Cultural Equity Archives - Community Rejuvenation Project

The Ascension of the “AscenDance” Mural

October 27, 2021

AscenDance Mural, CRP Blog & Updates, Events, Greenlining Mural, Public Art Policy

On October 16 2021, “AscenDance,” a large-scale mural produced by the Community Rejuvenation Project, in partnership with The Greenlining Institute, finally held its dedication ceremony. The eight-story mural was completed in 2020, but the official celebration was postponed twice due to the pandemic. Although public safety dictated that the event not be the massive block party originally planned, the scaled-down celebration was attended by approximately 75 people — including several elected officials, Oakland Cultural Affairs Department staff, Greenlining staff, and…

AscenDance: Coming Into View

July 1, 2020

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360 Mural, AscenDance Mural, CRP Blog & Updates, Greenlining Mural, Public Art Policy

In the last couple of weeks, the AscenDance mural has turned a corner. What once was a bare and unremarkable wall now pulses with color, vibrancy, and life. Gridlines have become outlines; outlines have metamorphosed into distinct figures, Details and backgrounds have emerged. The entire wall has taken on form, shape, and substance. Its new character is being slowly revealed, day by day, brush stroke by brush stroke. There is no going back — only forward.

Oakland’s Cultural Affairs Commission Returns — To A Rapidly-Shifting Cultural Landscape

March 4, 2020

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CRP Blog & Updates, Op-Eds

When Oakland last had a Cultural Affairs Commission, Jean Quan was mayor, the Warriors still played at Oracle Arena, and widespread displacement had yet to take effect.

Public Art, BART, and Scraper Bikes

July 25, 2018

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CRP Blog & Updates, Events, Public Art Policy

What do public art, BART, and Scraper Bikes all have in common? They are all connected in a new mural painted by CRP’s Desi Mundo. The mural, located on BART-owned property at 75th Avenue and International in Oakland, also connects two ongoing regional initiatives: BART’s Arts Master Plan and the East Bay Greenway. The mural consists of two sections on either side of the street. Mundo says the design was the result of a community-driven process which included several public…

Alice Street Symposium Brings Activists, Advocates, Policymakers Together

April 19, 2017

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Alice Street documentary, CRP Blog & Updates, Events, Public Art Policy

On Friday, April 7, the Community Rejuvenation Project (CRP) presented the first in a series of planned symposia. Sponsored by the Akonadi Foundation and Assemblyman Rob Bonta’s office, the Alice Street Symposium built on an engaging event and panel discussion held during the Matatu Festival of Stories in 2016, Shifting the location to the auditorium at the Elihu Harris State Building lent the proceedings a more formal, official air, which underscored the political relevancy of the topics discussed. Assemblyman Bonta…

CRP, #SupportMalonga Coalition Announce Mediation Agreement With Bay Development

April 13, 2016

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Campaigns (Current), CRP Blog & Updates, Public Art Policy

In Fall 2015, the Community Rejuvenation Project (CRP) completed the Alice St. Mural, after two years of work. The mural reflected a new model for community engagement—dozens of interviews with cultural practitioners and neighborhood residents were completed—and represented a successful application of the city of Oakland’s underutilized anti-blight mural fund. Yet just a few months after a dynamic, rousing block party activated what had been a nondescript parking lot, word came that the lot was planned for development. The proposed…

CRP and Local Residents Launch Petition and Fundraiser for Community Benefits from Alice Street Development

February 5, 2016

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Campaigns (Current), CRP Blog & Updates, Public Art Policy

The Community Rejuvenation Project — in solidarity with artists from the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, the Chinatown Coalition, local residents and businesses — has launched a petition to Maria Poncel of Bay Development to demand community benefits from the development of the parking lot at 250 14th Street. In addition, the community has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise the funds to appeal the Oakland Planning Commission’s unanimous approval of the development. A protest will be held on…

As Development Threatens Displacement, Oakland Artists Fight for Cultural Equity

October 23, 2015

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CRP Blog & Updates, Public Art Policy

As CRP previously reported, the September 3 kick-off of the public engagement phase of the Downtown Oakland Specific Plan (DOSP), followed the same week by a SPUR report outlining “big ideas,” raised community concerns about displacement and exclusion. None of those ideas, it seemed, addressed displacement, affordability, or maintaining diversity, and arts and culture seemed an afterthought at best. A second meeting, held October 19, did little to dispel those concerns. The evening began with a speak-out to defend Oakland’s arts and…