If you want a tour of street art in Oakland, the best thing to do is get on your bike on a sunny day. You can cover a lot of ground, stop where you want to and not have to pay multiple bus fares.
In East Oakland, Foothill Boulevard is an art-rich corridor. From Seminary Avenue, roll through to Fairfax Avenue and check out its clusters of grafitti art. By Fremont High School at 46th Avenue, you’ll find a Tupac mural and a Mexican-Cambodian mandala, as well as colorful lettering. At High Street, look for Mac Dre’s portrait, and at Fruitvale Avenue, take a left and see the mural on the Casa del Sol.
Take a right onto International Boulevard and visit EastSide Cultural Center (EastSide Arts Alliance) at 2277 International Blvd, between 23rd and 22nd Avenues. From there turn right at 22nd and left on Gleason Way between E. 15th Street and Foothill. This alley is filled with art created by EastSide’s 100 Families Program. Close by, at 2025 E. 12th St., near 20th Avenue, is the East Bay Asian Youth Center, where you can see Estria’s work.
The City Center has a lot of public art, as well as North and West Oakland. In Temescal, new mural panels have been added to the PG&E building at Shattuck and 51st Street. You can see a lot of cool grafitti on Telegraph Avenue, and the only legal aerosol art park is at 21st Street and Mandela Parkway.
There are truly creative pieces around West Oakland BART, like a bejeweled mural of a tractor-riding boy. Check out DeFremery Park and its skate park. When in doubt, many schools, parks and community centers in West Oakland carry pieces by famous local artists.
