Oakland Shopping this weekend

Tonight from 6-8 pm Oakland will be alive with Shoppers and Music. Oakland merchants all over the city have agreed to stay open late and offer special deals or holiday treats. Many districts have also arranged to have musicians play on the streets. Lakeshore will have rides around Lakeshore & Grand Avenue by Backseat Pedicabs and face painting. For a complete list of particiapting merchants and musicians check out ShopOakland.com

Districts with many participating businesses include:Grand/Lakeshore, Fruitvale, Piedmont, Rockridge and Laurel. Also, staying open for the event are stores on 17th St., MacArthur Boulevard, Seminary/Bancroft Avenues, and in Downtown, Uptown, Old Oakland, Foothill Square, West Oakland, and in the Golden Gate, Montclair and Temescal Districts. Go to ShopOakland.com for a complete updated list.


Great Gift Ideas for $50 and under available at Blankspace
Remember this is the last weekend for Holidayland!! we are open tonight until 8pm, Sat-Sun 12-8pm

Bird vs. Bird bags, wallets, stickers, magnets and pins $1.50 - $39


Mark Poulin Studios-assorted necklaces and earrings, $32- $45


Alena Rudolph- Potluck Pals, $40 each


Rowan Morrison-found paper journal, $10 each


Cubbyhole sleeves-keep your electronic devices and phones safe from scratches during transport or storage, $10 each

Shop Local at Holidayland Gift Sale

Holidayland is in full swing and we have so
many great gifty items available!!!

Come by and visit us Wed- Sun 12-8pm thru Dec 20th.

Get your picture taken in our Babe the Blue ox diorama.
$5 donation goes to purchase art supplies at 2 Oakland High Schools
Skyline and East Oakland School of the Arts.







Spin the Wheel O'Bounty
$1 gets you a spin and a chance to win
gift certificates adn other fun prizes




JUST A FEW OF OUR GREAT ITEMS:

Rowan Morrison
Found paper journals

Perfect bound with animal-free glue.
The paper assortment is unique for each individual book so no two journals are entirely alike.
$10
Made with love in Oakland



Potluck Pals by Schoolhouse Crafts
casserole totes
Never again balance that hot dish on your lap for the car ride.
Potluck pals take care of it for you.
made with vintage fabric and sturdy wooden handles.
$40 each



Kate Stirr
Handmade stoneware mugs
w/food safe glazes
$20-25 each





Sprout Studio
super cute earrings, hair clips and necklaces
made from vintage findings
$8-$30




1980's Inspired t-shirts and Sweatshirts are back!!
you asked and we handscreened
designed by local artist Steuart Pittman
$19.99-$24.99





Candice Gold
cutie cute hand raised succulents and flowers
$4-25 each









Handscreened Woodgrain
wrapping paper
6ft rolls
$9 each or 2 for $15





Handscreened 1970's inspired
t-shirts
exclusive designed t's
$19.99 each





Gina Tuzzi
Soul Carve Constellations
acrylic on wood
$60 each
each includes it's own tie dye pouch







Scott McLeod
small paintings on wood
$15-$75

Plaid Friday, November 27th, Indie Biz Shopping day

Hey All.

It has been a while, but boy do I have some great new Indie Biz news to tell!

First, Lena Reynoso (of The Compound Gallery fame) created an idea for an indie biz shopping alternative to the post Thanksgiving "Black Friday", November 27th. We are calling it PLAID FRIDAY.

In the past 6 weeks we have been able to mobilize over 50 local businesses and online shops to become part of the day. We were also able to get some amazing support from The EastBay Express, Yelp, OakBook, and Oakland Grown..they have all given us ad space and have been sending out eblasts and announcements for us. To top it off, we had an amazing web designer, Nicole Neditch of Objet d'art donate her services to come up with the awesomely cute website plaidfriday.com.

Go to the website to check out all of the great deals everyone is offering for the day. There is even an afterparty being hosted with drink specials for those wearing Plaid!!

I am so excited about all of the community organizational support and hope that you will help make this a successful campaign by supporting all of the local businesses, on November 27th and throughout the holidays!! Remember, Wear Plaid on November 27th While you shop.

Here is a link to some great press:
The Daily Californian :: Local Shops Hope 'Plaid Friday' Will Boost Sales

Posted using ShareThis

*******************************************************
HOLIDAYLAND 2009
featuring local artists, designers and crafts people

November 27 - December 20, 2009



Opening Reception:

* Plaid Friday, November 27th 6-9pm

First Friday Reception:
Friday, December 4th, 6-10pm

additional holiday cheer events Dec 13th and 20th 4-8pm

This is our 4th annual Holiday sale featuring over 100 local artists, designers and crafts people.
This gift sale has become a Blankspace tradition and for the second year we will be joining forces with The Compound Gallery located next door to create a holiday Extravaganza!

