Students were all smiles on Saturday’s Earth Day event at DeFermery Park where they spoke to crowds on the some of the environment’s most pressing issues.
CSCE Family Adds To Their Garden
Mindful Drumming Circles at AHC
Mindful Drumming is a way to connect straight to the heart. The ancient art of synchronistic rhythms and sounds can be used for healing and for unleashing the spirit of human potential. Benefits include:
Increased Productivity and Wellness
Improved Communication
Effective Stress Reduction
Self Esteem Building
The last Friday of every month we host Mindful Drumming Circles at AHC. No prior knowledge is required and drums will be provided. This is a free class, but we appreciate donations. Check our upcoming events page to keep up to date.
If you are interested in private sessions or team building contact AHC by calling 510-652-5530 or email info (at) ahc-oakland.org.
Super Heroes in Progress
We are more than halfway through the Super Heroes project at AHC. Students have been studying social justice issues that are important to them, and designing life-sized self portraits that relate to their cause. Each painting exists not only as an art piece, but as a call for social change.
The finished pieces will be on display at our upcoming ArtEsteem Exhibition on May 18th. The annual ArtEsteem Exhibition is always one of our highlights of the year. You can see the full details on our event page.
ArtEsteem instructor Justin Mullon teaches some basic illustration techniques.
Identity, Strengths & Weaknesses
The ArtEsteem program is moving full steam ahead at Hoover Elementary School! The current project focuses on themes of identity. The youth are designing masks that reflect different aspect of their personality, and in essence, how they see themselves. This process has brought some thought provoking discussions to the classroom. Students were challenged by being asked critical questions such as, “What have you learned about your identity?” and “What are your strengths?”
This project will go on throughout the school year, and we’re excited to show you the completed pieces on May 18th at ArtEsteem’s 21st Annual Exhibition! The event is happening right here at AHC, catch the details on our event page.
Masks from different cultures, for inspiration.
From left: Mask inspiration, Mr. Eddie helps out, student writes down her strengths.
Students work on developing their narrative, and help each other along the way!
Student thinks about her identity.
BAYCAT Filming at AHC
We loved having our friends from BAYCAT at AHC this morning! BAYCAT is a nonprofit based in San Francisco that provides media education and jobs for youth of color. Their mission is to end inequality and racism through the art of storytelling.
This morning they interviewed AHC co-founders Kokomon and Aeeshah Clottey for a documentary on food justice in black communities. We will keep you posted about it’s release date!
pictured: AHC co-founder Kokomon Clottey
pictured: BAYCAT staff
pictured: AHC co-founder Aeeshah Clottney
Maze Cut Bookmaking: Honoring LGBTQ and Black Communities
The celebration and honoring of the LGBTQ community and Black community has been stiched into our art project this week at Tenderloin Community School (TCS) in San Francisco. Along with their mentors, our participating students learned and celebrated the LGBTQ and Black community during regular school hours. ArtEsteem stopped by TCS to support in the capturing of that knowledge and materialize it
into a book for the students to keep and share.
The handmade book integrated modern and classical symbols from all over the world that represent various gender identities. In addition, in honor of Black History Month students familiarize themselves with the classical Adinkra symbols from Ghana that centered around respected characteristics like strength, knowledge, honor, etc.
Mr. Eddie and Ms. Nan assisting students in the bookmaking process.
In all, it was a fantastic day of learning, celebrating and honoring the LGBTQ and Black communities in addition to learning a new art medium that will not be forgotten shortly.
-March 14, 2019
Three students pose with their freshly-made books.
Learning Fabric Arts with the ArtMobile
This week we took the ArtMobile across the Bay for Art Week at MLK Middle School! We facilitated fiber art classes for 3 days to over 400 students. Working with fiber arts is a unique experience, and the students were able to let their creativity soar.
Our projects involved bold designs, and we spoke about symbols relating to Black History Month, in addition to icons of peace and personal development.
Thanks to everyone at MLK Middle School for hosting the ArtMobile pop-up. The ArtEsteem ArtMobile is a fully equipped mobile art studio available for schools, festivals and community building events. To learn more, click here.
- February 27th, 2019
MBK Rising! Mural Launch
Lead Mural Artist Andre Jones (pictured on the left) was more than excited to have the likes of Mayor Libby Schaaf (pictured in the middle) and longtime community champion and AHC Executive Director Amana Harris (pictured on the right) by his side on his co-designed works of art.
This year just keeps on glowing for the city of Oakland and AHC. MBK Rising!’s successful launch marked another joyful experience to our 2019 as we completed two inspiring murals on the lively walls of Martin Luther King Jr’s Elementary School. Both murals focus on the importance of learning and education that are best achieved when working together as a community.
Dedicated to bringing art back into the STEM model, MLK Elementary School Principal Ms. Groves joined forces with the talented and experienced mural artist Andre “Natty Rebel” Jones and AHC Executive Director Amana Harris to add some life back into the school atmosphere.
Principal Groves (pictured on the left) poses proudly with Councilwoman Barbara Lee (pictured on the right).
The sun covered us all morning into the afternoon as we painted our hearts out for the community and for the MBK Rising!. We left no stone unturned and no (designated) wall unpainted-- and that’s exactly how we planned it to be.
- February 20th, 2019
ABOUT MBK:
In 2014, President Obama launched My Brother’s Keeper and issued a powerful call to action to close opportunity gaps facing boys and young men of color. The initiative sparked candid dialogue and action around the country to help more of our young people reach their dreams, regardless of their race, gender, or socioeconomic status.
Featured artists (Tim Bluitt and Isabel) share a few smiles and pointers with the Honorable Mayor Libby Schaaf.
Mayor's Inauguration
What an exciting and honorable way to kick off 2019!
The ArtEsteem ArtMobile got its tires rolling on this beautiful Saturday to celebrate the inauguration of Mayor Libby Schaaf. With an agenda centered on collaborative mural-building, our staff hung a 17ft canvas on the left wall of the ArtMobile to be prepped for sketching. Once the canvas was held up, experienced artist, Daniel Jimenez began outlining some of Oakland’s most notable buildings to be colored in by our creative community.
Showcasing a clean canvas in his best Vanna White pose is AHC staff, Eddie Escobedo.n
Meanwhile, AHC staff Eddie Escobedo and Phyllis Hall catered to the growing number of youth lining up to participate in the stencil-making program. The stencils were cutouts of Oakland’s greatest treasures; ranging from the California bear to the Bay Bridge to the Oak tree. Participants were provided with the opportunity to either paint on one of the seven stencils onto a piece of paper for personal collection, paint a stencil onto the stretched-out canvas, or freestyle a painting of your choice onto the canvas that best speaks to their 2019 aspirations.
Dozens of participants waited eagerly to bless the canvas with their paint brushes—massaging vibrant colors up and down the space as they could. Drawing even some of our local government representatives to the stage to add to the creative process. Some of those representatives being Council representative Lynette Gibson of District 3—pictured below painting a stencil with the help of AHC staff Eddie—and District 6 Council Member Loren Taylor.
Local super heroine Councilwoman Lynette Gibson stencils an Oakland crane onto the canvas.
Pictured is newly-elected Council Member Loren Taylor assisting his daughter’s fine stencil work.
In all, with enough sunrays to keep the goosebumps down and enough paint to re-coat Frank Ogawa Plaza, the day came to a successful end. The wonderful freestyle paintings by dozens of children proved to be the x-factor that propelled the work of art to be greater than expected. We thank Mayor Libby Schaaf, her wonderful staff, and the tons of awesome individuals that contributed to this memorable collaboration.
