 |
| "Oakland is Proud" painted on the former Greenside Projects in East Oakland |
Oakland is often condemned by critics saying that its public schools
lack parent involvement and that certain neighborhoods lack community involvement. However, visiting Ise Lyfe's "
Brighter than Blight" community art exhibit on June 30, 2013 presented a different side of East Oakland than what you often find in the media. In the shell of the former Greenside Projects at Bancroft and 77th Avenue stood an art exhibit showcasing photography, paintings, and art installations by East Oakland artist Ise Lyfe. The exhibit had many attendees over the last two weekends of June, and was covered by several outlets, including
Oakland Local and
38th Notes.
 |
| Vashti Means, Deborah Wysinger, Mildred Powell, and Matt Werner at Brighter than Blight |
What stood out to me was not just Ise Lyfe's artwork. I already knew he was a Renaissance Man having seen his one-man play
Who's Krazy, read his book
Pistols and Prayers, and purchased his albums
Spread The Word and
Prince Cometh. But what stood out to me was the civic involvement and how parents throughout Oakland and community members rallied behind this project and made it happen. California Affordable Housing Initiatives and Oakland City Councilmember Desley Brooks helped sponsor the exhibit. And community members like Vashti Means, Deborah Wysinger, and Mildred Powell in addition to many others with the Oakland Housing Authority and other organizations supported Ise Lyfe in showcasing this exhibit in East Oakland.
The exhibit featured some of the highlights of life in East Oakland, such as two former public housing units converted into a 1990s-era grandmother's house, fit with a kitchen playing
Bill Withers' Grandma's Hands when you walked in:
 |
| Inside Ise Lyfe's Grandma's House exhibit |
The exhibit also touched on some of the more difficult aspects of life in Oakland, such as Uncle Randy, a character from Ise Lyfe's one-man play
Pistols and Prayers. Ise Lyfe wrote in the pamphlet for the exhibit that this piece is "a statement about the invisibility of homeless people in our nation."
 |
| Uncle Randy by Ise Lyfe |
Another interesting aspect of the exhibit was that it incorporated Oakland's car culture into it by having a parking lot featuring classic cars and the owners showing off their cars. Often Oakland's car culture is
associated with sideshows and
whistle tips, so it's good to see Ise put a positive spin on this important part of Oakland's culture.
 |
| Harrison showing off his blue Nova |
And what was great about the exhibit with so many thought-provoking pieces was that Ise Lyfe was there for the duration of the 6 days, and you could discuss the pieces with the artist himself.
 |
| Ise Lyfe at his exhibit Brighter than Blight |
Article by Matt Werner, author of Oakland in Popular Memory. Photos are by Joe Sciarrillo, co-author of Bay Area Underground. See the full photo album on Google+.