Both galleries will be themed with rustic Paul Bunyan decor and will feature small works of art, ceramics, accessories, paper goods, household goods, gifts for kiddies, jewelry and many more affordable indie gifts.

Many fun activities through out the sale including-
Getting your holiday photo taken in our themed photo booth (proceeds go to Art in Oakland Schools) and spin the Wheel o' bounty for prizes.

Galleries are open extended hours during the sale:
WEDNESDAY - SUNDAY 12-8pm
****

Sponsored by: Yelp and the EastBay Express

news, opens calls, indie biz updates and more

FIRST FRIDAY RECEPTION THIS FRIDAY, 7-10PM

It's Gonna be Awesome
New work by Narangkar Glover

September 10 - October 11

It's Gonna To Be Awesome features large scale oil paintings, one large scale (40 x 60 inch) embroidered painting, and a number of smaller studies. In this body of work Glover deals with personal space and individuality. The curvilinear shape depicted in her paintings is the homemade concrete skate bowl in her back yard. This is a landscape built for a single leisurely and social activity: skateboarding. The paintings serve as homage to the individualistic lifestyle around it, and the efforts made by individuals to sustain it.go to blankspacegallery.com for more info.

GALLERY HOURS: THURS-SUN 12-6pm

image: Today, oil on canvas, 2009
60" x 72"
PS- there are 2 other opening receptions happening next door at The Compound and Swee[t]art galleries during the same hours 7-10pm on Friday....3 great reasons to come to the Golden Gate Gallery District!!

INDIE BIZ NEWS

Things over here at the Blankspace camp have been very busy. So I apologize for slacking on the Indie Biz of the Week section of the blog.

So, as I mentioned last time I have been in my Blankspace bubble lately, but, I do want to mention a great restaurant that I have visited on more than one occasion and hope to return to soon.

Weird Fish is a small storefront restaurant on Mission St. in SF. This place is great for several reasons, the first being the affordable and extremely flavorful and well prepared dishes. I am not always comfortable ordering fish that is not Tuna or Salmon, but last time I was there I ordered the catfish served "buffalo wing" style. I swear that it was better than any buffalo style chicken wing I have every had. So good.

The food is tasty and affordable and more importantly the restaurant supports sustainable fishing practices and as their website states..."We serve locally grown vegetables, & prepare fish that is primarily farmed and sustainable. We are making conscious efforts to embody a green business practice at Weird Fish. All of our fish is farmed sustainably."

I have to also mention the french fries which are a delightful combo of yams and potatoes, yum.

Weird Fish

2193 Mission Street,
San Francisco, CA 94110

415.863.4744

Hours
Lunch
Mon - Fri: 11am - 5pm
Brunch
Sat - Sun: 9am - 5pm
Dinner
Sun - Thu: 5pm-10:30pm
Fri & Sat: 5pm-11:30pm

Closed on Tuesday

Open Calls

Pro Arts

Juried Annual 2010

Selections by Sherman Sam, Independent Curator, London

Registration Deadline: Friday, October 2, 2009, 6 pm

Exhibition Dates: November 24, 2009 - January 15, 2010

more info and to register online go to proartsgallery.com

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Artadia: The Fund for Art and Dialogue is now accepting applications for the Artadia Awards 2009
from all visual artists living and working in the 5-county San Francisco Bay Area.
APPLY NOW! APPLICATIONS CLOSE OCTOBER 15, 2009

Individual artists and collaboratives working in all media and at any point in their career are strongly encouraged to apply. Awardees will be selected in the fall of 2009 through Artadia’s two-tiered jury process. This is Artadia’s seventh awards cycle in the San Francisco Bay Area.

For eligibility requirements and to access the web-based application, please visit:

www.artadia.org
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Alternative Exposure Grant
Southern Exposure’s Alternative Exposure grant program seeks to fuel the energy of the local visual arts community by supporting the vibrant artistic activity that occurs on the ground level. Alternative Exposure grants provide direct support, up to $3,500, to individuals and groups working in the visual arts to create frameworks of support for other artists working and presenting work in our communities.

AltEx Round III Guidelines and Application lick here.

Application deadline: 6:00pm on November 6, 2009. See guidelines for specific information about how to submit a proposal.


SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION

Kerri Lee Johnson
Exhibition Closing Reception RESCHEDULED ONCE AGAIN for SATURDAY, October 3RD, 3:30-5:30PM

Kerri Lee Johnson
New work at SFMOMA Artists Gallery
with Emily Payne and David Ian Clark

September 3- -October 8
SFMOMA Artists Gallery,
Building A Fort Mason Center,
SF, CA 94123
415.441.4777
gallery hours: Tuesday- Saturday 11:30am - 5:30pm

Hi All,

The closing reception has been rescheduled AGAIN! BACK TO SATURDAY, October 3RD, 3:30-5:30pm. Sorry for any inconvenience. For those of you who are still if planning on coming by on Saturday, the SFMOMA Artists Gallery the gallery is open regular hours 11:30am-5:30pm. The show runs thru October 8th.

I am unsure myself why the reception has flopped back and forth, but I apologize for all this confusion.!! My head is spinning, I understand if u all are equally confused!!

Included in the exhibition are multiple drawings, four scrimshaw pieces on faux whale bone and two limited edition hand-colored prints. Images of the work can be found on my website and on flickr.

For purchase inquiries please contact the SFMOMA Artists gallery at 415.441.4777 or email me directly at info@kerrileejohnson.com

Note: stay tuned for my new website set to launch in mid October.

Image shown: Offering (girl), 2009
gouache, ink and graphite on paper
8" x 10"

blankspace news, open calls and indie biz

OPENING RECEPTION THIS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12th 6-9PM

It's Gonna be Awesome
New work by Narangkar Glover

September 10 - October 11

*Sunday Tea: September 20th 3-6pm
First Friday reception: October 2nd, 7-10pm

*sponsored by NUMI Tea of Oakland

It's Gonna To Be Awesome features large scale oil paintings, one large scale (40 x 60 inch) embroidered painting, and a number of smaller studies. In this body of work Glover deals with personal space and individuality. The curvilinear shape depicted in her paintings is the homemade concrete skate bowl in her back yard. This is a landscape built for a single leisurely and social activity: skateboarding. The paintings serve as homage to the individualistic lifestyle around it, and the efforts made by individuals to sustain it.go to blankspacegallery.com for more info.GALLERY HOURS: THURS-SUN 12-6pm

image: Today, oil on canvas, 2009
60" x 72"
PS- there are 2 other opening receptions happening next door at The Compound and Swee[t]art galleries during the same hours 6-9pm on Saturday Sept. 12th....3 great reasons to come to the Golden Gate Gallery District!!

INDIE BIZ NEWS

Things over here at the Blankspace camp have been very busy. So I apologize for slacking on the Indie Biz of the Week section of the blog.

Sadly I have to report that Magnet, one of my favorite boutiques on the East Bay is closing their doors next week. It is not all doom and gloom, Camille jsut had a baby and the decision to close came more from starting a new chapter in her life and not from the messy economy. Sad for me, but I wish her many happy days with her new baby. I have feeling we will be seeing other projects from her in the future.

I have not been out of my Blankspace bubble in the pasr few weeks, so I have not much to report, but I did go to Slash jeans today and they have tons of great new jeans in stock.

Open Calls

Pro Arts has a new open call:

Juried Annual 2010

Selections by Sherman Sam, Independent Curator, London

Registration Deadline: Friday, October 2, 2009, 6 pm

Exhibition Dates: November 24, 2009 - January 15, 2010

more info and to register online go to proartsgallery.com

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Artadia: The Fund for Art and Dialogue is now accepting applications for the Artadia Awards 2009
from all visual artists living and working in the 5-county San Francisco Bay Area.
APPLY NOW! APPLICATIONS CLOSE OCTOBER 15, 2009

Individual artists and collaboratives working in all media and at any point in their career are strongly encouraged to apply. Awardees will be selected in the fall of 2009 through Artadia’s two-tiered jury process. This is Artadia’s seventh awards cycle in the San Francisco Bay Area.

For eligibility requirements and to access the web-based application, please visit:

www.artadia.org

Indie Biz of the Week August 13, 2009

Indie Biz of the Week
{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{{}{}{}{}{}{}
Charles Chocolates
Yes, my neighborhood seems to have had more than it's fair share of chocolate factories in the past..well with Scharffenberger closed we are sadly down to just one within walking distance (jealous much).
As if making delicious artisan chocolate is not enough to bring you into their store, they now serve Blue Bottle coffee!!!! Yep, that coffee, blue bottle + chocolate= happy days.

At first Charles Chocolates can seem a bit intimidating, like you may not be worthy if you are not versed on the history and origin or the precious cacao bean. From the super designed packaging ( I admittedly tried the chocolate for the first time, solely based on the aesthetics of the packaging, ah, marketing...) to the ultra clean store, it can be scary.

