ABC Wednesday: P is for Pomo Indian

Last week I showed you the special Ohlone basket recently brought into the Oakland Museum's collection.  As part of the ceremony and celebration, a group of Pomo Indians performed sacred dances prior to the basket's presentation.   Linked to ABC Wednesday.

autumn decorations

Signs of the season.

Monday Mural: avian depression

Captured on a fabric wall surrounding Peralta Junction, a temporary art installation and community event in West Oakland.  Community developers and local artists have created a magical area on a previously empty lot where games, movies, and special events will occur until mid-December.  I recognize the artist's style but can't tell you his name.  Addendum:  I think this is by Cannon Dill.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

Halloween parade

The annual Piedmont Avenue Halloween Parade is the Saturday before Halloween.  Adults have as much fun (or more) as the kids dressing up and walking about.  Last year Frida Kahlo was seen on the Avenue more than once.  I guess the unibrow was a popular look.  This year it was all about fairies.

out for a ride

This little guy was a whiz on his scooter.  He easily rode around the crowd without causing problems or irritation.  His fedora added a dashing touch of style to his appearance.  Spotted at the Black Cowboy Parade in West Oakland.

O is for Ohlone

The Ohlone Indians lived along the shoreline of the San Francisco Bay for thousands of years before Europeans came to the area.  Ohlone baskets are extremely rare, in part due to the tribal practice of burning personal possession upon death.  The Oakland Museum commissioned Linda Yamane, a Rumsien Ohlone of the Monterey area, to make a basket for the museum's vast collection.  Featuring 20,000 stitches, several thousand feathers, and 1,200 handcrafted Olivella shell beads, the extremely rare basket took Yamane nearly three years to create.  It is believed that it has been 250 years since this type of ceremonial basket has been made.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Sara Lemmon

More California history found at Mt. View Cemetery.  Linked to Taphophile Tragics.

Monday Mural: post-apocalyptic giraffe

Throughout much of Oakland, utility boxes are canvases for local artists.  This one is located in the Uptown area and was captured during an Art Murmur event.  It looks like the giraffe wandered into a Godzilla movie.  Lots of detail and layering in this piece.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.  Sorry about the delay.  It was due to a posting error.

N is for nautical

After a few days of rain, we're back to fair weather.  Still time to take the boat out on the bay while it's sunny.  Weather probably doesn't matter much to true sailors, in the same way it does to landlubbers like me.  Spotted at Embarcadero Cove.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Monday Mural: Peralta hacienda

The Peralta Hacienda Historic Park is the last remaining parcel related to a vast land grant that once included most of the East Bay.  As part of their education program is a series of murals showing the annual cycle of life on the rancho.  They were painted by Maren Vanduyn and installed in 2007.   She collaborated with the Friends of Peralta Hacienda Historical Park’s executive director and Ohlone culture bearer Linda Yamane to conceive the murals.

While there are too many to present here, this close-up gives you a feeling of the detail included in the mural sequence.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

American Steel sculpture

"Ecstasy" was constructed by Karen Cusolito and Dan Das Mann in 2007 and used that year at Burning Man.  It stands 30 feet high and weighs 9 tons.  In 2010 the sculpture was installed for several months in a park in San Francisco's Hayes Valley neighborhood.  She now resides at the entrance of American Steel Studios in West Oakland where Cusolito has her work space and also rents studio and gallery space to over 100 artists and small businesses.

Cowboys in Oakland? Yep!

Saturday was the 38th annual parade organized by the Oakland Black Cowboy Association (OBCA).

The homespun parade was held at DeFremery Park in West Oakland and included high school ROTC drill teams, Girl Scouts, the Red Hat ladies, a book club, local politicians, and church groups.  The highlight was, of course, the cowboys and guest charros from Lincoln, CA.

The parade was smaller than in past years due to the organization's dwindling membership, but the crowd was enthusiastic and there was literal dancing in the streets.

The OBCA educates the public, especially school children, about the history of black cowboys, estimated to have comprised 25% of the West's cowboys after the Civil War.

The cowboys were particularly attentive to the kids in the crowd who were entranced by the horses.  A barbeque and zydeco dancing capped off the event.

Monday Mural: more Uptown art

Another piece of wall art in the courtyard of Sausage.  It's by GATS (Graffiti Against the System) who is a prolific street artist in the area.  His distinctive style can be found on many walls around town.

See?  Interestingly, the nose on each face looks like it's decorated in exotic script or maybe tattoos but actually lists the names of street artists he respects.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

smooth climbing

  Another bit of fun at Lake Merritt.

Monday Mural: Holla back

Here is the entrance to the Eastside Cultural Center in the San Antonio district of East Oakland.  The mosaic mural is wonderfully composed with a tiger, maize, and saxophone, symbolizing the major groups that live in the neighborhood.  Holla Back refers to the intercom visitors use to gain entry to the building.  The message is further emphasized by the microphone next to the intercom.  Other murals sponsored by the organization have been previously posted.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.  I will be out of town during September and my ability to comment may be limited.  The Linky, however, will continue to go up 8 PM PST each Sunday.

Crucible sculpture

The Crucible in West Oakland offers classes in industrial arts and all media related to fire.   Where else can you can find workshops in blacksmithing, glass blowing, and neon all under one roof?  Oh,  let's not forget fire dancing.  No surprise that they're a big presence at Burning Man.

K is for knitting

Fashionable knitted goods at a yarn festival near the lake.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

more paste-ups

I really like the innovation and flexibility that the wheat paste medium allows an artist.  As with last week's piece, this no longer exists.  It seems to me that in general there are fewer paste-ups around town.

