It’s been a tough couple of years for car dealerships, which partly
explains why Oakland’s Broadway Auto Row — Broadway between 40th
Street and Grand Avenue — doesn’t quite make good on its name
anymore. Once the territory of automotive servicers and big lots with
pennants flapping in the wind, it’s now a budding retail node. Chic
nightclubs, body therapy centers, and furniture stores girdle the
parking lots and the rim-and-wheel shops. This transformation is most
noticeable on the southwesterly blocks that border Oakland’s Uptown
district and on the 40th Street corridor, which now has enough
merchants and galleries to support its own mini Art Murmur.
Called Art Quest, the event began last February, the
brainchild of local curator Obi Kaufman and sculpture artist Derek
Weisberg. Both of them had openings on the same weekend —
Weisberg at Rowan Morrison Gallery, Kaufman right up the street at
Premium Tattoo and Vintage. The two decided to combine forces, thinking
wouldn’t it be something if they could involve the other neighborhood
businesses. The 40th Street corridor was, after all, an ideal place for
an art walk, said Kaufman. Many venues in the area doubled as galleries
— including less-obvious spots like Manifesto Bicycles, Issues
magazine shop, and 1-2-3-4 Go! Records. Most of these places had popped
up within the last year or so, and were still trying to attract
clientele. An evening of simultaneous receptions and extended hours of
operation would help draw people to the area, and help create a
neighborhood brand identity.
Thus, Kaufman and Weisberg got together with Premium Vintage and
Tattoo owners Matt and Hillary Decker, Noella Teele of Issues, and Pete
Glover of Rowan Morrison Gallery to organize the inaugural Art Quest.
It was a cinch, said Kaufman: “It’s easy in the sense that there’s so
much art, and we’re not really hurting for product or inventory.” Their
first edition happened on a rainy night in February, but tons of people
came out anyway. Kaufman showcased his large-scale paintings at
Premium, and put together a group exhibit in the back gallery at
Manifesto. Weisberg showcased weird sculptural installations in Rowan
Morrison. Matt Decker presented his meticulous, tattoo-inspired
paintings at Issues. Bands performed. Vendors hawked artisan goods. It
was a hit, said Kaufman, who hopes to replicate that success with
Saturday’s Art Quest 2, which now features two new businesses: 1-2-3-4
Go! Records and Subrosa Coffee. He’s careful to note that art isn’t a
recession-proof business, and that if you think it’s hard to sell a gas
guzzler these days, try a painting. Still, the Auto Row galleries do
have one thing in common with the dealerships that predate them: a
common sense of purpose. “If you get the synergy and massiveness
together,” he said, “there’s more of a chance.” Art Quest 2 happens
Saturday, Aug. 22, along the 40th Street corridor. 5-9 p.m., free.
OaklandSweetArt.info
