Art
“Technologies of the Kitchen”, a month-long art exhibit opened last week. It’s about challenging anti-sexuality and other “healing institutions”—the artists wanted to express the ideas of gender and resistance, instead of making those things invisible.
In Oakland, a collective of 15 artists, who were previously complete strangers to one another, are expressing their reaction to the new Trump presidency through a different kind of protest, an art project they are calling 100 Days Action.
A big red house stands in the middle of Telegraph Avenue, two blocks from the Berkeley border with Oakland. It resembles Santa’s workshop: fun, colorful and packed with a massive amount of “stuff.” The building is two stories high and even on a normal day, found objects hang all over the property. From giant drive-thru Jack in the Box signs, to headless mannequins, vintage Victorian furniture or small quirky ceramic figurines, James Cross, the owner of the Antique Centre has it all—hidden somewhere in a corner of his store.
A group of disabled musicians, poets and other artists use their music for social justice work. Specifically, they aim to raise awareness and promote the disabled community.
A former grocery store and pizza spot turned community center is getting a fresh look thanks to the work of Refa One, a community artist. Refa started painting the sprawling seven-panel mural in October and hopes to finish by the end of the year. The mural, located in West Oakland’s Lower Bottoms neighborhood, includes a mix of African and African-American imagery, symbolism and cityscapes, from Timbuktu to Oakland. Refa has been painting murals in Oakland for over 15 years. Click…
The Museum of Digital Art and Entertainment, or the M.A.D.E., is a gateway to, and an archive for, video game history, showcasing consoles and games from gaming’s early days in the 1970’s to the present day. Not only does it showcase video game history, the museum also holds free classes such as beginner coding and game designing for participants of all ages. Other museums have shown limited video game exhibits, while Stanford University has its own private video game archive. The M.A.D.E.,…
On Thursday night, an intimate audience gathered at Pro Arts Gallery for a show called Executive Order Karaoke. There, they sang classic karaoke songs with lyrics from President Obama’s executive orders.
Piles of dishes clatter behind the red big curtains and dozens of waiters, as chefs and their assistants try to move around the small back room, quickly coming in and out of the kitchen. Assembly lines surround three tables, where one by one, each chef adds a piece to the dish. Caramel. Powdered sugar. As they prepare for the finale, they swiftly clean the small white plates. No one hesitates. It’s time for dessert.
A brown building with tall doors opened to the ringing sound of sewing machines. Inside were racks of red-and-white leather jackets with pieces of the Cadillac logo, multicolored wrist wallets and leather bags.
It was a typical Thursday night at Platinum Dirt, Page’s leather workshop and storefront on 25th Street. He was turning salvaged material into a duffle bag, part of a resurgence of Oakland-based manufacturing.