MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — This weekend the Middletown Art Center is offering multiple activities around fire resilience and artmaking.

It begins on Friday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. with “Good Fire Good Earth,” a conversation with Scott Parady of Cobb Mountain Art and Ecology Project followed by a short talk with the Regenerative Farming Guild’s founder Kristen Callahan on land restoration post fire.

Activities continue on Saturday with a series of community artmaking workshops with “Reciprocity” and Raices Hermosas artists from 3 to 7:30 p.m.

All activities are free to the public and all ages are welcome. Children under 13 with supervision only please. The MAC appreciates an RSVP at MACLake.org for this weekend’s activities, but it is not required. Please note accessibility needs including language translation (for Friday), physical, or other with an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or text 707-355-4465.

During Good Fire Good Earth Scott Parady will discuss his collaboration with ceramics students from Sacramento State University. Together, they developed ceramic “protective bowls'' to shelter native plants and small animals during broadcast burns as part of regenerative land management.

Parady is the founder and director of the Cobb Mountain Art and Ecology Project which fosters learning and creativity through artist residencies and regenerative land stewardship of the 80 forested acres it is housed on.

Parady also completed a new, large-scale ceramic piece “Great Basin'' for “Reciprocity” which is installed at the EcoArts Sculpture Walk at Trailside park.

Kristen Callahan will discuss the regenerative practices she used to restore and improve the health of her 229 acre farm following Valley Fire devastation.

On Saturday at 3 p.m., Jaymie Hernandez de la Torre invites the public to co-create “identity seeds'' for her piece “Mestizaje Germination,” while Layna Joy Rivas welcomes the public to create colored wire sculptures representing birds and butterflies found in local ecosystems for her piece “Eclipsopy.” Both pieces are new installations for the "Reciprocity" EcoArts Sculpture Walk.

At 5 p.m. on Saturday Martin Zúñiga will lead a workshop to complete La Santa Rosa, currently outdoors at MAC, using repurposed water bottles. The artist will also discuss his approach to artmaking called “living art” which he believes is a necessity for creating balance in life.

Saturday’s events are all led by bilingual English/Spanish speaking artists. Free light snacks will be available and free raffles will take place every hour. Families and individuals are encouraged to join for as long as desired and contribute to any or all of the collaborative art pieces.

Most activities featured are part of the "Reciprocity" Project to revitalize the EcoArts Sculpture Walk. Artists have been creating new work focusing on environmental awareness, particularly fire resilience, and Social Justice issues. and have been working with community members to co-create components of their work. The new EcoArts Sculpture Walk "Reciprocity" opens on Aug. 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. Be sure to join the festivities!

"Reciprocity" is funded in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency, through the Upstate California Creative Corps program with additional support from the County of Lake Public Services Department and District 1 Supervisor Moke Simon.

Raíces Hermosas (Zúñiga’s piece) is funded by the Specified General Fund for the Museum Grant Program under the California Cultural and Historical Endowment.

Middletown Art Center is a Lake County non-profit dedicated to engaging the public in art making, art education, and art appreciation. Through exhibitions, performances, workshops, and community events, the Art Center provides a platform for diverse voices and perspectives, striving to create an inclusive and accessible space for all.

To learn more and donate to support other MAC arts and cultural programs visit www.middletownartcenter.org or call 707-809-8118. The MAC is located at 21456 State Highway 175 in Middletown.