Celebrating the thriving Oakland arts scene

The band Phat Luv performs for attendees of the Oakland First Fridays street festival in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, June 2, 2017. The art, music, food and community festival takes place every first Friday of the month, weather permitting. Telegraph Avenue is closed to traffic between West Grand Avenue and 27th Street for the festivities. less The band Phat Luv performs for attendees of the Oakland First Fridays street festival in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, June 2, 2017. The art, music, food and community festival takes place every first Friday of ... more Photo: Laura Morton, Special To The Chronicle Photo: Laura Morton, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 38 Caption Close Celebrating the thriving Oakland arts scene 1 / 38 Back to Gallery

If you’re looking to get into an argument with someone from Oakland, the most efficient thing to do is refer to their city as “The Brooklyn of San Francisco.” Residents know their city has its own energy and appeal, and with a popular local t-shirt lauding Oakland as “The Sunny Side of the Bay,” comparisons to a city covered in snow part of the year doesn’t make sense anyway.

A major part of Oakland’s specific, sunnyside appeal is its thriving arts scene, which includes both homegrown talent and national and international performers who appear in venues around town. From First Friday Art Walks in the Uptown and KONO neighborhoods, to world-class jazz performances at Yoshi’s in Jack London Square, to the majestic sight of summer fog rolling in over the top of musical theater performances in the WPA-era Woodminster Amphitheater in the hills, the Oakland arts scene offers breadth and depth.

Reflecting the city’s diversity and spurred by a wealth of local talent, creativity and innovation abound. From original musical compositions to home grown dance to leaders in the visual arts now is the time to support the artists, dancers, singers, actors and performers who make Oakland’s arts scene hum. Here’s a taster plate of activities to get you started.

Art

Creative Growth Art Center: A professional studio environment for artists of all ages who happen to be disabled, Creative Growth Art Center in Uptown includes a gallery for exhibiting and selling the work of the artists who thrive in the center’s open, collaborative and accessible space.

EastSide Arts Alliance and Cultural Center: This organization of Third World artists, cultural workers and community organizers of color presents gallery exhibitions by photographers and visual artists, as well as archival footage like posters, poetry, vinyl, books and other items reflecting cultural movements from around the globe.

Joyce Gordon Gallery: This commercial fine art gallery in the heart of Oakland’s Black Arts Movement and Business District downtown, and its high ceilings and hardwood floors have provided a similarly elegant backdrop for the work of nationally-recognized Bay Area artists since 2003.

Betti Ono: An experimentally minded space for art, culture and community also in the Black Arts Movement and Business District, the venue is dedicated to amplifying the work and voices of under-represented artists. The gallery values art making as a form and function of activism, self-determination, community transformation and cultural resilience.

Oakland Art Murmur: In conjunction with the Oakland First Fridays, OAM is a network of more than 50 galleries (concentrated in the Uptown neighborhood but with participating galleries well beyond) that welcomes art lovers to peruse sculpture, painting, textiles and more for free. Check out their Saturday Strolls.

Murals around town: Blank walls and underpasses don’t stay that way for long in Oakland, and a walk through nearly any neighborhood will include glimpses of creative public art. From Uptown and Chinatown to Jingletown and Fruitvale and everywhere in-between, Oakland’s murals tell the story of a diverse city’s rich culture.

Dance and Theater

AXIS Dance Company: Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2017, the AXIS ensemble of dancers with and without physical disabilities tours nationally and internationally, inspiring audiences with the beauty and grace of its physically integrative choreography.

Bandaloop: This gravity-defying, Oakland-based troupe plies its vertical choreography on the sides of bridges, architectural landmarks and skyscrapers around the world, bringing together performance and climbing skills to create something entirely new.

New Style Motherlode: This popular hip-hop dance studio offers an array of classes from beginner-friendly cardio hip-hop to Soulful Trap for advanced dancers, as well as performances. Members of NSML’s Youth Dance Program wow audiences from regional festival stages all summer; R&B sensation Kehlani is an alum.

Ubuntu Theater Project: Named after a Zulu proverb that acknowledges shared humanity, Ubuntu’s productions seek to create a sense of interconnectedness and address the roots of social dysfunction. Its mantra of radical inclusivity extends to ticket sales, which are conducted on a pay-what-you-can basis.

Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts: A popular performance and visual arts center is home to a number of residential organizations including the Oakland Symphony Youth Orchestra, Dimensions Dance Theater Company, Likha Pilipino Folk Ensemble, Diamano Coura West African Dance Company and others.

Entertainment

Yoshi’s: An East Bay fixture since the early ’70s, Yoshi’s is known for some of the best jazz in the Bay Area, served alongside traditional Japanese cuisine. Its intimate performance space with a state-of-the-art sound system is the perfect setting to catch not only jazz, but world music, R&B and acoustic sets from big name performers.

Oakland Metro Operahouse: Don’t let the name mislead you into expecting librettos and arias; the Operahouse is a black box performance venue featuring mainly metal, punk, and hardcore bands, not to mention the monthly Tourettes Without Regrettes variety show and the underground pro wrestling event Hoodslam.

Stork Club Oakland: Located in the Uptown neighborhood, this funky dive bar hosts a bluegrass jam on Mondays, a burlesque show on First Fridays and DJs, karaoke, and live music to fill the calendar. Cheap drinks and a back patio make it a good stop for an Oakland bar crawl.

The New Parish: As a small venue that punches above its weight, this venue has a calendar of national acts from the reggae, rap, R&B and world music scenes, as well as comic talent. The second-floor balcony provides a great vantage point to the small stage, and the patio lets you take a breather between acts.

Starline Social Club: With an eclectic offering of jazz, folk, swing dancing and live music in its bar and ballroom, the Starline also offers a full restaurant, and a tea parlour that screens free movies every day at noon.

If you go

Creative Growth Art Center: 355 24th St., Oakland, (510) 836-2340, info@creativegrowth.org, http://www.creativegrowth.org.

EastSide Arts Alliance: 2277 International Blvd., Oakland, (510) 533-6629, www.eastsideartsalliance.org

Joyce Gordon Gallery: 406 Fourteenth St., Oakland, (510) 465-8928, www.JoyceGordonGallery.com

Betti Ono: 1427 Broadway, Oakland, (510) 473-5919, www.bettiono.com

Oakland Art Murmur: First Fridays of every month, rain or shine, 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Saturday Stroll, 1-5 p.m. weekly, www.oaklandartmurmur.org

Oakland Street Mural Guide: www.visitoakland.com

Axis Dance Company: 1428 Alice St., Suite 200, Oakland, (510) 625-0110, www.axisdance.org.

Bandaloop: 1601 18th St., Oakland, (415) 421-5667, www.bandaloop.org

New Style Motherlode: 4225 Broadway, Oakland, (510) 597-1056, www.newstylemotherlode.com

Ubuntu Theater Project: 1433 12th Ave., Oakland, (510) 646-1126, www.ubuntutheaterproject.com

Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts: 1428 Alice St., Oakland, (510) 238-7217, www.mccatheater.com

Yoshi’s: 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland, (510) 238-9200, www.yoshis.com

Oakland Metro Operahouse: 522 2nd St., Oakland, (510) 763-1146, www.oaklandmetro.org.

Stork Club Oakland: 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, (510) 444-6174, www.storkcluboakland.com.

The New Parish: 579 18th St., Oakland, (510) 444-7474, www.thenewparish.com.

Starline Social Club: 2236 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland, (510) 593-2109, www.starlinesocialclub.com.