Whether it's a viewer gazing at the creative works
of the very best contemporary artists of Northern California
or a child experiencing a burst of originality in hands-on art activity,
Sun Gallery enriches the inner lives of thousands.

With a vision before its time,
Sun Gallery—Hayward's longest standing non-profits arts organization
established its prominent Art Education Program, picturesque Gallery Shop,
and year-round series of highly respected artistic exhibitions
to enrich the cultural life of our community
and promote art as the universal language
between cultures, income levels and ages.

Sun Gallery fulfills its mission by offering a range of exhibits and ancillary education programs that bring to the community art work it might otherwise never see, then to invite the community into the gallery through interesting, affordable programs that include the entire family. Although Sun Gallery is a membership organization, admission to the gallery is free to all. Exhibitions run on the average six to eight weeks per show. Because Sun Gallery is a small facility, we frequently curate group exhibitions to maximize audience exposure to a range of artists and media. A variety of art education activities for adults and children includes hands-on experiences in the studio, lectures, workshops, film screenings and readings resonant with the theme of the exhibit. Sun Gallery operates a gift shop that carries one-of-a-kind crafts created by California artists — ceramics, glass and wood work, photography, jewelry — and an assortment of children's books.

Sun Gallery's art education program for youth, unique in our region, engages students with fine arts by combining gallery exposure and hands-on creativity. We have strengthened this program by increasing the number of field trips, offering art classes to home schooled children, and expanding Summer Art Day Camp from four to six sessions.

As a way to reinforce the important role visual arts play in daily life, Sun Gallery supports a number of community organizations by providing free on-site activities for children; for example,for two years Sun Gallery partnered with the Hayward Library's Families for Literacy program to link art projects to storytelling to engage parents creatively with children. The project was supported by a California Library Series Act grant; art educator and literacy specialist consult closely to prepare a project related to the stories of the day, using simple materials one might find at home. The project brought art educators in contact with an underserved population in a significant way and fostered experiences that enhanced Sun Gallery's success in inviting the community into its programs.

Art education for adults is an integral part of Sun Gallery's programming. Our focus on artwork of contemporary Northern California artists enables Sun Gallery to augment each exhibit with an Artist Talk that engages artists in conversation with the community. Both educational streams converge in our Art for Families activity, developed to welcome Hayward's diverse population into the gallery through a free twice- monthly art-making activity for parents and children in our studio. Exhibiting artists occasionally join Sun Gallery's art education staff for this event. Art for Families provides exciting drop-in art activities appropriate for all ages and using materials easily found in the home or the environment. Art for Families serves up to 30 families an afternoon. These programs significantly fulfill Sun Gallery's mission to take the gallery into the community as a means to invite the community into the gallery.

Hayward is historically a culturally-mixed community that has long welcomed new immigrant populations, so its demographics are constantly changing. Hayward's 1990 census ethnic demography is Euro-American 56%, Chicano/Latino 22%, Asian/Pacific Island 13%, African American 9%. Our population includes large Eastern Asian and Middle Eastern communities; Hayward is home to the East Bay Area's only Coptic church and a Sikh temple, and a mosque is under construction. Over 70 languages are spoken in local schools. While older populations are largely of Euro-American heritage, younger populations are largely people of color. Sun Gallery's older exhibition visitor demographics for 1996 were Euro-American 56%, Chicano/Latino 21%, Asian/Pacific Island 12% and African American 11%. Our arts education program serves the following student population: Chicano/Latino 36%, Euro-American 25%, African American 20%, Asian/Pacific Island 19%.

Sun Gallery's targeted audience in both exhibitions and art education programs is the spectrum of Hayward's diverse population, from school-age to the senior population, as individuals and as families. In the past two years, with the hire of a new gallery director and a more diverse board of directors, the focus of the organization has expanded to offer exhibits that reflect the ethnic demography of our community. Sun Gallery collaborated with the Hayward Public Library, Hayward Arts Council and Chabot College to place Dias de los Muertos/Days of the Dead altar installations in their sites. The opening for the ImagiNation '97 children's exhibit featured performances by local taiko drummers, folkl—rico dancers and a Caribbean storyteller, reflecting our student population. This vision was manifest in the eighth annual Children's Book Illustrators show, featuring works that explored the environment through retelling myths and stories of various cultures. In 1997, Sun Gallery commemorated World AIDS Day with an exhibit of work by Bob Walker and a Community Chat on the issue of social activism and the arts. The biennial Art Works '98 juried exhibit focused on work by emerging artists of color.

Admission to Sun Gallery is free; in addition to Wednesday through Friday, the gallery is open every Saturday to serve working people and families. Sun Gallery also engages in partnerships to provide a series of family-oriented programs free of charge to invite Hayward's underserved and low-income populations into the gallery, with the Library and its literacy programs, the Hayward Arts Council, La Alianza cultural organization, Chabot College, Hayward Unified School District and the City of Hayward. Field trips establish excitement and comfort among school-age children, the fine arts audience of the future, who frequently return with parents in tow, proud to share what they have learned.