“Youth Spirit Artworks: Youth Find Healing in Community Art Program”

Tikkun Daily by Annie Pentilla on October 15th, 2013

“If you’ve ever walked along Ashby Street between Shattuck and Telegraph in Berkeley, you might have noticed the colorfully tiled bollards lining the street. Busy commuters who travel Ashby everyday can easily overlook the mosaics on these cement posts, but those who do are missing out on a powerful artistic display of the thoughts, histories, emotions, and ambitions of Berkeley’s homeless and “at-risk” youth.”

Read the full article here.

Greetings from Alcatraz Ave: Meet Youth Spirit Artworks

On one end, you’re in Oakland. At the other, you’re in Berkeley. If you keep going, you’ll end up back in Oakland. If you trip, you’ll fall into Emeryville. It’s an interesting mash-up of municipalities with a rich history of activism and commerce. When I moved here 10 years ago, there was only one restaurant within a short walk and the newspaper once referred to Alcatraz as a “corridor of violence” between South Berkeley and North Oakland gangs. Now it sports a bicycle collective, a cupcake shop, several cafes, two yoga studios, a weekly farmers’ market and about five more spaces with permits to open in the next six months…. Read the full article here