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Detail of J. Shea's box sculpture, Maximum Radiation. Wow It's Art! Summer Time Blues at the Creamery, Saturday 9/15 Driving into West Oakland at 10 o'clock on a Saturday night, there are things I just don't expect to see. I don't expect to see a van reconstructed to look like a Battlestar Galactica spaceship parked on the sidewalk; I don't expect to see a rabble of folks dressed in '50s Rockabilly fashion: pompadors, leapord print, black leather, gathered around the "art cars" or funneling in and out of an undesignated commercial building; I don't expect to hear a distant bass beat drowned out by guitar shrill. But it seems maybe I should. The Deco building, known today simply as "the Creamery," was once the functioning Willow Brooks Creamery. Today's Creamery houses a community of artists, the Live Culture art gallery, and an occassional live performance. This weekend Live Culture opened its doors to host "Summer Time Blues," an art show and Rockabilly party. Bands graced the stage from seven to eleven, food and drinks were available for a small fee, but most importantly, the walls displayed a pageantry of fine art. The featured work by Tim Brown, Jon Fernando, Johnny, J. Shea, John Sheridan, and David Wiltgen included paintings, photographs, and most notably, boxed sculptures, graced the gallery, while outside the art cars were on sidewalk display for people to muse over. Between bands (The Eggs, Flipside, and the Phenomenauts), people grazed the art, among which J. Shea's sculptures stood out. At first reminiscent of elementary school dioramas -- found objects, handprinted text, and brightly-colored sci-fi cartoon figures contained in small boxes -- Shea's sculptures hung alongside the more traditional art show fare. But with a closer look, the skill and sophistication of his work make the initial elementary school analogy seem absurd. Packed tightly with political and social commentary, Shea's work ultimately comes across as both fresh and profoundly grounded; a comment that can also be made about the Creamery. Next time I drive into West Oakland, I'll know a little better what to expect. [ East Bay | Metroactive | Archives ]