Monday Mural: mural on the go

Temporarily parked downtown.  It looks like it could be a collaborative effort.  I imagine this makes quite an impression when traveling down the road.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.  I will be out of town during September and my ability to comment may be limited.  The Linky, however, will continue to go up 8 PM PST each Sunday.

wheat paste art

This paste up is by Get Up.  He frequently glued them up on the BART piers in North Oakland.  Since renovations on the tracks began a year ago, all of the art pieces have disappeared or disintegrated.  I miss the innovation of Get Up's work.

J is for Japanese cuisine

Japanese food is popular in the Bay Area and there are many choices for such restaurants in Oakland.  As in San Francisco, the Japanese restaurants in Oakland appear to be run by Issei, first generation immigrants.  They bring with them traditional recipes and a dedication to only the freshest ingredients.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

I am well, Mother

Louisa Kohler was only 5 years old when she died in 1854.  Her parents erected this monument on her grave showing her sleeping on a bed with her faithful dog at her side.  The side of her grave marker is engraved with the above line.  Linked to Taphophile Tragics.

Monday Mural: Oakland Super Heros

This new mural on San Pablo Ave. in West Oakland at the Emeryville border is sponsored by the Attitudinal Healing Connection.  It was designed by local high school students and executed by students and a volunteer group of 12 artists.  This is the first of 6 murals planned for freeway support structures in West Oakland.  It is about 100 feet long and took 18 days to complete.

Many of the figures are portraits of neighbors, and there are depictions of actual houses and buildings in the area.  The girl super hero is modeled after one of the high school students who helped design the mural.  Read more about this mural here and here.  It is a beautiful and colorful presence in an area that suffers poverty, neglect, and crime.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.  I will be out of town during September and my ability to comment may be limited.  The Linky, however, will continue to go up 8 PM PST each Sunday.

vintage metal sign

This cool, old sign remains even though the business is long gone.

I is for ink

Tattoos are not my thing, but I'm clearly in the minority.  It is fascinating to observe how people are now choosing to decorate themselves.  No more hula girls, anchors, and hearts that say "Mom".  I bet  laser tattoo removal will be a good investment in the very near future.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Monday Mural: Baby World

This mural is on the side of Baby World, a business focused on baby clothing, toys, and equipment.  It was done by Universal Mural Styles (UMS).  Unfortunately, I couldn't find any information about this artist (or crew).  Even if it's essentially an advertising piece, the image is sweet, colorful, and depicts the childhood parents hope to provide their children.   I like the way the brick wall has dissolved to reveal the scene.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.  I will be out of town during September and my ability to comment may be limited.  The Linky, however, will continue to go up 8 PM PST each Sunday.

Lake Temescal

Lake Temescal is the other Oakland lake.  Swimming, fishing, and boating are popular activities.

H is for holding hands

Spotted at Bites off Broadway.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

high ambition

Oakland has a large and dedicated biking community.  Here's one of the latest innovations.  Didn't WWII parachutists also have fold up bikes?

Monday Mural: Go As!

Several small murals now decorate the Kelly-Moore Paint Store on Telegraph and 42nd St.  It's up in the air whether or not the As will stay in Oakland.  So I thought I'd feature this mural before it becomes obsolete.

Here's the long view of the building that serves as the gallery for these murals.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.  I will be out of town during September and my ability to comment may be limited.  The Linky, however, will continue to go up 8 PM PST each Sunday.

Theme Day: people watching

This month's theme is "People Watching."  The CDP portal is still down, so this post is linked to the CDPBlog hosted by Sydney Eye.  Spotted at Bites off Broadway.

48 Chevy

So many shiny surfaces, so many possible reflections.  Taken at the recent vintage car show during Art Murmur.  Linked to Weekend Reflections.

winged heart

G is for God's Gym

This Uptown building painted black cannot help but capture your attention as you go by.  It's an odd visual combination of body building and Afrocentric images with religious symbolism.  But when you read the story behind this business, it all makes sense.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Spruce Deuce

The Spruce Deuce spotted at Pedalfest last weekend.

Monday Mural: salt and peppa'

This Uptown mural can be found at 21st and Telegraph.  It is done by Lisa Hoffman, who was commissioned by the neighborhood association to create some street art.  She calls this style Public PopDot.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.  I will be out of town during September and my ability to comment may be limited.  The Linky, however, will continue to go up 8 PM PST each Sunday.

Creative Growth Center

The Creative Growth Art Center serves adult artists with developmental, mental and physical disabilities, providing a professional studio environment for artistic development, gallery exhibition and representation and a social atmosphere among peers.  It's one of the galleries that is open during Art Murmur on the first Friday of each month.  Their large plate glass windows are perfect for late afternoon reflections.  Linked to Weekend Reflections.

lighthouse ship

.

This is the lightship Relief.  Floating lightships were anchored in areas that were too deep, expensive, or impractical to build a lighthouse.  Lightships were used in the U.S. from 1820 to 1983 and one served the San Francisco Bay from 1898 to 1971.  The Lighthouse Society is dedicated to preserving lighthouses and the country's remaining lightships.

F is for face painting

This post could just as easily be called A is for ambivalence.  The little guy wanted to have a balloon painted on his face, but didn't seem to like the sensation.  In the end, he stuck it out.  Spotted at Pedalfest, an annual event promoting bicycling for fun and transportation.  Linking to ABC Wednesday.