Fertile Ground

East Bay 

Inspiration 

Guide 

1 

Bay Area Inspiration Guide

2 

Fertile Ground 

Published by the Oakland Museum of California 

Photography by Miles Jackler 

Design by Neil Uhl

ERTILE GROUND: Art and Community 

in California, a collaborative exhibition 

between the Oakland Museum of 

California and the San Francisco Museum 

of Modern Art, illuminates local histories 

and social forces that changed the face of art in— 

and beyond—the Golden State. Weaving together 

art and ephemera from both museums’ collections, 

the exhibition tells the stories of four creative 

communities at decisive moments in the history 

of California art, starting in 1930’s to the Mission 

Scene of 1990’s through today. 

Still thriving, the creative culture of the Bay 

Area continues to be fostered and supported in 

countless ways. From the people who inhabit 

this place to the natural environment, to local 

businesses, parks, streets, and shops, these sources 

of inspiration are as distinctive and unique as the 

people who return to them day after day. 

We asked four creative people living in the East 

Bay to share the special places they go to find 

inspiration. In the pages that follow, these East Bay 

locals provide an in-their-own-words look at some 

of the most exciting, beautiful, and motivating 

places in the Bay.

7 

EL CERRITO 

PLAZA 

Tilden 

Park 

6 

MARIN 

10 

BUCHANAN 

Albany 

MARIN 

HOPKINS 

9 

8 

SHATTUCK 

13 

EUCLID 

UNIVERSITY 

SACRAMENTO 

Berkeley 

ASHBY 

TUNNEL 

580 

ADELINE 

24 

4 

Emeryville 

40TH 

BROADWAY 


BAY BRIDGE (80) 

880 

MANDELA 

SAN PABLO SAN PABLO 

NORTH 

BERKELEY 

BERKELEY 

UC Berkeley 

14 

ASHBY 

COLLEGE 

M.L.K. JR 

ROCKRIDGE 

11 

MACARTHUR 

4 

WEST 

OAKLAND 

1 

3 

2 

West 

Oakland 

5 

GRAND 

14TH 

7TH 

580 

980 

15 

17 

19TH ST 

OAKLAND 

12TH ST 

OAKLAND 

Oakland 

12 

Lake 

Merritt 

L A KE S H O R E 

880 

LAKE 

MERRITT


Bay Area 

Inspiration 

Guide 

Traci Bartlow page 6 

1 B-LOVE’S GUEST HOUSE 

2 MANDELA PARKWAY 

3 MANDELA MARKETPLACE 

4 BIKES FOR LIFE 

5 DE FREMERY PARK 

Michael Pollan page 14 

6 INDIAN ROCK 

7 INSPIRATION POINT 

8 MY OFFICE 

9 THE CHEESE BOARD 

Philip Milic page 22 

10 ALBANY BULB 

11 MVMNT STUDIO 

12 OLD CROW TATTOO 

13 BERKELEY ROSE GARDEN 

14 ANCIENT WAYS 

Dasha Matsuura page 32 

13 

15 FIRST FRIDAYS 

16 JOAQUIN MILLER PARK 

5 

16 

JO A Q U I N MILLER 

17 CLASSIC CARS WEST 

Nature 

Indoors 

Art 

Bay Area Inspiration Guide 

LINCOLN 

Food 

Shop 

Active 

View

TRACI 

Bartlow 

6 


A native of Oakland, this dancer, choreographer, photographer, 

and poet has worked locally, nationally, and internationally 

in theater, film, exhibition and print. Founder and Creative 

Director of Starchild Enterprise, Ms. Bartlow is a longstanding 

contributor to many social and creative movements in the 

Bay Area. She is currently a core member of Eastside Cultural 

Center, Director of Starchild Dance, and Owner/Operator of 

B-Love’s Guest House.

Traci’s 

Inspirations 

B-LOVE’S GUEST HOUSE 

MANDELA PARKWAY 

MANDELA MARKETPLACE 

BIKES FOR LIFE 

Bay Area Inspiration Guide Traci Bartlow 

7 

DE FREMERY PARK

8 


1 B-LOVE’S GUEST HOUSE. I am the 

owner and operator of B-Love’s 

Guest House. It is a unique 

extension of my lifestyle of 

wellness and creativity and, as 

the name suggests, a place built 

on love with a high vibration. 

