fletcher’s blog

Pride Parade and Show annoucement

July 2, 2009 – 10:46 pm

Last Sunday I shot photos at the Pride Parade in San Francisco. As usual, I took a lot of photos and had a great time. People were in a good mood and the crowd was very upbeat. I’ve posted some of my best shots here and many more on my Flickr page.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fletcher_oakes/sets/72157620738255139/

I also want to remind people of my show which goes up at The Glenn Custom Framing and Gallery of Art, 7027 Stockton Ave, El Cerrito (map), on July 7, running through August 29. There will be an opening reception on Friday, July 10, from 7-9. I’ll be showing 40 new photographs and mandalas, some of which have been posted here, but none have been shown as hard copies before this show.

(Click on images to see larger views.)

Korean Dancer	Participant

Parade Monitor	Participant

Tattooed Belly Dancer	Sister of Perpeual Indulgence

Burlesque Dancer

Belly Dancer

Art, Events | No Comments »

Juneteenth, Art, Archie Green memorial

June 25, 2009 – 11:22 am

Last weekend was pretty full. I went to the 6th Annual Juneteenth celebration in Richmond. Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. The event in Richmond consists of a parade followed by a festival with booths and lots of entertainment. This is a low key event with a local flavor and it’s always nice to attend and see folks having a good time. The photographs below are from the staging of the parade and the parade.

(Click on images to see larger views.)

Mary Peace Head, one of the original Rosie the Riveters	Carribean dancer

Richmond Police Explorers

Later in the day was an opening for the art of Clayton and Betty Bailey and Kurt Wold at the Richmond Art Center. The opening was loads of fun and included free form jazz by Annelise Zamula and Bill Noertker.

On Sunday I attended a memorial for Archie Green who passed away earlier this year. Archie was a renowned folklorist, scholar, labor historian, activist, and much much more. Archie was a mentor of mine at the University of Illinois in the early 60’s who inculcated in me many of the Progressive beliefs which I hold today.

I will be in a show, “Our Town”, at the Eclectix Gallery in El Cerrito opening July 3, running through Aug 16. I’ll have two pieces, Little Coquette, and Slave, in this show, and I hope you’ll be able to make it to the opening.

Don’t forget my BIG show opening the following week, July 10. I will be showing 40 (yes, 40) new works at the Glenn Custom Framing and Gallery of Art. The show is entitled “Visualizing Richmond in El Cerrito” and will include images from Richmond only, that were done in the last two years. It will be mostly straight ahead photography, both color and B&W, with a selection of mandalas.

Art, Events, Uncategorized | No Comments »

The World and Carnaval

June 1, 2009 – 11:16 pm

While the world is going to hell in a hand baske the annual Carnaval celebration happens in San Francisco on the weekend before Memorial Day. For the past several years I have taken photographs at the parade which happens on Sunday. Here are a few of those photos. To see more photos from that day, go to my Flickr page at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fletcher_oakes/sets/72157618981652593/

(Click on images to see larger views.)

Events | 3 Comments »

How Weird Faire - San Francisco

May 15, 2009 – 4:01 pm

I love living in the Bay Area. It’s probably one of the few places in the world that would celebrate weirdness at an annual fair. Last week was the 10th Annual How Weird Street Faire. They say on their website that it is an experiment in creating peace, bringing together a wide range of eclectic styles and communities. I hope that you like the photos here. If you want to see more from that day, check out a whole bunch on my Flickr page.