Jump Start The Arts and Handmade for the Holidays at the Bankhead

The windows of the Bankhead Theater in Livermore have been transformed by local artists who have hand painted winter-themed scenes to provide some festive cheer. Jump Start the Arts! an initiative by the Livermore Valley Performing Arts Council, curated by Visual Arts Manager Anne Giancola, provides a wonderful opportunity to take a selfie or family photo in a safe outdoor setting.

In addition to the winter/snow themes, they chose images for their global diversity, their unifying and uplifting spirit, and their ties to art history.

Ezra Jack Keats was an award-winning American author and illustrator of books for children. He is most well known for The Snowy Day, about a little boy playing in the snow, a book which drew controversy because it was the first picture book that depicted a black main character. Anne Giancola and a group of volunteers painted the eye-catching images on the windows of the Bankhead Theater.

"Handmade for the Holidays" outdoor art fair was held at the Bankhead in early December and an online gallery is accessible as well until December 24. Admire the new winter-themed artscapes on the Bankhead windows, and see the “Where Do We Go From Here” temporary art displays at the same time.

Japanese artist Utagawa Hiroshige (Andō Hiroshige) was born in 1797 and died a Buddhist Monk in 1858. He is considered to be the last great master of the ukiyo-e genre ("pictures of the floating world") using woodblock prints. This Hiroshige inspired painting was done by Jennifer Huber.

Pieter Bruegel’s Hunters in the Snow original oil on wood painting (1565) shone a spotlight on a world shrouded in winter but still bustling with activity, with hunters and their dogs and people out ice skating. This version at the Bankhead Theater was painted by Thomasin Dewhurst and her students.

Another window depicts a beautiful snow-covered landscape painted by Leta Eydelberg.