Mark Your Calendar: Art Steals and Other Great Deals (Plus, Fire!)

Loads of fun stuff happening in the East Bay this weekend for any locals who may be reading:

Friday night, September 5, is the monthly Oakland Art Murmur. A few gallery openings worth checking out:

Everybody Get Up: The Poor Man's Art Show runs from September 5 through 26 at the Rock Paper Scissors Collective. It features over 100 pieces of original art on cardboard, with nothing priced over $50.

At Johansson Projects, Outpost showcases the work of David Hamill and Jeff Konigsberg, which "probes the imaginary and illusory properties of architecture."

Swarm Gallery hosts an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. for Casey Jex Smith's Materials Unorganized, which strives to "create a visual narrative of spiritual experience."

While you're there, pick up a copy of Dan Nelson's limited-edition All Known Metal Bands ($22), which is exactly what it sounds like and is the latest offering from the irony-laced McSweeney's publishing empire.

At Rowan Morrison, L.A. artist Seth Armstrong's solo show, Where So Ever You May Go, features narrative paintings that "mix a personal family history with the exploits of marauding masked men." (Update: Rowan Morrison won't actually be open Friday night, but you can see the new show there during regular business hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays.)

Horror Vacuuim at WELL consists of solo pieces from Jeff Roysdon and Mats!?, as well as "improvisational collaborations with disastrously successful consequences," and promises to "give your retinas a serious work-out. Optical Electro-Shock Treatment."

As always, the Murmur runs from 6 p.m. until about 10.

(Note: I just read on OakBook that Esteban Sabar Gallery has closed. I know that Sabar himself was somewhat controversial among his Art Murmur peers, and I didn't always love the shows at his gallery -- though I did like many of them. Still, I'm sad to see him go, and sad to see any high-profile gallery in Oakland's burgeoning Uptown area shuttered.)

Also in Oakland Friday evening: Red Cake Gallery's Autumn Open House, featuring affordable new paintings by Allen Stickel (above) and others. Email for reservations and directions.

Finally, Old Oakland's FiveTen Studio will hold an opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. for Inseparability, a new show with work from Zoe Blackwell (above), Christine Kesler, Brooke Inman, and several other participating artists.

The shops on Berkeley's Fourth Street are having their annual Sidewalk Sale on Saturday, September 6, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Discounted wares from the splendid-but-spendy Gardener, for instance, will be 40 percent off.

Also on Saturday, West Oakland's fiery Crucible hosts its annual, free Fall Open House from noon to 6 p.m. Come check out the fire-arts organization's 56,000-square-foot studio and see artwork from Crucible students and staff; fire, music, and dance performances; a metal pour in the foundry; and welding, glass working, metal casting, and blacksmithing demonstrations.

If you're hungry, don't miss the Green Potluck from 1 to 4 p.m. at Old Oakland boutique Mignonne. Food from B Restaurant, Tamarindo Antojeria, G.B. Ratto & Co., and Sweet Adeline Bakeshop will be provided -- you simply choose from the shop's selection of lovely vintage tableware on which to enjoy the goodies. Once you're done chowing down, you'll get 25 percent off the dishes you used.

Things I Hella Love About Oakland: The Art Murmur

I know I keep harping on the Oakland Art Murmur, the "art walk" around the upstart, gallery-studded Uptown area that takes place the first Friday of each month. But I'm not going to stop until you all go -- at least those of you within driving distance.

Nick and I try to attend the Art Murmur as often as we can, because it's fun and because we've been introduced to several artists there whose work we promptly fell in love with. Last month, I actually had the foresight to grab my camera before we headed out the door, so here's my little amateur photographic ode to the monthly Murmur:

My favorite Oakland art gallery, Johansson Projects, where I'm always blown away by the shows. Kimberly Johansson: You're totally rockin' it, girl.

Nick ponders Paul Hayes' Cultivated Momentum -- made up of thousands of pieces of folded paper suspended from the ceiling -- at Johansson.

Sorry, just have to add a quick aside here to my kids, who lately have been refusing to do anything with us that doesn't involve, like, roller coasters and French fries -- and I'm talking the full-on, foot stomping, hands on hips, growling "I'm NOT going!" through clenched teeth sort of refusing. Last month, we got so fed up with this routine that we just tossed a cereal box at them for dinner, turned on our heels, and left them at home. (Our son recently turned 13, so I'm pretty sure that wasn't actually illegal.)

Anyway: See, guys, there *are* other kids at the Murmur! Some of your friends, actually! And doesn't it look like they're even kind of having a good time? I know you find it all sort of insufferable, but when you grow up I hope you'll be like, "Yeah, our parents were always dragging us to flea markets and noisy concerts and freaky art shows. That was cool." Plus, if you come next month without complaining, we might buy you donuts.

In order to get to the crackers and beer at the back of the Egopark Gallery, you had to climb through this web-like installation. I'm not quite sure what the message was supposed to be, but it was kinda cool.

"But what does it all mean?" she wondered ...

The Bloom Screen Printing/Small Stakes print sale was packed. We snagged this "scratch-and-dent" print by Portland's Ryan Jacob Smith for $5. It now resides on our refrigerator, where our daughter keeps covering up the bad word with magnets. We've tried explaining to her that it's Art, and thus OK, but she remains unconvinced.

I don't know what this bus was or what, exactly, it was doing there. But it was full of revelers having a mighty fine time, and had such a sweet herbal aroma wafting out of the windows that I'm pretty sure we got a contact high simply from standing next to the bus for a minute. So let's just call it "The Party Bus."

These pictures coming out blurry was totally unintentional -- I swear I wasn't trying to be arty. But I like how they sort of capture the roiling energy of the whole shindig.

Hmm ... do you think someone's trying to send me a message?

Here's the thing about the Oakland Art Murmur: You don't necessarily go for the art, because lately the Murmur has been so thronged that you can't actually get that close to the art. (Above is a shot of the scene at the Science Fair show at the Rock Paper Scissors Collective, for instance, where a DJ was spinning and people were mostly just hanging with friends.)

You go for the funky, celebratory vibe of it all, to hear some random dude throwing down rhymes on the corner, and for the chance to carry an open beer can around with you on the street. And then you go back to the galleries the next day and actually look at the art in peace and quiet.

This month's Murmur is Friday, May 1, from 6 p.m. to 9-ish. Here's my suggested game plan: Line up at the counter at Mama Buzz Cafe for a fair-trade coffee and vegan sandwich -- both served up with a side of tattooed-grrrl attitude -- and enjoy them on the back patio. Or go slightly more upscale at Luka's Taproom or the new Flora restaurant, which is winning raves. Then check out the galleries -- the Propagations exhibit pictured above is still up at Johansson Projects, as is the Venue show at Front Gallery, and there are openings or relatively new shows up at Blankspace, Mercury20, Esteban Sabar, Oakopolis, and Rock Paper Scissors. After the galleries start closing up, grab a drink and see a couple of bands at The Uptown, Stork Club, or 21 Grand.

Seriously, people -- it's a party. You should go.