I wrote this comment to another excellent blog by blogcabinbyvic.wordpress.com which was penned on May 30. In the wee hours of the morning, I found: State of the Arts – 38 and it was the perfect read to follow an evening out attending the always colorful, always amusing “First Fridays of Oakland Art Murmur”.
This is the comment (with a few additions) I wrote at blogcabinbyvic’s May 30 post on the arts:
This is the perfect read of the most excellent writing about something that just came up for me this evening (for the 100th time this year alone) and it’s about art communities and artists keeping communities viable and fresh and YES, even SAFE. I spent the evening strolling about midtown Oakland where numerous art galleries have flourished in the past 5 years (and we are talking “working class art” – the very best kind of art). Art Murmur is an non-profit arts organization that hosts something called “First Fridays” where the artists show their work amidst other artists all sharing spaces together, amidst an incredible array of urban folk in Oakland; the make-up of which is the loveliest mix-mash of a multitude of world cultures all together in one place. (Yes, this is Oakland, California, USA) Food trucks, music artists, ceramics artists, jewelers, painters, tailors, photographers, milliners, jugglers, dancers, and more intertwined together in a 10-block radius. I found several amazing re-purposed art from the most incredible sources: colored plastic bags cut small and enwrapped in sterling silver (malleable jewelry — rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings of stunning color and beauty), and my favorite – the leather interiors of wrecked fancy cars re-purposed into leather handbags, backpacks, wallets, wrist-wallets (my favorite) and jackets. Imagine wearing the leather interior of a Mercedes or a Ferrari…now THAT is art and reuse and the perfection of a life in a city where artists come together and make public GOOD. I was brought out by my favorite sculptor, the inimitable Jann Nunn. Thank you, Jann.
Artists found: Platinum Dirt repurposed leather accessories, dorieMdesigns, hand-crafted, re-purposed jewelry, and O’Lover Hats, quality artisan-crafted, sustainably-made.
And since this began as a comment to another writer’s blog: “Thank you for this incredible blog post, blogcabinbyvic. You have instantly become one of my favorites herein.”
danajae33 