During a time when cities’ arts budgets were being cut, the Open Circle Foundation awarded $100,000 grants each to the cities of Oakland and Berkeley for public art projects. This contribution supported eight projects from Oakland based artists who were commissioned to create permanent and temporary public art projects for sites in neighborhoods throughout Oakland. The grant also enabled a Berkeley commissioning of artists for a public art piece at Cesar E. Chavez Park at the Berkeley Marina.
 

Projects supported through the City of Oakland’s Open Proposals 2009-2010 are:

Alan Leon (Temescal Telegraph Business District Project) - www.alanleon.org
Alan Leon will complete phase 1 of “Temescal Flows” mural on the wall and columns of the 52nd St/Hwy 24 underpass between Shattuck & MLK Way.

City Canvas (David Stern Gottfried, Ariel Bierbaum, Cris Cristina, Diana Sherman) - www.citycanvas.org
City Canvas will host youth workshops to create murals on public utility boxes in the Lake Merritt Uptown area.

Favianna Rodriguez - www.favianna.com
Favianna Rodriguez will present “The Future of Food” project including three posters on ‘food justice’ which will be distributed to community organizations and displayed in Fruitvale BART station ad kiosks, and a community “EatIn.”

Kim Larson & Delaine Hackney - kimlarsonart.com | www.delainemosaic.com
Kim Larson and Delaine Hackney will create a mosaic mural and pet portraits on the Oakland Animal Services Bldg. located at 1101 29th Avenue.

Kristi Holohan - kristi.holohan@gmail.com
Kristi Holohan will host a community art project to produce a multipanel installation on the exterior of the Brookdale Recreation Center at 2535 High Street.

Scott Oliver with Yuri Ono & Maria Porges - http://onceuponatime-happilyeverafter.com
Scott Oliver, Yuri Ono and Maria Porges are collaborating to present “Once Upon A Time, Happily
Ever After,” an interpretive watershed project at Lake Merritt including permanent markers at sites of inflow to lake, audio walking tour, map, map billboard, Tshirts, postcards and information booth at the Rotary Center.

Sue Mark & Bruce Douglas - www.10000stepsoakland.org
Sue Mark and Bruce Douglas will create “Walking the Invisible City,” a component of the ongoing 10,000 Steps project, which fosters community awareness and stewardship work at Jefferson, Lafayette, Madison and Lincoln squares downtown.

Youth Uprising - www.youthuprising.org
Youth Uprising will work with youth on a “Be the Change” project, which will highlight four images on the Clear Channel billboard on MacArthur corridor in East Oakland.



Project supported by the City of Berkeley Public Art Program:

City of Berkeley Environmental Sculptural Artwork for the Berkeley Marina
Artists Jennifer Madden and Jeffrey Reed have been commissioned to create an “Open Circle” installation and environmental artwork to be featured at the Berkeley Marina in Winter 2010. Their proposed art will create destination areas for viewing habitat and wildlife, an outdoor classroom and offer an educational walking tour, while respecting the part-time home of the burrowing owl.

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