Wanda's Picks  

We will feature artist John Barnes, Jr., one of the artists included in Prospect 1 New Orleans, the US Biennial closing Sunday, January 18, 2009. Barnes new body of work, shown for the first time in this exhibit, is he says, "a testament to survival and resilience." The work which is mixed media, and includes text, consists of wooden sculptures which looked like masks to me, however, to Barnes they are "canoe-home hybrid structures." These beached canoes stand verically, an unlikely position for a sea worthy structure, but then this adds to the absurdity of the sights one still sees almost four years after the Great Flood," or the day the levees broke.
John and I will speak for most of the show. We will close with an update on Oscar Grant III, murdered two weeks ago by a BART policeman, still at large. There is a peace vigil at 4 p.m. January 14, 2009 in front of Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza. People are encouraged to wear white for peace. It is also the color of the ancestors.

The Coalition Against Police Execution (CAPE) will hold the Praying for Peace-Working for Justice March & Rally as the Oakland community continues to demand justice in the senseless murder of Oscar Grant III by Bart Police in the early hours of January 1, 2009.
 
An estimated 1,000 people will converge upon Oakland's City Hall to demand that those responsible for the murder of Oscar Grant be brought to justice.  High profile names expected to attend include E-40, Beeda Weeda, Jennifer Johns, Kev Choice, Zion I and others. The community is also calling for an immediate end to police brutality and terrorism in communities of color across America. Following the rally, demonstrators will peacefully march from City Hall to District Attorney Tom Orlov's office.