A year ago, three groups came together out of love for our West Oakland community and all those who live, work, and play here.  We started joining forces with dedicated community groups, neighbors, businesses, and individuals to clean our streets, remove graffiti, and enhance the natural beauty of the world around us.

American Steel Studios, CORE Foods, and American Clothing Experiment want to invite you to join us in celebrating the Dr King Day of Service

Bags, pickers, vests, and latex gloves will be provided for litter removal. Paint, rollers, and gloves will be provided for graffiti removal, as well as supplies for beautification projects. Wear closed toe shoes, and if you have sturdy gloves, bring them.

Our supplies, dumpster and waste removal is generously donated through the City of Oakland Public Works Department and the offices of District 3 Council member Lynette McElheney.

Spread the word on Facebook, and join the event on All For Good.

date : January 20th
time : 1-4pm
local : 1960 Mandela Parkway, Oakland, enter on 20th
rsvp : outreach@americansteelstudios.org

In this workshop, you’ll be building an open-source IOT based of our smart aquaponics controller platform, to create a system capable of the following:

Remotely monitoring variables such as temperature, light level, sounds, and many more. automating processes such as turning on and off lights, raising blinds, controlling water flows, and many more. sending real-time alerts using twitter, text, or email. logging and visualizing data and providing graphical simulations. integrating with social networks such as facebook and twitter. video streaming, motion detection and time-lapse photography.

We will go through the process of soldering and assembling a controller from scratch, hacking a router into an embedded linux microcomputer, configuring your system to work with the backend database, and connecting your mobile device to the system so you can monitor and control your IOT controller over the internet.

Students must bring the following, a laptop with a linux shell (windows users will need cygwin)., a wr703n wireless router.

Optionally a soldering iron – if you do not have one, please email us after registering for the workshop and we’ll make arrangements to provide one for you.

If you have an idea of what you’d like your IOT controller to do, send us an email after registering for this workshop and we’ll let you know if you may want to bring additional materials!

date : Sunday January 19th
time : 10am – 6pm
locale : American Steel Studios, Bay 5
more info : here

Students in Oakland schools are invited to participate in the 2014 ReCreate Art Contest, Oakland’s annual recycled art competition, presented by Pro Arts.

Participants use discarded or reused materials in a creative application of the 4Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot. All students in grades K-12 are eligible to participate, and encouraged to attend free workshops at local Oakland Public Library branches to learn how to turn trash into artistic treasure. They’ll build with bits, sculpt from scraps or construct with odds and ends.

Pro Arts is an Oakland-based regional organization that encourages change in and through the arts to invigorate our communities.

Doug Blanc has teamed up with Dr. Lupin to provide wellness for the American Steel Studios Community. Don’t just live with those sore muscles, knotty shoulders and tired eyes – come on in and get a massage!

Massage, Craniosacral, Acupressure, Shiatsu and Foot Reflexology will be offered in their newly refurbished studio above the Ethiopian kitchen at the south end of the Bays.  Doug will be available Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays and by appointment.  Need him to come to your space with his massage chair — give him a call!  Sessions are 60 bucks for 60 minutes and $90 for 90.  Just need a tune-up?  You can also book 30 minutes for $35. 

Doug takes the suffering out of “Suffering for you art”!

Learn more, or schedule your appointment here. Or follow Doug on Twitter to get updates on availability.

The Crucible’s fiery fusion of fashion design and industrial art with two nights of wearable art, flame effects, performances, music, dance, and more.

Bay Area fashion designers and industrial artists have been collaborating for months to bring you one-of-a-kind pieces of wearable art melding haute couture concepts with fine and industrial arts.

This multidisciplinary performance will feature first-ever public viewings of stunning, cutting edge looks, new staging, fire effects, and runways in their West Oakland warehouse.

dates : Friday and Saturday January 10th + 11th
time : 7 – 11 pm, three shows nightly: 7:30, 8:30 + 9:30pm
locale : The Crucible, 1260 7th Street, Oakland CA 94607
more info : http://thecrucible.org/hot-couture-2014/

HistoryMakers / ScienceMakers Series! 

Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day and explore the dream through hands-on science activities. Meet Dr. Hattie Carwell for a presentation in the Lecture Hall at 1:30 pm, and learn about positive African American role models. Included with Museum admission. Members are always free. No reservations required. All ages welcome.

Presented in collaboration with Museum of African American Technology Science Village.

OMCA Family is made possible by generous support from the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

dates : Sunday, January 19th
time : 12 – 3 pm
locale : 1000 Oak Street, Oakland, CA 94607

The old Bay Bridge has connected our communities and has been part of our skyline for decades. Now it’s coming down.

But where will it go?

Speak up to preserve its vintage steel and keep it here in the Bay Area where it belongs – to make public art and civic installations for everybody to enjoy. It can be used to improve your Bay Area transit experience, make public art, beautify park spaces, and to create a wealth of things we haven’t even thought of yet…

If you want to support local creativity, celebrate the historic Bay Bridge and have a say in where and how the Bay Bridge comes to rest, please sign the petition to be heard!

Learn more and sign the petition to make steel from the old East Bay Bridge available for creative reuse here.

The Dusty Rhino graced the City of Angels on behalf of the Los Angeles Zoo for this year’s Hollywood Christmas Parade! Modified specifically for this event, the Giraffe was towed behind the Dusty Rhino down Hollywood Blvd, Vine, and the Sunset Strip.

December 20th : Hallmark Movie Channel at 5pm, & KTLA at 8pm
December 22nd : KTLA at 3pm
December 24th : The Hallmark Movie Channel at 11am
more info : www.dustyrhino.com

Bay Area Black Artists Exhibition and Self-Guided Art Tour

The Art of Living Black (TAOLB) Bay Area Black Artists Exhibition and Self-Guided Art Tour features emerging, mid-career and established artists of African American descent from the San Francisco Bay Area. TAOLB’s objectives are to provide a venue for showcasing local artists, giving the community an opportunity to purchase art in a variety of media directly from the artist, and to celebrate and share the Black experience through fine art. TAOLB is the only non-juried annual exhibition and art tour in the Bay Area to exclusively feature artists of African descent.

American Steel Studios tenants Karin Turner, Nannette Harris, Latisha Baker, Stephen Bruce, and Cheryl Derricotte will be showcasing their works as part of the 18th annual Art of Living Black Exhibition, February 22 & 23rd and Mar 1st + 2nd from 12 – 6pm, with a special reception on February 26th.

Stay connected and learn about all the Satellite exhibitions, get the latest news and updates from TAOLB on Facebook.