In a day and age, and a time and place, where inflation has us getting less for more, or simply going without, where policies seem to be moving backward but not forward, it’s easy to feel trapped by our circumstances. Yolanda Cotton Turner curates a different kind of world and experience where the sky’s the limit, where artists and passers-by bloom where they’re planted—whether they’re incarcerated on San Quentin’s death row, a local Alameda artist like Seandale Turner or a curious community member.
Sandwiched in an Alameda alley between a few buildings is a space Cotton Turner transforms into The Red Door Art Alley & Gallery. It comes to life each Friday evening from 7-10pm. There are three remaining Fridays—July 14, 21 and 28—to see “The Art of Seandale (Turner)” and “The Art of San Quentin: Death Row Inmates.”
“Weather permitting, we’re here every Friday,” Cotton Turner says, glancing up at the vast blue sky above her art alley and gallery.
“What I really love is the curiosity and discovery aspect of [The Red Door] when people walk by not quite sure what it is,” Cotton Turner says. “Then they peek in and find an alley full of discovery, inspiration and great conversation, and they learn from each other.”
In these seemingly chaotic and uncertain times, Cotton Turner thinks art is more important than ever. “Art is therapeutic. It moves people in miraculous ways through dark spaces which we’ve all visited at some point in time,” she says. “Some spaces are darker than others, but art helps us move through those spaces to arrive at better places.”
The artwork of San Quentin death row inmates, which Cotton Turner displays in partnership with the West End Arts District, is a testament to the transformative possibilities of art—both for coping and for finding freedom within.
“It’s pretty amazing when you look at the collective body of work [from incarcerated artists]. The pieces are expressing perspectives of freedom and what it means to people,” Cotton Turner says. “It’s a voice for people who may not otherwise have a voice or who are sometimes forgotten about. This art serves as a mechanism for delivering messages that may not otherwise be heard.”
While there is no entrance fee or pressure for passers-by or art appreciators to buy, any profit from the art produced by incarcerated artists goes to the respective families or the artists.
Depending on what route one takes, The Red Door Art Alley & Gallery is either just through the parking lot or around the corner from Studio 23. Like many artists in the Alameda community, Cotton Turner sustains herself in a day job—as a designer in Emeryville, in her case—but aspires to make art curation and creation—as she’s also a printmaker—her full-time gig one day. Although she doesn’t currently display her own work, Cotton Turner says the art of printmaking has taught her much about life. “It’s not an easy process. It takes a lot of time and a lot of work,” she says. “I think that’s one of things I like about it. Like life, it’s not easy.”
Just down the alley from the San Quentin art display lies Alameda-artist Seandale Turner’s art. His work possesses a few distinct qualities and key ingredients he says are visible in almost every piece he produces—wire, vibrant colors, the brush strokes of a child and an iconic inspiration. “Wire is my thing. It adds dimensionality,” he says. “I never have less than 125 feet, and I’ve used up to 400-plus feet in a painting. I also use lots of bright, vibrant colors to attract people. I think art is such a cool way of reaching people.”
Seandale Turner holds up a vibrant Jimi Hendrex painting, which he says is complete with just shy of 140 feet of wire, lots of bright colors and a few brush strokes of children. Why are artistic representations of iconic musicians and other influences important? “The stories behind these pieces are really cool and impactful,” he says. “If I can have an impact by sharing these pieces, especially with the younger generation, I want to do that.”
In terms of sharing his work with the public, Seandale Turner says the Red Door Alley & Gallery in Alameda is exactly where his art is meant to be.
“I’m rooted. I know where I came from,” Seandale Turner says, while pointing down the street. “We’re at museum status working with Yolanda [Cotton Turner]. This is what home feels like. I’m not big on the hierarchy of what mainstream looks like. This is what I do, and this is what I love.”
Seandale Turner is an artist at all hours of the day. “This is my day job,” he says with a wide smile. To make that dream a reality, he cut back on shopping to make more room for his passion. He’s committed to reaching youth, not only by trying to inspire them with his art pieces and by having them put their touch on his respective paintings, but also by teaching them skills that can come in handy, like martial arts.
“I have a heart for kids, especially teenagers,” Seandale Turner says. “I tell everyone that if my art makes it past a red carpet, it includes the brushstroke of at least one kid and they can touch it. It adds more meaning to the experience.”
Seandale Turner remembers discovering, quite by accident, that he had a gift when it came to art. “I used to scribble on a paper, and then I looked at it and asked myself if I was an artist,” he says. “I hid it for a long time and finally got back to it in my 30s.”
What Turner has learned sustaining himself as an artist is that everything comes down to time and the ability and the willingness to trust the process.
“I’ve learned to stop second-guessing myself,” Turner says. “I trust the process and see the growth in the journey. I know if I choose really bright colors, I did that for a reason and it’s meant to be.”
Twenty-seven-year-old Justin Iredale, who helps regularly at Studio 23, beams with pride while chatting with artists inside The Red Door Alley & Gallery. “Being involved with these artists just makes sense,” says Iredale, who also identifies as an artist. Iredale believes everyone has something to gain from art. “There’s not one way to do something. You can completely circumvent or gain a different understanding of something that nobody’s ever thought of. Art is the pathway to thinking outside the box.”
Echo Aoki, a single mom who also happens to be the sister of iconic musician Steve Aoki, toured the various art spaces with her new-found kitten that she rescued off the side of the street while en route to The Red Door Alley & Gallery and Studio 23. Aoki says she had the kind of experience that could never be replicated inside a traditional art gallery.
“I didn’t have to pay a fee to get in. I was able to bring my new kitten here and that’s not something I could’ve done in a regular museum,” Aoki says, while doting on her new pet. “And I’ve connected with some cool people and seen lots of amazing art. I’m glad I came.”
That’s the vibe Yolanda Cotton Turner hopes for in her space. She also hopes visitors to her alley-based gallery see possibilities in their lives as vast as the sky above her curated community art space.
“When it comes to our dream, reach out, claim it, own it, be about it and then you are it,” Cotton Turner says.
To find out more about Yolanda Cotton Turner’s work or the shows she curates, follow The Red Door Art Alley & Gallery on Instagram or visit her alley and gallery at 2309 Encinal Ave. in Alameda on a forthcoming Friday from 7-10pm.
