Library Expands Partnership With Museum Of Children's Art

BERKELEY, CA — The Berkeley Public Library and Museum of Children's Art (MOCHA) are expanding their partnership, offering drop-in art sessions for children at the central and west branches of the library through June 2023.

Excluding city holidays, sessions take place from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Fridays at the central branch (2090 Kittredge St, Fourth Floor, children's nonfiction room) and from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the west branch (1125 University Ave. In the community meeting room). Children of varying ages are welcome.

The library said in a statement that, through unique art and craft projects, children use their imagination to create and play with different mediums, recycled materials and more.

MOCHA instructors are trained to apply a racial equity and social justice lens to session planning and they customize sessions in response to attendees, with the library's input.

"It's always amazing to see how creative everyone is when given the supplies and prompts, and to be able to offer something every week to the community with great teaching artists is a dream," said Elaine Tai, supervising librarian for Berkeley Public Library's central children's services. "Both kids and their caretakers enjoy these projects from MOCHA."

MOCHA and the library have joined forces over the past year to present art sessions outdoors for library patrons in local community gardens and parks. Community requests for more programming prompted the partnership's expansion.

"Libraries are community hubs and spaces of belonging," said Ashley Aaron, MOCHA's director of community arts. "This exciting partnership between the museum and the library will bring enhanced, consistent, and accessible hands-on art experiences to the children and families of the Berkeley community."

For information about sessions at central, call Elaine Tai at (510) 981-6231. For questions about sessions at west, please call Lissette Gonzalez at (510) 981-6296. Events will be wheelchair-accessible. To request a sign language interpreter or other accommodations for this event, call (510) 981-6195 or (510) 548-1240.

The library asks people to refrain from wearing scented products to public programs. More information about library events, services, hours and locations, can be found by calling (510) 981-6100 or visiting the library's website.

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