B-Love’s Guest House embodies 

the sustainability, creativity, and 

entrepreneurial spirit Oakland is 

known for. 

1131 Center Street, Oakland

“A place built on love… 

the sustainability, creativity, 

and entrepreneurial 

spirit Oakland is known for.” 


9

2 MANDELA PARKWAY. A beautiful 

parkway that replaced a 

freeway destroyed during the 

1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. 

Thank goodness for activists 

like Margret Gordon who 

fought to have the freeway 

rerouted away from residents to 

a more industrial area of West 

Oakland. Mandela Parkway is 

a beautifully landscaped place 

to walk, ride your bike, and just 

chill and read a book. 

Mandela Parkway, Oakland 

10 

Fertile Ground

3 MANDELA MARKETPLACE is local 

sustainability at its finest in 

a worker-owned cooperative. 

There’s good food from local 

farmers and vendors, and 

a wonderful healthy food 

initiative for the community. 

1364 7th Street, Oakland 


11

12 


4 BIKES FOR LIFE. A cool local 

business that sells and services 

bikes. They also have a great 

mentoring program and 

support many community 

events. I have two bikes from 

here, one for myself and one 

for my guest house. 

1600 7th Street, Oakland

5 DE FREMERY PARK. This historic 

park is an urban oasis! Home 

to the Black Panther Party’s 

community services of the 1960s, 

this park has a great swimming 

pool, skate park, tennis courts, 

and recreation center with many 

cultural activities for children, 

adults, and families, including 

the annual Life is Living Festival. 

1651 Adeline Street, Oakland 


13

MICHAEL 

Pollan 

14 


Michael Pollan is the author of In Defense of Food: An 

Eater’s Manifesto, as well as The Omnivore’s Dilemma and 

The Botany of Desire. A contributing writer to the New 

York Times Magazine, Pollan is the recipient of numerous 

journalistic awards, including the James Beard Award. 

Pollan served for many years as executive editor of 

Harper’s Magazine and is now the Knight Professor of 

Science and Environmental Journalism at UC Berkeley.

Michael’s 

Inspirations 

INDIAN ROCK 

INSPIRATION POINT 

MY OFFICE 

THE CHEESE BOARD 

Bay Area Inspiration Guide Michael Pollan 

15

6 INDIAN ROCK, at the terminus of 

Shattuck Avenue, is a great place 

to watch the sunset and look 

for inspiration. One of the best 

views in Berkeley. 

Indian Rock Park, Berkeley 

16 


“One of the best views 

in Berkeley.” 


17

18 


7 INSPIRATION POINT, aptly named, is the terminus of the 

Nimitz Trail, my favorite walking and running path 

in Tilden Park. I go here alone to untie knots in my 

thinking or with a friend to talk about current and 

future projects. The views of the bay and the hills 

are stunning, and the presence of cows is always a 

calming reminder of the absurdity of our striving. 

Tilden Park, Berkeley

8 MY OFFICE. To the extent I am inspired on any given 

day, is owed to this long narrow former sleeping 

porch where I work, overlooking the Golden Gate 

and Bay Bridge. Bridges are very useful mental tools 

when writing and though I seldom think to actually 

look up at them, knowing they’re there is a help. My 

bookshelves, which line the room on one side, are 

also important tools of inspiration. 


19 

Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley

20 


9 THE CHEESE BOARD. Every 

morning, my wife and I “walk 

to coffee,” to use the current 

real estate industry terms. 

We walk down the hill along 

Shattuck Avenue to the Cheese 

Board, which serves excellent 

coffee from 7 am on. Coffee is 

an important pharmacological 

inspiration for my work, as is 

the community of friends and 

acquaintances we bump into 

on the benches outside. 

