Welcome to the EastSide Arts Alliance & Cultural Center!
We are an organization of Third World artists, cultural workers, and community organizers of color committed to working in the San Antonio and other Oakland neighborhoods to support a creative environment that improves the quality of life for our communities and advocates for progressive, systemic social change.
EVENTS CALENDAR
Eastside Arts Alliance present…
Eastside's Annual Holiday Art and Book Fair
Saturday, December 3rd
12-5:00pm
EastSide Cultural Center • 2277 International Blvd.
Oakland, CA
EastSide Arts Alliance presents.
EastSide's Holiday Art and Book Fair
DECEMBER 3
12-5 PM PST
EastSide Cultural Center and Bandung Books
2277 & 2289 International Blvd Oakland Ca
Eastside Community!! We miss you, come join us for EastSide's annual Holiday Art and Book Fair!
On December 3rd from noon-5 at 2277 & 2289 International Blvd, we will be celebrating in the community center and the bookstore with beloved vendors and entertainment. Check out the bookstore for readings and pick up some new titles for your holiday gift-giving.
*mask wearing strongly encouraged.*
Eastside Arts Alliance and NAKA Dance present…
Virtual Reception: An intimate conversation with Noel Rodriguez, facilitated by Leslie Lopez.
Conversation in Spanish with English Interpretation.
Friday Dec 9,
7-9pm
In person and online@
2285 Gallery • 2285 International Blvd. Oakland
https://www.facebook.com/EastSideArtsAlliance/movies
Graffika Urbana - an exhibition of large-scale woodcut and lino prints by Noel Rodriguez
Inside: 2285 Gallery, and Bandung Books, 2285, 2289 International Blvd, Oakland
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Outside: 2277 International Blvd on the windows of EastSide Cultural Center
and 2310 East 12th Street' at EastSide’s Garage Lot
November 12 through February 11, 2023.
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English follows.
El proyecto "Gráffika Urbana" surge como una necesidad de reflejar a través de la imagen una reflexión que parte de la realidad social en las ciudades y sus periferias, una realidad llena de contradicciones y contrastes y es por eso que las técnicas de grabado utilizadas para alcanzar el propósito del proyecto resultan idóneas por sus intrínsecas propiedades.
Los comienzos de esta necesidad surgen en la época donde el graffiti en México era la salida creativa y contestaría para la juventud contemporánea, y por esa razón una vez aprendida las técnicas de grabado en la anterior Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas, hoy Facultad de Artes y Diseño de la UNAM, es en la calle donde se sitúan los tópicos como el escaparate para proyectar el concepto.
Son la ciudad y sus habitantes los temas centrales de la narrativa gráfica y de dónde surge está crítica social evidenciando así la normalidad con que la desigualdad de clases transcurre de manera habitual y cotidiana, tan solo viéndose amenazada ante la organización popular y la protesta social, quién a su vez se ha visto reprimida brutalmente por el aparato policial militar y de contrainsurgencia. En concreto, el proyecto "Gráffika Urbana" pretende que la retórica de la imagen se valga del grabado para ser trasladada por medio de la talla en maderas, metales y polímeros e impresas en soportes como el papel o la tela para insertarse en espacios públicos a partir de la intervención urbana.
Es en la Ciudad de México en el año 2009 cuando surgen las primeras intervenciones en algunas calles y avenidas de la Ciudad de México a partir de estampas xilográficas y litográficas, y en el 2016 se realiza la primera exposición en la galería del corredor peatonal de la estación del metro Zócalo del sistema de transporte colectivo Metro, que permite que la directora del Museo de las Constituciones conociera la propuesta y coordinará la realización de un grabado mural en su reinauguración y conmemoración de los 100 años de la Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos. En el año 2017 también se realizó un grabado monumental en las instalaciones del Antiguo Palacio del Ayuntamiento, dentro del salón oval de las oficinas del gobierno de la Ciudad de México.
En el año 2017 el entonces conformado Taller de Gráfica Urbana es invitado a impartir el taller "Xilogravura e artivismo" en la ciudad de Sao Paulo Brasil, en el SESC Pompeia, además se han participado en talleres ambulantes de grabado dentro de la ciudad de México y algunos estados de la república Mexicana.
