What Do You Know About Oakland Art Murmur?

Oakland Art Murmur

On November 2, my friend and I went to our first Oakland Art Murmur. Also know as “First Friday” because it only happens the first Friday of each month.  The art walk is located at the intersection of 19^th avenue and Telegraph Avenue from 6 PM to 9 PM. Even though the event begins at 6 PM, the place gets crowded at around 8 and many people usually stay longer till around 11 PM.

Artist Mobilus

What started as a simple gallery walk in 2006 between a couple of galleries turned out to include 21 galleries, 9 mixed-use venues, street performances, food trucks, and many art related attractions. As of 2012, First Friday attracts as many as 20,000 people from around the bay area to downtown Oakland.

The mission of the Oakland Art murmur is to support and showcase art and cultural venues in Oakland. Considering the popularity of First Friday, I believe that the mission has been accomplished.

Map of Oakland Art Murmur

With so many people gathering downtown, it makes parking hard to find but definitely not impossible. Another option is by taking Bart to the East Bay and getting off on 19^th and Broadway. Since my friend and I were driving, we knew that we would have to park further away from the event so we bought our scooters. Since it was our first time, we expected the event to be two to three blocks. Instead, it turned out to be 8 blocks of amazing art attractions.

Exactly 8 blocks, the police blocked off intersections from 19^th avenue to 27^th avenue. At the intersection of 19^th and 27^th, there were a lot of police directing traffic and patrolling the streets. Always paired in doubles, police were everywhere, almost in every block. During my visit, it was safe to say that the area was well protected in case a riot breaks out.

Art Mobilus

There were so many attractions two weeks ago. There were about 20 different food trucks, an artist mobile, people on the streets dancing, bands playing, etc. The most intriguing performance I saw that night was an outdoor comedy club. I was not expecting it to be funny at all but the jokes blew me away. I wish I could remember some of the jokes but I cannot. However I do remember that I was laughing so hard that my knees were hurting because I was slapping it too hard.

Favorite Painting of the Night

First Friday offers so much more than just art. It brings diversity and a vibrant atmosphere to Oakland. It is an inexpensive Friday night activity that any one, young and old, can go to. My night there was fantastic and I am definitely going to bring my friends here when they are back from College in January!

P.S. Next First Friday is on December 7^th! Come and bring your friends!