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Photo Captions

Bridge-bench (detail), PostMark Temescal public gathering site, 4900 Shattuck Ave., 2004. Courtesy of Jeff Norman

U.S. Coastal Survey (detail), 1859. Courtesy of the Oakland Public Library

Community Conversations, held on the vacant lot at Telegraph and 51st St., May, 20, 2000, as part of the community art project, Beyond the Pussycat: Nine Lives of a Neighborhood Landmark.
Courtesy of Carla Koop

4808 Shattuck, circa 1940s. Courtesy of the Oakland
History Room

W E L C O M E   t o   S H A R E D   G R O U N D


Shared Ground is a community arts initiative committed to creating projects that explore and document changes in the natural, social, and physical environments of urban neighborhoods, with a special focus on the Temescal district of Oakland, California. Values underlying the projects of Shared Ground include love of place, sacredness of the land, sustainability at the local level, neighborhood identity, historic preservation, collaboration, and activism on behalf of the common good.

The projects of Shared Ground have taken many forms: temporary and permanent installations in outdoor and indoor settings; books and other publications; documentary video; community events; and public presentations. Each project springs from the premise that art and local history, when presented in our everyday surroundings and in a form that is readily accessible, can transform our understanding of the places where we live and work, deepen our connection to them, and lead us into a more active role in shaping their future.

Shared Ground's projects are community projects: they take place in the community, are for the community's benefit, and rely on the expertise and participation of the community members and organizations.


Jeff Norman, Founder

For forty years, community artist Jeff Norman has been using images and text to explore our understanding of our everyday environments. In 1997 he founded Shared Ground, and through this organization has facilitated several interdisciplinary projects that examine the connections between Temescal's past and present. He has made his home in Temescal since 1984.

Shared Ground Advisory Board

Martha Bergmann
Temescal Branch Library Manager and Oakland History Room Librarian (retired)

Steve Costa
Community builder; cofounder of Black Mountain Circle

Kathy Geritz
Film curator and educator, Pacific Film Archive

Carla Koop
Writer and oral historian

Pamela Magnuson-Peddle
Oakland history researcher and writer

Supporting Organizations

Organizations that have supported Shared Ground's projects include the Alameda Countywide Clean Water Program, Artship, City of Oakland Community and Economic Development Agency, City of Oakland Cultural Arts Program, East Bay Community Foundation, Friends of Temescal Creek, Healthy City Oakland Fund, Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, Oakland Heritage Alliance, Oakland History Room (Oakland Public Library), Temescal Arts Center, Temescal Branch Library, Temescal Merchants Association, and Temescal Neighbors Together.

Copyright 2019 Shared Ground. All rights reserved.

Special thanks to Brad Krebs, Robin Moore, Christopher Richard, and Joao Serro