La producción gráfica de Noel Rodríguez incursiona en el realismo urbano social, valiéndose del paisaje citadino cómo escenario donde se desenvuelve la interacción de personajes inspirados en la mayoría y "las minorías" que se encuentran en el transitar diario de esta y otras grandes ciudades, dejando ver la lucha de clases predominante en nuestro contemporáneo, algunas veces la imagen requiere representar la crueldad explícita de la brutalidad capitalista y en algunas otras, la crítica suele ser más sutil e imperceptible, lo cual enfatiza las carencias y privilegios, esa dicotomía que sostienen a las grandes ciudades y sus periferias.
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The "Gráffika Urbana" project arises from a need to reflect through the image a reflection of the social reality within the city and its peripheries - a reality full of contradictions and contrasts. The engraving techniques employed by Grafika Urbana’s block prints achieve this purpose and are ideal due to their intrinsic properties.
The beginnings of this need arose at a time when graffiti in Mexico was the creative outlet and a source for answers for contemporary youth, and for that reason, after Noel Rodriguez from Grafika Urbana learned the techniques of engraving in the former National School of Plastic Arts - today known as the Faculty of Arts and Design of the UNAM - he returned to the streets and used the urban space to showcase this project.
The city and its inhabitants are the main characters of this graphic narrative and presents a social critique that reflects the “normality” of class inequalities that occur habitually on a daily basis which are only threatened by community organizing and social protest. In turn we see how the people have been brutally repressed by the militarized police and the counterinsurgency apparatus. In concrete terms, the "Gráffika Urbana" project uses the materiality of the engraving process to transfer through carving on wood, metal and polymers a print on paper or fabric which is then inserted in public spaces as a form of urban intervention.
It is in Mexico City in 2009 when the first interventions appear in some streets and avenues of the City, from xylographic and lithographic prints, and in 2016 the first exhibition is held in the gallery of the pedestrian corridor of the Zócalo metro station. That exhibition allowed the director of the Museum of Constitutions to learn about Grafika Urbana’s urban interventions and then coordinate the making of an engraved mural at its reopening, which commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States. In 2017, a monumental engraving was also made in the facilities of the Old City Hall, inside the oval hall of the Mexico City government offices.
In 2017, Taller de Gráfica Urbana is invited to teach a workshop titled, "Xilogravura e artivismo'' in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, at SESC Pompeia. Grafika Urbana has also participated in itinerant engraving workshops in Mexico City and in other states of the Mexican Republic.
The graphic production of Noel Rodríguez ventures into urban social realism; he uses the urban landscape as a stage where the interaction of characters unfolds, inspired by the majority and "minorities" that are found within the daily transit of large cities. These interactions create images that make visible the prevailing class struggle in our contemporary times. Sometimes the image requires it to represent the explicit cruelty of capitalist brutality, and in others the criticism is subtle and imperceptible, which emphasizes the haves and the have nots. It is this dichotomy that sustains large cities and their outskirts.
Presented by EastSide Arts Alliance and NAKA Dance Theater.
*mask wearing strongly encouraged.*
Eastside Arts Alliance
the Black artist
Visions for Liberation and Love in our Time
Saturday, December 10th
6-8 pm
EastSide Cultural Center • 2277 International Blvd.
Oakland, CA
TICKETS: Sliding Scale $10-25 • https://www.eventbrite.com/.../the-black-artist-visions...
Join Center for Political Education and some of Oakland's most visionary Black artists to discuss artmaking for Black liberation and love in a new time of revolutionary energy. Together, these artists have given shape and color to Black freedom struggle spanning more than half a century of work. They offer us unique insights into the process of bringing revolutionary politics into the dimension of imagination and culture to--as Black graphic artist and sculptor Elizabeth Catlett once described--"reflect us, to relate to us, to stimulate us, to make us aware of our potential."
Our conversation will be hosted at East Side Arts Alliance by Oakland arist and astrophysicist Nia Imara, and will include music, visual art, and light refreshments.
*COVID safety: For the safety of our community and attendees, we will be asking guests to wear masks during our program.
