2012 East Oakland Project Blogs
Body Art for Cars
By Debora Gordon Say you have a black Honda. Or a white Chevy van. Drive around all day and see dozens of cars indistinguishable from yours. But it does not have to be that way. […]
Art
2012 East Oakland Project Blogs
Oakland Art Teacher Thi Bui Urges Students to Draw, Think Outside the Box
By Debora Gordon Thi Bui, an art and digital media teacher at Oakland International High School, described herself as “a little reckless. I break a lot of rules. I’m very comfortable letting go of the […]
2012 East Oakland Project Blogs
Oakland, How Deep is Your Love?
As Sergio and I continue to talk about how the tide has turned in The Town, he asks, “Am I a part of this new Oakland? I don’t know. This ain’t Oakland.” I tend to agree. I don’t know how I fit in to what this city has become. With this new wave of Oaklanders, it seems like The Town is being boiled down to a fad – slowly losing its identity as it becomes a caricature of other metropolitan cities. […]
2012 East Oakland Project Blogs
VIDEO – ‘Tis the Season: Laurel Neighborhood Harmonizes to Help Others in Need
Is harmony and unity possible in East Oakland? The Laurel Merchant and Laurel District Association strive to prove that it does. The second annual Laurel Holiday Stroll and Donation Drive is just one of over 20 events held in the Laurel District geared towards strengthening relationships between the community and local business. […]
2012 East Oakland Project Blogs
East Oakland Poet ‘Bossman’ Puts in Work to Heal, Teach
Growing up in East Oakland, Dre Johnson, “the violence and crimes that go on, you don’t talk about. You’re just not supposed to name names, you’re not supposed to say shit out loud.” He says his spoken word allowed him to express his feelings about “how the shit went down.” Poetry became one of the few ways he saw to address some hard experiences. […]
2012 East Oakland Project Blogs
Artist Rachel-Anne Palacios Brings Multicultural Soul & Spirit to Oakland Students
By Debora Gordon Rachel-Anne Palacios’ grandmother was the spark that lit Rachel’s artistic fire. “I never did any kind of serious art,” she says, “but I would make things for my grandma for her birthday […]
2012 East Oakland Project Blogs
Artist and Teacher Todd Elkin Brings Hybrid Approach to East Bay High School
By Debora Gordon “I learn from my students every day,” says Oakland artist and high school teacher Todd Elkin. “What is going in my classroom is a dialogue between myself and my students.” Describing himself as […]
2012 East Oakland Project Blogs
‘Way Too Black’: Local Love Sustains Downtown Oakland Art Gallery
By Sabirah Mustafa Do you want to feel good? Let go, and step into another world? If you live in Oakland, you don’t have to go far. Just downtown, at the corner of 14th Street […]