I found an Alameda County map that defined its 18 school districts, and then mirrored this image across 10 4x8 panels. I then isolated each district, and made an “island” of it, floating it against the dark background, to re-think the land mass as a metaphor, or a new point of connection, for the arts. In thinking about the word “strategy”, the map also became a space for visualizing creative tactics and action plans.

The top layer of red lines and words, which linked Alameda arts communities and experiences, was the web that knit these goals together. The overarching questions guiding the lines were “What connects you to the arts?” and “How do the arts connect us?” In addition, I was given significant Alliance words (Compassion, Interdependence, etc) to make further connections.

At the table in front of the map, visitors could draw or write on small red paper circles, which they then added to the wall, by locating where (Oakland, Castro Valley) or what (Collaboration, Compassion) they felt connected to. People made great little drawings, scribbles, poems, rants, and questions which ended scattered in a highly organic way all across the piece.

In keeping with the collaborative philosophy behind this piece, the overall construction, painting and installation would have been impossible without Max LaRivière-Hedrick, as well as Camille Wofford, Summer Benavides, and Rhea Fontaine.