Mark Your Calendar: Art Auction at Industrielle

Women Wish 4 Equality, by Industrielle owner Dana Taylor

Thursday evening, May 8, from 7 to 9 p.m., Uptown Oakland's Industrielle Gallery hosts Kind Women for Womenkind, an art auction benefiting women affected by violence.

In the Morning, by Alice Tullar; The Calling Cards of Mysterious Ladies #15, by Kate Phillips

More than 30 local artists -- including Jessica Serran, Sita Rupe, Kim Bass, Mary Lonergan, Alice Tullar, and Kate Phillips (aka charmfoundry) -- have donated pieces to the show.

Homage to Wolf Kahn, by Mary Lonergan

If you're not in the area or can't make the auction itself, you can bid via email before the event. Starting bids -- some as low as $30 for this original artwork -- are just 30 percent of the work's market value. All proceeds from the auction will be donated to CARE, the international humanitarian organization.

Newsflash, by Jessica Serran; Surrender, by Sita Rupe

Industrielle is located at 33 Grand Avenue at Broadway in Oakland.

Spawned Out, by Judi Miller; Somewhere Under the Rainbow, by Kim Bass

Mark Your Calendar: Holiday Weekend Sales

This one's for you locals: Two great Oakland independent stores are celebrating Presidents Day Weekend -- and getting ready for spring -- with steep discounts on their winter wares.

Uptown Oakland's funky housewares shop and art gallery, Industrielle (shown above), is having a special one-day-only blowout with 40 percent off of its merchandise on Monday, February 18 from noon to 4 p.m. (While you're there, don't miss the Back to Basics photo exhibit.)

And Atomic Garden, the housewares and clothing eco-boutique in Rockridge, has marked down all of its fall goods by 30 to 60 percent.

Happy shopping!

Mark Your Calendar: Back to Basics

This Friday, February 1, Oakland's Industrielle hosts an opening reception for its Back to Basics exhibition featuring the pinhole and Dolga work of photographers Roy Berkowitz (above and below) and Travis Kuhl, as well as metal artist Khabir Salahadyn.

The reception runs from 7 to 10 p.m. during the monthly Oakland Art Murmur. Stop by and check it out if you're local. Industrielle is located at 33 Grand Avenue, in Oakland's gallery-packed Uptown district.

And while you're in the area, don't miss Neither Here Nor There (above) at Johansson Projects, Best Western (below) at Estaban Sabar Gallery, and Invisible Cities at Mercury 20 (bottom).

Over and Out

The hubby, kids, corgi, and I are off for a short vacation at the beach. I'll be back with regular posts on Monday, August 13. (I may pop up here for a random post or two before then, but don't bet on it ... )

In the meantime, if you live in these parts, don't forget about this weekend's fun East Bay events:

* The first-anniversary party at Industrielle, Feria Urbana at the Oakland Museum, and the Oakland Art Murmur tonight, August 3

* The warehouse sale at the Gardener in Berkeley tomorrow, August 4

* The Alameda Point Antiques & Collectibles Faire on Sunday, August 5

And while I'm away, be sure to check out the blogroll on the right-hand side of this page for some great reads and gorgeous eye candy.

Have a wonderful week!

(Photo: "Dash!" by flickr member seaskycoo.)

Retail Therapy: Industrielle

Sandwiched between two upstart art galleries in Oakland’s on-the-rise Uptown arts district sits Industrielle.

Part exhibition space and part boutique, Industrielle is the brainchild of local artist Dana Taylor, who calls it an “urban style gallery.” Taylor uses the high-ceilinged room to display her own collages (right) as well as the work of other local artists, including Sita Rupe, Jessica Serran, and Mary Younkin (below).

In addition, tables and shelves throughout the shop are filled with pottery, textiles, housewares, and other odds and ends -- much of it crafted by local artisans. “I wanted a space to show my own art, and I knew so many other people who were creating things that it just came together,” Taylor says.

There are pretty pillows from Joom (above); screenprinted tea towels, pillowcases, and clothing from Evo Noche; ceramics from Anna Vaughan and Lynn Ganser; and rock-chic wear from Billie Joe and Adrienne Armstrong's Adeline Street.

Mixed in with the locally produced goods are delicate Japanese paper boxes and trays, cloth-covered notebooks from Lotta Jansdotter, funky metallic pendant lights from DCI, A Concept plates and vases, and the occasional piece of vintage furniture. Prices are reasonable: Almost all of the housewares cost less than $50, and original art starts at about $75.

Industrielle is located at 33 Grand Ave., near the corner of Broadway. The shop is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, and until 10 p.m. during the Oakland Art Murmur’s First Fridays events.

This Friday, August 3, Industrielle celebrates its first anniversary with champagne and hors d’ouvres, live ambient music, and new artwork from David Seiler (below left), Taylor, Rupe, Serran (below middle), Julia Storrs, and Elisa Carozza-Kuhl (below right).

Update: I'm sad to report that Industrielle has closed. Owner Dana Taylor will be focusing on her own art and eventually reopening the shop and gallery in Los Angeles. Dana, Oakland will miss you!