Art Murmur revisited

After going for the first time in September of 2008, I went to the Art Murmur regularly for the next year or so. I loved taking in the art, hanging out with friends, and seeing a part of Uptown that was often near deserted filled with people.

But at some point, I lost interest in it. Many of the galleries were so crowded that I barely could enjoy the art. Even on the streets, it was often hard to move around. So I stopped going. I never made a conscious decision to stop going. I just didn’t prioritize it, and somehow more than a year went by before I returned.

Fittingly, when I did return this past Friday evening, I didn’t really plan to go but figured since I was walking home from work and didn’t have anywhere else to be, I might as well stop into a few galleries on my way home. I’m glad I did, as my experience reminded me of what drew me to the Art Murmur initially.

Get out and enjoy Oakland

UPDATE: The economic forum tonight has been postponed due to the protest scheduled in front of City Hall for Oscar Grant. I’ll post the new date and time of the forum when it is rescheduled.

There are a lot of great events going on in Oakland in the next week. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get out and have a good time (if I could ever recover from this nasty cold).

Tonight, there are two very different options – you can check out a forum about the economy presented by several Oakland politicians or you can can watch a ballet that features fire performances. Council President Jane Brunner, Mayor Ron Dellums and Assembly Member Sandre Swanson are hosting a roundtable discussion titled, “A Progressive Perspective on the Economic Crisis.” I think I’ll stop by after work to see what insight they have to share, but I can’t help but think that this will be a somewhat depressing event (unless of course one of them has a miracle solution they haven’t yet shared with us).

If you’re looking for something more artistic and fantastical, the “Dracul: Prince of Fire” fire ballet at the Crucible might be a better option. I haven’t seen this particular production yet, but I’ve always been astounded by the Crucible’s fire arts performances. Oaklander Online checked out the dress rehearsal and “was blown away by the pyrotechnics and aerial choreography. It’s so much more than fire eating and pirouettes; it’s a cast that does double duty as dancers and acrobats.” Sounds good to me. You can catch Dracul Wednesday-Saturday nights this week – I have tickets for the Friday night show.

On Friday night, head to downtown Oakland to support local businesses, many of which were vandalized last Wednesday. Some Oaklanders at Yelp are planning to show their support by shopping, eating, and drinking at these businesses. The plans still sound a bit nebulous, but check out the Yelp page for details.

If you missed the Art Murmur earlier this month, there are two great opportunities to appreciate art this Saturday. Johansson Projects is hosting an artist’s reception for its new exhibition, Collective Compulsions: The Winter Group Show in the afternoon and early evening. When that’s over, hop on the AC Transit 1 bus down to Blow Salon in Berkeley for their new art opening. There’s unfortunately no info about it on their website, but it’s from 7pm – 10pm. The show features six talented artists, and there will be plenty of wine and beer to enjoy.

Whatever you do this week though, save some energy for the Barack n Roll inauguration party hosted by the East Bay Young Dems at Z Bar next Tuesday evening. We’ll be replaying Obama’s inaugural address, and DJs will be spinning well into the night. Arrive early, as there will be free drinks for the first 150 guests.

Oakland Art Murmur

I have an embarrassing confession to make – until last night, I had never been to the Oakland Art Murmur. It always seems like I’m out of town on the first Friday of the month, or I simply forget it’s the first Friday, or I’m just too exhausted at the end of the week.

But I’m so glad I finally made it out to the galleries!

At about 7:30 last night I met up with a co-worker of mine and headed to Awaken Cafe, where they were showcasing Concrete and Steel, a photography exhibit by Jorin Bukosky. I like taking pictures of odd, sometimes seemingly ugly objects too so I really appreciated this exhibit. Especially the photo of the steep, long escalator in a subway station.

There were dozens and dozens of people inside and outside Awaken – I’ve never seen so many people on 14th Street (well, except during a protest).

After leaving Awaken, we turned and walked down Broadway to Telegraph. My co-worker, who recently moved here from Chicago, kept commenting on the beautiful buildings (like my favorite Oakland building at the V intersection of Broadway and Telegraph), and I realized he had never been to Uptown! I felt like a bad friend but was glad to share his appreciation and wonder, as I played tour guide, explaining the history of the Fox Theater, pointing out all the buildings that used to be medical marijuana dispensaries, telling him about Flora (which incidentally used to be a dispensary).

We soon arrived at the heart of the Art Murmur, at 23rd and Telegraph, and I was amazed at how many people crowded the streets and the galleries. It was so inspiring to see hundreds of people in downtown Oakland on a Friday night! Every gallery was packed – as you entered, the temperterature rose 10-20 degrees and you had to maneuver quite a bit just to get around. So if you get claustrophobic, the Art Murmur might not be for you.

I found most of the art I saw last night to be at least visually interesting, but there were three standouts of the evening:

1. Outpost at Johansson Projects, featuring David Hamill and Jeff Konigsberg: I think I could have spent hours in this gallery if it wasn’t so crowded. I really appreciated the play of light and dark lines that created a visual depth to the paintings and drawings. I’m not doing the best job of explaining this so do yourself a favor and head down there sometime this month – they’re open Thurs-Sat from 12-6.
2. The laser cut butterflies at Ego Park: There were about 20 paper butterflies in glass display cases that had extremely intricate designs laser cut into them. I have no idea who the artist was, but the work was inspired by a British military spy who used to enter enemy camps and draw maps hidden within drawings of butterflies. Also, Ego Park was serving up some delicious sangria.
3. The Poor Man’s Art Show at Rock Paper Scissors Collective, presented by Everybody Get Up: Incredibly creative paintings… on cardboard! There were hundreds of art pieces, and they were all on sale for under $50 (which stood in stark contrast to the other galleries, where few works sold for under $1000). Go check it out – chances are that if you really like something, you can afford it.

Besides the fun in the galleries, there were street musicians, ranting stilt walkers, and neat city images being projected onto a nearby building.

The only regret I have is not printing out the map of the galleries to bring with me, as we missed quite a few. I plan to be back again soon, and if you haven’t made it out to the Art Murmur yet, make sure to mark the next one – Friday, October 3rd – on your calendar now!

http://www.oaklandartmurmur.com
First friday of every month from 6-10pm (individual gallery times vary)
Uptown Oakland, mostly between Broadway and Telegraph, and Grand and 29th
FREE!
Accessible by 19th Street BART station or by AC Transit lines 1/1R, 51, 72, 11, 12, 59

(I consider the Oakland Art Murmur to be an essential Oakland experience. Read about other essential Oakland experiences here.)