1512 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley 


21

PHILIP 

Milic 

22 


Philip Milic started tattooing in the summer of 1995 when he was 

entering 12th grade. Besides working at a surf and skateboard 

shop, Philip has only had one other job: tattooing. He learned 

the art of tattooing in Huntington Beach, California under the 

mentorship of Rob Nunez. In June of 2009, on the summer 

solstice, Philip opened his tattoo studio and art gallery under 

the name Old Crow Tattoo. He enjoys building and tuning tattoo 

machines, drawing traditional fine line flourishes with an infusion 

of indigenous-inspired tribal tattooing, and spending as much 

time as he can with his son.

Philip’s 

Inspirations 

ALBANY BULB 

MVMNT STUDIO 

OLD CROW TATTOO 

BERKELEY ROSE GARDEN 

Bay Area Inspiration Guide Philip Milic 

23 

ANCIENT WAYS

24 


10 ALBANY BULB. This spot reminds 

me of what the Bay Area 

represented when I moved 

here 17 years ago. It still holds 

the edge, grit, and epic views 

that first made me fall in love 

with the Bay. 

1651 Adeline Street, Oakland

11 MVMNT STUDIO. Dance has always 

been one of my creative outlets. 

MVMNT is an inspirational 

place for any b-boy who still 

honors the four elements of hip 

hop: breaking, MC-ing, graffiti, 

and turntablism. 

2973 Sacramento Street, Berkeley 


25

26 


12 OLD CROW TATTOO is an artistic 

inspiration because of the deep 

bonds and creative reflections I 

receive daily from my colleagues 

and neighbors. 

362 Grand Avenue, Oakland


27

28 


“Old Crow Tattoo is an 

artistic inspiration 

because of the creative 

reflections I receive daily.”


29

30 


13 BERKELEY ROSE GARDEN. The 

combination of breathtaking 

views and my connection to the 

rose makes this place special. 

Since the first time I saw a rose, 

the beauty, magnificence and 

complexity have been constantly 

awe-inspiring. 

1200 Euclid Avenue, Berkeley

14 ANCIENT WAYS assists in taking 

care of my spiritual needs. They 

provide literature and tools for 

the magical workings that are a 

large part of my creative process. 

4075 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland 


31

DASHA 

Matsuura 

32 


A photographer, curator, art consultant, and all around art 

enthusiast. A California native and East Bay resident, Dasha 

serves as the Vice President on the Board of Directors for 

Oakland Art Murmur, and is a consultant at Chandra Cerrito 

Contemporary.

Dasha’s 

Inspirations 

FIRST FRIDAYS 

JOAQUIN MILLER PARK 

CLASSIC CARS WEST 

Bay Area Inspiration Guide Dasha Matsuura 

33

34 


15 FIRST FRIDAYS. Being able to see 

so many people out and about 

in Oakland, enjoying art and 

exploring the town because of 

First Friday, is really rewarding. 

First Fridays, since is origins 

with Art Murmur, has grown 

immensely thanks to the many 

years of hard work and the 

dedicated community. 

Telegraph Avenue between 

West Grand Avenue & 27th Street, 

Oakland 


35

36 


16 JOAQUIN MILLER PARK. So many of our local artists 

take inspiration from Oakland’s beautiful natural 

environment. I love taking the dogs up to Joaquin 

for afternoon hikes, even when I can’t make it out 

to these places on a regular basis. It is somehow 

comforting to know that the forest and nature are 

so close by. 

Joaquin Miller Park, Oakland

17 THE ROOF OF CLASSIC CARS WEST DURING FIRST FRIDAY. I 

curate three shows a year in the huge vintage car 

showroom and multi-dimensional gallery. These 

shows, and all the First Friday and Saturday Stroll 

events, have been a great community builder for 

art lovers, patrons, artists, and gallery staff. 

411 26th Street, Oakland 


37

38 


“It is nice to get a reminder of the 

bigger picture and why we do this—

for our amazing and 

vibrant arts community.” 


39

40 


On view September 20, 2014 through April 12, 2015 

Fertile Ground: Art and Community in California is jointly 

organized by the Oakland Museum of California and the 

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Fertile Ground

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