Spotlight: Rachel Osajima

Alameda County residents are lucky to have a CCA graduate looking out for them. As executive director of the Alameda County Art Commission, Rachel Osajima uses her art school education for the public good. “I was born and raised in Oakland. I really wanted to work in the East Bay and support the arts community,” she says. Now Osajima directly oversees grants, public art, and arts education programs impacting East Bay schools, nonprofit organizations, and communities.

After receiving her BA from UC Santa Cruz, Osajima looked to CCA for her graduate degree in ceramics. The network she developed at CCA is still strong today. “I met a lot of instructors there whom I’ve worked with over the years as exhibitors or jurors on projects focused on crafts or Bay Area artists,” says Osajima. “Over the last 10 years, the relationships I’ve made with people connected to CCA have been a really important part of my career growth.”

With experience volunteering as director of a student arts group at UC Santa Cruz and working at the Richmond Art Center while at CCA, Osajima saw a career in arts administration as a natural fit. She explains, “I wanted to work for an organization that has a broad impact on the community—on individuals interested in art, but also others who may not have an interest or exposure to art but who could be enriched from seeing art in a public space.” When the position with the Alameda County Art Commission opened up, Osajima knew it would be a perfect match for her skills and experience.

One of the art commission’s programs is a public art project at the new Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center, which opens in early 2007. The project includes multiple commission opportunities for permanent public artwork, new works from Alameda County artists, and artist-in-residence programs at the center.

“We hope the art programs will be transformative,” says Osajima, envisioning the positive effect on people using the Juvenile Justice Center, particularly families visiting youth and the youth themselves. She’s looking forward to getting that project off the ground, while ensuring that the art commission continues to be a strong and effective resource for artists and for Alameda County.

From Glance, 2005

Born 1969, Oakland, CA

CCA degree:
MFA 1996, Ceramics

Other education:
BA 1993, Fine Art/Art History, UC Santa Cruz

Residence:
Oakland, CA

Current occupation:
Executive director, Alameda County Art Commission

Influences at CCA:
Douglas Sandberg, Mark Thompson, John Toki

Website:
acgov.org/arts