Suggested Donation: $10 - $25
Artist bios:
Emory Douglas is a graphic artist who joined the Black Panther party in 1967 and served as the Minister of Culture. His powerful illustrations portrayed the oppressive conditions facing the African American community while also promoting community empowerment. The imagery and hard-hitting slogans in his artwork became symbols of a movement and inspired many to act.
Karen Seneferu was born and raised in Oakland California, and her childhood was fed by revolutionary politics and the Black Panther Party’s free breakfast program. She earned a B.A. in English from the University of California at Berkeley and has dedicated her life to working as an educator and artivist. Self taught in her artistic craft, Senefuru is obsessed with gathering information, imagery and ideas. As a result, her work contains a completeness that belies her brief tenure as a multimedia artist. Using natural and manufactured materials she boldly examines the ancient and contemporary, turning modern objects into artifacts. This Afrofuturistic aesthetic provides a curative intersection between technological and the spiritual. Senefuru’s is grounded in the philosophy that space has hidden meaning. Therefore, her work seeks to enter into and transform the meaning of space.
Refa One is from Oakland California and has been instrumental in the development of the innovative, unorthodox genre of art known as “Aerosol Art” (Graffiti Art/Style Writing). Immersed in HipHop culture as a youth, the walls of urban structures became his canvas. Refa's refined HipHop calligraphy speaks to a legacy of style writing, a cultural tradition born from the NYC subway painting movement. A lifetime of involvement in HipHop culture via the Universal Zulu Nation combined with his radical political awareness, has translated into a successful career as a HipHop calligrapher, muralist, illustrator, activist, and educator. Refa’s design aesthetic promotes African culture as a vehicle for radical political and social change. His pieces are maps of vision and reflection that capture the intellectual value and heritage of the HipHop vernacular. His themes materialize in the fusion of his unique stylized letters and his use of eclectic cultural iconography. That fusion result is a multitude of powerful works engaging the spirit, intellect, and the imagination. His work has been featured nationally and in various countries throughout Europe and the African continent. Refa One is currently the director of AeroSoul, an international organization of spray can artists from the African Diaspora.
about our host for the evening:
Nia Imara is an artist and astrophysicist whose body of work reflects her love for vibrant color, people, and their stories. She is currently a professor of astronomy at UC Santa Cruz, where she investigates how stars are born in the Milky Way and other galaxies throughout the universe. Nia is the founder/director of Onaketa, a nonprofit that provides free STEM tutoring and other educational resources to black and brown youth.
LIVE ARTS IN RESISTANCE / Eastside Arts Alliance, NAKA Dance Theater and Puri Arts present…
칠성 새남굿- Chilseong SaenamGut (Duringut): Ritual for Sickness
Ritual performance by Puri Arts, CoRazOn, Ieumsae MU Ritual drummers and ARU CRE Cohorts.
Friday, November 18th
6:30pm
EastSide Cultural Center • 2277 International Blvd.
Oakland, CA
TICKETS: $20 • https://www.eventbrite.com/e/-chilseong-saenamgut-duringut-ritual-for-sickness-tickets-457894293157
Sunday, Nov 20
10am
When the Land Stands Alone • West Berkeley Shellmound, sacred site ritual • 1920 Fourth St, Berkeley • FREE event
I call upon this ritual “Chilseong Saenamgut,” a ritual for sickness, illness and destruction from Jeju Island, my hometown, because we need to confront and heal. This ritual is for facing and naming challenges, for purging destructive and monstrous spirits (Heomaengyee-허맹이 *) white supremacy, patriarchal culture here and back to homeland and inviting vital spirits (Chilseong-칠성신 **) back to humanity and land.
*Heomaengyee: a doll represents monstrous spirits **Chilseong: snakes represent vital spirits
We dedicate this ritual to the struggling earth where we all confront our identity, ancestral blockage, climate change, natural disasters and a global pandemic which has taken so many of lives. Especially for this site ritual, I call out our destructive humanity and the white supremacy of our colonized land.
– Dohee Lee
EastSide Arts Alliance and NAKA Dance Theater Present:
Que Vivan Los Muertos: EastSide Community Procession and Art Festival
Wednesday, November 2nd
2310 E 12th St,
Oakland, CA
Que Vivan los Muertos!! - an informal community art festival. Join us for a celebration of music, dance and poetry to commemorate our ancestors. November 5-6 and November 12-13 from 2-4 pm at the EastSide Garage Lot, 2310 East 12th Street. Oakland. For more updates check out our websites: eastsideartsalliance.org // nakadancetheater.com. Also we will be updating this FB event.
