Carmen Flores Community Center Mural Completed!
Mural unveiling on Sunday, March 25th at Josie de la Cruz park
Carmen Flores Communitu Center at Josie de La Cruz Park on Fruitvale Ave in Oakland
Oakland, CA – The City of Oakland’s Cultural Arts and Marketing Department and the Carmen Flores Community Center will unveil a mural painted by Joaquin Alejandro Newman, dedicated to Carmen Flores, Josie de La Cruz and the Oakland community.
The community is invited to witness the mural unveiling at a special event at the Carmen Flores Community Center at Josie de La Cruz Park, 1637 Fruitvale Avenue, Oakland, California, on Sunday, March 25th, 2007, from 2pm until 6pm. Light refreshments will be provided at the reception, as well as art activities for children.
The four panel interior mural themed to the four cardinal directions, features ancient meso-American images, and portraits of the Carmen Flores and Josie de La Cruz which together help to tell the story of the lives of the two women and their dedication to the Oakland community, as well as the creation of sacred space in the community center. Additional mural bands in the lower lobby walls depict a feathered-serpent motif and different cultural symbols of creativity and strength. The mural will be located inside the skylight well of the community center, and the community center lobby.
Joaquin A. Newman, a lifelong Oakland artist is making his debut as a public artist with this mural, funded by the City of Oakland’s Cultural Arts and Marketing Department. With the painting assistance of Steven Chapman, Tony Coleman, Sean Nash, and Jason Barnes, Joaquin worked six months on this project in addition to his other art activities associated with his collaborative art group Forrealism.One of three finalists, the Forrealism artist's mural proposal won acclaim from the panel as a competitive proposal and an honorable tribute to the women to whom the community center and Fruitvale district park is dedicated.
The Oakland Cultural Arts Department project which began early in 2005 had several proposals for the interior of the Carmen Flores Community Center, located in Josie D. de La Cruz park at 1637 Fruitvale Avenue. The selection panel met for the phase one review on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 in hearing room 3 of Oakland City Hall to review the ten eligible proposals submitted for the competition.
The Forrealism proposal featured a series of murals which centered around the two women who are honored in this community center, Carmen Flores and Josie D. de la Cruz.
Final proposals and design sketches will be submitted in the next few months with a winner of the design competition being awarded the contract for installation. Upon approval from Public Art Advisory Committee, staff will request the artists to attend a secondary orientation, further develop their proposals for public presentation, and finally present their proposals to the selection panel before a final recommendation is made to PAAC. Selection of finalist take place Wednesday, December 21, at Oakland City Hall.
