EastSide Arts Alliance

Geographic areas served: Oakland

Programs: Program accomplishments statement for fy 2016/2017 form 990eastside cultural center projecteastside arts alliance (esaa) has continued to expand its programming in our eastside cultural center facility. Increasing numbers of local community organizations and individuals are utilizing the center for community celebrations, educational events, memorials, townhall gatherings, classes, film screenings and training workshops. Our online donor program continues to grow steadily and contributed toward sustaining organizational operations. Eastside arts alliance eventsesaa presented a year round schedule of community cultural events serving over 5,500 adults and youth. Cultural events included presentation and production of art exhibitions, music concerts, dance, performance theater, and spoken word events. Also presented were events open to the public and free of charge: panel discussions by artists, healthcare advocates, educators, and community organizers; free monthly video screenings; art receptions, and twice monthly open mic poetry nights. Our 17th annual jazz arts festival, incorporating all of these performance art forms was again held in may, free to the public in a local city park along with children's art activities, diverse ethnic food vendors, and a youth arts stage. Bi-monthly visual arts exhibitions and artist talks in our gallery; periodic theater workshops, book reading/signing events, family art-making activities, community meetings and gatherings; weekly yoga, zazen meditation, and monthly qi gong workshops were offered for free or on a sliding-scale donation basis and open to the public. We continued to grow our dance/theater and performance events with a focus on providing an affordable works-in-progress space for young and emerging artists of color to explore and experiment. Out of our 6-year relationship with naka dance theater as a resident dance company, the eastside performing arts series, live arts in resistance, continues to gain momentum, bringing artists and community together to examine immigration rights, state sponsored violence, and displacement in our communities. Esaa also offered concerts ranging from jazz to contemporary urban music forms to traditional music from immigrant and indigenous communities representing the diversity of our neighborhood and city. Community archive and resource projectesaa continued to plan and obtain materials for our community archive and resource project, a resource library and archive of movement literature, posters, newletters, broadsides, photos, and books to be used as historical reference and research materials for community artists and activists of all ages. The majority of the materials are donated to eastside arts alliance specifically for the project. The intention is to create an accessible, neighborhood resource for youth who are seeking ethnic studies materials that their schools no longer provide and for artists and other community members researching images and content for their work in the community. This is a living archive, working in conjunction with the activities presented at the eastside cultural center. Neighborhood arts programin collaboration with local artists eastside arts alliance produced 2 large-scale public murals in the neighborhood, including one that serves as an art billboard, addressing neighborhood issues with its image changing every 3-4 months. Community artists and neighborhood organizations worked with our collective and beats flows youth program to create an el dia de los muertos street procession with accompanying cultural events in an effort to celebrate local culture and reclaim our neighborhoods in opposition to the gentrification of our san antonio neighborhood. Again eastside artists participated in the oakland museums annual el dia de los muertos family festivities as well. Now in its third year at the eastside cultural center, dance naganuma companys the girl project, has now become a program of eastside arts alliance. The girl project is a free, series of arts and empowerment workshops for middle school age girls during spring and summer oakland unified school district breaks (total of 3 weeks). Black cultural zoneesaa expanded the reach of cultural, faith-based, and arts organizations along the thoroughfare we are located on that runs through east oakland to discuss and plan more festivals and public art spaces that honor and claim our diverse peoples history and presence in these neighborhoods along our international blvd. Discussion and organizing around a black cultural zone in east oakland, located on the former safeway headquarters site was spearheaded by eastside arts alliance and east oakland building healthy communities. A black cultural zone would spur black business development, arts-based entrepreneurship, gardens, food equity, and affordable housing. Ultimately, a cultural center in every east oakland neighborhood would make for a healthier, safer, and vibrant city and we are excited to share our experiences and support those efforts. After-school arts workshops for youtharts workshops offered to more than 50 youth ages 10-22. All workshops are offered free of charge. Youth programs include: beats and flows - a digital audio mixing, recording, and poetry writing/ performing workshop that teaches and enables youth to produce audio cd's and participate in public performances. Offered free of charge. The girl project - a free series of arts and empowerment workshops for middle school age girls during spring and summer ousd breaks (total of 3 weeks). Workshops in dance, visual arts, gardening, neighborhood spaces planning, bike riding, and new music were offered to neighborhood girls. Periodic intern workshops for high school age youth focusing on project-based design/art production, trainings offered free of charge.