Hop to it…at Art Hop!

Art lovers unite!  The Temescal Spring Art Hop rolls into town this weekend, Friday, March 2nd on Telegraph Ave., 6-9 p.m. in Oakland’s Temescal District.  The event is the brainchild of Smokey’s Tangle owners, Emily Wick and Brian Brooks.  Danielle Fox, owner of Slate Contemporary in Temescal and director of Art Murmur is co-founder as well.

It started off as bi-annual event, but its popularity has grown.  Wick says they’re planning on having it every season in 2012. “The point of it is to have the community come together,” said Wick.

Situated in a haven of local artists, Art Hop will be showcased around the Temescal neighborhood in everything from galleries, studios, Jazz-clubs to ice cream parlors.  The couple says Art Hop is “different from Art Murmur.”

“Merchants like it because people want to come into [their] store,” said Wick.  There’s no pressure to buy art.  The experience showcases local artists’ work, but also brings attention to shop owners in hopes of creating business.

Both Brooks and Wick have been in Oakland for over 5 years, each a product of local art schools.  Brooks graduated from San Francisco Art Institute and Wick is a documentary film maker and archaeologist.  She also studied realist art at Atelier School of Classical Realism, under master artist, David Hardy.

In addition to co-founding Art Hop, the couple says Smokey’s Tangle doubles as an art studio and gallery.  The space hosts  Rachel Ericsen’s Mosswood Mercantile  the last weekend of the month.

Mosswood Mercantile is a “monthly pop-up,” meaning merchandise is available ‘in-store’ once a month, currently at the Smokey’s Tangle gallery. Pop-ups are art venues (crafts, recycled clothing, art, jewelry, you-name-it) that are featured in a gallery/studio or store-front monthly.  Think- local artists renting local shop-owners’ space to showcase their work.

Wick says they’ve also opened Smokey’s Tangle to children’s events and art showcases.

Smokey’s Tangle not only houses local artists, but it also is the home of Photo Booth the first Friday of the month.  Wick and Brooks create a make-shift photo-booth for customers and residents to interact with.  In Photo Booth, the people are the art as well as the back-drop.  Photos are posted online for free to participants or the can pay a small fee for print versions.

“We like to spread pure creativity.  We’re artists about the experience of the place,” says Brooks.

If your senses can handle it, stroll through Art Hop.  Grab a cone at Tara’s Ice Cream, that will be showcasing a local twelve-year old boy’s paintings or let jazz at Cosmo’s soothe your eardrums and your soul.  Grab a map at Smokey’s Tangle to guide your tour, but don’t forget to get it stamped.  Your name could be entered online for a chance to win a prize!

One things for sure, this isn’t Art Murmur….it’s Art Hop in North Oakland’s Temescal.

Time for Japantown

This upcoming week I will head to Japantown and cover meetings concerning Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan.

This plan created in 2009 has four continual main goals I plan to look for in discussion when I attend these meetings:

• Preserve the history of the Japanese
• Make it a thriving economic district
• Make it a more residential friendly neighborhood
• Make it a more physically appealing place

What impress me with the Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan are the several subcommittees that conduct meetings pertaining to one part of the main plan.

• Community Heritage Subcommittee
• Community and Economic Development / Japan Center Subcommittee
• Land Use / Built Form Subcommittee
• Transportation/Public Realm Subcommittee

My question for people that have already attended meetings in their neighborhood is what tips could you offer me that have not been given during class? I have covered meetings before but new advice is always welcomed and appreciated.

I’ll post again once I attend my first meeting this week!

Unique Little San Rafael Shops: Players Guitars

Unique Little San Rafael Shops: Players Guitars

By Elisa Forsgren

In downtown San Rafael on the corner of B and 3rd streets there is a little tiny shop called Players Guitars. The shop owner, Jim Cucuzzella tells about his business and his unique shop. The music is also Jim Cucuzzella singing and on guitar.

Who let the blogs out?

Who let the blogs out?

By Elisa Forsgren

I thought this post might help my fellow journalists with their blogs. Whenever I tackle a new subject I research to the point of exhaustion. Same goes for when I started blogging. I’ve had a blog here on WordPress since its first release in 2003 but I really haven’t done much blogging.

This semester my journalism classes have literally forced me to blog at the very least once a week.

So I took to my typical research which led me to the San Rafael library where I found a great source, “The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging.”

