Big Sunday happily welcomes you to Our Really Big Community Calendar.
We try to include all kinds of volunteering and helping opportunities for all kinds of interests, talents, passions, and ages! As you’ll see, these include volunteering opportunities (one-time and long-term) as well as the chance to support a nonprofit by attending fundraising events. Plus, of course, we include all of Big Sunday’s homegrown events, too! Whoever you are, and whatever you do, there is someone out there who could use your help.
If you have questions about our calendar, or would like to add a listing, please contact calendar@bigsunday.org or submit your event/opportunity via the button below.
Oil Painting: Capture the Beauty of Nature
Saturdays, (6 week sessions):
January 14 – February 18
February 25 – April 1
April 8 – May 13
May 20 – June 24
1:00pm – 3:30pm
Ron Pettie, Instructor
$69 Arboretum members / $79 non-members (includes Arboretum admission)
All materials are included.
Capture the beauty of nature! The instructor will guide a beginner to draw and paint with confidence. More advanced students will be able to paint independently at their own pace and will be able to choose their own subjects.
Each subsequent six-week class will explore other areas of painting such as landscape, still life, domestic animals, structures, deserts, and seascapes. Master artist Ron Pettie will guide you on this adventure.
At the end of a six-week session students will learn the following:
- Composition styles
- How to read a color chart
- Color mixing
- How to use the grid system and the rule of thirds
- Use of dark and light values and gray scales
- Learn a variety of techniques for painting , including using different brushes and the palette knife for texture and depth
- How to use the magic frame on photographs
- Self-Critiquing – Standing back and squinting
- Choosing a signature
Reservations REQUIRED; To register please call the Education Department at 626-821-4623.
On March 25, don’t miss Self Help Graphics and The Big Read’s Postermaking Workshop! The workshop will explore Emily Dickinson's affinity for flowers and gardens and how she used them throughout her writings. Participants will then create mono-silkscreened posters based on her works and new poems created by each participant. The workshop is free and all ages are welcomed.
NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
Click HERE to secure your spot.
The series returns to Occidental March 29 with Youth Movement: Mayors Aja Brown and Robert Garcia, featuring Brown, mayor of Compton since 2013, and Garcia, mayor of Long Beach since 2014. As two of the youngest (Brown is 34, Garcia 39) mayors in Southern California, they represent a new generation of political leadership in the region. They’ll discuss their own paths to election, the state of their cities and the opportunities and challenges of piloting cities in the shadow of giant Los Angeles. Don’t miss Youth Movement: Mayors Aja Brown and Robert Garcia!
Don’t miss the opening reception of the "What does DTLA mean for you" art exhibit (runs through April 14) curated by awesome LA artist Kathryn Pitt. This unique exhibition will showcase art work by artists from LA who live/work/exhibit in the Arts District of Downtown and the artists of Skid Row who live and work adjacently. For more info, please visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1801914516727167/.
Join Create Now on Friday, March 31st from 6 – 9 
pm for a relaxing and memorable evening at Kiehl’s. For only $50, you will receive a rejuvenating mini-facial, a goodie bag with samples, scrumptious refreshments, raffle prizes, and intuitive readings for ten people. Come have fun and party with Create Now! Space is limited! Click this link to purchase your tickets.
All proceeds enable abused, neglected and homeless children ages 2-21 to heal through Create Now, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit that helps youth find their voices through arts mentoring and education.
Don’t miss Star, Inc.’s 17th Annual Children's Earth Day event at the STAR Eco Station in Culver City, California! Two exciting volunteer opportunities are available as helpful participants are needed to assist with set-up on Saturday, April 1st and the actual event on Sunday, April 2nd. Shift times are below. Please contact Volunteer Coordinator Lili Miller at 310-842-8040 if you are interested in helping!
Set-up: Saturday, April 1
- Shift 1: 8:00am-12:00pm
- Shift 2: 11:30am-2:30pm
Star, Inc. is a charitable 501(c)(3) non-profit education organization serving kids, families, schools and communities.
The Theodore Payne Foundation 2017 Native Plant Garden Tour will be held April 1-2, packed with curated tours through the county's most beautiful private and public landscapes. From the San Fernando Valley to the Westside, gardens will be open for visitors. LA boasts some of the most unique native plants, landscape design, and wildlife.
Visit nativeplantgardentour.org to learn more and grab tickets.
Instructor: Dr. Robert Tager
Pre-registration preferred; Please call 626-821-4623 or pay at the door
Discover what your brain needs to function at its peak. Neurologist and Arboretum volunteer, Dr. Bob Tager will provide an introduction to memory, learning and the brain, before leading a tour through the LA Arboretum gardens and discussing ways of preserving and enhancing brain function. You will learn what recent research says about improving brain health and ways you can enjoy the process.
Robert Tager is currently Clinical Professor of Medical Education at USC’s Keck School of Medicine, and he gives tours to medical students to enhance their observational skills and to learn the health benefits of the garden environment.
Oil Painting: Capture the Beauty of Nature
Saturdays, (6 week sessions):
January 14 – February 18
February 25 – April 1
April 8 – May 13
May 20 – June 24
1:00pm – 3:30pm
Ron Pettie, Instructor
$69 Arboretum members / $79 non-members (includes Arboretum admission)
All materials are included.
Capture the beauty of nature! The instructor will guide a beginner to draw and paint with confidence. More advanced students will be able to paint independently at their own pace and will be able to choose their own subjects.
Each subsequent six-week class will explore other areas of painting such as landscape, still life, domestic animals, structures, deserts, and seascapes. Master artist Ron Pettie will guide you on this adventure.
At the end of a six-week session students will learn the following:
- Composition styles
- How to read a color chart
- Color mixing
- How to use the grid system and the rule of thirds
- Use of dark and light values and gray scales
- Learn a variety of techniques for painting , including using different brushes and the palette knife for texture and depth
- How to use the magic frame on photographs
- Self-Critiquing – Standing back and squinting
- Choosing a signature
Reservations REQUIRED; To register please call the Education Department at 626-821-4623.
