Living artistically
The Oakland art community has a big event called Art Murmur the first Friday of the month, with every gallery open, food vendors, music, street merchants and hordes of people
A much small, quieter, saner event is the Third Thursday, which is celebrated mostly on 25th street among a half dozen or so galleries. That’s where I went this week while Gail had dinner with her friend Reed.
Maybe I’m blasé, maybe I’m jaded, maybe there just wasn’t anything particularly special, but the art I saw didn’t greatly move me. On the other hand, I did see something that resonated.
One of the open spaces is a communal work/show space. A number of artists share the rent and the use of 3 large kilns, allowing them to be in prime real estate for a fraction of the cost. Each artist has a couple of hundred square feet in which to create and show their work. The artists design and build out their individual studio area as they choose, and that’s what caught my eye.
Being an artist is more than a job, it is a way of life. These people put their sensibilities into every part of their lives, and the varied way they have chosen to structure their workspace is as interesting as any of the art they create.
Unfortunately, they are better at art than promotion. I could not find a name for this place, nor a website. I don’t know the names of any of the artists. You’d think that would be a priority, but you aren’t an artist.
UPDATE Our friend Dave Larson left the information in a comment:
The studio is called FM Art Collective ( 483 25th St, http://fmoakland.com/home.html ).
We know this because one of the artists there, Josh Margolis (with the “monster series) used to be an instructor at Kids ‘N’ Clay. He is currently head of the Visual Arts programs at JCCSF.
Nonetheless, I have a gallery of photos of the various workspaces, and some of the art created therein. I just thought it was all interesting.
One more interesting thing–a parklet. A little tiny park, just two standard parking spaces turned into a place to sit and enjoy the passing parade.
A very nice idea from the city
Here it is:
Turning an industrial street into something more.
The continued growth of uptown Oakland is a delight to see. Check it out the third Thursday of the month, 25th and Telegraph.
So here is a gallery of photos
Totally Unauthorized 
Hey Chris!
Nice blog and fantastic photos!
The studio is called FM Art Collective ( 483 25th St, http://fmoakland.com/home.html ).
We know this because one of the artists there, Josh Margolis (with the “monster series) used to be an instructor at Kids ‘N’ Clay. He is currently head of the Visual Arts programs at JCCSF.
Again great blog – Hi to Gail, too!
D&K
What a fun blog, Chris. I especially like the “park let” (And I get very irritated about a computer that won’t let me spell the way I want to!)