EASTSIDE
ARTS ALLIANCE
PO BOX 17008
OAKLAND, CA 94601
Telephone: 510-533-6629 Fax:
Website: www.eastsideartsalliance.org
Email: elenas@mindspring.com
Contacts
CEO: Elena Serrano
Other contacts:
Year Incorporated: 2001
Category:
Lead Agency (coordinator and manager of comprehensive multi-organization afterschool program)
Mission Statement:
To unite art with activism to work for community empowerment and cultural development, and to build bridges between the disenfranchised, racially and ethnically divided communities that reside in the San Antonio neighborhood of Oakalnd and in the broader Bay Area.
History/Goals/Objectives:
EastSide Arts Alliance (ESAA) is a collective of artists and community organizers of color, founded in 1999, who live and work in the Lower San Antonio neighborhood of East Oakland. ESAA founders have been active in the neighborhood for over 20 years and are dedicated to strengthening grassroots communities and building ties and relationships among the racial and ethnically diverse populations of Oakland. Current programming by ESSA include: - Annual Malcolm X JazzArts Festival - FREE art workshops for youth - Graphic services - Public art projects/visual art exhibitions - Community festivals/performances - Town halls/forums In 2005, ESAA partnered with an affordable housing developer to purchase a multi-use building that will be the permanent home of the EastSide Cultural Center (ESCC). This new building is in the heart of the San Antonio district, and is the focus of a major community revitalization project. The EastSide Cultural Center (ESCC) includes a 150-seat theater, an art gallery, printmaking and recording studios, a digital graphics space, 16 units of affordable housing, and two storefront commercial spaces. The housing units and storefronts are completed and occupied at this time, and the cultural center areas are currently under construction. The new ESCC will be completed in the fall of 2006, with programming beginning in December 2006 The EastSide Arts Alliance's historical reputation of bringing multiple forms of art, dance, and music to the San Antonio community strongly positions us to usher in a community and cultural revitalization for a long-neglected neighborhood. Cited by many as the most ethnically diverse community in Northern California, the San Antonio/Fruitvale district of East Oakland is comprised of 35.8% Asians, 35% Chicanos/Latinos, 18.6% African Americans, 6.7% Whites, and 2% Native Americans. Lower San Antonio also has one of the highest concentrations of low-income residents in Oakland, with over 28% living below the poverty line. ESAA focuses its programs in the San Antonio/Fruitvale district and we currently serve over 10,000 annually, including residents, students, and artists. When we move into the new cultural center we anticipate programming events five nights per week and increasing our audience to serve over 25,000 annually.
Target Populations:
High
Male
Female
Disabled
LGBTQ
African American, Asian/Asian American, Chicano/Latino - San Antonio/Fruitvale working class communities
Staff Capacity: 7
All ESAA staff reside in the San Antonio/Fruitvale communities, many for generations, making our work easier because of long established connections with residents & families. Also the organization is run as a non-hierarchical collective with decision-making power evenly shared between a multi-racial, multi-generational staff (age range from 23-52). All of ESAA arts program coordinators are also professional working artists in their respective fields.
Language Capacity (other than English): Spanish
Cantonese
Mandarin
Vietnamese
Organizational Operating Budget: $200,001 - $500,000
Geographic Areas Served (current):
District 2 (East Oakland - China Town, East Lake, Grand Lake, San Antonio)
District 5 (East Oakland - Fruitvale)
Geographic Areas for Expanded Service: