Pic of the Day

Desi - "Truck"



Renewing the Funktown Arts District Pt. 1 - The Parkway

Murals are a proven deterrent to vandalism. Still, there are rare occasions when our murals get damaged. In the case of the Funktown Arts District, there was a recent rash of destruction to several of the murals in the area by a delusional, disgruntled neighbor with a used up roller of grey paint.  CRP makes a point to maintain its murals, either through restoration, or in this case, a complete repainting.

This morning, two CRP artists arrived to begin rejuvenating the damaged areas. It was a great opportunity to create a new piece, especially because the collective was never really satisfied with the original work. It also gave Cheolwoo, our Korean intern, an opportunity to participate and paint for the first time.  Despite having never used a spray can, he immediately picked up and helped to the color the piece. Numerous neighbors and residents dropped by to express their disappointment in the damage to their colorful neighborhood, but they were all excited and supportive of the new artwork.  We will be posting new photos of the next walls as they are created, so stay tuned!

Pic of the Day

Desi - "Photosynthesis"

Pic of the Day

Daz, Duke, & Bash - West Oakland

Rejuvenation - The Opening Night!

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. 

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.

Pic of the Day

Daz & Desi - "Havenscourt"