I have to say though, what made me more inclined to go check out the factory/store in person was seeing the owner Charles on the Food Network challenge program. He was competing in a chocolate challenge and pretty much bombed. Not that I am happy he failed, but it humanized the chocolate for me. Somehow seeing him showing us his vulnerabilities on TV, in front of millions, felt comforting to me. So I walked down to the store and went inside. What I found was a friendly staff and lots of free samples!! mmm chocolate.

So I am a big fan of mixing chocolate and fruit, Charles has these "Orange Twigs" that melt in your mouth. Here is the description online..." delicate milk chocolate ganache with a hint of fresh orange is coated in a thin layer of 65% bittersweet chocolate and then finished with a sprinkling of confectioner's sugar."...if you want to be my new BBF bring me a case of these...just saying....

all images are from the Charles Chocolates website..and that gift box pictured....edible..

Charles Chocolates
6429 Hollis St
Emeryville, CA 94608
510-652-4412
charleschocolates.com
Showroom Hours :Tuesday through Friday 8:30am - 4:00pm
to find out about taking tours see the website

{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{{}{}{}{}{}{}

What's up at Blankspace?
"How Do You Know" a group exhibit of 16 Irish Artists curated by Gallery 126 in Galway, Ireland.

The show at Blankspace runs through August 30th. We are hosting a Tea this Sunday 3-6pm, come by and check it out. Participating artists include: Vera Klute, Paul Murnaghan, Padraig Robinson, Christopher Banahan, Jackie Nickerson, Emma Houlihan, Adelle Hickey, Bernie Masterson, Emmet Kierans, Fiona Chambers, John Jones, Theresa Nanigian, Paul Hickey, Helena O'Connor, Tanya O'Keefe and James Hayes.

Blankspace is proud to present a group exhibition curated by Gallery 126 in Galway Ireland. Blankspace has worked with 126 for over a year to produce exchange opportunities for local artists from both cities.

Local Bay Area artists will be exhibiting work in Ireland at the end of August. Both galleries share similar missions and goals when it comes to producing exhibitions; 126 and Blankspace are both artist run exhibition spaces that promote strong conceptual approaches and experimentation in artmaking.

In other news I rearranged the gallery store and brought in some cute new items. I am very excited to launch our online site, if all things go well it will launch at the beginning of September...I will keep you posted.

I also created a mural for the back wall, it had been a while since I had done a wall drawing, so I just went for it..here is a pic.


Blankspace would like to thank everyone who lent us equipment and time to make this exhibit happen including: Kala Art Institute, Eric Sanchez, John Wehrle, Sam Lopes, Brian Caraway, Keith Boadwee and The Compound Gallery as well as the Irish Arts Council and Gallery 126's Jim Ricks.

Indie Biz of the Week and other tidbits August 8th

Indie Biz of the Week
{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{{}{}{}{}{}{}
Urban Ore
So I am sure you all know about Urban Ore, but I have recently rediscovered how great it is. Until recently I had no particular hard to find item that I was in want or need of until I started restructuring the store area of Blankspace and then I began to realize I needed to take a walk over and check out the goods.

Not too surprisingly I found what I needed, some decent base board and some other cool stuff. Well... I may be getting a bit addicted to going over and checking what new items they have. Mostly I don't need a thousand old doors or windows, but I find a bit of inspiration from being around all the old wood and furniture.

The best part for me is that the people who work there seem to being going back to the old ways (I am referring to the old location in Berkeley) when you could haggle and often come away with free stuff included in your purchase. That makes me happy to be able to haggle a bit, for a while it was frustrating to go in and get attitude AND pay high prices at a salvage shop.

Most of the uber hipsters of the past have moved on to working record shops or install crews at various arts institutions, being replaced by some nice folks who have cute style and nice demeanor, yay, yay.

If you have never been, it is worth checking out.

Urban Ore
900 Murray St.
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 841-7283
Open Mon-Sat 8:30am-7pm; Sun 10am-7pm

{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{{}{}{}{}{}{}

What's up at Blankspace?
We just re-opened this past Friday (hence the late blog post) August 7th with "How Do You Know" a group exhibit of 16 Irish Artists curated by Gallery 126 in Galway, Ireland.

The opening went smooth and was well attended. We had our neighbors two piece band called Front Junk playing outside between the galleries, fun stuff. We were also celebrating the opening of Obi Kaufmann's new space called Sweet[art] gallery. Located next door on the 6602 side of the Compound Studios. Yay Obi.

The show at Blankspace runs through August 30th. Come by and check it out.

In other news I rearranged the gallery store and brought in some cute new items. I am very excited to launch our online site, if all things go well it will launch at the beginning of September...I will keep you posted. I also created a mural for the back wall, it had been a while since I had done a wall drawing, so I just went for it..here is a pic.