Oak Tree Arts Center

02/18/2024

Interesting style

04/01/2023

The Art Community making a way

The 4-story historic Dempster building at 447 Minna has been redone and repurposed, revitalized from its heyday as a Hearst-era print shop, the charming brick facades and the

06/18/2017

There's something glorious about seeing a Black woman make racist white men sh*t their pants – AFROPUNK

There's something glorious about seeing a Black woman make racist white men sh*t their pants – AFROPUNK

at the Senate Intel Committee, badass former prosecutor Sen. Kamala Harris was cut off by her colleague, senior member Sen. John McCain during her line of questioning of Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III about his and administration’s involvement in Russian efforts to subvert our so...

01/04/2016

Holiday party!!!

09/04/2015

Pythia Arts Center for Social Change

Pythia Arts Center for Social Change

Yesterday we arranged for an internship with Youth Radio in Oakland for one of our young teenagers. He is really talented and creative, so I am very curious as to what will happen with this new adventure. Now he is going to have to figure out how to balance school, football, and a radio show. Heh.
We also held one-on-ones with some sweeties for homework. A piano lesson and dance class broke up homework time as a way to re-boot the nervous system after struggling with new vocabulary. We read together "A Time of Wonder" by Robert McCloskey, which was my favorite book when I was a little girl, and some Shel Silverstein. The children were fed food that was donated by the Anderson family. We also acted as the neighborhood taxi/ambulance for those needing to go to the hospital, and pick up their children.We are going to need to get one of those small buses with a wheelchair lift eventually.

03/23/2015

So far, this year has included field trips to see Cirque du Soleil, attendance at the Theatre Bay Area General Auditions with a backstage tour afterwards, trips to see a performance of Scott Wells and Dancers and a performance of Dame Edna, hikes in the forest, yoga, art classes, swimming at the East Oakland Sports Center, trips to the library (with old fines taken care of, and new library cards obtained), field trips to restaurants of different cultures and economic statures and teaching appropriate etiquette and table manners, homework, birthday parties, tumbling classes, and dance classes. And, the addition of Cleo, a street kitty who held vigil outside our front door one night, and passionately insisted on living with us...for half an hour. She was spayed last Tuesday and is recovering just fine, as you can see; she is the kitty lying on her back. The other kitty is Samantha Sweetiepie, another street kitty that was brought to us by good friends. Part of our work here is neighborhood advocacy for animal rights, and our three loving kitties are a vital part of it...showing how to care for animals, and nurturing a respect for all forms of life, especially the lives of those vulnerable and reliant upon us, are important steps towards ending violence and abuse, and connecting children to their hearts. Watching pets being killed, lying dead in the street, or taken away by animal control due to abuse, over and over and over again, can be heart-numbing.

11/19/2014

My favorite community based non-profit.

02/12/2014

Pythia Arts Center for Social Change

We are so proud of our warrior, fighting in the heat of a blinding sun. Thanks to all who are supporting our effort to find innovative, effective approaches towards community development and healing. It really does take a village to accomplish such a monumental effort from a child.

12/27/2013

Pythia Arts Center for Social Change

We celebrate events and holidays over a number of days here at the Oak Tree Arts Center. Christmas festivities started yesterday at 4pm with christmas tree mounting and decorating. 5-year old May-May and 12-year old Rufus helped with the shopping. May-May arranged the birds and the nests.

12/24/2013

Saturday we had an amazing time with the children when Santa came through... The kids really enjoyed the party..

09/27/2013

She is feeling shy, but she is real, and she is true. This is Sasha, our new intern who is in the third grade. She helps us out at the Oak Tree Arts Center a couple of times a week. As part of her internship, she is learning how to keep a timesheet, count money, and save up for things, as well as learning about all of the elements of creating a dance production, and nutritious cooking. She also receives help with her homework, and dance classes. At home, she helps to take care of five younger brothers and sisters.

This is the piggy bank that holds her earnings that we keep in a secret place, named Isabella. She doesn't get to share it with anyone else. Sasha already has created a wish list.

08/31/2013

Urie Bronfenbrenner quotes | Quotations at Dictionary.com

Quote for the day: "Development, it turns out, occurs through this process of progressively more complex exchange between a child and somebody else--especially somebody who's crazy about that child." -Urie Bronfenbrenner

08/29/2013

School started this week, on Monday! We made sure that all of our students are enrolled in schools (a few of them are in better schools for the first time), are making it to class each day on time, with uniforms, shots and check-ups done, sneakers, supplies, backpacks, homework done, vitamins taken, and breakfasts carefully monitored to not include too much sugar (along with nutritional education)! YAY! And we are very glad that Alissa and Anthony are back from visiting Africa. Next week we add dance classes, video classes, and art. Many elements affect one's ability to function, dance, thrive, and be creative, so we are a holistic arts program for community development.

08/15/2013

Quote for the day: "Worldwide, studies of children of misfortune have found the most significant positive influence to be a close, caring relationship with a significant adult who believed in them, and with whom they could identify, who acted as an advocate for them, and from whom they could gather strength to overcome their hardship." From "Strengthening Family Resilience" by Walsh, F (2006).

08/15/2013

Getting ready for Ballet!

08/04/2013

Ken Robinson: How schools kill creativity | Video on TED.com

Oh yes!!!

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.

08/02/2013

...and this is where Miss Dawn sleeps. Where Miss Dawn eats. Today we started building a city out of recycled materials, and it's ending on Monday. At 7pm, we went to see the SF Mime Troupe at Lake Merritt.

07/28/2013

Then we were carried by a jam-packed, 2-car parade to the beach in Alameda, where Rufus started working on another video...but isn't ready to show it yet. Other children worked on choreography and dance by the ocean. The kids came back to the Oak Tree Arts Center afterwards to have a snack, and look at the footage. The ones without running water in their homes took baths.