Gardeners of Belonging Exhibition

 

Fam, I'm honored to tell you that I have been chosen as one of 7 artists to paint and design large 8' x 8' pieces honoring other creative, active, and giving folks. My choice? The People's Kitchen Collective! But why? What? Peep......

Gardeners of Belonging celebrates people who cultivate growth, flourishing, and belonging: like gardeners, they know that this work is both about tending plants and about tending the soil. The seven participating artists each selected a “gardener” from their life and created a portrait while sharing a dialogue about belonging. The art works were created for the 14th @lifeislivingfest in West Oakland and then moved to @ybca as part of the exhibition Brett Cook and Liz Lerman: Reflection and Action.


Featuring: Gardeners x Artists:
-Roberto Bedoya & Brett Cook
-Sister Peace & Erin Yoshi
-Miss Major & Evan Bissell
-People’s Kitchen Collective & Robert Trujillo
-Joan Osato & Nick James
-Jean Melesaine & Vanessa “Agana” Espinoza
-Amalia Mesa-Bains & Johanna Poethig


October 8 Life is Living
10AM-6PM
Lil Bobby Hutton Park
1651 Adeline St., Oakland CA


October 30th Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
2PM-4PM
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
San Francisco, CA


Come check it out! Dig this? Check out Brett Cook

Life is Living - Reading at 12:30pm

 

Yo, it's that time. The annual "Life is Living Festival" is upon us once again next week in Lil Bobby Hutton Park (DeFremery Park) in West Oakland. It's been back in person in all it's glory, so come through with that good vibe.

About the fest: The 2022 Life is Living Festival, presented by Youth Speaks is Saturday, October 8, 2022 at Lil Bobby Hutton Park in West Oakland (1651 Adeline St., West Oakland). Join us for activations from The Peoples Kitchen Collective, Town Park, Oakhella, ArtEsteem, the City of Oakland’s Cultural Affairs Commission, Dark Star Universe, BAOBOB, Edutainment for Equity, Emily Butterfly's Kid's Zone and more of your favorite local CBOs.


This multi-generational, multi-disciplinary festival celebrates and highlights everything that is beautiful about Oakland – the joy, diversity, adversity, and revolutionary spirit that vibrates through the streets of the city. Join us as we continue the legacy and tradition of celebrating The Town.

As with so many years, Emily Butterfly is welcoming children in the kids zone. I will be there reading at 12:30 alongside other authors and performers. For 14 years, the LIL Kids Zone has been creating a safe and nurturing space for young children and their families at the Life Is Living Festival. Produced and hosted byMs. Emily Butterfly (@ms.emilybutterfly) the Kids Zone welcomes the Jr. Art And Science Center, The Attitudinal Healing Collective, Social Justice Story Tent, Face Painting, Games, Snacks, and Story Tent.

This is the schedule for the Kids Zone:

10:30AM Kendo Martial Arts
11:00AM YGB
11:30AM Jill Guerra
12:00PM Alphabet Rockers
12:30PM Robert Trujillo
1:00PM Iwalani
1:30PM West Oakland Library
2:00PM Emily Butterfly
2:30PM Mr. Limata
3:00PM Iwalani

I will also be participating as a visual artist w/ a piece in Brett Cook's Gardeners of Belonging. It's a big painting and I'm honoring the. "People's Kitchen Collective". Among some of the other artists painting- Erin Yoshi, Evan Bissell, DJ Agana, Nick James, and Johanna Poethig.

For more information please visit LIFE IS LIVING

Dig this? Check out this video of Life is Living 2016

Life is Living 2020

 

For the past 11 years, Emily Butterfly has devoted herself to producing the Kids Zone at the Life Is Living Festival at Little Bobby Hutton (aka: Defremery) park in West Oakland. Creating a safe and fun environment for the children and elevating some of the best children's entertainers in the Bay Area!! I will be there reading to the babies for story time! 

Our 13th annual Life Is Living Festival is happening online this year!

I invite the entire family to tune in to this fabulous free event this Saturday!

The Kids Zone offers a fabulous lineup of storytelling, music, singalongs and puppetry including:

*Storyteller Kanyon Sayers-Roods. Kanyon is Costanoan Ohlone and Chumash; she also goes by her given Native name, Hahashkani, which in Chumash means "Coyote Woman". Cozy up. with Kanyon and enjoy her word weaving imagery through her wonderful storytelling.

*Music with Everyday Party.This dynamic musical duo is composed of the crafty tune collaborators: Iwilani Venerable and Monica Hastings Smith. They are both music educators in the Bay Area who will keep your body moving and vocal chords crooning to their totally fun and educational songs.

*Storybook wizard,Robert Trujillo will be sharing the beautiful books that he writes and illustrates!

*The Oakland Public Library will be represented by the West Oakland branch's new children's librarian, Mikal Hemingway!

* Musical virtuoso, Gabby La La will delight you with a totally sweet and inviting singalong!

* Ms. Emily Butterfly and her puppet friends edutain with a faery magical story that encourages unlimited devotion and joyous stewardship of the Earth.

🌼🌼🌼🌼

The entire program is FREE dollars and Free cents and can be safely viewed from the comfort of your home!!

Remember to register before the event at: https://hopin.to/events/lifeisliving

Invite all your friends!!!

It will be a FAERY GOOD TIME!!!!!

Life is Living is coming

Its coming! LINK

Come bring your children to the kids zone! 

Life is Living 2019 coming up

Possibility is a theme i can get with. Mark your calendars for Life is Living 2019 on October 12th! Stay tuned to Youth Speaks site for details LINK.

Video: Life is Living 10

Video: please watch this video w/footage from the 10th annual Life is Living Festival. It features interviews w/founders of the fest, participants, and people enjoying themselves. This past yr I got to participate by giving to the festival as a planner of the book zone in collaboration w/ Emily Butterfly leader of the kids zone. Shout out to Hodari B. Davis, Joan Osato , all the zone leaders, and all the folks who come! U want to be involved in the 11th? 

Holler and share this video. 

Kids & Book Zone- Life is Living back on

Check it out, so we're back on this Saturday. Bring your babies, teens, and family to Life is Living. This is an intergenerational event. So, I will be there with several authors doing storytime: Grace Caroll, Tiffany Golden, Laurin Mayeno, and Kamaria Lofton.  We will be there as part of the Kids Zone!

The event was postponed briefly as we were trying to avoid putting folks outside in dangerously smoky and toxic air. After the northern California fires the smoke was everywhere and not good for the babies, the performers, or the people. But, we're back. 

If you would like to send relief to the folks affected in the fires and in Puerto Rico, please check out this LINK. Come through to Life is Living!

Life is Living: POSTPONED

Hey everyone, The 10th Annual Life Is Living Festival slated for this Saturday, October 14th at DeFremery Park in West Oakland is POSTPONED due to fires and our growing concern for the health and wellness of our people. We are calling on our community to support immediate relief efforts for our friends and family impacted up North. Please stay tuned for updates here or at http://www.lifeisliving.org/

Video: Life is Living

Life is Living 2016
2014 Life is Living Fest
this year i'll be participating in the fest for the 2nd time as the organizer of the Book Zone, which coincides with Emily Butterfly's "Kids Zone". Bring your children to do activities , hear story time, and just chill. RSVP HERE