S H A R E D G R O U N D P R O J E C T S
Faces of Temescal
Summer 2005. Telegraph Ave. and 47th St., Temescal
"Faces of Temescal," a temporary installation, featured a 52-foot by 18-inch vinyl banner mounted on a chain link fence that fronted on Telegraph Ave. The banner, consisting of 42 portraits of Temescal residents, merchants, and students, was designed to reflect the diversity of the Temescal community.
Commissioned By: Gate 48 Partnership
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You are Here
2004. 4811 Telegraph Ave., Temescal
"You Are Here," a multi-component interpretive project that explores the idea of "place," consists of 1) a series of historical maps of the area mounted in the lobby of 4811 Telegraph Ave.; 2) a storefront window silk-screened with a reproduction of an 1895 photograph in tribute to Telegraph Avenue's long-standing role as a transit corridor; and 3) mounted outside the front entrance, an interpretive marker whose text and images describe the site's history.
Commissioned By: Temescal Place Partnership
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Fire Station 8 History Walk
2003. Station 8 Firehouse, 463-51st St., Temescal
The "History Walk," a permanent public art project located in front of the recently rebuilt Station 8 Firehouse, is a public walkway consisting of alternating porcelain tiles etched with images and text that tell the interweaving story of Temescal's development as a community and Station 8's evolution since its formation in 1901. Copies of an accompanying color brochure, Timeline/Lifeline: A Story of Fire Station 8, are available free to the public.
Commissioned By: the City of Oakland Cultural Arts Program
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Follow the Creek
2003. Telegraph and 51st St., Temescal
"Follow the Creek," a series of nine interpretive markers exploring the natural and social history of Temescal Creek, was mounted for a year on the chain-link fence that surrounded the vacant lot on the northeast corner of Temescal's busiest intersection, below which Temescal Creek passes unseen through an underground culvert. Students from California College of Arts and neighborhood children collaborated on the project.
Shared Ground Partner: Friends of Temescal Creek
Funded By: Neighbors and the Alameda Countywide Clean Water Program
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PostMark Temescal
2001-2004. 4900 block of Shattuck Ave., outside the
North Oakland Post Office, Temescal
"PostMark Temescal" is a permanent, outdoor community gathering place and interpretive site whose unique benches and pavement surfaces feature multiple expressions of local history, portraits and quotes from neighbors, and a tribute to Temescal Creek (which flows in a culvert beneath the site). Native plants are used in the surrounding landscaping. Gathering input through workshops with local residents and students, and working with dozens of volunteers during construction, the artist team of Bruce Douglas, Sue Mark, Jeff Norman, and Remi Rubel designed, coordinated, and raised funds for the project.
Shared Ground Partners: Friends of Temescal Creek and Healthy City Oakland Fund
Funded By: The City of Oakland Community and Economic Development Agency, Berkeley Land Co., City of Oakland Cultural Arts Program, Children's Hospital Oakland, Clorox Company Foundation, East Bay Community Foundation, and through local merchant and individual contributions
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Beyond the Pussycat: Nine Lives of a Neighborhood Landmark
2000. A vacant lot on the northeast corner of Telegraph and
51st St., Temescal
"Beyond the Pussycat," a multifaceted, community art project that drew upon the skills and expertise of dozens of neighbors, included: a six-month, on-site exhibit exploring the history of the vacant lot at 51st and Telegraph; a Temescal history slide presentation at Carter Middle School by Jennifer Dowling and Ray Raineri; and a one-day public event featuring local musicians, food from neighborhood restaurants, facilitated "community conversations" with neighbors about potential future uses of the site, and an outdoor film screening.
Shared Ground Partners: Temescal Neighbors Together, Friends of Temescal Creek, and Temescal Merchants Association
Funded By: Local merchant and individual contributions, and through a grant from the City of Oakland Cultural Arts Program
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Where We Live: The Temescal Neighborhood
1999. Temescal Branch Library, Temescal
The opening of this two-year exhibit on the natural and cultural history of the Temescal neighborhood coincided with the Temescal Branch Library's 80th anniversary and the gala opening of its newly retrofitted, historic landmark building.
Shared Ground Partner: Temescal Branch Library
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Some Local History: An Huchiun Ohlone and Vicente Peralta
1999. The northwest corner of Telegraph and 55th St., Temescal
A permanent interpretive marker describing the neighborhood's early inhabitants, "Some Local History" is located on what had been the site of Vicente Peralta's adobes.
Shared Ground Partners: Chevron, Vicente Peralta Neighborhood Coalition
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Temescal History Project
1997-1998. Various locations throughout Temescal
The Temescal History Project, a multi-component, all volunteer, community art project, included: Where We Live, an exhibit on Temescal history mounted for six months in storefront windows on the east side of the 5000 block of Telegraph Ave.; Where We Live: Stories from Temescal, a 45-minute video featuring recollections of long-time Temescal residents and merchants; the book, Temescal Album: History of a Neighborhood, which provides a basic introduction to Temescal's history; a self-guided walking tour booklet, A Walk Through Temescal (co-published with the Oakland Heritage Alliance); Temescal Opening, a one-day event that included performances, music, and a walking tour through the neighborhood; and Local History at Emerson, a ten-week local history program for third-graders at Emerson Elementary School.
Shared Ground Partners: Artship, City of Oakland, Emerson Elementary School, Oakland Heritage Alliance, Temescal Merchants Association, Temescal Neighbors Together, and Temescal Arts Center
Funded By:> Individual Temescal merchants and residents, Berkeley Land Company, Chevron, Children's Hospital Oakland, Oakland Heritage Alliance, Rockridge United Methodist Church, and Temescal Merchants Association
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