The Huffington Post Rules for Great Blogging

• 1. Blog often
• 2. Perfect is the enemy of done – you develop stories quickly and gain feedback for more in-depth articles.
• 3. Write like you speak – your blogs will sound like you and your personality will shine through.
• 4. Focus on specific details
• 5. Own your topic
• 6. Know your audience
• 7. Write short
• 8. Become part of the conversation with like-minded blogs

Read other blogs. They will inspire you and lead you to your own voice. Here are some of my San Francisco favorites you might want to check out.

Misson Loc@l

Muni Diaries

Mark Morford 

Ocean Beach Bulletin

SF Queer (Castro)

SFist

Mrs Bennie Lois Clark-Singleton

Mrs Bennie Lois Clark-Singleton is a very busy woman. She doesn’t have a job and she doesn’t have children, instead, she volunteers at three programs in the City of Richmond and she has seven great-grandchildren. She could only fit me in her busy week on Monday afternoon, so I went and spent two hours listening to an amazing life story.

As I work on writing a story that accurately portraits her, I invite you to click on the link below to see a video that was made about her. Mrs Clark-Singleton doesn’t like to be in the spotlight, and this was the first time she agreed to be on camera. She said she might not do it again, because she did not like the faces she makes!

 

Bennie Luis Clark Singleton

Come on Down to South Park

Wedged between 3rd and 2nd Street is a green haven called South Park. Its the most green at least in that area of Byant and Brannan Streets. South Park stands alone taking the whole center of a block to stretch its strip of grass, Solanaceae Brugmansia trees, and child safe playground. Its a quiet strip, but one that takes you somewhere else. The moment you turn the corner into the park area you feel like you are in some British miniseries.

  There are cafes, small shops, modern apartments and cars! Cars parked all along the park. I understand there is ample space in this cornered haven but there is a feeling the cars are like the fencing around the sidewalk there. None the less, sitting on a bench surrounded by the trees (and cars) is tranquil. Families seem to like coming here, because throughout the time I was enjoying myself in the silent space parents were cycling in and out of the play ground. But just because this was a family friendly place doesn’t mean all aren’t accepted. A scatter of homeless men and women were spread throughout the park, quietly engaged in conversation or just sipping out of their brown bag. No one comes here for trouble or spontaneous encounters, they seek out South Park for its solitude (at least to me).

A disease called homelessness

A disease called homelessness.

By Elisa Forsgren

The old Victorian house stands out between the commercial buildings on Ritter street, a diagonal street that runs from 2nd to 3rd. Despite the fresh slate blue paint with white trim surrounded by a white iron gate, the house remains unnoticed to many who pass by everyday. In fact one would actually have to really look for the house while driving into San Rafael on 3rd street. But the house is there and serves as a kind of beacon to those in need. People without a home of their own call this house home. This is Ritter Center.

Shortly after 3 p.m. a small group of people have gathered across the street from Ritter Center. Some sit on the pavement, leaned up against their backpack which holds all of their worldly possessions, as they wait for a bus that will take them to a shelter for the night.

These people, who have so very little in this world, are extremely protective of what they do have left. Dignity removed long ago, all that remains is hope that the kindness of strangers will see them through another day. For them, the American Dream has died long ago.

Each person has a unique story to tell: human trafficking, war veterans, heroes, fathers, mothers, hard times all blend into one of homelessness. If they don’t find a place to sleep here tonight, they will sleep on our streets and parks, pick up our cigarette butts for a dollar an ounce… the invisible people, we’d rather not see.

San Rafael is the county seat to one of the wealthiest in the nation according to Forbes. Yet a definitive line drawn between the “haves and the have nots” Dominique McDowell said, patient advocate at the center.

“The country doesn’t like losers,” David Edwards said as he waits patiently outside the center for a bus that will take him some place warm to sleep.

Tomorrow is a big word for Edwards. The unknown promise of a new day, he might stay with the Ritter Center program or join Occupy Oakland, his future unsure of any solid plans.

“Fear is what keeps us separated from other people who have so much,” said Edwards. “It’s the disease they fear,” he added, “A disease called homelessness.”

Firefighters rescue two people from blaze early Sunday morning

Firefighters rescue two people from blaze early Sunday morning.

By Elisa Forsgren

A blaze was well underway when firefighters arrived at a three unit apartment house at 5:15 a.m. Sunday. Firefighters rescued a man and a woman from the fire and no others were found according to the Marin Independent Journal. No other injuries reported.

