Details on the salon:
With: Anita Gail Jones talks with Cynthia Brannvall, Malcolm Ryder, and a surprise guest
Who: You and literary friends
What: Our own private art colloquy
When: February 15, 4 to 6 pm
Where: 1040 56th Street, Oakland (near Emeryville)
Why: Because we all deserve great art
RSVP: Just come
On February 15, the topic is “Art of the African Diaspora,” and it will be a discussion of questions provoked by the exhibit of the same name. The AOTAD show, now in its 28th year, is the longest-running event of its kind in the Bay Area.
Started by the Richmond Art Center in response to a dearth of work by Black artists in galleries and exhibitions, the show has grown to the point where, today, more than 150 artists are on display from January 25 through March 22, at the Richmond Art Center as well as satellite exhibitions across the Bay Area, including the East Side Art Alliance in Oakland; El Cerrito City Hall; Ethnic Notions 1 in Vallejo; the Hercules Library; and El Sol restaurant and Kaleidoscope Coffee in Point Richmond. Artist works are even featured at the Macy’s in San Francisco’s Union Square and a San Jose library.
Three Exhibiting Artists
Our talk, to be hosted by Bay Area artist and novelist Anita Gail Jones (The Peach Seed), will feature three exhibiting artists: Cynthia Brannvall, also an art historian, will give perspective on this and other efforts that have responded to the need to spotlight these often-overlooked artists. Malcolm Ryder will share the insights expressed in his two reviews of this show, in 2023 and 2025. The third artist (yet to be confirmed—busy guy), will offer tales from a lifelong career of making art in Oakland. They will have all works to display around us.