Oakland artists go brush to brush, raising money for mural project in Kenya

In the middle of a downtown Oakland studio, two artists stand on opposite sides of a canvas with brushes at the ready. They have no prompt, only 20 minutes to paint something. Music blares as the minutes tick down. Zoë Boston and Bud Snow are first up, and dozens of people begin to orbit the artists as their brushes hit the canvas. 

They went through the drill, as did a host of other artists, to raise money for a local nonprofit to send 10 Bay Area artists to Kenya for a two-week trip, during which they will install solar panels and paint a mural for a school in Nairobi. The art competition and auction, hosted earlier this month by the Bay Area Mural Program and Wolfe Pack Studios, was a push to cover last-minute  expenses for the voyage.

The fundraiser is a project of BAMP, an Oakland-based nonprofit collective of muralists, and GivePower, a nonprofit that develops clean water and energy systems for  communities that need them. The solar power the group is installing, also will be used to purify groundwater into drinking water, which will provide the school and the community surrounding it with clean water.

At the event, Boston and Snow paint until the music stops, sweating and peering around the canvas to see what their opponent came up with. Eyes wide and eyebrows raised, the two congratulate each other before leaving their pieces for auction

“It’s a very commendable, beautiful thing that they’re doing,” Snow said of the project, adding that she didn’t hesitate when called on to participate — though the contest was stressful. 

It was a chance for the art community to come together for a cause, she said.

“The art scene in Oakland is broader than just showing your art in a gallery,” Snow noted. “Our work is larger than the scope of just our paintings.”

The mission has more than one goal in mind. 

“Not only were these participants going to Africa learning a skill with the solar installation, working on a mural, engaging with the community, but they also will be able to bring that skill back to the Bay Area,” said Andre Jahmora, BAMP founder and executive director.

Jahmora and GivePower have worked on the project for two years, raising over $60,000 for the mission, which will leave for Kenya this week. The purpose of this fundraiser was to secure the final expenses of the trip, including small gifts for the school’s students, as well as visits to other villages.

For Jahmora, the mural is a chance for the community to tell its history.

“We have one week to meet with the community, find out what they want to see on the wall, and paint that,” Jahmora said. “When we get back, we can dispel rumors and tell people about the large metropolis of Nairobi.”

Boston, a 30-year-old artist and singer, is among those preparing to embark on the trip. After going head to head with Snow during the art clash, she was flocked by friends and supporters. 

“You can see that the community shows up,” Boston said.

After a decade in Oakland, Boston believes the mission is a chance to bring something back to this community, as well as bring something back for herself.

“I’m looking forward to growing from it,” she said. “I’m looking forward to expanding my perspective on the world and just taking that with me wherever I go.”

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