Cultural Infrastructure

A part of EastSide Arts Alliance mission is to develop cultural infrastructure that allows our communities to thrive.

Community Cultural Centers and culturally programmed Cultural Plazas are intergenerational spaces where communities share the historical and political context of how we all got here, while working to build the necessary people power to affect systemic change.

Just as every thriving neighborhood must have parks, libraries, housing, schools, and jobs, we must work to ensure that our neighborhoods also have spaces for theater, dance, visual arts, music, and poetry. Spaces where we can learn and grow together.

We are working to make sure there are policies
that support thriving cultural spaces.

Deeply Rooted Collaborative Oakland’s Cultural Hubs working together to have more input into the Oakland 2045 City of Oakland General Plan

Just Cities Institute and UC Berkeley graduate planning students - working on policy language to support Cultural Infrastructure.

Laying the groundwork for the EastSide Cultural Center to thrive and be a community resource for generations to come. We are exploring more public funding to support culture as a way to promote democracy, civic engagement, safe and supportive neighborhoods, climate readiness, and mental wellness. Helping to develop Reconstruction Plaza - an outdoor plaza serving our neighborhood with year round arts programming as well as resources and information to share.

EastSide continues to work with other cultural and political spaces to lift up the concept of Cultural Infrastructure.  More on arts advocacy can be found through our work with WESTAF.