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Schools

No Shortage of Art Ferndale: Weekend Art Events to Aid Schools

Two events — the SouthEast Oakland Arts & Crafts Fair and Art Walk/Art on the Town — will raise funds for needs within the Ferndale School District.

Art – created by everyone from experienced professionals to enthusiastic first-graders – will be on display and available to buy throughout Ferndale this weekend.

This infusion of creativity comes courtesy of two events: The SouthEast Oakland Arts & Crafts Fair at and Art on the Town/Art Walk, happening throughout downtown Ferndale. While they’re separate events, both benefit Ferndale schools.

The SouthEast Oakland Art Fair is produced as a fundraiser by the Ferndale Secondary PTSA, which serves the middle and high schools in the district. The fair will feature more than 60 vendors selling everything from jewelry to photography, as well as a Market Bazaar featuring home-based businesses.

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This is the second year for the fair, said organizer Gary Arnett. Last year’s was a resounding success, raising $6,000 that allowed the PTSA to expand its offerings to the schools. The money was used for mini-grants to each of the departments at Ferndale Middle and High schools that were then used for “wish list” items that fall outside the school’s budget.

“Within the school world, there are only so many things you can do (to raise money) that don’t really cannibalize each other,” Arnett said. “It’s typically the parents of the kids involved, and their family and friends, buying this stuff. We were trying to come up with an idea that would push further out and bring more people in.”

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Funds come from admission fees and from fees vendors pay for space. Parents volunteer for the event, as do students. Arnett said the football team helps artists unload their wares, a service he got lots of compliments on last year since most fairs offer no help at all for artists setting up.

The event runs from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at Ferndale High School, 881 Pinecrest. Admission costs $1 for ages 10 and older.

Accompanying the SouthEast Oakland Arts & Crafts Fair is the Art on the Town event. Now through Saturday, the work of young artists from Ferndale schools will be on display at downtown businesses.

Students throughout the school district have donated more than a thousand works for Art on the Town. Each will be for sale for a suggested donation of $5 per piece, and the money goes back to the schools to purchase art supplies for their classes.

“We believe arts are vital and important,” said Chelsea O’Brien, publicist of the event. “Kids know intuitively that it’s valuable to their education, and they are willing to put their money where their mouth is.”

About 20 downtown businesses are displaying student art. Many business owners, including Ann St. Peter of Pinwheel Bakery, are parents of Ferndale school students themselves and wanted to support the event.

“Everyone involved in it are friends of mine,” St. Peter said. “It’s a pretty community-based thing.”

Students were mostly happy to give up their work for a good cause, they said. “I think it’s cool because we will have better art supplies, and we can do more advanced types of art,” said Margaret Dominic, a fifth-grader at .

Ruth Butters, also a Kennedy fifth-grader, said she thought having her work at a local business would be a good credential. “If you’re looking into a job that’s art-related, it’s kind of a step forward,” she said.

The students are looking forward to having their work displayed publicly where anyone can see it, they said. “It’s nice that people will say, ‘I didn’t know (students) could do this,” said Sara Connelly, a sixth-grader at Kennedy.

 “I think it’s pretty exciting,” said fifth-grader Juliet Christin.

The Art Walk runs from noon-4 p.m. Saturday. Participants start at Kennedy Elementary School, 24220 Rosewood in Oak Park, where maps highlighting the locations of art displays will be available.

Art will remain on display until June 3.

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