My first stop after leaving the Oakland Arts party at Frank Ogawa plaza was Oakopolis Creativity Center (OCC) on 25th Street. I had read that their current exhibit was titled “Why the Bunny?” and I was intrigued.

I also knew that a tiny venue called The Moon shared quarters next door to Oakopolis.  I had been there before and was amazed by the beautiful handmade creations artfully displayed within, not to mention their collection of moustaches on sticks.  Very fun!

Here’s a shot of the outside as I was on my way in…  You can see the gorgeous wrought iron work on the windows, and lovely signage.

I didn’t take any shots inside The Moon because the space really is tiny, and chock full of stuff, and people too. You’ll just have to go see for yourself. Their specialty seems to be handmade clothing items and many of them are kind of unbelievable. I saw something akin to a wedding gown that had been fashioned together out of individual 2 inch scraps of seemingly hundreds of different white fabrics that the artist had collected over the years. It was stunning! Forgive me for not getting the artist’s name. In addition to clothes, they have funky buttons, hand made cards, and much more. Please check them out.

Next door, Oakopolis had the hallway approaching the gallery in back and the gallery itself filled with Sas Colby’s “Why the Bunny?” exhibit. Her artist statement for the exhibit told that she had started drawing bunnies as a daily routine during a difficult period in her life. She found comfort in the drawings, both getting to know the character through repetition, but also allowing it to develop and change over time. The bunny became an alter ego for Colby that took many different forms. The show included twelve years of drawings and books, and it was fun to see the various representations of the bunny… sometimes the comforting stuffed animal of our childhood memories… sometimes the menacing trickster with wicked smile. Great stuff.

I hit one other gallery before heading home… check back tomorrow!