August 5th was a big night for the CRP crew. Our first group exhibition in a while, as well as our first First Friday showing… at Oakland’s Layover, no less. This was the acid test for our motley collective of bohemians, jokers, and aerosol aficionados: with two rooms to fill, it was either go big or go home.
Well, we went big. Big canvases—lots of ‘em—big photos (20x30, in case you’re wondering), even a merch table stocked with mural anthologies, brochures, our new “Oakland Landmarks” poster series, even t-shirts. There was a nice yet esoteric range of visual goodies on display, and we couldn’t have picked a better night for it. By 11pm, the Layover was an elbow-room-only sweat pit (thanks to DJ Ren’s killer tunes), with wave after wave of folks constantly arriving. Highlights from the night included Mike 360’s flute/beatbox solo, Uncle Dougie’s tasty sandwiches, Pancho successfully resisting his nicotine cravings, trading a “Legendary 23rd Yard” poster for homemade truffles, and our Korean intern, Cheol-woo, downing some tequila, then immediately asking for more.
Well, we went big. Big canvases—lots of ‘em—big photos (20x30, in case you’re wondering), even a merch table stocked with mural anthologies, brochures, our new “Oakland Landmarks” poster series, even t-shirts. There was a nice yet esoteric range of visual goodies on display, and we couldn’t have picked a better night for it. By 11pm, the Layover was an elbow-room-only sweat pit (thanks to DJ Ren’s killer tunes), with wave after wave of folks constantly arriving. Highlights from the night included Mike 360’s flute/beatbox solo, Uncle Dougie’s tasty sandwiches, Pancho successfully resisting his nicotine cravings, trading a “Legendary 23rd Yard” poster for homemade truffles, and our Korean intern, Cheol-woo, downing some tequila, then immediately asking for more.
People seemed to really dig the art, which meshed well with the Layover’s funky thrift-store aesthetic, and though it was a lot of work getting the show together, it was all worth it. CRP definitely raised its profile, and if you can call hanging out outside one of Oakland’s hottest nightspot slanging posters community outreach, then it was a successful community outreach mission. “Rejuvenation” definitely lived up to its name, and if you missed it, the show will be up at the Layover until the end of August, so come through! Oh yeah, stay tuned for more collective shows down the road.
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