midsummer and public art

Happy midsummer! I can’t believe the sun is already on the wane, especially since we haven’t had much warm weather yet in Oakland. This weekend was gorgeous, though, and we got to take in some public art at the Oakland Block Party, enjoyed a leisurely Fathers’ Day picnic with my dad and celebrated the solstice with an urban interpretation of a bonfire (a little woodfire in our mini-weber, situated on our tiny porch).

The Oakland Unveiled Block Party was organized to show off the recently renovated Arts District, including the fabulous Fox Theater, and was full of all kinds of music and public art, including sculptural lighting and community-painted murals.

Some of Oakland’s old, art-deco buildings have been renovated and turned into clubs and restaurants.

These kids looked like they were having so much fun…

Michael Christian’s lighting sculpture “Sphae” in the day and at dusk.

I think my favorite part of the block party was the guy who set up his bike and a little chair and hawked type-written poems written while you wait. Customers would give him a subject, and he’d start banging away at his little typewriter, pausing every once in a while to stare into space before he started writing again. Beautiful.

I hope you all had a nice weekend, and I’d love to hear if anyone celebrated the solstice and what you did!