TONIGHT at 8pm we will be hosting the release party for Oakland-based Lawson’s debut, Tales from the Land of Lawson!

Lawson is a project of local saxaphonist Jacob Zimmerman and an ensemble comprised of Theo Padouvas (trumpet), Cory Wright (tenor sax), Rob Ewing (trombone), Michael Coleman (keyboard), Dan VanHassel (keyboard), Dan Good (electronics, trumpet). The evening will open with a performance by Zunu, featuring Zeina Nast (voice/guitar) and Alex Vittum (drums/synth).

Come on down at 8 and make sure to bring a little cash ($10 suggested donation) to support the musicians!

We’re really thrilled to present Of Course Not, a two person show by Oakland locals Jessalyn Aaland and Paul Morgan, opening this Saturday January 14th from 6-8! Jessalyn and Paul will be DJing some tunes of the dancehall/international/jazz variety. We will also have kettlecorn treats and handcrafted cocktails on hand!

Laura Ball, Charge (2011), Watercolor on paper, 22 x 30 inches

If you are looking for a place to bring your out-of-town visitors in the next few days, come check out the current show, Mystical Menagerie, before the gallery closes for the holidays from December 24th to January 3rd.

Come down to the gallery next Thursday, December 15 from 5-8pm to support the local students of College Track Oakland at their annual Winter Showcase 2011!

The event will feature student performances, music, dancing, and speakers to promote College Track Oakland and to raise funds for student leadership programming and donations for the Toys for Tots foundation. There will be raffles, local food vendors, dozens of prizes and many ways to give—simply donate online, bring in a toy for the Toys for Tots, or donate at the gallery. This is a community event to celebrate our youth, the belief in a brighter future, and the role of education and community to improve society for all.

The cool folks over at Yelp hosted a very successful Yelp Elite Event here at the gallery last week. Their fun and creative project included creating name tags from Shrinky Dinks. Check out the review for more photos and info about the event straight from the Yelpers who attended!

Also, in case you haven’t heard, we rent out our great space for all kinds of events. Want to get married in an art gallery? How about hosting your holiday party in a non-traditional venue? See our private events page for more information or to schedule a walk-through!

Please join us tomorrow, November 3rd, for Day of the Draw! An evening of live drawing and beer hosted by John Casey at Swarm. 20+ local artists who have collaborated in his Hands & Pants project currently on display at the gallery will be drawing live. Art made that night will be available for sale, so bring cash because you can buy drawings directly from the artists. This is a perfect opportunity to purchase some affordable art from some great Bay Area artists. John will be Ipod dj-ing and El TacoBike will be on hand providing good eats!

Participating artists include: Matt Decker, Marcos LaFarga, Narangkar Glover, Pete Glover, Teppei Ando, Obi Kaufmann, Scott Wilson, Jon Carling, Alison OK Frost, Nathaniel Parsons, Patricia Gillespie, Michael McConnell, Michele Theberge, Alison Tharp, Hunter Mack, Maya Kabat, Gina Tuzzi, Jake Watling, Crystal Morey, Alex Rosmarin, Kara Joslyn, and Erik Friedman.

(Note: This event was rescheduled from today, 11/2, due to Occupy Oakland’s declaration of a General Strike and Day of Action.)

Michael McDermott, We’ll Rescue you (Salvation) (2007)

Upon opening our doors this morning at the gallery and hearing the ominous swarm of helicopters still hovering nearby, we felt compelled to express our support of those Oaklanders who have been occupying downtown for the last few weeks.

We love our bikes here, so of course we are quite excited about Pedalfest (happening right around the corner from the gallery) this weekend! Pedalfest is a free celebration of all things bike on Saturday, October 22, 2011 from 10 am – 5 pm at Jack London Square. Some going on throughout the day include:

• Handmade show featuring bikes and gear by Soulcraft, Inglis, Retrotec, Black Cat, Caletti, Rebolledo, Steelman, Paragon, Paul and more
• Vintage bike show showcasing the beauty and history represented by local collections
• Entertainment including a trials demo by Giant Bicycles’ Chris Clark, a BMX show by the Clayton bikes team, Dirt jump demo by Andrew Taylor and other pro riders from the SF Expo AT showdown
• The Whiskey Drome: Enjoy the show or ride the mini velodrome yourself. Just a warning: it can be habit forming
• New Belgium beer garden, all proceeds donated to Walk Oakland Bike Oakland and East Bay Bicycle Coalition
• Live music provided by a Rock the Bike pedal-powered sound stage
• Vendor area featuring clothing, food, and local shops representing their brands
• Kids’ zone with pedal-powered amusement rides, bike powered spin art, bike decoration station, Childrens Hospital safety program and a bike parade led by Red Tricycle

Also, those of you who dwell across the bay will be delighted to know that the ferry is offering FREE rides to Pedalfest for bicyclists! (Limited to 80 bikes per ferry departure—just board the boat at the San Francisco Ferry Building Gate E with your bike and ride for free!).

Don’t forget to stop in at Swarm if you’re near. And if you ride your bike, as you should, make sure to take advantage of our lovely bike rack that just turned 1 years old this September (thanks, city of Oakland!)

In just a few weeks we’ll be playing host once again to some great musical happenings (in keeping with the tradition, we suppose) at Swarm!

Saturday October 22, 9pm @ Swarm:
Grex “Second Marriage” album release extravaganza with Weiner Kids and Alee Karim & the Science Fiction. $5 suggested donation, all ages, all fun times, and most certainly some refreshments. Do your ears a favor and come see these great folks play!

Classic: John Casey and Obi Kaufmann

We had a great turnout last night for the opening of John Casey’s Tall Tales and Jake Watling’s 4 Directions: International Blvd in the project space. Thanks to all 65 participating artists, the Trappist for pouring up good beer all night, and everyone who made their way down to the gallery to celebrate this huge show! More photos from the opening after the jump.