I checked out The Atheon, the new installation by conceptual artist Jonathan Keats, yesterday in Berkeley by the Berkeley Public Library. You know, the art piece that has been blogged about on Boing Boing, Wired, and Discover Magazine. Pretty impressive stuff, huh?

Here’s a photo of the art piece:

Oh, you can’t see anything but windows? Let me give you a closer look.

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I run into Oaklandish every time I go to the Grand Lake Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings in Oakland. I “ooo” and “ahhh” over their T-shirt and hoodie designs and swear that next time I am going to bring more money and buy myself at least one.

Well, I bet they’ll have T-shirts and other cool swag at the multiple events they are hosting this month:

THERE! New Art From Oakland
An exhibition exploring the creative talent exploding in Oakland today. Oakland, long-time host to a vital visual arts community, has recently begun to receive widespread regional and national recognition for the range and quality of its artists and a growing group of new galleries devoted in large part to contemporary art.  Organized by di Rosa Preserve curator Michael Schwager, There! will present a cross-section of contemporary artists who live and work in Oakland and contribute to the energy and vitality of Bay Area art. 
Opening Reception: August 9 from 6-8pm (members preview 5-6pm).
More info: http://dirosapreserve.org/

LAUREL STREET FESTIVAL
Saturday August 9th from 1-6pm along MacArthur Blvd. between 35th and 38th Avenues. Laurel Streetfest is a free family event in Oakland’s Laurel District. Live music, food, shopping, and a Kidsworld with petting farm, pony rides, bumper cars and rock climbing.

Oaklandish Presents: The 3rd ANNUAL RADIO REGATTA
BYO Radio for tunes while boating. 1/2 off of boat rentals + free pontoon rides and gondola service (space limited). Featuring micro FM broadcast by: Bobby Peru, Dj Mar Mar, DjInti, Black Heart, and DJ Basta spinning some summery tunes.  Linden Street Brewery will be serving their Common Lager. Plus a silent auction of unique furniture made by Youth Spirit Artworks- one of our 2008 Innovators Award winners. Sunday August 17th, 12-5pm @ Lake Merritt Sailboat House. 

Support Organic Products, Vicky Tesmer
The portraits splashed on Vicky’s globe display a flourishing sustainable farm and lush growth of nurtured fruits and vegetables.

Thirty-five sculpted globes, part of “Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet,” will be on display from Tuesday to Oct. 13 at Crissy Field Promenade in San Francisco. These globes are “designed by renowned local, national and international artists to represent potential solutions to global warming,” according to Cool Globes press.

The globes have already hit Chicago and Washington, DC. Here, they are supported by Toyota, which claims to be the “greenest” car company in the world.

The globes sort of remind me of those hearts all over San Francisco, which I really like. Its neat to see an artist work with a structured canvas and come up with a stand-out visual look for their pieces. And of course, being “green” is so cool now adays.
Here’s another one for your viewing pleasure, a globe that gives suggestions on how to be greener in small steps:

Take Simple Steps, Angela Erikson
The tiny plastic people covering the green globe represent the members of teeniegreenie.org who have committed their lives to making the world greener by simply changing the little things in life.