Arts & Culture Newsletter
When it's hot, cool off at the Potocki Center
This summer may get hot, but the Potocki Center for the Arts will keep you cool with fun new courses like Textile Art, Summer Musical Scenes, Soap Making and Botanical Bundle Dyeing, just to name a few. You will also find your usual favorites like Drawing, Candle Crafting and Crochet. Beat the summer heat with a cool art class at the Potocki Center for the Arts.
Check out all of our courses and register here.
Potocki Center for the Arts is located at 27301 La Paz Road.
For more information, contact 949-470-8470 or arts@cityofmissionviejo.org.
Save the date for Family Arts Day
Mark your calendars for Family Arts Day on Saturday, May 10. From 10 am to 2 pm, families are invited to explore their creativity on this fun-filled day of hands-on art experiences at the Potocki Center for the Arts.
All ages will enjoy art demonstrations presented by local artists, fun workshops, and live music throughout the day. At 10 am, our staff will unveil a new art piece from local artist Fernando Del Rosario as part of the library’s recent Civil Liberties grant. The Pacific Symphony will perform on the outdoor stage at noon. Following at 12:30 pm, high school students and older are invited to spend an hour with professional voice teacher and Cultural Arts Committee Member John Huntington for a fresh perspective on voice training. Thanks to the generosity of the Kiwanis Club of Mission Viejo, this program is free and open to all.
Potocki Center for the Arts is located at 27301 La Paz Road.
For more information, contact 949-470-8470 or arts@cityofmissionviejo.org.
Mark you calendar for Symphony on the Go series May 30 and June 27
Kick off the summer season with two exciting outdoor concerts as part of the crowd-pleasing Symphony on the Go series.
These free family-friendly events feature fun in the park and popular chamber music pieces performed from Pacific Symphony’s mobile stage.
The first concert is at 6:30 pm on Friday, May 30 at Pavion Park, 24051 Pavion. Then on Friday, June 27, the concert begins at 6:30 pm at Napoli Park, 27682 Napoli Way.
Audience members are welcome to set up beach chairs and blankets an hour in advance of the concert.
For more information, contact arts@cityofmissionviejo.org.
Art Instructor Spotlight on Di Cremer
The Potocki Center for the Arts is proud to shine this season’s instructor spotlight on Di Cremer. With the center since 2023, Di teaches bookbinding, block printing and textile art. We asked Di a few questions about herself and her journey as an artist.
Q: We would love to hear about your journey as an artist. How did you get started in bookbinding and textile art?
A: I have loved paper and fabric for as long as I can recall. As a tiny girl, I would make little books and create with fabric in various ways. I’ve made my own style of books over the years, but when I had the chance to learn proper bookbinding at Hauser and Wirth in Somerset, I jumped at the chance. Beautiful bookbinding in a beautiful setting with a world-renowned binder, who would say no?
My journey with textile art started before that in Berlin, Germany at a sewing school. When we moved to the UK, I had the chance to do a fantastic textile art course at Warwickshire College with Maria Thomas, who is such a multi-faceted artist and teacher. Being in the UK, I was exposed to great textile artists and was able to take classes from many of them. I even spent a week in Spain with Wendy Dolan!
Q: You seem to be well traveled living in South Africa, Germany, the UK, and now Mission Viejo. How has this experience influenced your art?
A: The colors, history and feel of each place seeps into the things you create, as does some of the culture you pick up. You see the world from a new perspective, and this cannot help but change what you produce or how you produce art.
Q: What is your favorite thing about teaching students the techniques of your different mediums?
A: I adore creating and find so much peace and joy in it, so when I see the same effects happening to my students, what could be better? Research indisputably shows the positive benefit art and creating has on mental health, so being a reason students make time for art is wonderful to me.
Q: How do you like to spend your time when you’re not teaching at the Potocki Center?
A: My hubby and I are still new to the states, so we are thoroughly enjoying traveling and exploring the country.
At home, I can often be found playing with new ideas in my art room, reading a book or walking our little rescue dog Honey. I have many friends that share my passion for art, so group “arting” days are a common occurrence, and most Fridays I can be found at Arvida Bookstore in Old Town Tustin at the Sketchy Group from 10 to noon in their courtyard.
Q: What advice would you give someone who thinks they can’t do art?
A: Normally when I hear that, I know that the person has encountered someone along their path in life that has told them this incorrectly. They have at some point been discouraged from arty pursuits. I always say the same thing: Show me a 5-year-old child who thinks they can’t art!
Every single child knows the joy of creating, and we must get back to that carefree mindset to recapture that joy.
Picasso famously said “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”
