Oakland’s Jingletown: Arts, Crafts, Cool Kitsch — And Cookies

By Barbara Falconer Newhall

It was a lovely afternoon for wandering in and out of artists’ studios in Oakland, California’s Jingletown neighborhood, where a vibrant, up-and-coming arts community mingles with a robust Latino population.

More than a dozen neighborhood artists joined hundreds of other San Francisco East Bay artists in opening  their doors for the annual Pro Arts East Bay Open Studios earlier this month. And there was lots to see — fine art, beautiful crafts, and a dollop of fun, kitschy stuff. Also, fruit, brownies, chips and cookies being offered everywhere.

The Institute of Mosaic Art has departed Jingletown for a site in Berkeley. But founder Laurel True and her colleagues and students left their dazzling handiwork behind on walls and buildings all over the neighborhood.

Is Oakland the West Coast Brooklyn? Take a look at “Amazing Places — A Walk Around Oakland’s Jingletown.”