The Temescal Roots Project will honor the rich history of the Black Panther Party’s beginning in/around Temescal through a public art installation in the heart of the district. This will be the first 3D public art piece to honor the legacy not of a single member, but rather the entire Black Panther Party as a whole.
In 2021, the Temescal Telegraph Business Improvement District (TTBID) teamed up with the Huey P. Newton Foundation to win a grant from the Kenneth Rainin Foundation. The purpose of the grant was to develop a concept for a public art installation honoring the history of the Black Panther Party in the neighborhood where it began. The importance of engaging the local community, artists, and stakeholders in this endeavor is paramount to it’s success.
Beginning in April of 2023, proposals were solicited from artists to conceptualize the outdoor art installation as a tribute to the Black Panther Party. We received proposals from Los Angeles to New York and of course many local artists too. Artists were encouraged to be creative, told that the process would be a collaborative one with the community and Roots team, and that they were free to design anything “except a mural!”
An Advisory Committee was formed with representatives of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, the TTBID board, Made in Color creative agency, a legacy Black Panther Party member, a local artist, and the City of Oakland’s Cultural Strategist for Public Art. The advisory committee narrowed the applicants down to seven semi-finalists and invited them to an on-site orientation in the plaza. The artists were given stipends to refine their concepts further, and to present their ideas during individual interviews with the Advisory Committee. After much deliberation, three incredible artists were chosen as finalists:
An Advisory Committee was formed with representatives of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, the TTBID board, Made in Color creative agency, a legacy Black Panther Party member, a local artist, and the City of Oakland’s Cultural Strategist for Public Art. The advisory committee narrowed the applicants down to seven semi-finalists and invited them to an on-site orientation in the plaza. The artists were given stipends to refine their concepts further, and to present their ideas during individual interviews with the Advisory Committee. After much deliberation, three incredible artists were chosen as finalists:
After extensive feedback and edits, our finalists designed concepts to honor the Black Panther Party. The Temescal Roots Project team presented the artist’s concepts at the festival in celebration of Huey P. Newton Day held in downtown Oakland in October 2023. Festival attendees were effusive about how impressed they were with all three designs; when asked to vote many moaned: “do I have to pick just one?”
Shomari Smith selected as winning artist and his design “10 Points to Liberation.” The Advisory Committee considered many factors in addition to the design itself, including community votes/feedback, installation/maintenance issues, and effectiveness of the overall message.
Because community input has been an important part of the art development process all along, feedback and ideas were solicited on the concepts both during and after the event. Third grade students from Park Day School (located in the district) took a field trip to the future Roots project site, voted on their favorite art designs, and shared their thoughts on what they liked about each. They utilized the project as a way to talk about artifacts of history in the built landscape and to learn about Black Panther history.
The project will reside in a new plaza that is planned for the intersection of Telegraph, Shattuck Avenue, and 45th Street which is currently a bike and pedestrian-only zone. This location lies directly adjacent to the historic Kasper’s Hot Dogs
The original Kasper’s Hot Dogs opened in Oakland in the early 1930s. Harry Yaglijian, longtime owner of Kasper’s, has had a long list of legendary regulars, ranging from Ron Dellums to members of the band, Metallica. Many of the founding members of the Black Panther Party were also regular customers, including co-founder Dr. Huey P. Newton, who was raised just blocks away.
The Kasper’s Hot Dog’s building – scheduled to reopen after being closed for nearly 20 years – will, once again, be a central location for the community to gather together.
Next, the finalist @shomari7382 will refine his design further based on feedback from the Advisory Committee. We will keep you posted as his piece evolves to the next step!
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