NIMBY was proud to once again partner with our good friends in Airpusher to put on the 4th Annual Steampunk Masquerade. The night was full of art, music, dance, aerialists, fire spinners, live music and much much more. It was a wonderful night, and we’re so thankful for all of the hard work that so many people put in to making the event such a success. Check back soon, because this is only first batch of amazing photos by the talented Marisa KM.

We hope that everyone had as much fun as we did, but now we’re going to lay down and take a much needed rest.

Over the last weekend in February, dozens of volunteers came out to join Oakland based artist Greg Kloehn at NIMBY to build mini homes for the homeless. A continuation of an ongoing project that’s seen Greg create dozens of mini-homes over the last several years for homeless folks in the Bay Area, the build workshop utilized reclaimed materials from the streets of Oakland, scrap from other artist’s projects, and even materials obtained from a Super Bowl After Party. At the end of the weekend, six homes were nearly completed with a few more in the beginning stages. Since the initial build work shop, volunteers have been returning to help Greg complete the homes and deliver them to folks living on the streets. You can find more information on this project over at Greg’s website. Special thanks and appreciation to Vanesa Dževdetebgović for all her hard work organizing the Build Work Shop.

You can watch a really fantastic video made by David Zlutnick for MSNBC here: “Turning Trash into Incredible Tiny Homes”

On February 1st, NIMBY was happy to welcome back the students from the East Bay Innovation Academy. The students came down with Ken Griswa, who’s been teaching them a unit on kinetic art. After a tour of the warehouse, the kids played some RallyBowl with Gaige Quallmann and Clody Cates before heading back to school. The following week Gaige and Clody Cates joined the students in the classroom to help them with their ongoing projects.

Check out the gallery below to watch them in action.

In March of 2015, NIMBY was pleased to be the staging ground for the original dance video project “Dust”. Executive Producer Jen Faust, director Dorian Kingi, and a diverse group of dancers, musicians, and crew transformed themselves with NIMBY as a backdrop into a post-apocalyptic dance fever dream. “Dust” is the first of a trilogy entitled ‘Tryptich: Dust, Blood and Water’ and will represent the cycle of life and death, rooted in abstract Norse mythology and the creative/scientific brain of Ms. Faust

“As an oncology nurse, I sought to find an artistic way to represent the strength, ugliness, beauty, battles and conversations about life and death to honor patients with cancer. “Dust”, an artistic representation of that struggle, will explore the concept of visual beauty, magic, energy and mortality with dance, film and original music. As dancers, our art is often temporary. Hours of practice is presented and then gone like dust in the wind.” – Jen Faust

“Dust” has now been released and is available online to watch. You can watch it below. Visit Jen’s GoFundMe campaign to learn more about the project and talented cast and crew. For more about Ms. Faust, visit her website JenniferFaust.net.

“Blood”, part two of the trilogy, is set to be filmed in March, 2016, at NIMBY.

Volunteers from NIMBY met up with the Block by Block Organizing Network, District 7, group (BBBOND7) on Monday January 18th for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Volunteers from BBBOND7 cleaned up the neighborhood and planted flowers. The artists from NIMBY worked with the children to paint and place 5 flower planters to bring some color to G Street. Former Oakland Mayor Jean Quan stopped by and got in on the action, painting with the kids and lending a hand.

Special thanks to the BBBOND7 organizers Mary Forte, Sheryl Walton, Alene Warren, and our very own Snook for putting it all together and to the NIMBY folks who helped out Monday morning: Clody Cates, Gaige Qualmann, Trey Harvey, and Dave Davila.

When the forklift goes wonky and suddenly won’t start, you get a feeling that’s somewhere between “uh-oh” and “@!$&*$@!*”. They’re sort of handy in this business. So when,our intrepid, orange Toyota needed some fixin’ and some lovin’, we put out the call.

Ron Baker, NIMBY’s resident go-to guy for all things engines and repairs, jumped in and gave the Toyota a full once-over. It’s running better than it has in quite awhile. What did he do? I have NO IDEA… engines ain’t my area, but we’re so thankful for all the hard work and the quick turn around.

The Toyota will now be nicknamed “Lady Baker” in Ron’s honor.

Wow! That was awesome!

Thanks to everyone who came out to Winter Shenanigans this past weekend! Did you get a chance to play RallyBowl? That game is bonkers and so much fun! From the Ring of Fire to the Sand Trap to the Trampoline, there was a great variety of creative, unique lanes. Gaige Qualmann and Clody Cates, creators of RallyBowl, says they have plans for about nine other lanes and to keep your eye out for more RallyBowl news in 2016.

If you couldn’t make it out, don’t fret! Some of the artwork is still available for sale, including pieces made out of recovered copper from the 2015 Temple of Promise, and until the copper runs out, you can commission a piece. Contact NIMBY for more information at: info@nimbyspace.org

Another big thanks to all of the NIMBY Makers who showed their incredible work in the gallery: Ken Griswa, Gaige Qualmann, Clody Cates, Michelle Bert, Trevor Wright, Cal Hicks, Maria Roa, Mack Storton, Nick Yeager, Briron Raley, Andrew Haurus, Peter Vacek, Tiffany Barr

Veteran NIMBY tenant Matt Wirth will be exhibiting his modified Volvo station wagon race car at the San Francisco Auto Show November 21st thru the 29th at the Moscone Center, located at 747 Howard St. in San Francisco. The Volvo racer, originally built for the 24 Hour Lemons Race series, will be featured in the Gasoline Alley Race Car Exhibit, alongside other Lemons racers and vehicles from the history of racing. You can find out more info on the Auto Show HERE and purchase your tickets in advance HERE.

As someone who’s had the pleasure of riding in the Volvo at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterrey, let me tell you… the Volvo is AWESOME! Congrats, Matt!

You can catch one of NIMBY’s newest tenants painter and metal worker Tiffany Barr at the Imagine Bus Project’s event “Freedom: Art Indulgence” on Tuesday, November 17^th, from 7PM to 10PM at the SOMA Arts Cultural Center in San Francisco. She’ll be debuting her latest piece “Great Escape”, a translucent, illuminated acrylic and resin painting on glass.

The Imagine Bus Project works with incarcerated youth to encourage self-expression through art and to inspire personal development when they re-enter the community. The “Freedom: Art Indulgence” event brings together numerous artists to create pieces inspired from the premise, “What does freedom mean to you?” All of the art will be sold to fund the programs and work of the Imagine Bus Project.

“I knew that I wanted to do something with light, because when I thought about it, freedom is your light illuminating the world around you,” Tiffany said about her piece. You can check out some in process pictures of “Great Escape” down below, and don’t forget to RSVP for the “Freedom: Art Indulgence” here to see the finished piece. The event is free but donations are encouraged to help fund the non-profit.

Nimby, DIY Art Space

Great Escape

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PhotoGallery

Great Escape

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