Meet the faces behind the programs

Center for Community Arts, a division within Arts + Recreation has one of the largest ceramics and sculpture program in the East Bay. Community Arts’ ceramic studio is open for classes, workshops and open studio hours 7 days a week, serving hundreds of students each quarter. Karen helps keep the programs and facilities operating smoothly by firing students work, maintaining the studio cleanliness, and trying to always have a smile on my face. Karen has worked for Walnut Creek Arts + Rec for almost 2 years. She always wanted to work for Walnut Creek because she grew up nearby and it felt like home. There’s something special about serving a community you grew up in. Karen’s ceramic specialty is a combination of hand-building and throwing. She says it’s difficult for her to get started making, but once she does, the surprises along the way are the greatest feeling. In her free time, she loves travel, go hiking with friends, and hang out with her cat, “CT”. Follow her ceramics journey on social media (Instagram @kf_ceramics)

Sandi Smith-Grove is a Licensed Midwife, Certified Yoga Instructor (RYT200) and a prenatal educator. She began her work with mamasto-be in 1992, the same time she began practicing yoga. She combines two of her passions, yoga and serving expectant mamas, in her Yoga for Pregnancy and Birth workshops.

She believes that the female body is strong and powerful, yet benefits from nurturing and compassion, especially during the season of gestation and change. She began studying with Diane Valentine as part of a healing regime after back surgery, and has completed her 200 hour teaching certification at The Yoga & Movement Center.

She received her certification in Prenatal Yoga from Jane Austin; her Yoga for Healthy Aging certification from Baxter Bell, MD, and completed a Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction program with Nancy Bardacke, CNM. She has integrated yoga and mindfulness principles into her childbirth education classes.

When she is not working or practicing, you can find her in the garden, on the trail, in one of her women’s groups, or reading a good book. Sandi loves teaching the full spectrum of yoga with Walnut Creek Rec including both Baby & Parent Yoga and Chair Yoga. Reach out to Sandi if you have questions about how a yoga practice could benefit your lifestyle. sandismithgrove.yoga@gmail.com