The house sectioned off into three separate units, the couple rescued were in one unit. One unit unoccupied at the time due to remodeling. The third unit occupant was out-of-town. As of this post, the fire is still under investigation according to the San Rafael Fire Department.

One neighbor, who did not wish to have his name revealed, alleged the occupants of the house were having a BBQ before the fire broke out.

Experiences in the 415

It’s been an interesting three weeks running around a town I hardly knew anything about; my first time in the neighborhood was when I started the project. I will honestly say that it has been difficult – but at times easy.

The real difficulties I’m having are getting people to talk to me. For some reason I had more success with people in the first couple weeks then the third week into it. I think it depends on which neighborhood of the Sunset you actually are in. I found that people we’re much nicer in the beachy part then people that were in Golden Gate Park.

Maybe the beach neighborhood is the section I should just keep on researching for my project. I think the beach has a more calm feeling to it and it just brings out a good vibe in people. It seems like people are busier at Golden Gate Park and aren’t too open to talking to a stranger.

Once a week I’ve been hanging out at the Sloat entrance beach parking lot just observing the atmosphere and the people while eating lunch. As I sit there on the ledge bench I see all sorts of different people.

I was surprised to see so many people on a Wednesday afternoon at the beach. It was a gorgeous day, bright sun and temperature at about 60. A lot of people love to just come and wistfully sit and stare at the roaring waves of the ocean – it’s very relaxing.

There are big families – some that look like they could be visiting. I see people taking their afternoon run on The Great Highway. I see surfers making their way out to the six foot waves – wetsuit and board in hand.

It’s just a great place to relax. Sometimes you have to stop and take a look at what’s around you.

Broccoli that lead me to the Flower of Life

This spiral shaped broccoli is both amazing in taste and form.

Rainbow Grocery on 14th and Folsom Street is great because it carries fresh and unique produce from relatively local farms. A few weeks ago I bought a Romanesco broccoli head because of its amazing natural appearance fascinated me. I love to cook with different things so this tickled my fancy. Little did I know this would lead me to a strange yet tranquil place called the Sound and Consciousness Institute.

After looking up more on my precious broccoli I found that it had relation to something called the Flower of Life. The Flower of Life is the symbol of life intertwining with all beings. It is based on the mystical knowledge discovered through sacred geometry.Sacred geometry shows patterns of creation based on religious structures and natural existence. This means that the location, shape, size,and placement of centers of worship are thought to be based on a geometric alignment that was planned by a God.Numerous religions such as Judaism, Paganism, and New Age reference these mathematics as their connection with a higher being.

Basically followers see signs of creation and being in forms of architecture, art, nature, and music. But so what? why get into all of this? There is a lot to explain about all of this and somewhat confusing since this belief seems to relate itself to everything…absolutely everything. Personally I say that things are just being and there doesn’t have to be an explanation behind it all. But these opposing views are what lead me to stumble into the Sound and Consciousness Institute on 6th and Bryant Street.

Weeks had gone by since I looked up the meaning behind my broccoli and I had almost wanted to forget about trying to understand sacred geometry. But as I was walking down Bryant Street on a windy Sunday I passed this 90s looking building adorned with signs promoting health treatments using sound and music…and it all had to do with sacred geometry. Why not? I just happened to pass by on the day they were holding a free workshop. So I went in and experienced something I found quite strange and therapeutic. As I walked into the building and up the stairs I found a room full of diverse people: young, old, couples, singles, white, black, hippy, corporate sort. They were people you imagine seeing anywhere in the City. They were there sitting amongst pillows, Flower of Life posters, a giant sound board hooked to massive amplifiers and singing bowls.

As I sat down the group had just finished going over some calculations of brain waves equating to emotion triggers, as evidence of a whiteboard showed. I slowly began to understand that the workshop was all based on sound and music emanating frequencies that effect how we center ourselves. That our emotions depend on what sound level we are hearing. The instructor then switched on the sound board to play the sounds of crickets, slowed down to an extremely slow rate, which in returned played back sounds like singing sirens. This was supposed to explain how the variations of sounds depend on their Theta, Delta, Alpha, and Beta level.

Everyone there was very much into and strong believers of sacred geometry but I was enjoying the sounds. Even if you don’t believe in these things like I do, you have to give the Sound and Consciousness Institute credit for having an amazing array of trans music that will put anyone in a relaxed mood. Not to mention they have a chair that rotates and vibrates according to the music being played. I was on it for 20 minutes listening to ocean sounds as my chair rumbled to the crashing waves.