What are the opening hours?

Friday 11am - 5pm Saturday 11am - 5pm Sunday 11am - 5pm

Frank Bette Center for the Arts

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Alameda, CA
Frank Bette Center for the Arts

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. . . a place for meetings, readings, showings, and other creative doings." — Frank Bette How to Unleash Creativity!

Enlighten - Expose yourself to new ideas, materials, techniques and perspectives. Challenge - Act on your curiosity and inspiration to experiment. Grow - Commit to improving your skills, artistic voice and artwork. Share - Share your creative journey and artwork with others. Celebrate - Appreciate and embrace every step along your path as an accomplishment, from the first toe in the water to the pinnacle of the mountain.

10/30/2026

Here’s a unique and exciting volunteer opportunity to support the arts in Alameda! We’re taking our time to find the right fit. Send a message to [email protected] if interested!

10/30/2026

Join us on November 7 from 11-5 for our annual mercado!

10/29/2026

10/23/2026

SEUSS, LUCKE and SANCTUARY
At the Frank Bette Center

By Karen Braun Malpas

“ Oh, the places you’ll go and the people you”ll see…”

This big hope of Dr. Seuss has been realized in the Signature Gallery of the Frank Bette Center

In the form of what amounts to a retrospective show: Charles Lucke , 54 Years of Storied Photographs.

The room is full of thoughtfully curated and professionally presented large photos featuring the sights and souls Lucke has encountered across years of traveling and observing. Small albums are placed throughout the room containing the story behind the inspiration for each piece….what was meaningful about this particular moment in time or this individual.

We are left with insight into an artist with 54 years of persistent curiosity and enthusiasm for looking, seeing and recording both the natural and manmade world. In his own words, “This is a lesson to look up down, left and right when walking the streets anywhere so as not to miss seeing improbable scenes.” We are richly rewarded by what Lucke’s eyes have found and celebrated.

———

In the front room, is a show on the theme of SANCTUARY, a place of refuge. Predictably, the works are peaceful,…the scrambled sheets of ones bed-nest with a reading book, a cup of coffee, ones childhood home partially obscured now by bushes and memory. The sight and sound of water is said to encourage qualities of peace in us which explains why there are many pictures of solitary walks along the shore, not beside crashing surf but of gently lapping bay waves. The shelter of trees and the vastness of the sky can also put things into perspective and provide sanctuary.

If other Beings are present in these images, they are more likely to be from the animal world than human. Here, non-verbal communication is enjoyed with geese, buffalo, flamingo, egret.

Garden statuary with eyes and lips sealed maintain the peace in gardens.

No one holds a phone. There is no traffic, No one is rushing . Sanctuary

10/08/2026

🎨 Get creative with block printing! Join printmaker Jen Zee on November 13 to design, carve, and print your own artwork. All supplies provided!

📍 Frank Bette Center for the Arts, Alameda
💲 $120 | 3-hour workshop

✨ Sign up today and make something uniquely yours! https://www.frankbettecenter.org/service-page/intro-to-block-printing-with-jen-zee?referral=service_list_widget

10/07/2026

✨ This is going to be spectacular! Join us for Luxtriplicata, a free, family-friendly interactive light experience with visiting Swedish light artist Johan Fredrik Källman. Explore colorful light, glass prisms, and optics in this playful hands-on experience where art meets science!

📅 Saturday, October 10 | 5–8 PM
📍 Frank Bette Center for the Arts
🎟️ Free to attend

This is a demonstration video of the interactive light-art installa...

10/07/2026

My, what an eventful Saturday we have!

An artist reception for not one but TWO shows, from 3-5PM.
-Our community show themed: Sanctuary
-In the Signature Gallery, Charles Lucke takes over sharing his 54 years of stories photographed

Then, from 5-8PM, we have a special guest visiting from Sweden who will put on an exciting light demonstration: Luxtriplicata. 🌈

All events are free to attend! Come join us and support the arts in Alameda.

Address

1601 Paru Street
Alameda, CA
94501

Opening Hours

Friday	11am - 5pm
Saturday	11am - 5pm
Sunday	11am - 5pm

Website

http://www.frankbettecenter.org/

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