The line up: La Mezcla, HouseFULL of Blackwomen, Lady Ryan Nicole, Poet Tongo Eisen Martin, Cunamacue, Dohee Lee, Girl Project, Mujeres Unidas Y Activas, NAKA Dance Theater, Cristina Lopez Suarez and more.
Nada es para siempre en la tierra:
Sólo un poco aquí.
Aunque sea de jade se quiebra,
Aunque sea de oro se rompe,
Aunque sea plumaje de quetzal se desgarra.
No para siempre en la tierra:
Sólo un poco aquí.
Nezahualcóyotl
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Nothing is forever on this earth
We are here for just a short time
Even things made of jade crack
Even things made of gold break
Even the feathers of the quetzal can be torn apart
We are not forever on this earth
We are here for just a short time
Nezahualcóyotl
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Bandung Books and EastSide Arts Alliance present...
Book Launch and Panel Discussion: Comrade Sisters: Women of the Black Panthers
Wednesday, October 12
6-8pm
EastSide Cultural Center
2277 International Blvd. Oakland
Join Ericka Huggins and Stephen Shames as well as former Black Panthers, Pamela Ward Pious, and Cheryl Dawson at EastSide Arts Alliance to celebrate the launch of Comrade Sisters: Women of the Black Panther Party with a panel discussion, art exhibition, and book signing. Refreshments provided. Moderator Tiara Mbonisi will facilitate a panel discussion with the former Black Panther members and an Exhibition of Stephen Shames photography will be on display. Books will be available for purchase and to be signed!
Oakland Cultural Affairs Commission, Youth Speaks, California Humanities present
Oakland Mayoral Candidate Town Hall: Arts and Culture
Saturday, October 8
12:30-2:30pm
West Oakland Public Library
1801 Adeline St, Oakland
When we talk about art and culture in Oakland, we are talking about the Soul of our city. Join us as we learn each candidate’s positions on the city’s Cultural Plan, celebrate Oakland artists’ contribution to rebuilding as we emerge from the pandemic, and candidates’ ideas for effective policies to create a racially just and culturally equitable Oakland.
There will be an opportunity for attendees to ask candidates their questions. Space is limited.
Masks are required for this event.
This town hall is co-presented by the Cultural Affairs Commission, California Humanities & Youth Speaks.
This will be a townhall that specifically focuses on arts and culture. This takes place as part of Live is Living Festival this Saturday, October 8.
Masks required
EastSide Arts Alliance and Nomatic Press are…
Coming Soon Painting The Streets - book events and exhibition at the Oakland Public Library -
Coming in December.
More news to follow.
A SHORT STATEMENT FROM EASTSIDE ARTS ALLIANCE ADDRESSING SECURITY & SAFETY IN OUR COMMUNITIES
We are a Third World Cultural Center in the Fruitvale/San Antonio District in the East Oakland community– meaning we serve the diverse Black, Brown & Asian neighborhoods that populate our city.
One of our priorities involves SECURITY and SAFETY for People of Color in our underserved, poor & struggling communities which we know they are all under pressure to survive.
Sometimes survival means committing fratricide in our desperate communities (like the spike of violence especially in east Oakland); Sometimes it overflows into other ethnic neighborhoods, like the recent muggings in Chinatown. We need a bold and smart solution to address this repeating history that cannot be solved by increasing the number of the repressive police forces. Oakland has been “investigated” for nearly 20 years from the Feds for corrupt rampant police brutality and “rogue” cops. But we understand the source and role of policing since the history of slavery!
Defunding the Police is first step to protect our communities with intelligent policies that understand the source of our oppression – We need active intervention with community voices, progressive cultural consciousness, mental health dialogue, and better social services that address our concerns and needs ... for a start ...
We need more cooperation between our communities to build solidarity because that is the only way we can truly solve this crisis and ultimately empower our community. As third world people we continue to fight and struggle collectively to end oppression and violence against all of us in our communities and the world.
