Walnut Creek Cultural Services Department

The Arts + Rec Department, directed by Kevin Safine, oversees Aquatics, the Bedford Gallery, the Boundary Oak Golf Course, Center for Community Arts, the Lesher Center for the Arts, the Public Art Program, Recreation Services, and Social Services for seniors and physically and developmentally disabled youth and adults. Together our services help make Walnut Creek a regional destination, encourage arts appreciation, community engagement and volunteerism, health and wellbeing, and personal enrichment, and contribute to the overall economic prosperity of the Area.

Aquatics

The Aquatics program operates and maintains the Clarke and Larkey Aquatics Centers which host hundreds of thousands of visitors each year for programs including recreational swimming, lap swimming, swimming lessons, water exercise, and lifeguard training.

Bedford Gallery

Located in Lesher Center for the Arts (1601 Civic Drive), Bedford Gallery exhibits the work of ancient, modern and contemporary artists. The Gallery is committed to creating opportunities for the public to learn about the visual arts through diverse, open, challenging and informative public programs. Among the many activities offered at the Gallery, youth tours from school groups (grades K-12), scout troops, camps, clubs and other community organizations welcome over 2000 children each year.

Boundary Oak Golf Course

Boundary Oak Golf Course features an 18-hole golf course, driving range and practice area with putting and chipping greens, and is the ideal location for golf tournaments, weddings, banquets, golf lessons, clinics and camps.

Center for Community Arts

The City of Walnut Creek ‘s Community Arts Center (formerly Civic Arts Education) program has been the regional center of arts learning for over 50 years — fostering new ideas, encouraging creativity, stimulating innovative thinking and encouraging self-expression. The division provides visual and performing arts training and educational opportunities of the highest quality to learners of all ages. 

Center REPertory Company

Center REPertory Company is Lesher Center for the Arts’ permanent, professional theater company. From September through June this multiple award-winning company produces 6-8 productions each year – a range of musicals, dramas and comedies, both classic and contemporary. The Center REP also runs the Young REP Theater Academy, an intensive 6-week youth training program taught by experienced theater practitioners. Center REP is regarded as one of the Bay Area ‘s finest mid-sized specialist theatres.

Lesher Center for the Arts

The Lesher Center for the Arts (1601 Civic Drive) has been engaging the city for 25 years through more than 700 annual performances of drama, dance, theatre, music, newsmakers and comedy. The Center includes the Hofmann Theater with 800 seats, the Margaret Lesher Theater with 300 seats, the Vukasin Theater with 130 seats and is home to the City’s own professional Center Repertory Company and several other local performance groupings.

Public Art Program

In 2000 Walnut Creek formally implemented its Public Art Initiative. Artwork has been designed at Olympia Square, Ygnacio Center, the Corners, City Hall Square, the New Downtown Library and more since the program ‘s inception. The docents of Bedford Gallery give guided walking tours of the prime public art works of Walnut Creek situated across the city centre. Tours begin at 11 a.m. Saturday the third of the month.

Recreation & Social Services

Recreation Services offers a range of recreation activities and courses to active adults for pre-school years, including personal enrichment, dance and movement, science and nature, fitness, fashion and beauty, and food and cooking. The division also enriches the lives of seniors and youth and adults with physical and intellectual disabilities by offering programs and services that are appropriate and encouraging.