CCA News

"100 Families Oakland: Art & Social Change" Chinatown Exhibition on view August 27–September 21

Posted on Thursday, August 25, 2005, by Brenda Tucker

Twenty-five Oakland families have been working at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center in Chinatown since June 23 to create artwork for the second phase of 100 Families Oakland: Art & Social Change, a multi-phase community art project, sponsored by F. Noel Perry and the Center for Art and Public Life at California College of the Arts. The families have been working with professional artists and students from California College of the Arts (CCA) for 10 consecutive Thursdays to create individual and collaborative art projects. The project's artists are Christine Wong, Stellie Kim, Nicole Chan and Nitya Venkaswaran. The families' artwork will be exhibited to the public August 27–September 21 at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (388 Ninth Street) in conjunction with the Chinatown Streetfest.

One hundred families from four Oakland neighborhoods (East Oakland, Chinatown, Fruitvale and West Oakland) are participating in the yearlong project in which they partake in a 10-week art workshop to create paintings, drawings and sculptures centered on the theme of family. The sites for these workshops are East Oakland Youth Development Center, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, Unity Council Fruitvale Senior Center and ArtEsteem at the West Oakland YWCA.

The families are encouraged to create individual art projects as well as work together to create a collaborative art piece. The purpose is to demonstrate and celebrate the power of families, the creative spirit of Oakland and how art can connect families to families, families to neighborhoods and neighborhoods to neighborhoods. Individual exhibitions feature the artwork of each of the communities. The project will culminate in an all-neighborhood exhibition in June 2006. Guiding the program are 100 Families Oakland creative director, artist and philanthropist F. Noel Perry and the Center for Art and Public Life at California College of the Arts.

The first exhibition of artwork created by twenty-five East Oakland families was on display at Oakland's Gallery 555 through July 29. Twenty-five Fruitvale neighborhood families began projects for the third phase of 100 Families Oakland in early August. The fourth phase will commence this November in West Oakland.

"To date, the program has exceeded expectations. The time spent together as a family and community is reflected in the artwork being created by Oakland families," said F. Noel Perry, creative director, artist and social entrepreneur.

"We've seen the project create stronger connections within and between families. We hope this experience also encourages all families to work together to address challenges that affect the greater community," said Sonia BasSheva Mañjon, director of the CCA Center for Art and Public Life.

Oakland families who would like to participate in 100 Families Oakland in West Oakland should contact the CCA Center for Art and Public Life at (510) 594-3763.

About the Center for Art and Public Life: The Center for Art and Public Life at California College of the Arts (CCA) is at the intersection of art, education and community. Connecting art and design with community development, the Center for Art and Public Life enriches education and artistic practice at the college. Its mission is to create community partnerships based on creative practice that serve the CCA community and the diverse populations of Oakland and San Francisco. For more information, please visit center.cca.edu or call (510) 594-3763.

About the College: Founded in 1907, California College of the Arts (formerly California College of Arts and Crafts) is the largest regionally accredited, independent school of art and design in the western United States. Noted for the interdisciplinary nature and breadth of its programs, CCA offers studies in 19 undergraduate and 6 graduate majors in the areas of fine arts, architecture, design and writing. The college offers the bachelor of fine arts, bachelor of arts, bachelor of architecture, master of fine arts, master of arts and master of architecture degrees. With campuses in Oakland and San Francisco, CCA currently enrolls 1,600 full-time students.

Timeline:

East Oakland

• June 16–July 29, 2005: East Oakland families exhibit artwork at Gallery 555 in Oakland's City Center

Chinatown

• June 23–August 25, 2005: Twenty-five Chinatown neighborhood families work on project at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center

• August 27–September 21, 2005: Chinatown families exhibit artwork at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, in conjunction with the Chinatown Streetfest

Fruitvale

• August 10–October 13, 2005: Twenty-five Fruitvale neighborhood families begin project at the Unity Council Senior Center in Fruitvale Plaza

• October 30, 2005: Fruitvale families exhibit artwork in conjunction with Dia de Los Muertos (location TBD)

West Oakland

• October–December 2005: Twenty-five West Oakland neighborhood families begin project with Art Esteem at the West Oakland YWCA

• Date TBD: West Oakland neighborhood families exhibit artwork (location TBD)

City of Oakland (Location TBD)

• June 24, 2006: Cumulative exhibition of artwork created by all of the Oakland families who participated in 100 Families Oakland: Art & Social Change

100 Families Oakland: Art & Social Change is sponsored by KPFA-AM and KPIX-TV/CBS5.

Editors, please note: to arrange interviews and site tours or to access photos and b-roll, contact Kim Lessard at (415) 703-9547 or klessard@cca.edu.