and decorative elements, you’ll learn the art of layering and composition to create a thriving miniature ecosystem.
Throughout the class, you’ll explore different terrarium styles and techniques, gaining the confidence to experiment and personalize your creation. This workshop is a perfect opportunity to connect with nature, express your creativity, and learn plant care tips.
By the end of the session, you’ll have a beautiful, low-maintenance terrarium to brighten up your space and bring a touch of greenery indoors.
Your ticket includes all materials and refreshments, so just bring your creativity! This guided art-making experience offers plenty of flexibility, allowing you to explore and create at your own pace.
About Saturdays at the Lab
Saturdays at the Lab is a unique series of weekend art workshops connecting professional artists with our local community. Designed to foster creativity and collaboration, these hands-on sessions welcome participants of all skill levels to explore new techniques, exchange ideas, and experience the transformative power of art.
Every Second Saturday of the month, we unwind with a Sip & Make session, blending artistic exploration with a relaxed, social vibe.
The Junior Center of Art and Science (JCAS) is a 501c nonprofit dedicated to cultivating curiosity and creative exploration through the arts and sciences. By blending creativity with experiential learning, we inspire big ideas and illuminate the everyday connections between art and science.
Your participation in these events not only nurtures your own creative potential but also supports our mission to provide equitable access to art and science programs for youth and families across Oakland and the greater East Bay Area. Learn more about us.
The Junior Center of Art & Science is excited to announce a call for art for an upcoming exhibition. We seek work from artists who show innovation in form, content, and ideas. The upcoming show themes will be resilience, healing, and unity.
Selections are based on an evaluation of the works submitted and/or proposed artwork. We will look for consistency in style, execution, and aesthetic vision.
Artists will have an opportunity to lead a community workshop at the Junior Center. Artist will be compensated.
There is a $15 application fee. Note: Fees must be paid online when you register on ShowSubmit. All fees are non-refundable.
Seeds, soil, plants, and flowers are creative materials utilized to foster healing and connectivity through the process of tending, sowing, drying, and creating.
We welcome you to Sprout & Bloom, a group exhibition by Lana Williams, Sigrid Hubbell, and Alex Arzt.
Join us for the opening reception on Friday, March 21st from 6:30 – 8:30pm. The exhibition will run from March 17th – May 23rd.
About the Exhibit
The artworks transform the gallery into a beautiful space of knowledge and reflection—where we can learn about ourselves, co-existence, and our connection to the land and the earth. Most importantly, how we can all heal collectively through seeds, flowers, and potted ecosystems.
COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS
In addition to the exhibit, Lana and Sigrid will also be holding two workshops
Micro Bouquets
with Sigrid Hubbell Saturday, April 19th 10am -12pm for ages 3 & up, $30-$45 sliding scale
Celebrate spring with ecologically grown, freshly harvested, Oakland-grown botanicals! In this workshop, you’ll explore the unique textures, scents, and forms of flowers, herbs, and seed pods grown by our host, Sigrid Hubbell, just two miles from JCAS. Drop-in to design a micro bouquet to take home and tend. All botanicals and small glass vases provided. No experience necessary and children are welcome!
with Lana Williams Saturday, May 17th 10am -12pm All ages, $45-$60 sliding scale
Join Lana Williams for a Container Gardening 101 workshop! Learn all the basics from how to select plants and pots, design techniques, to caring for your container garden arrangements. Williams will teach you all the best practices so you can start your own container garden with confidence.
CANCELED
We hope to hold this workshop a different time in the future!
Lana Williams is an author, artist, and the owner of The Tender Gardener, a plant shop and design company that opened in 2020 in Oakland, California. Her book, The Container Garden Recipe Book, published in 2024 by Artisan Books is an in depth guide to ornamental container gardening. She leads local workshops on plant care basics, repotting, plant design principles, wreath making, and flower arranging. When she is not tending to her garden or greenhouse, you can find her in her studio painting and making ceramics.
Awestruck by the endless diversity, adaptations, and resilience of the natural world, Sigrid Hubbell spends the majority of her time in her urban garden cultivating flowers, herbs, food, medicine, and habitat. Growing and preserving the botanicals that comprise her work, she observes the vivid lessons revealed by natural rhythms. She hopes that noticing the contour of a leaf, the color of a petal, or the plumage of an individual seed invokes deep appreciation for the elegant intelligence and healing qualities of plants.
Alex Arzt is an interdisciplinary artist, educator, gardener, and grant writer based in Oakland, CA. Rooted in a connection to place and material explorations, she facilitates connections between human and nonhuman spaces by creating projects in the form of publications, interactive objects, workshops, group performances, lectures, videos, and experimental gardens.
Join us for the Artist Talk
Tend : Share : Grow is an open dialogue forum with the Sprout and Bloom artists: Lana Williams, Alex Arzt, and Sigrid Hubbell. Come join these artists as they talk “shop” about plants, flowers, shrubs, trees, and all the many forms of gardening care that are a part of their art practice, and daily life. Patrons are welcomed and encouraged to share their knowledge and experience with plants and gardening.
Saturday, May 3rd 6:00 – 8:00 PM
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.
Ideal for ages 5 – 12, our Teaching Artists lead each party through an age-appropriate project which will leave your child and their friends feeling inspired and confident in their creative abilities.
Our 2 hour birthday party packages come complete with everything you need for your young creative’s special day:
60 minute Art or Science Activity with a professional JCAS Teaching Artist
60 minutes for cake & gifts
Dedicated party room for all the fun
All the necessary materials for each participant to create a keepsake to take home day of
Join us for STEAM Night 2024 at Franklin Elementary in Oakland, CA.
STEAM is an educational approach that combines Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. STEAM is an evolution of STEM education that adds the arts to the mix. It’s designed to help students develop critical thinking, creativity, and innovation skills.
Here at the Junior Center we harness the power of creativity and experiential learning to inspire big ideas and illuminate the everyday connections between art and science.
